Interim head coach Tom Bradley was on the winning sideline the last Penn State left Ohio State with a victory.
Maybe the Nittany Lions can end an eight-game losing streak to the Buckeyes and find some luck at the horseshoe for the first time since 2011 when Penn State marches into Columbus on Saturday afternoon with another interim at the top.
“This is why you come to Penn State,” current Nittany Lions interim coach Terry Smith said. “To play a game like this and be able to compete against the No. 1 team in the country and have an opportunity to beat those guys.”
Going on the road to play the No. 1 team is challenging enough.
Doing it with not only an interim head coach but a quarterback making his second career start while trying to break a four-game losing streak seems like insurmountable odds for Penn State against top-ranked Ohio State.
Smith was promoted when James Franklin was fired on Oct. 12.
He isn’t downplaying the fact the Nittany Lions (3-4, 0-4) are three-touchdown underdogs in Columbus. He also said he doesn’t care who likes his chances of pulling a monumental upset.
“Obviously, no one is giving us a chance. I’m going to re-emphasize that to our team,” Smith said. “I don’t think we’ve ever been 20-point underdogs since I’ve been here. But it’s motivation. No one believes in us, and we’re going to come out and fight like we did at Iowa (25-24 loss on Oct. 18). We’re going to fight a little harder.”
The good news for the Nittany Lions is they’ve had two weeks to prepare for the Buckeyes (7-0, 4-0).
There is also bad news.
Ohio State also is coming off an idle Saturday on Oct. 25 and used the time to address its weaknesses, such as a running game that is 71st nationally with an average of 151.7 yards per game.
“Our execution has got to increase across the board,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said Tuesday. “We know we have to be explosive on offense and figure out ways to do that.”
It hasn’t been a problem so far, mostly because quarterback Julian Sayin in his first season as a starter for the Buckeyes leads FBS in completion percentage (80) and passing efficiency (189.7). He has the dynamic duo of Jeremiah Smith (49 catches, 602 yards and seven touchdowns) and Carnell Tate (34, 587, six).
“Ohio State has a long history of great receivers,” Terry Smith said. “Arguably these two are two of the better ones in that list. Jeremiah Smith is as good as they come. We were hoping he would go through the sophomore slump, but obviously he’s not. He’s just got everything.”
Penn State will face the No. 1 scoring defense (5.9 points per game) with redshirt freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, who grew up 20 minutes from Ohio Stadium and was recruited by Ohio State. In his first game since Drew Allar sustained a season-ending injury, he was 15 of 28 for 93 yards and two interceptions vs. Iowa.
“He’s a very talented young man,” Day said. “He’s got a great family. He’s a great leader and very intelligent, competitive player that has a bright future in the game. This is just his second start, but you can see the talent on the field. … I think very, very highly of him.”
The Nittany Lions will try to take the pressure off Grunkemeyer him by utilizing running back Kaytron Allen, who has 612 rushing yards (6.2 per carry) and nine touchdowns.
Penn State is 4-13 all-time against teams ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25. The program’s last win over a team ranked No. 1 was in 1981, when the Nittany Lions defeated Pitt 48-14.
