Penn State Football: What Nittany Lions Must Fix vs. Ohio

Penn State Football rallied from a pair of fourth-quarter deficits to defeat Purdue 35-31 in thrilling fashion to open the season last Thursday night.

However, the Nittany Lions have plenty of corrections to make against the Ohio Bobcats this Saturday afternoon.

Here’s a look at what Penn State Football needs to fix from Week 1, against Ohio

It all starts with the running game

Penn State Football’s offensive line was fine against Purdue, but it still wasn’t not good enough.

Lions Running backs averaged 3.1 per carry the team finished with just 98 total rushing yards.

Ohio is coming off a win against FAU, in which they only gave up 100 rushing yards, but FAU isn’t Penn State.

Penn State Football’s offensive line should be is bigger, faster, and stronger than a MAC opponent.

Phil Trautwein’s group needs to get a push up front and start running the football more consistently. Last week was a step in the right direction (even though the stats won’t show it), but the holes should be wide open this week against an inferior opponent.

Anything less than 200 rushing yards against the Bobcats would be a disappointment.

<< BUY PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS GEAR >>

Linebackers must make an impact

On the other side of the ball, Penn State Football’s front seven very will take center stage.

They played admirable against Purdue, but against a MAC opponent, they should be able to cause havoc on every play.

Penn State Football defensive coordinator Manny Diaz needs to tweak a few things relative to gap accountability with the linebackers, so expect linebacker play to be a point of emphasis.

Ohio has a good offensive team, so this will be a challenging test before Auburn next week.

Can Penn State Football’s WRs find consistency?

Wide receiver play was extremely all or nothing against Purdue.

Multiple drops left a sour taste about their performance. However, when they actually caught the ball, great things happened.

Yards after catch was a big reason why Penn State escaped West Layette unscathed.

KeAndre Lambert-Smith’s 29-yard touchdown and Mitchell Tinsley’s catch-and-run on the final drive are two plays that really stood out.

Ohio’s defense gave up 364 yards through the air against FAU, so Taylor Stubblefield’s room will have plenty of opportunities to redeem themselves this Saturday.