The Saturday Penn State Football has been waiting for all season is finally here.

James Franklin and his squad will travel to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes, looking to knock them off at the ‘shoe’ for the first time in the Franklin era.

It’s feeling like this is the time and might be the Lions best chance to beat Ohio State, as this is Franklin’s most talented roster and the best quarterback, he’s had in his time in State College.

Before kickoff, let’s take a shot at some BOLD predictions for Penn State’s biggest game in years.

Penn State Football vs. Ohio State BOLD Predictions

This will be the Harrison Wallace game

In last year’s defeat in Beaver Stadium to Ohio State, it was shaping up to potentially be one of those afternoons for Penn State wideout Parker Washington.

Saturday is going to be that day for Harrison Wallace.

Keandre Lambert-Smith is the Nittany Lions‘ number one wide receiver but when Wallace has been healthy, he looks like he’s been Drew Allar’s security blanket a bit, especially on third downs. He had numerous big catches week one against West Virginia collecting seven catches for 72 yards.

Ohio State’s best corner Denzel Burke looks like he may be a game time decision Saturday after suffering an injury last week against Purdue which could hinder that Buckeyes secondary.

Wallace is going to be that guy on third down all afternoon, he’s going to find the end zone for the first time this season and Penn State fans will talk about Wallace for years to come.

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Nick Singleton finally breaks out, but not on the ground

Penn State fans would have laughed at you in August if you told them a healthy Nick Singleton would only have 362 rushing yards at the midway point of the season.

Averaging just 4.1 yards per carry on the season, it has been a slog for both him and his running mate Kaytron Allen.

The Buckeyes boast a very stout rushing defense but did give up five yards a carry in their big win over Notre Dame.

In their road win at Illinois, Singleton caught three passes for 49 yards and then followed that up with a receiving touchdown at Northwestern a few weeks later.

We saw Singleton make that impact on a designed play and once just on a checkdown where he made defenders miss after the catch.

Look for Singleton to take a screen or checkdown or two and turn them into the much sought after explosive plays.

Chop Robinson Makes Himself a LOT of Money

For the first time in a long time, Penn State’s defensive line may have a significant advantage over the Buckeyes offensive line, especially on the edges.

Defensive end Chop Robinson has been great and is seemingly just getting better with each passing week, and also had a huge game in the ‘whiteout’ against Iowa.

His three sacks and one forced fumble don’t tell the story with Chop this season, because he has been dominant.

Ohio State has some issues at tackle, especially at right tackle with Josh Fryar where Chop usually lines up in Manny Diaz’s defense.

He has been talked about as a future first round pick by many draft outlets, but he is going to become a household name by Saturday night.

Chop may only have one sack, but he is going to live in the backfield all afternoon and his one sack is going to be meaningful. Look for a strip sack or a forced interception because of his pressure.

MORE: Penn State’s Reasons for Optimism, to Worry vs. Ohio State

 

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