You’re Nuts: Which Buckeye was an unsung hero against Penn State?

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By defeating Penn State 38-14 on Saturday, Ohio State earned its ninth consecutive win over the Nittany Lions. There were a number of outstanding performances from players on both sides of the football for Ohio State. Julian Sayin was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after completing 20 of 23 pass attempts for over 300 yards and four touchdown passes. Linebacker Arvell Reese earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors by recording 12 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss against Penn State.

While Sayin, Reese, and wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate received the majority of the headlines following the win on Saturday, there were a number of other players who deserve some praise for how they played against the Nittany Lions. To stay undefeated, Ohio State needed a total team effort to defeat a Penn State team that had nothing to lose.

Today, we want to know which Buckeye was an unsung hero on Saturday against Penn State. While Sayin, Reese, Smith, and Tate will deservedly get most of the attention because of their play in the game, we are trying to shine some light on those whose performances might have flown a bit under the radar. Maybe you noticed a player doing some of the little things, or there could have been a Buckeye who had one of his better games of the season, it just didn’t receive as much attention since Sayin and the other stars of the game were so good.

Today’s question: Which Buckeye was an unsung hero in Ohio State’s win over Penn State?

We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.

Brett’s answer: Bo Jackson

If there was one area of concern for the Ohio State offense entering last week, it would be with their inconsistency running the football. While it hasn’t really hurt the Buckeyes this year since Julian Sayin has been so good in his first season as the starting quarterback, there will come a point where Ohio State has to lean on the rushing attack. Bo Jackson eased some of those worries by rushing for 105 yards on just 13 carries against a stout Penn State defense.

The bye week came at the perfect time for Jackson since he had been dealing with a gimpy ankle over the last few games. After rushing for over 100 yards against both Grambling State and Ohio, followed by 80 yards in the win at Washington, Jackson failed to rush for more than 63 yards in the next three games. Having a week to rest and recover did wonders for the true freshman. Jackson’s runs certainly looked faster and crisper than in the few games prior to the bye week.

Ohio State has shown it can win with an offense that favors throwing the football, especially with the tremendous decision-making displayed by Sayin. Having an effective Jackson lining up in the backfield only makes the Buckeyes even tougher to stop. The difficulty level certainly is going to ramp up at the end of the month with a trip to Michigan, followed by a likely matchup with Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game in early December. Then the College Football Playoff will have the Buckeyes matched up with three of four strong teams from around the country if they want to repeat as national champions.

Jackson’s game against Penn State is definitely a performance that not only the freshman can build on, but the whole running backs group can gain confidence after seeing what he was able to do against the Nittany Lions. After hearing for weeks how bad the Buckeyes were at running the football this season, Jackson’s 105-yard output shows the rest of the running backs that reports of the demise of the group might be exaggerated, and provides building blocks for a late-season resurgence.

Matt’s answer: Kenyatta Jackson Jr.

In a game like Ohio State’s 38-14 win over Penn State, it is easy to focus on the offensive output, but the defense also deserves a ton of credit. Since I firmly believe that the officials royally screwed up on the play that led to C.J. Donaldson’s supposed fumble, I am only really giving the Nits one touchdown. Even so, the Silver Bullets played a flawless second half and proved that they are by far the best unit in all of college football.

During and coming out of that game, much of the defensive talk was about the always-awesome Caleb Downs and the otherworldly emergence of Arvelle Reese. No doubt about it, Reese was the Defensive Player of the Game with 12 tackles, including 2.5 for loss. And Downs pulled in an interception just a handful of plays after being cleared of a targeting call.

Those two defenders clearly deserve all of the recognition that they received after the game, but there is another Buckeye defender who I think flew under the radar after the Nittany Lion beat down, and that is none other than Kenyatta Jackson Jr. He led the team with a pair of sacks and added half of a TFL and batted down a pass as well.

Caden Curry has gotten much of the attention in terms of OSU’s defensive ends this season, but if Jackson is able to be a consistent threat on the edge, that makes the Buckeyes’ defense even more dominating. Against the Nits, Jackson played a season high in snaps and had his best Pro Football Focus grade of the season, aside from his 13-play outing against Minnesota.

So, while his performance in the PSU game deserves plenty of praise, if it serves as the start to an even more productive Kenyatta Jackson Jr., I shudder to think about just how much better the Silver Bullets could actually be by the time the playoffs roll around.

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