After starting off this season 5-0, Penn State has dropped its last two games. Things could get even worse for the Nittany Lions tonight when they take on the Ohio State Buckeyes.
On paper, Penn State has the talent to keep up with Ohio State. Howard, ESPN analyst Desmond Howard isn’t very confident in James Franklin’s squad at the moment.
During this Saturday’s edition of College GameDay, Howard explained why he doesn’t think Penn State will be a formidable opponent against Ohio State. Ultimately, he’s very concerned with the Nittany Lions’ offense.
“I don’t think Penn State is going to be a formidable opponent tonight,” Howard said, via 247Sports. “What I see from them in the last two games don’t give me the impression that they are going to do anything to slow down the offense. [James] Franklin says ‘Okay, Sean Clifford is going to be back.’ He doesn’t play defense! You’re going to go against C.J. Stroud and that receiving core. Good luck. There’s no way in my opinion that Penn State can score with Ohio State.”
Ohio State’s offense, meanwhile, has averaged 57.7 points per game over the past four contests.
“I think they’ve played great football lately, but you look at their opponents, not murderer’s row, not teams that you would measure yourself against,” Howard said. “But to their credit they’ve gone out there and handled their business. Ohio State has been kicking butt and taking names as they should.”
If the Nittany Lions can’t keep up with the Buckeyes in a shootout, they’ll most likely walk out of Ohio Stadium with a third straight loss.
Kickoff for this rivalry game is at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.