Penn State football eager to ‘prove to the world’ it can beat Ohio State

MADISON, Wis. — Typically, James Franklin and his players harp on enjoying wins. Sure, the focus shifts within a day or two to the following Saturday. But cherishing wins, reaping the rewards of going “1-0,” has been a theme during Franklin’s time at Penn State.

Saturday night was different. Maybe the Nittany Lions didn’t want to bask too much in a victory that came with its fair share of losses. Star quarterback Drew Allar exited with an apparent left knee injury. Starting defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton and right tackle Anthony Donkoh also picked up injuries and couldn’t finish the 28-13 win over Wisconsin.

But perhaps the biggest reason why the Nittany Lions weren’t celebrating too much? They know what’s next: Ohio State at Beaver Stadium with the entire college football world watching.

“I’m ready for it,” running back Nick Singleton said in the Camp Randall Stadium media room. “Great environment. Two great teams going at it. Can’t wait for it.”

“We’re going to lock in. This is a huge week,” said backup quarterback Beau Pribula, who might play a larger role against the Buckeyes if Allar can’t go. “I think we’re going to put this win behind us pretty fast. We know the stakes of this game.”

Some might argue the stakes aren’t as high this time around. With the 12-team College Football Playoff, the Nittany Lions could hypothetically lose to Ohio State, win out and still make the field and compete for a national title. Maybe that reality will subconsciously allow Penn State to play looser, to feel as though the entire season isn’t riding on one afternoon.

But that’s not how these players will be thinking going into next weekend. This is a battle-tested group that fought its way to an undefeated record, and they don’t want to give it up.

The Nittany Lions have been through a lot already. The weather delay at West Virginia. The halftime deficit to Bowling Green. The come-from-behind win at USC. On Saturday, Penn State faced another halftime deficit and lived to tell the tale with a backup quarterback at one of the craziest environments in the country.

The Nittany Lions are 7-0, and they want to get to 8-0. Period. And frankly, they have a pretty good chance to do that — as long as Allar is out there.

This is a gettable Ohio State team. They might have spent $20 million in NIL money on “the best roster money can buy.” They might own a 9-1 record against Franklin. But the Buckeyes lost at Oregon a few weeks ago. And coming off a bye week, they barely squeaked by Nebraska, 21-17 — the same Nebraska team that got smoked by Indiana, 56-7, the week prior.

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard, a Downingtown native, said after the Nebraska win that he wants to prove himself at Beaver Stadium. He grew up a Penn State fan, always wanted to play for the Nittany Lions, and they never recruited him. The former under-the-radar, three-star recruit who transferred to Ohio State from Kansas State is apparently taking that personally.

Couple that with Allar’s injury, and what is expected to be a top-five matchup has the makings of a dramatic, page-turning chapter in the book that is the 2024 college football season.

For neutrals, there’s intrigue. For Penn State fans, there might be some anxiety. But for Franklin’s players, they see only an opportunity ahead of them.

“I’m confident in our team that we’re gonna do what we gotta do,” safety Zakee Wheatley said postgame. “I’m confident we’re going to practice like we know we have to this week and go out there on Saturday and play how we need to play.”

“I’m very excited. I know everybody else is, too,” safety Jaylen Reed added. “It’s a big game coming up at Beaver Stadium. That’s something that we’ve been needing. We need this big game. And we’ve got to prove to the world that we’re ready for it.”

This time next Saturday, we’ll know if the Nittany Lions were ready for it or not.

Welcome to Ohio State week.