Business is about to pick up for the Ohio State football team and redshirt sophomore starting quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
Haskins has performed better than anyone could have realistically expected and has led the Buckeyes to a 4-0 record this season. With double-digit wins over Oregon State, Rutgers, TCU, and Tulane to start the season, things now change considerably as Ohio State heads off for it first road game of the season.
And it’s not just any road game. It’s the most difficult road game the Buckeyes have on their schedule every other year. It’s time for a trip to Penn State.
And per usual it will be a night game (7:30 pm kickoff) and a White Out for the Nittany Lion crowd.
There are plenty of key Buckeyes on this roster who haven’t really experienced what it’s like to play in this game and in that venue.
Composure is going to be key.
“What do I know about the White Out?” Haskins said after the Tulane game. “It gets pretty loud over there, I know that.”
While he may not be a captain, Dwayne Haskins is most definitely a leader on this Ohio State team. So often, how the quarterback goes is how the game goes, which should give Buckeye fans and coaches at least a tiny bit of comfort.
After all, all Haskins has ever done in tough spots is perform well. He did it in Ann Arbor last season off the bench and he did it in TCU country about 10 days ago.
Both of those games will help Haskins in Happy Valley, but for the other young players on the team, having gone to TCU will help them as well.
“Playing against TCU last week got us ready for this game coming up,” Haskins said. “Last time we went to Happy Valley we didn’t get a happy taste in our mouth, so we’re excited for this one.”
But while the game in Texas against the Horned Frogs gave the Buckeyes a taste of life on the road, what they are about to experience in State College is completely different. This will be a brand new situation the younger players and they will need to rely on the veterans and coaches to prepare them as best as they can.
While Haskins didn’t play in the Penn State game in 2016, he has seen it in full effect. Yes, the TCU game helps, but it can only do so much to prepare this team for what they are about to step into.
“It definitely helps out a lot, but it’s different playing at Penn State,” Haskins said.
“It’s at their house. Playing at AT&T Stadium is a neutral site for us because we have a really great fan base. But playing at Penn State, as a recruit going to their games in high school and hearing how loud it can get over there. Going my freshman year and seeing how hectic it can get. This one, the focus will be on how we can execute at the maximum level because they play really hard at home.”
The Buckeyes responded well to adverse conditions against TCU a week and a half ago, but that crowd was about as hostile as a doorman having his best day ever.
There will be no comparison to what the players experience on Saturday night on the Penn State campus, which is exactly why Dwayne Haskins can’t wait to get there.
“I’m looking forward to playing at Penn State,” he said. “It’s a really great environment. Even though we’re kind of like a rivalry a little bit, I’ve always admired their fan base and their stadium and I’m excited to go play there.”