Truth be told, the best scoring offense in the land hasn’t come close to maxing out yet.

Penn State has dropped passes, had lulls, killed scoring plays with penalties and at times gone conservative while coasting past its last three opponents to the tune of 177-40.

The Lions have run their spread, but about as basically as they can do it. There have been no exotic packages involving Tommy Stevens as the “Lion,” and not a huge number of “mesh-point” option plays.

Behind the best offensive line of James Franklin’s tenure, Penn State has stomped foes with power football. Since the opening-week scare, Trace McSorley hasn’t had to don the super-hero cape and the Lions haven’t had to finesse their way past opposing defenses.

It won’t be so easy against Ohio State, even with star DE Nick Bosa sidelined with an injury. Relative to the first four weeks, this is a major step up in class for the Lions.

On the other hand, Ohio State won’t intimidate or bully this offense. Those days are gone. Is this Buckeyes defense dramatically different from the one that gave up 38 points at home to Penn State last season? I don’t think so.

Even with Bosa, OSU allowed 308 passing yards against TCU two weeks ago while also allowing Horned Frogs RB Darius Anderson to run for 154 yards on 12 carries. TCU racked up 511 total yards in a 40-28 loss.

If you think that speaks to a strong TCU offense, think again. The following week against Texas, the Frogs had 231 passing yards and Anderson carried 8 times for 15 yards. TCU lost 31-16.

PSU offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne’s group boasts the same diverse, complementary firepower as last year’s NFL-talent-laden unit. Last week against Illinois, Rahne made final preparations for this Saturday’s showdown. He emphasized three key things in making sure the Lions are as ready as they can be:

  • Miles Sanders earned workhorse status, posting career highs with 22 carries, 200 yards and 3 TDs in three quarters of action. A dominant back makes the rest of the spread offense that much more lethal. Because the line is better, this year’s ground attack tops the one Saquon Barkley led the past two years.
  • McSorley ran for season highs of 15 carries and 92 yards. Against the Buckeyes and other serious B1G foes, McSorley needs to run. It’s a key element of the offense at its dynamic best. The most vital play of Penn State’s attack is really an RRPO, a run-run-pass option. It hinges on McSorley’s ability to read on the fly whether to hand off, keep and run, or drop and pass.
  • Juwan Johnson re-engaged with 4 catches — strong-handing a 16-yard TD reception — a week after being shut out. At 6-4 and 225 pounds, Johnson’s possession-receiver element syncs up perfectly with home run deep threats KJ Hamler and DeAndre Thompkins.

McSorley’s stats don’t jump off the page. He hasn’t thrown for 300 yards in a game yet this season, twice going sub-200. His completion percentage isn’t great at 53.8. But he’s accounted for 14 TDs against 2 interceptions, made great decisions, gotten everyone involved and delivered in the clutch when it was needed. Shoot, he’s even made 3 tackles.

In his 32nd career start and final shot at Ohio State, McSorley won’t go down easy, and he won’t go down with bullets left in the gun. He’s due for his best game of the season and best against the Buckeyes.

This game sets up as a shootout. This offense will have to click like never before. It’s totally capable of doing so.