After romping Michigan, PSU gears toward showdown vs. Ohio State

He wasn’t talking about the next opponent, Ohio State, until he was ready to do so, even if the delay was only 37 minutes long.

Speaking at 11:23 p.m., until midnight was all the time Franklin dedicated to savoring an emphatic victory over Michigan that set up a titanic matchup of Big Ten powerhouses in Columbus next weekend.

Penn State emerged back into the college football spotlight against Ohio State a year ago, and, by taking care of business against the Wolverines, the Nittany Lions afforded themselves the opportunity to affirm their status at the top of the conference against a Buckeye squad that is sure to have revenge on its mind.

Typically not one to wear his emotions, senior cornerback Christian Campbell couldn’t keep a look of anticipation from appearing on his face as he spoke about the challenge.

“I’m very excited,” he said. “We’ve been preparing for this since summer training. We’ve been wanting this for a long time. I believe it’s going to be pretty exciting. I can’t wait.”

Against Michigan’s John O’Korn, the Nittany Lions also got taste of what’s to come when they battle Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett, who has rushed for 370 yards on 71 attempts so far this season.

A mobile quarterback, O’Korn broke off two different scrambles of at least 12 yards in the game’s first 30 minutes. Crucially for its confidence heading into next week, Penn State’s defense was able to adjust and contain O’Korn in the second half.

“I would say it’s mostly on the D-line, just trying to keep their gaps, not getting pushed,” defensive end Ryan Buhcholz said. “I know on my stunt, I kind of want to go down the center of my man instead of creating a lane by going on the side of him, so that helped me get a sack.

“We kind of improvised throughout the game and learned that he’s going to find that little crease and run up it, so we decided to not make those big holes for him to run through.”

Ohio Stadium has proved a difficult place for the Nittany Lions to win of late. The Buckeyes have outscored Penn State by a combined 75 points in their last two meetings in The Horseshoe.

A veteran, Campbell knows what to expect.

“It’s going to be pretty crazy,” he said. “I mean, we’ve been in that situation before so we’re going to be ready and prepared.”

Buchholz, on the other hand, has never played Ohio State on the road.

He’s relying on his experiences in electric environments like the one in Beaver Stadium on Saturday as he looks toward what awaits the Nittany Lions in Columbus.

“We’ve had some loud games this year,” he said. “I think Iowa’s really loud too, so it’s good for that because we’ve got some experience. At practice, Coach Franklin loves to blast music and crowd noise, so we’ve got a lot of experience with it and it helps.

“I think it’s good that we have this game and we’ve played in other big games just to get some experience.”