Penn State football coach James Franklin has long had a philosophy of not looking past any game, no matter the opponent.
He stresses treating each game the same and going 1-0 every week.
But at least one of the third-ranked Nittany Lions admitted Tuesday that their game against No. 4 Ohio State Saturday at noon (TV-FOX) at Beaver Stadium carries more weight than others.
“It’s been something I can detect every week, but this week is a little bit more enhanced,” linebacker Kobe King said. “The volume is a little bit more turned up. Everybody’s feeling it. There’s a little bit more of a sense of urgency. It’s there.”
Penn State (4-0, 7-0) can take a huge step toward the Big Ten championship game and a berth in the 12-team College Football Playoff if it can snap a seven-game losing streak against the Buckeyes (3-1, 6-1).
The Lions haven’t won in the series since a stunning 24-21 victory at home in 2016 on their way to winning the Big Ten title.
If they beat Ohio State and win their remaining four games against Washington, Purdue, Minnesota and Maryland, they would most likely clinch a berth in the Dec. 7 conference championship game in Indianapolis. A loss Saturday would make it harder for them to get there.
At the same time, the Buckeyes would see their Big Ten title chances all but vanish if they lose. They would have losses to Oregon and Penn State and would need those teams to lose twice because of tiebreakers. Then there’s unbeaten Indiana, which remains in the picture and which meets Ohio State in late November.
“It’s an unbelievable opportunity,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said of playing the Lions. “A chance to go to Indianapolis is on the line. Our guys are excited about playing in this game. The defense has a lot of confidence coming off last week (a 21-17 win over Nebraska).
“If we can get the offense to play like it has in the past, that’s what we’re looking for in this game.”
Banner image: Gatorade recently unfurled a large banner with an image of Penn State running back Nick Singleton on a building in downtown State College.
Singleton, the former Gov. Mifflin star, has a NIL deal with the sports beverage company since Gatorade named him the National High School Player of the Year in 2021.
“It’s crazy,” Singleton said. “Stuff like that just means the world to me. I don’t get that without my teammates pushing me every day and my coaches pushing me every day. It’s a cool thing, but I have to give a shout-out to my teammates.”
Offering support: Penn State kicker Ryan Barker has made every kick he’s attempted since replacing Sander Sahaydak.
He also has received encouragement from Sahaydak, the former Bethlehem Liberty standout who was 2-for-5 on field goals before the Lions changed kickers.
“We always have each other’s back,” Barker said of Sahaydak. “That was the first thing, making sure he was all right. He’s handled it really well. He’s been really supportive of what I’ve been able to do.”
A graduate of Kennett High School in Chester County, Barker has made all six field goal tries, from 25 and 40 yards against UCLA and from 34, 33, 20 and 36 yards against USC, the last one a game-winner in overtime. He also is 12-for-12 on PATs.
