They don’t want to remember their last trip here to Columbus. For the matter, Penn State players do not want to dwell on last year’s double-overtime thriller either.
Odds are the Nittany Lions will not behave like they did in 2013, a 63-14 loss. Odds are that they likely won’t shut out the Buckeyes from the second half just like they did in 2014.
Regardless, the Lions haven’t been too eager to reminisce about either game this week.
“We lost,” senior captain Jordan Lucas said. “That is what I recall.”
That would be the frequent denominator there, yes.
What chance do the Lions have this time around against the No. 1 team in the polls, the defending national champs who have never dropped a regular season Big Ten match in four decades under Urban Meyer? Slim, albeit better than it seemed a week ago.
From the sounds of things, the Lions are going into the Horseshoe in better health than they have had for the last month. That should imply players such as Saquon Barkley and Angelo Mangiro are back in the lineup along with all the usual faces on protection. Even Adam Breneman obtained in his first regular reps with the offense this week following a week on the scout team to return to actions.
The Buckeyes have not necessarily lived up to their No. 1 ranking through six months, tied or trailing Virginia Tech, Northern Illinois, Indiana and Maryland at halftime. But it’s difficult to imagine them coming from tired with this one, using a crowded house in primetime.
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