BWI Daily: Penn State vs. Ohio game preview with Sean Fitz

09/08/22 • 35 min

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The Blue-White Podcast: A Penn State Athletics Podcast

Penn State football opens its 2022 home game slate on Saturday at Beaver Stadium against Ohio. To get you ready for the game, publisher of Blue White Illustrated Sean Fitz and senior editor Nate Bauer discuss the important storylines heading into the weekend.

Bauer starts the show with the news that Fitz is joining the BWI Daily on Thursdays, moving forward to bring his insider knowledge to the show. The duo wastes no time doing precisely that. Fitz and Bauer start the show discussing what they observed at Penn State's open practice on Wednesday night, including the status of several Nittany Lion defenders who were absent last week in the win against Purdue. They also share what they saw with Jaylen Reed, who was injured in the final drive of the game on Thursday.

Next, they shift gears to what players they're excited to see play on Saturday. Some of them, such as freshman quarterback Drew Allar, made an appearance last week, but Bauer and Fitz are keen to see more. Speaking of making an appearance, the duo also are eager to see more from Abdul Carter, who was ejected on his first defensive play for a questionable targeting call in the first half of week one.

Next, they discuss the running back rotation and which freshmen other than Carter and Allar they hope to get a better look at on Saturday.

From there, Fitz previews what Penn State is facing on Saturday by giving fans an overview of the Ohio Bobcats. Then, he breaks down the offensive and defensive standouts for the team and his thoughts on their top players.

Finally, he delivers the key matchups that Penn State needs to win to win the decisive victory that fans are looking for. For the Nittany Lions' defense, he focuses on how to stop Ohio quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who is likely the team's best player. Fitz was impressed with Rourke's skills in week one and highlighted how to stop him.

Offensively, he thinks this is a game that Penn State could get a very important and elusive part of their attack up and running. But, ultimately, he and Bauer agree that Penn State should have a hugely successful day, given their score predictions.

Show Rundown

00:00 Show Intro

00:35 Sean Fitz introduction

02:30 Recapping Penn State open practice and injury update

04:21 Penn State's plan to play depth

07:16 Situational Football

09:43 Explosive plays on the way

13:00 Players Fitz and Bauer are excited to watch against Ohio

22:30 Penn State vs. Ohio preview

26:54 Keys to the game: defense

29:30 Keys to the game: offense

31:30 Score prediction

Next, they discuss the running back rotation and which freshmen other than Carter and Allar they hope to get a better look at on Saturday.

Show Rundown

00:00 Show Intro

00:35 Sean Fitz introduction

02:30 Recapping Penn State open practice and injury update

04:21 Penn State's plan to play depth

07:16 Situational Football

09:43 Explosive plays on the way

13:00 Players Fitz and Bauer are excited to watch against Ohio

22:30 Penn State vs. Ohio preview

26:54 Keys to the game: defense

29:30 Keys to the game: offense

31:30 Score prediction

Previous Episode

BWI Daily: Is Landon Tengwall a better tackle or guard?

Penn State football fans have lots of questions after the team's season-opening win against Purdue nearly a week ago. So the BWI Daily mailbag show will give you some of those answers. Host Thomas Frank Carr and senior editor Nate Bauer discuss fans' questions submitted to the Blue White Illustrated message board.

Subscribe to Blue White Illustrated on YouTube, so you don't miss the show.

They start the show with a discussion about the Penn State running game. A message board member wants to know if the Nittany Lions offense should take Fox commentator Joel Klatt's suggestion and line the Penn State running backs up deeper in the backfield to give them a running start at the handoff.

Bauer gives his thoughts on the matter before T-Frank describes what he saw on film during the game. From there, T-Frank shifts the conversation towards freshman Nick Singleton and how using him in certain formations could be advantageous for specific reasons.

They also discuss the travel roster for away games and the rules set by the Big Ten. Now that teams are making exponentially more money, is that an outdated rule? T-Frank and Bauer discuss that theoretical change in the future. From there, that conversation bleeds into one about the wide receiver position. Does Penn State have a clear picture of their rotation beyond Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley? Bauer tells T-Frank what he knows about the situation.

The next question deals with rotation at all positions but focuses on the running backs. Does the staff need to limit the rotation of that group to get players in a rhythm? T-Frank doesn't buy the rhythm theory, but he does explain why getting more opportunities for one player is advantageous based on his experience.

They answer questions about how fans should view the game and the opponent from week one and how it compares to last season's opening win against Wisconsin. They also take an extended portion of the show to discuss Landon Tengwall's best position, the problem at right tackle, and if it's too early to worry about those players.

They wrap up the show discussing Keaton Ellis' performance and how Penn State can match up against Ohio State in a month.

00:00 Show Intro

02:30 Show changes going forward

05:11 Lining RBs up deeper in the backfield

09:30 Outlook for RB room and breakdown of performance

12:37 Big Ten travel roster expansion?

15:30 Wide receiver depth discussion

19:15 Player/running back rotation

27:40 Landon Tengwall and the o-line issues

34:47 Keaton Ellis standing out

37:31 Penn State's defense and how it can work against Ohio State

Next Episode

BWI Daily: Five Things to watch for in Penn State vs. Ohio

Penn State football takes on Ohio Saturday at noon for the home opener at Beaver Stadium. To get fans ready for the game, the host of the BWI Daily Edition, Thomas Frank Carr, breaks down the five things to watch for in Saturday’s non-conference game. T-Frank has studied the Bobcats and describes their interesting wrinkles and matchups that Penn State can exploit.

First, T-Frank looks at the Ohio running game, where he noticed some interesting wrinkles that the Penn State defense hasn't seen recently. He asked head coach James Franklin about that earlier this week and replays that answer on the show. Next, he deconstructs what Franklin said in more detail to explain the advantages of Ohio's pistol formation to the audience.

He brings that up because Penn State struggled last week in run defense at critical times, according to Franklin. With a new wrinkle and a new defensive scheme, the Nittany Lions need to take that step in improvement so they don't get caught flat-footed against Ohio.

Next, T-Frank points out what he saw on the other side of the ball from Ohio in run defense. Then, he explains how he'd attack the linebackers and where he'd "avoid", understanding that Penn State should be dominant in every area of the game.

Third, T-Frank points to the players he'd attack in coverage for Ohio. He has two players in particular that he'd exploit, describing what routes and players he'd use to do it.

The second thing you should watch for comes in the scheme that Ohio runs on offense. Aside from the run game wrinkles, T-Frank identifies the other types of plays Ohio deploys and why.

Finally, he gets to the number one thing that fans should watch on Saturday. Check out the video to see what that is.

T-Frank will also take questions live from the YouTube audience as he gives his five things, giving fans a chance to interact with the show. Subscribe to Blue White Illustrated on YouTube, so you don’t miss any edition of the BWI Daily!

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