Blue White Illustrated

bus, Ohio, reporter said as he led into a question Monday, "There's as much dis- cussion about these black jerseys as there seems to be about the use of your quar- terbacks." A;er twice naming Cardale Jones the starting quarterback this season, most recently before the Western Michigan game Sept. 26, Meyer is still 9elding questions about his QBs. And both con- tinue to have an undeniable e:ect on the undefeated defending champions. During OSU's 49-28 win over Mary- land last week, both Jones and J.T. Bar- rett saw signi9cant reps and combined for a total of 9ve touchdowns. Jones 9n- ished the game with 291 yards passing and two TDs, completing 21 of his 28 throws. Barrett also tossed a couple passes, totaling 26 yards, but he made his most signi9cant impact in the run game, rushing 12 times for 62 yards and three TDs. His playing time came almost ex- clusively within the opponent's 20-yard line. Asked if Barrett's role as a red-zone QB is a permanent move, Meyer responded, "I think so, but I'm not writing it in Sharpie yet. We'll see how it goes." When Ohio State and Penn State played last season – a game that ended in a con- troversial 31-24 overtime win for the Buckeyes – it was Barrett who played the entirety, and Penn State limited him to just 75 yards on the ground and 79 through the air. At that point, Jones was still the backup and a few months away from leading the Buckeyes to three postseason victories and an NCAA crown. Rather, it was Bar- rett who was called upon to lead the team a;er former starter Braxton Miller suf- fered a season-ending shoulder injury during the 2014 o:-season. (Miller has since returned to the active roster as a re- ceiver. PSU head coach James Franklin said it "looks like he's been doing it his whole life.") As a freshman last year, Barrett got the nod over Jones due to his leadership abil- ities, Meyer said, and Barrett's pilotage resurfaced against the Terrapins. Which might not come as a surprise, consider- ing Barrett is still a team captain in spite of losing the starting QB battle before the season opener. When he entered the game in scoring situations last week, though, Meyer said it "energized" his of- fense. Therein lies the dilemma. If Meyer continues using a two-quarterback sys- tem as planned, the decision will keep being questioned, especially if one or the other QB struggles. That'll certainly be a goal this weekend for Penn State, a de- fense that last week prepared for two dif- ferent quarterbacks who bear a resemblance to Ohio State's. "I think they de9nitely have a lot of similarities [to Indiana's]," starting linebacker Jason Cabinda said. "That can transfer over to this week and our preparation." Jones and Barrett, however, have both enjoyed success, especially in the second half against Maryland, as they fueled an o:ensive surge that helped Ohio State pull away a;er being tied with the Terps, 21-21, at hal;ime. This, Meyer said, is about sustaining the momentum going forward. "Now this is a whole other challenge," Meyer said. "It's [doing it] every week. I would love for Cardale to throw for 30 and J.T. to [score three times] again. This defense is probably going to have some- thing to say about that. It's a very good defense we're facing." Penn State senior safety Jordan Lucas called it "an opportunity of a lifetime" to face the defending national champs. De- spite maintaining the No. 1 ranking since last year's season 9nale, however, the Buckeyes haven't quite matched their pace of a year ago. Through six games – even though they're all wins – OSU is av- eraging eight fewer points and 51 fewer yards per game. As Meyer said, "Maybe not the 'Star Wars' numbers that took place a year ago." Nonetheless, Ohio State's current 36.8 points and 460 yards per game lead the Big Ten. Additionally, Heisman candi- date Ezekiel Elliott averages 139.2 yards per game, which puts him among the top 10 running backs in the nation. "They have a lot of di:erent weapons, so everybody has to be accounted for," said Lucas. "They have a veteran o:en- sive line, a good quarterback and good athletes on the perimeter, so they're def- initely going to try to get them the ball. We have to be on our Ps and Qs as a de- fense and make sure we play mistake- free football." NATE BAUER RECORD 5-1 The win against Indiana was a step to- ward beating the likes of Maryland, Illinois and Northwestern this time around for Penn State; not Ohio State, at night, in Columbus. A win would re- quire Christian Hackenberg having time to throw, and this Penn State pass protection just isn't up to the task yet. OSU in a second-half romp. OHIO STATE 34, PENN STATE 13 PHIL GROSZ RECORD 4-2 If you go by the preseason hype and preseason All-Americans on Ohio State's roster it'd be logical to believe it's a two- or three-touchdown fa- vorite. But Penn State's outstanding defense will keep it in every game. Un- fortunately the Buckeyes still win, but it will be closer than expected. OHIO STATE 24, PENN STATE 17 MATT HERB RECORD 4-2 Ohio State will be looking to use this prime-time platform to show the country that it hasn't lost a step after a string of surprisingly competitive games. I expect the Buckeyes to be at their best on Saturday night. That means trouble for PSU. OHIO STATE 38, PENN STATE 17 TIM OWEN RECORD 5-1 Penn State will keep it close at first. Then the Buckeyes' defense will even- tually clamp down while their offense, led by stud running back Ezekiel El- liott, slowly chips away at the Lions' D. OHIO STATE 31, PENN STATE 14 RYAN SNYDER RECORD 5-1 PSU is coming off its best overall per- formance of the season, while the Buckeyes haven't been clicking on all cylinders lately, so I expect the Nittany Lions to make this interesting. Don't be surprised if this is a one-score game entering the fourth quarter. OHIO STATE 31, PENN STATE 21 BWI'S FORECAST

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