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P R E G A M E R E P O R T O H I O S T A T E @ P E N N S T A T E 8 P . M . , O C T . 2 2 A B C OHIO STATE FACTS COACH Urban Meyer (Cincinnati, '86) COACH'S RECORD 56-4 in five seasons; career record: 160-24 in 15 seasons 2016 RECORD 6-0 (3-0 Big Ten) RECORD VS. PSU Ohio State leads the all-time series, 18-13. MOST RECENT MEETING Saquon Barkley rushed for 194 yards, but Ezekiel Elliott and J.T. Barrett both topped 100 yards rushing for Ohio State, and the Buckeyes prevailed, 38-10, in Columbus last October. GOOD NEWS When the Buckeyes rallied past Wisconsin for a 30-23 overtime victory at Camp Randall Stadium last Saturday, it was their 20th consecutive road victory, the longest streak in the nation and the longest since Miami won 20 in a row from 1984-88. BAD NEWS It's a article of faith among fans that Ohio State catches more than its share of officiating breaks. But this year, the Buck- eyes are the third-most-penalized team in the Big Ten, with an aver- age of 65.8 penalty yards per game. What's more, their oppo- nents have only been flagged 27 times for an average of 35.8 yards per game, the lowest total in the league. DID YOU KNOW? The Buckeyes' offense has gotten a lot of attention thanks to Bar- rett's success on the ground and in the air. But the defense has also been outstanding. Ohio State didn't surrender a rushing touchdown until traveling to Wis- consin in week six. M A T T   H E R B | M A T T @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Everyone likes a good underdog story, even Ohio State. When Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer reflected earlier this week on his team's most recent visit to Beaver Stadium, he focused on the mo- ment when all seemed lost, when his 13th- ranked team seemed like it was in real jeopardy. Penn State had just scored a touchdown in overtime, and the Buckeyes needed to match it to keep the game going. Their redshirt fresh- man quarterback, J.T. Barrett, had struggled most of the night. He was playing on a bum knee and had already thrown a pick-six that had given the Nittany Lions an opportunity to dig their way out of a 17-point hole early in the third quarter. And now he was going to have to produce a touchdown heading into the loudest part of one of the noisiest stadiums in college football. On the sideline, Meyer was thinking about what he was going to say to his team in the losing locker room. "Every indicator was up that we lost the game," he recalled. "The story was told. … The script was written." 1 TRIGGER WARNING J.T. Barrett is the catalyst behind one of college football's most potent offenses, as the Nittany Lions know all too well Only a junior, Barrett is al- ready the Buckeyes' all- time leader in touchdown passes with 61. Photo by Bill Anderson O C T O B E R 1 9 , 2 0 1 6 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M

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