The Penn State Nittany Lions play their home opener Saturday as they host the Ohio University Bobcats of the Mid-American Conference. The Nittany Lions come into this game with a record of 1-0 while Ohio is also 1-0 on the young season. These two teams haven't faced one another since 2012 when Ohio prevailed 24-14. Penn State is listed as a huge 25.5 point favorite in this one. Can Ohio keep it close enough to cover?
The Ohio University Bobcats did n0t have a great year in 2021, going 3-9 overall and 3-5 in the Mid-American Conference. Not a whole lot more is expected of the Bobcats this season, and they will have their hands full with Penn State. However, they scored a win in their first game, upsetting Florida Atlantic 41-38 as 6 point underdogs. After Kurtis Rourke hit James Bostic for s 15 yard touchdown pass with about 7 minutes left, Ohio had a commanding 41-24 lead. Florida Atlantic scored two late touchdowns to make it close, but overall it was an impressive performance.
Ohio racked up 476 yards in the game, with Rourke throwing for 345 yards and 4 touchdowns, on 27 completions in 34 attempts. He also ran for a touchdown. Bostic was his favorite target, catching 6 passes for 136 yards and a touchdown. Tyler Walton caught 6 passes for 64 yards while Sam Wiglucz caught 5 passes for 59 yards and 2 touchdowns. Miles Cross also caught a touchdown pass. The ground game was effective as well, particularly Sieh Bangura, who rushed for 114 yards on 5 yards per carry. The defense did force 2 turnovers, but it also got lit up for 478 total yards.