It’s been a rough season for the Penn State Nittany Lions. From being 3-0 in non-conference games to 0-4 in conference play, the program is stuck in a drastic downfall, and they had to let go of their long-time head coach, James Franklin. The interim HC Terry Smith is in a position to dig them out of their losing streak. Smith also had a difficult start, suffering a 1-point loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes. With a big game scheduled for Week 10, PSU’s interim coach sorts out two key changes to dig them out of the losing streak.

Terry Smith addressed the change in focus for the Penn State offense during his recent appearance at the Penn State Coaches show, ahead of their big game against the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes this Saturday. Smith addressed Senior RB Kaytron Allen’s 30 touches at Iowa and revealed that he’s going to be the focal point for the Nittany Lions against the Buckeyes.

“Kaytron Allen running the ball really, really well,” Terry Smith said. “He’s arguably running the ball better than any running back in the country… We made a point of emphasis to get him touches. And you know, Saturday, we’re going to make the same point of emphasis.” Smith revealed that the reason behind the change has numerous reasons and pointed out two. “One, for our offense to get going. Two, for their offense not to be on the field, to stop their explosiveness.”

Smith applauded Kaytron Allen, “So he’s running the football the way you want him to run it. He gets the tough yards. He’s a positive yard gainer. Very seldom does he have a night of minus play. We’re just super happy where he’s at.”

In the game against Iowa, he turned a career-high 28 carries for 145 yards and 2 touchdowns and also received 3 times for 7 yards against the tough Hawkeyes’ defense. Throughout the season, he carried 98 times for 612 yards, with an average of 6.2 yards per carry. This is almost double that of Penn State’s RB Nicholas Singleton, who was considered a preseason All-American Candidate.

Terry Smith also reported that they are looking to make more plays with the true freshman WR Koby Howard to help spark the Nittany Lions’ passing attack against Ohio State. “We’re going to get Koby involved in the pass game. We got to try to figure out something different to get the pass game going,” Smith said.

Koby had a 14-yard reception against Iowa and could be a big addition for the Nittany Lions’ passing game. Since the high-profile transfer trio of Kyron Hudson, Trebon Pena, and Devonte Ross haven’t had any major impact for the Lions, Koby could boost the passing game.

Terry Smith’s Penn State is set for the biggest challenge

Penn State visiting Ohio State was supposed to be a big clash in the Big Ten schedule this weekend. But the reality is far different, as the Buckeyes stay on top without a loss, leading the AP poll rankings, and the Nittany Lions are stuck in a 4-game losing spiral without a head coach.

This naturally keeps Ohio State the 20.5-point favorite against Penn State, amongst the oddsmakers. However, things were totally different before their loss to Oregon and the firing of James Franklin. Kaytron Allen is considered the offensive weapon for Penn State; however, it would be challenging for him to go against the No.1 defense in the country. The Buckeyes have restricted their opponents to just 3.81 yards per play, with 0.57 yards per drive.

On the other hand, Julian Sayin remains the key player for Ohio State, with an 80% completion rate and 87.9 QBR. He’s one of the accurate passers, passing at an average of 12 yards per completion. He posted 19 touchdowns with 1872 yards and is one of the elite QBs in the conference. Everything is against Penn State this week, which would keep the interim coach under pressure, but a win over the Buckeyes will change the entire trajectory of this season.