Welcome to the latest edition of Ten Pressing Questions!

On Saturday, No. 15 Ohio State (7-2, 4-1 Big Ten) visits No. 11 Penn State (8-1, 4-1). The game is set for a 3:30 p.m. start with a regional telecast on ABC and ESPN2. (Click here for the ABC/ESPN2 coverage map.)

As always, we have our Ten Pressing Questions on what to expect. We will answer these questions in Monday’s edition of the Daily Battle Cry/Monday Morning Quarterback (look for it by noon Monday). Here are 10 questions we will look for answers for surrounding OSU’s game against Penn State:

1. Can the Ohio State offense move the ball and move the chains against Penn State’s vaunted defense? – On paper, this looks like a tough match-up for an Ohio State offense that has been inconsistent all season. Penn State is No. 1 nationally in scoring defense (9.3 points per game) and No. 5 in total defense (254.8 yards per game).

I do believe some of those statistics are inflated because of the caliber of the teams Penn State has played. Only one of PSU’s opponents (Iowa) is among the top 55 in Jeff Sagarin’s national computer rankings.

OSU did some good things, certainly, the last two weeks against Minnesota and New Mexico State. But this will be a major step up against Penn State.

2. Can Terrelle Pryor help lead Ohio State to a big win? – By his own admission on Wednesday, Pryor has yet to lead Ohio State to a truly big win. He is 15-3 as OSU’s starting quarterback, although he is 2-2 against ranked teams. The wins were over No. 18 Wisconsin and No. 20 Michigan State last year. The losses were to No. 3 Penn State last year and No. 3 USC this season. (Although Pryor played quarterback against No. 3 Texas in the Fiesta Bowl, Todd Boeckman started that game for the Buckeyes.)

The common theme in those Penn State and USC losses for Pryor were turnovers. He had a fumble and interception against PSU, while he threw a costly pick that set up a touchdown against USC.

Pryor is going home to Pennsylvania to play this game and you know he wants a win more than anything. Can he stay away from the costly mistake, make the plays he needs to make and lead this team to a huge road victory?

3. Which OSU running back will emerge and can the Buckeyes establish the run? – Penn State is fifth nationally in rushing defense (84.1 yards per game). Only four of PSU’s nine opponents have eclipsed the 100-yard barrier this season. The leader was Iowa, which had 163 yards rushing in its 21-10 win at Penn State.

On Thursday, Jim Tressel did not have a definitive answer on which of his tailbacks would get the lion’s share of the work against Penn State. It seems that upperclassmen Brandon Saine and Boom Herron are back to full-go, which should help the cause. Freshmen Jordan Hall and Jermil Martin are also standing at the ready.

This will be a huge aspect to this game because Ohio State has struggled all year getting good yardage on first down.

4. Will DeVier Posey be able to find some holes in PSU’s zone defense? – Posey has become OSU’s most dynamic playmaker. He took a break from catching touchdowns last week to throw one to Dane Sanzenbacher.

PSU’s secondary has held its own this year, but has been largely untested. Northwestern threw for 252 yards last week against Penn State. If Posey and Sanzenbacher get loose, it would be huge for the Buckeyes. Ray Small caught an early deep pass touchdown that set the tone in OSU’s 37-17 win at Penn State two years ago.

5. How will OSU’s patchwork offensive line hold up against Penn State? – Ohio State has started five different offensive line combinations in nine games this season. LG Justin Boren returns after sitting out last week.

The lineup appears to be Jimmy Cordle at LT, Boren at LG, Michael Brewster at center, Bryant Browning at RG and J.B. Shugarts at RT. Andy Miller and Marcus Hall will provide support at the tackle spots.

The line has been criticized for not dominating the line of scrimmage this season. Penn State does not have an Aaron Maybin-type defensive end. But the Nittany Lions are fourth nationally in sacks per game (3.6). This will be a stern test. Watch out for Penn State DT Jared Odrick and rangy DE Jack Crawford.

6. Will the OSU defensive front seven be able to exert pressure on PSU’s Daryll Clark? – Clark is on his way to being the Big Ten player of the year. He can cement those qualifications if he leads Penn State to this win over Ohio State. OSU did a decent job of containing Clark in last year’s game. He left that game, in fact, with a mild concussion.

Penn State has only allowed 10 sacks all season. OSU has been hit-and-miss with the pass rush. The Buckeyes looked great with six against Wisconsin, but only had one – and it was by blitzing safety Kurt Coleman – in the loss to Purdue.

One key will be how the OSU secondary matches up with lanky receivers Derek Moye and Graham Zug as well as athletic tight end Andrew Quarless. If the secondary can hold up their end and make Clark hang on to the ball, the Buckeyes could produce some pressure.

7. Can the Buckeyes contain PSU tailback Evan Royster? – After a slow start, Royster has quietly put together a pretty good year. He is second in the Big Ten in rushing yardage per game (95.4 yards per game). He has gone over the 100-yard mark five times, including each of the last three weeks.

OSU’s run defense has been very stout, ranking sixth nationally (86.4 ypg). OSU must guard against the cutback lanes with Royster, who has great vision and footwork. LBs Ross Homan and Brian Rolle must be ready to go here.

8. Which team will win the all-important turnover battle? – The hope has to be that Penn State will help Ohio State out by turning the ball over. But Penn State has not had any turnovers in its last three games. Moreover, the Lions have forced 11 turnovers and only had two themselves during their current five-game winning streak.

Everybody knows the issues Ohio State has had with turnovers in its recent high-profile losses. Can OSU avoid the costly one in its own end that could turn this game in PSU’s favor?

9. With OSU playing without Aaron Pettrey, what impact will the special teams have on this game? – OSU suffered a major loss last week when Pettrey, its strong-legged kicker, was lost for the season after a cheap low block by a New Mexico State player on a kickoff.

Devin Barclay, who had never kicked a field goal before for OSU, will replace Pettrey. He was just 1 of 3 on kicks last week. It makes you wonder if Tressel will be forced to go for touchdowns and shorter field goals when the Buckeyes get inside the PSU 35-yard line.

Penn State has been anything but stellar on special teams. PSU’s coverage units have allowed some returns and PSU has had two punts blocked this season. Could Small get loose for a game changing play?

10. Will Ohio State still be in the hunt for the Big Ten championship and the Rose Bowl berth? – This is the $64,000 question. Ohio State has won four straight conference titles and been to four straight BCS bowl games. Those strings will more than likely come to an end if Ohio State loses at Penn State.

Sure, OSU could redeem itself somewhat with closing wins over Iowa and Michigan. But the best the Buckeyes would probably do in that scenario is the Capital One Bowl.

OSU has not played a solid, 60-minute game yet this year against a quality opponent. I think this team is a cut above the 2004 team that played in the Alamo Bowl. But they have a lot of work to do just to match what was done by the 2005 team that shared a Big Ten title and played Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.

OSU has not been to the Rose Bowl since the 1996 season. It would be a great reward if this team can pull off this kind of trifecta by winning out in the month of November and somehow find a way to get to Pasadena.

The first step in that voyage comes with today’s game at Penn State. We will soon find out if this team is up to the task.

Enjoy the game and keep the dial right here for Jeff Rapp’s in-game blog.

After the game, Dave Biddle and Bret Hoovler will host Bucknuts Postgame Live – a live interactive webcast where we will talk OSU football with you. Click here for more details on this special show.

Plus, we’ll have complete coverage with stories, photos and video from OSU-Penn State all weekend long!

More Links

Guys, there isn’t a better college fan web site on the face of the planet than Bucknuts.com. Here are links to some of the great features we had on the site this week in advance of this big game at Penn State.

Click here for the archive of our live Bucknuts Radio Hour from Friday morning. We had former Buckeye Art Schlichter, ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg, NittanyNetwork.com’s Jeff Rice, Bill Kurelic and more on the 2-1/2 hour show as we previewed OSU against Penn State.

Click here for Dave Biddle’s defensive notebook. Click here for Dave Biddle’s recap of Coach Tressel’s Thursday press conference, including video. Click here for Dave’s story on Terrelle Pryor, including video. Click here for Dave’s story featuring comments from linebackers coach Luke Fickell.

Click here for Jeff Rapp’s offensive notebook on the OSU-PSU game. Click here for our Game Data page on OSU-Penn State. Click here for our look at the history of this great rivalry.

Click here for this week’s Great Debate as Jeff Rapp and Heath Schneider discuss whether Jim Tressel is still a great big game coach.

Click here for this week’s star-studded edition of the Bucknuts Radio Hour. The show includes interviews with Pryor and LB Brian Rolle, Jeff Rice of the Centre Daily Times on Penn State, Bill Kurelic on recruiting, Big Ten Network’s (and former Buckeye) Jim Jackson and much more. Download it and take a listen.

Bill Conley will be back with his next Chat next Monday at 1 p.m. Click here for the archive of my Chat from today with Jeff Rice of NittanyNetwork.com. Click here for the archive of Bill Kurelic’s Chat from Wednesday night.

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