Ohio State football: 5 reasons the Buckeyes will beat Penn State
By Alec Hartman
2. The Buckeyes’ defense will be great even without Nick Bosa
The Buckeyes have been very successful this season but not without some potholes along the way. The Bucks lost star defensive end Nick Bosa en route to their Week 3 win against TCU.
Bosa suffered a core injury and has missed some time because of it.
Fortunately, the matchup last weekend in week four was much lighter and didn’t exactly call for his services anyway. It was expected that the hole would be easily filled in his absence. Regardless, the Buckeyes went out and took care of business against Tulane.
The defense didn’t miss a beat as they let up just six points. The Buckeyes recorded four sacks and 14 tackles for loss. Not bad considering their best player is out. The only thing that signified Bosa’s absence was the fact that there was no fumbles returned for a touchdown.
The Bucks were also missing another key player on their defense which was defensive tackle Robert Landers. His presence will provide more depth to the defense and further strengthen the line. Landers and Dre’Mont Jones have been the anchors of this unit up front. Chase Young and Jonathon Cooper will play significant time on the ends. Both are very capable players and will make an impact in this game.
The Buckeyes must bring consistent pressure on Penn State’s senior quarterback Trace McSorley if they are to keep their offense in check. He likes to extend plays but sometimes he does it too much and puts himself in position to get sacked or turn it over. He has thrown two picks this season. The line must also be vigilant to clog the interior because they have backs who can run it as well. Junior running back Miles Sanders is averaging seven yards per carry this season.
The loss of star defensive end Nick Bosa hurts but the Bucks have the fortunate ability to overcome it with depth. The Buckeyes have one of the deepest defensive lines in terms of talent available and personnel. Expect the Buckeyes to make plenty of noise even without Nick Bosa on Saturday night.