Haskins leads No. 4 Buckeyes into showdown at No. 9 Penn State
Dwayne Haskins has created quite a buzz with his ability to throw the football in his first four starts for fourth-ranked Ohio State.
It’s not exactly a surprise, though. Haskins had shown his talent as a passer in rallying Ohio State at Michigan last year and then in spring practice while beating out Joe Burrow for the starting quarterback job. Burrow subsequently transferred in May to LSU, where he’s now the starter.
So far, Haskins has exceeded most expectations.
His numbers are dizzying: 16 touchdown passes, one interception and a 75.7 completion percentage. He has put up those numbers while playing limited minutes in three of the four games.
To put Haskins’ start in perspective, no quarterback in Big Ten history has thrown five or more touchdown passes in the first four games of a season.
He ranks second nationally in completion percentage. The 16 touchdown passes are the second highest total in the country and the second most in Big Ten history to begin a season.
Last week while playing one half against Tulane, he connected on 21-of-24 passes for 304 yards and five touchdowns.
But the biggest test awaits Haskins and the Buckeyes this week.
Ohio State (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) hits the road for a showdown with No. 9 Penn State (4-0, 1-0) on Saturday night (8 p.m. ET on ABC) in State College, Pa.
The hype will be enormous. ESPN’s College GameDay will be there for a White Out at Beaver Stadium, and Haskins for Heisman conversations are popping up. It’s the first time the two teams have met while unbeaten since 1998.
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, who returned to the sideline last week for a 49-6 victory over Tulane after his three-game suspension, is somewhat concerned about Haskins blocking out what’s being said about him.
“I called him Saturday night (as) I was driving home from the game,” Meyer said. “I called him just with that message to stay focused. … One thing about Columbus, Ohio, is this is the show, and they become bigger than life and we’ve got to really … ”
Ohio State definitely hasn’t had a quarterback who could sling it quite like Haskins since Meyer arrived in 2012 and maybe never. Haskins has turned Meyer’s usual dual-threat offense into more of a pass-first attack.
A talented group of experienced wide receivers also are responsible for Ohio State averaging 365 passing yards per game and 233 on the ground. Typically, those numbers are flipped.
“It’s a very different offense right now,” Meyer said. “One was a run first, pass second. This is a do-what-they-give-you. I don’t think we’ve ever had a team average over 300 yards passing in a game either.”
Saturday’s matchup will feature the two highest scoring offenses in the nation. Penn State is averaging 55.5 points per game and Ohio State is at 54.5.
The team whose defense makes more stops likely will decide the outcome, and that should worry Penn State coach James Franklin after the Nittany Lions pulled away from Illinois in the second half last Friday for a 63-24 win.
“There are certain plays, certain series, certain quarters that you’re not happy with,” Franklin said. “But I do think we’re getting better, and that’s the thing I focus on. Do we get better individually and collectively every week? I think for the most part you can say we have. …
“We’re talented, but we’re young and inexperienced. We’re making mistakes that we’ve got to get cleaned up.”