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David Pollack identifies Penn State's key player vs. Ohio State

James Fletcher IIIby:James Fletcher III10/30/21

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Penn State head coach James Franklin and his staff extended an offer to safety Michael Gravely, formerly from Michigan State (Photo Credit: Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

As Penn State prepares to Ohio State on the road, ESPN college football analyst and College GameDay host David Pollack offered one key to success. Entering as 19.5-point underdogs, the Nittany Lions will need to strike early and often to keep pace with the high-powered Ohio State offense.

According to David Pollack, the best way to do that is find star wide receiver Jahan Dotson and the wide receiver core over and over again.

“They’re reeling,” Pollack told ESPN’s College Football Live. “Sean Clifford isn’t healthy and he’s the best part of your offense because you have to be able to run the football with him and he’s gotta throw it. They don’t run it really well. They have to find Dotson, they have to Parker Washington, those guys on the outside that make plays. Create explosive plays. I would say play keep away and run the football, but they can’t do that. Maybe Michigan or somebody else down the road can, but I haven’t seen Penn State run the football well.”

Penn State has struggled over the past two weeks with losses against Iowa and Illinois. Sean Clifford’s bumps and bruises have slowed down the offense, which needs a big up-tick against Ohio State this week. Averaging just over 20 points per game in October, the Nittany Lions offense will need big plays to keep pace.

As David Pollack points out, Jahan Dotson offers a unique combination of speed and athleticism which has created problems for every defense he faced this season. The 5-foot-11 senior has 49 catches for 563 yards and six touchdowns this season. Fellow wide receivers Parker Washington and KeAndre Lambert-Smith have over 300 yards and two touchdowns, averaging more than 11 yards per reception.

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Another College GameDay host weighs in

Kirk Herbstreit believes Penn State can be a dangerous matchup for Ohio State. Prior to the huge Big Ten showdown, Herbstreit joined The Tim May Podcast to relay his thoughts on the challenge the Nittany Lions represent.

First, Herbstreit mentioned the Penn State offense led by offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich as something to be excited about.

“I’ve been around Penn State a bunch this year — I was really excited to see Mike Yurcich get in there .. he brings in a very different offensive attack than what they had a year ago,” said Herbstreit. “I know talking to Sean [Clifford] quite a bit, he has been fired up because it’s turning him loose. Attacking downfield more.”