Turnovers, penalties, poor special teams and the loss of another RB is a lot to overcome against the Buckeyes

No way around it this is a tough spot for the 0-1 Penn State Nittany Lions.

Ohio State (1-0) is very good, again, and the command of the offense displayed by quarterback Justin Fields – a one-time Penn State commitment – is nothing short of impressive.

Why I see this as such a tough spot for Penn State is a long list. And fixing shortcomings, overcoming injuries plus playing the Buckeyes in a empty Beaver Stadium feels like too much of an uphill climb.

Under James Franklin, Penn State has played Ohio State as tough as anybody the last half-decade. The losses in 2017 and 2018 were by a single point and last season the Lions showed some grit in the second half last year in Columbus to make it a game.

So, I’m comfortable in saying Penn State is not intimidated by OSU. They will give the Buckeyes their best shot. I’m just very worried about that shot.

My concerns are with the baggage Penn State brings to this late-day kickoff. Penn State made enough mistakes in Indiana to lose that game three different ways. It was actually shocking they had a one-point lead with less than 2 minutes to play. And based on talent, Penn State probably wins that match-up nine out of 10 times.

Turnovers, penalties (lots of them), missed field goals (not even close) and the loss of another running back stacked the deck against Penn State in Bloomington.

I think QB Sean Clifford will take care better care of the ball. That’s a fixable problem that I don’t see showing up again. The penalties worry me because they came in all three phases. Penn State has to be more disciplined.

The biggest concern for me is the loss of RB Noah Cain for the season to a lower leg (foot or ankle it appears) after only three carries in 2020. This on top of losing starter Journey Brown for a significant amount of time for an undisclosed medical issue he’s dealing with.

Penn State’s running back room was talented and deep. With those two gone it’s neither. Devyn Ford is a not a carry-the-load every down back. That’s not his strength. And then you are looking at a couple of true freshmen. What only 14 days ago was a huge strength and asset of this team is now a liability.

And if you think these young backs are ready to step in and carry the load, just look at how much Clifford ran the ball last week. That wasn’t the plan for sure.

The offense will be helped by an offensive line that we expected to be strong and showed that to be the case last week. Other than a couple short-yardage breakdowns they were exceptional. That’s not going to change against an Ohio State front that is good, but doesn’t have a Bosa brother or Chase Young to wreck the game.

A combination of the injuries at running back and the lack of seasoned talent and depth at the wide receiver position has put Penn State’s offense in a strange spot. Clifford is going to carry more of the load and that’s risky.

Fields is a real problem because of how he uses his legs to cover up so much and keep Ohio State in a comfortable groove offensively. The only team during the regular season to throw him off his passing spot (where he completes nearly 70 percent) last season was Penn State. And I think the Nittany Lions will do that again. But he killed the Nittany Lions with his legs last year. It was clear last week Micah Parsons is missed at linebacker. And now Jesse Luketa is out for the first half after being ejected for targeting.

I see a fast start for Ohio State and the Buckeyes jumping on top 14-0 early then Penn State holding serve in spots the rest of the way. But I have a hard time seeing this as a close and up-for-grabs game.

OHIO STATE 31, PENN STATE 14