NCAAF PREVIEW – Week 8: Happy Valley Is Calling for a White-Out and Win against Michigan
Penn State is coming off a monstrous win against Iowa last weekend, but there’s no doubt Saturday’s White Out versus Michigan has been circled on calendars for months.
The Nittany Lions are significant favorites in a game that will once again come down to defense.
The Wolverines, under new offensive coordinator and former Penn State receivers coach Josh Gattis, has looked sluggish at times, and dominant against weaker defenses. They have not been able to find their footing or get into a real rhythm. Quarterback Shea Patterson has been a disappointment this season, but can still be dangerous.
Unfortunately for Michigan, Penn State’s defense isn’t Rutgers or Illinois. Penn State is currently ranked fourth in total defense in the NCAA and they look to continue to exert their dominance in Happy Valley on Saturday.
Lead by defensive ends Shaka Toney and Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State has been very disruptive up front, enabling their linebackers to make plays. The secondary has been questionable at some points, but safety Lamont Wade has emerged as a standout player and leader of the group.
Coach Jim Harbaugh has been a proponent of the “three yards and a cloud of dust” Big 1o style we’ve seen in the past, but he brought in Gattis to revolutionize their offense. It hasn’t worked yet as the Wolverines are 84th in the county in total offense.
Receiver Ronnie Bell leads Michigan in receiving yards, but Patterson will look to former 5-star recruit Donovan Peoples-Jones who is improving with each game. True freshman running back Zach Charbonnet averages 4.8 yards per carry, but may not be much of a factor if Penn State builds and early lead.
As always, getting after the quarterback will be key for the Nittany Lions, and Michigan’s offensive line lead by John Runyan Jr. will not make that easy. Michigan has only allowed 11 sacks this year, one more than Penn State.
Speaking of the Nittany Lions offensive line, they will need to continue their absolutely stellar play to keep Sean Clifford upright all night.
Clifford was shaky for most of the game against Iowa but was able to make plays when needed. The first-year starter seems to feed off the energy in Beaver Stadium and should be comfortable early in front of the home fans.
Noah Cain will look to lead Penn State in rushing once again this week but don’t sleep on Journey Brown to make a big play and electrify the crowd early. The Wolverines will give up points, and Penn State just needs to capitalize on their mistakes and they will be 1-0 for the week.
For Harbaugh, this is without a doubt the biggest game of his career at Michigan from a job security standpoint.
It would be hard to see Michigan fire their own son, but a loss to Penn State and what will most likely be a loss to Ohio State the final week of the season could spell the end for Jim Harbaugh in Ann Arbor.
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Categorized:College