STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State players know their goal is always within their reach.

The No. 6 Nittany Lions (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten, No. 6 CFP) also realize a College Football Playoff berth could elude them if they let the humiliating defeat snowball last week against No. 3 Ohio State.

They are determined to bounce back against Washington (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) in front of a White Out crowd on Saturday.

“We control our own destiny,” quarterback Drew Allar said. “We have a really good team coming into town that is playing a lot of good ball right now. So it’s going to be a challenge this week for us offensively and we have to rise to the challenge.

The Huskies aren’t the Buckeyes, but they still pose a threat.

Washington will bring the nation’s second-ranked pass defense and some swagger to Beaver Stadium, fresh off a late goal-line stand that helped upset Southern California last week.

While Washington shut down the Trojans from the first quarter late in the fourth quarter to help end a two-game losing streak, Penn State found itself on the other side of a similar situation.

The Nittany Lions were four games into the Ohio State 3 with just over five minutes remaining a week ago. Three runs up the middle went nowhere and a fourth pass fell incomplete. Ohio State gained possession and ran out the clock.

“We have to do some things better scheme-wise, but we also have to do the fundamental and technical work a little better to make sure we get the movement we need,” Penn State coach James Franklin said .

Receptors sought

Allar knows it will be a tough game for his wide receivers, but he is determined to throw them this week.

Since tight end Tyler Warren’s 17-catch game against USC on Oct. 12, Penn State’s top three players have combined for just 12 catches in games against Wisconsin and Ohio State.

Liam Clifford and Omari Evans were held without a catch by the Buckeyes and will now line up against a secondary allowing a Big Ten best 142 passing yards per game. Additionally, the Huskies have picked off eight passes this season, including three last week.

“If they’re not the best, they’re among the best,” Allar said. “They just stick to the guys on the cover. So we’re going to have to make contested catches throughout all four quarters this weekend.

Two-headed monster

The Nittany Lions need more from their running game.

Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen combined for four 100-yard rushing performances to start the year. Since then, they have not managed to exceed this threshold.

Ohio State’s physical defense held Singleton to a career-worst 15 yards on six carries, while Allen managed just 27 yards on 12 carries.

“We need to get our traditional running game going again,” Franklin said. “I think it will be a combination of both continuing to do some heavy stuff, but I think we can also develop some things to spread to get some guys out of the box and create more space.”

Rowdy crowd

Washington coach Jedd Fisch experienced a White Out at Beaver Stadium — where nearly all of the 107,000-plus fans wear white and practically glow under the lights.

Sure, it’s a spectacle, but the noise that comes with it is the biggest challenge.

Fisch said he spent time earlier this week showing his players clips of Michigan’s 2015 win at Beaver Stadium, when Fisch was on Jim Harbaugh’s team.

“I know they’ll be loud,” Fisch said. “We just have to go play ball and try to see if we can play the best game we’ve played all year.”

Manage the load

Fisch has had to monitor running back Jonah Coleman’s workload since the junior was unable to finish a game against Rutgers on Sept. 27.

After the team’s bye three weeks ago, Coleman looked better and better. He finished with a career-high 23 carries against the Trojans. He leads the Huskies with 889 yards on 141 carries and seven touchdowns.

“We needed this week off to get Jonah back to the best health possible,” Fisch said. “Our goal is around 20 races. He made 58 plays (total) in the (USC) game, so not just in the rushing game, but in the passing game. That’s a pretty significant number of reps for a running back.