State College, Pennsylvania - In an exclusive interview, former Buckeye linebacker Derrick Malone previews Saturday's hugely-anticipated Big Ten college football showdown between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 13 Penn State.

Ohio State has not played many road games this season after spending all of September at home.

Marching into Happy Valley on Saturday, it's no exaggeration to say the Buckeyes will tackle their first true challenge of the season against Penn State.

The Nittany Lions are notoriously known for their "ruckus" environment, according to Malone, and he believes a win for the Buckeyes will the biggest personal gain for the athletes to date.

"With the 12th man as they call it, Penn State and their fans 110, 000 strong, we're blessed its not a white-out," Malone told TAG24. "It makes it all the more difficult."

Coming off of a win against Iowa last weekend, the level of play Penn State will deliver is going to be more aggressive.

"Penn State bring a secondary with a top-corner who's projected to be a first round pick," Malone detailed about Lion's defense. "I think that will be an interesting match-up with our receivers Marvin [Harrison Jr.] and Meka [Egbuka]."

While the Nittany Lions’ defense will work to slow down Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud, Penn State's offense will wake up the Buckeyes on the defensive side of the ball.

"On offense, this is by far the best offense that they [Ohio State] face thus far. This will definitely be a test for the Buckeye defense. I know there's been a lot of naysayers not really believing whether or not the defense is actually real this year. The improvements are real, so this will be a good test through and through for the Buckeyes."

As a former Buckeye who beat Penn State four consecutive times during his career, Malone knows what it takes to defeat the Nittany Lions.

Since the modern CFP era, the Ohio State is 7-1 against Penn State – the only program in the Big Ten to average losses to Ohio by a margin of a single touchdown since 2014.

This season, however, Penn State hasn't played a top-tier offense like this, and with talented running backs like Miyan Williams and Treveyon Henderson, Malone sees this as a great opportunity for the Bucks to add some new offensive plays.

"Penn State is not a very good run-defense and it's shown throughout the year," Malone noted about the Lions. "What I would like to see on offense is to run the ball. I think you have to go in there and you have to punch Penn State in the mouth and set the tone for the game. That will take the crowd out of it some."

The Buckeyes are the top program in the nation for passing efficiency and red zone offense. If they can be as dominant in their rushing as they are with their passing, Malone thinks they will be completely unstoppable for Penn State's average defensive team.

"[Penn State defense] are vulnerable. It's a great opportunity to run the ball and win the line of scrimmage. That's definitely a big battle and a big piece to winning football games. If we do that, good things are coming for the Buckeyes."

The Big Ten showdown between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 14 Penn State will kick off Saturday at noon EDT in Beaver Stadium.