Penn State Football’s 3 Must-Win Matchups vs. Oregon in Big Ten Championship Game
With a trip to the College Football Playoff already locked in, Penn State Football faces Oregon Saturday for the Big Ten championship on Saturday night.
A bye week and a shot at the No. 1 seed are on the line for the Nittany Lions on Saturday against the Oregon Ducks as the PSU returns to Indianapolis for the first time since 2016.
If the Nittany Lions are to knock off the top-ranked Ducks, there are three key matchups that Penn State must win.
Here are the three matchups that could tilt Saturday’s matchup in the Nittany Lions’ favor.
Penn State defensive line vs. Oregon offensive line
Oregon’s offensive line is up for the Joe Moore Award this season for the top offensive line in the nation. Oregon has allowed only 12 sacks on the season and only 43 tackles for a loss on the season, both ranking in the top 15 in college football.
Penn State’s defensive line, led by Big Ten defensive player of the year Abdul Carter, ranks 32nd in sacks with 32 and 19th in tackles for a loss with 85. The Nittany Lions will need to get pressure in the backfield to make Dillion Gabriel and the Oregon Ducks offense uncomfortable Saturday to have a shot to slow down the Ducks’ high-scoring offense.
Penn State offensive line vs. Oregon defensive line
Oregon’s defensive line is quite large and very disruptive.
Led by defensive ends Matayo Uiagalelei and Jordan Burch, Oregon’s defense ranks sixth in the nation in sacks with 39 this season. Uiagalelei and Burch have combined for 19 of those. On the other side of the line of scrimmage, Penn State’s offensive line has dealt with injury issues, including the loss of starting right tackle Anthony Donkoh for the season a few weeks ago.
Meanwhile, Penn State’s offensive line has only given up 11 sacks on the season, thanks in part to good offensive line play and in part to starting quarterback Drew Allar’s increased mobility this season.
If Penn State wants to be able to move the ball against Oregon, the offensive line must step up against Oregon’s stout defensive line and keep the Ducks out of the backfield. If Penn State is to knock off the Ducks Saturday, the Nittany Lions must stay ahead of the sticks and put themselves in good positions on second and third down to be able to sustain drives. Against Ohio State earlier this season, when the Nittany Lions were kept out of the endzone on offense for the only time this season, the Nittany Lions were three of 11 on third down and allowed two of the team’s 11 sacks on the season. The Nittany Lions will need to do much better against a better Oregon defensive line to have a shot to win Saturday.
Penn State Secondary vs. Dillion Gabriel
Penn State Football ranks third in the Big Ten in passing defense, but the Nittany Lions will face a very tough test Saturday.
On the other side of the matchup, Oregon and quarterback Dillion Gabriel rank second in the Big Ten in passing yards per game and second in completion percentage this season. Gabriel also ranks third in the Big Ten in passing touchdowns with 24 this season. If the Nittany Lions hope to knock off the top-ranked Oregon Ducks, the Nittany Lions must limit Gabriel and the Oregon offense through the air.
One area where Penn State could potentially exploit a weakness in Gabriel’s game is his turnovers inside the red zone.
Gabriel has thrown only six interceptions on the year (only one more than Drew Allar), but four of those interceptions have come inside the 11-yard line. If the Nittany Lions can slow down Gabriel through the air and potentially force turnovers in the redzone, the Nittany Lions chances of winning will greatly increase.
The Nittany Lions face a tall test on Saturday when they meet up with the Oregon Ducks in Indianapolis. If the Nittany Lions can win these three key matchups, it would go a long way to the Nittany Lions pulling off the upset and earning a first-round bye in this year’s college football playoff.
MORE: How Penn State Can Secure No. 1 Seed in The College Football Playoff
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