5 things to watch in the Penn State-Michigan football game

The No. 14 Penn State Nittany Lions (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) will take on the No. 5 Michigan Wolverines (7-1, 5-0) in Ann Arbor at 3:45 p.m. Saturday. Here are the five things you should keep an eye on.

Michigan’s defensive holding and/or James Franklin’s excuses

Depending on your point of view, Penn State either has to watch out for a strong Michigan secondary that leads the nation by allowing 122.9 passing yards per game — or it has to watch out for blatant holding by the Wolverines. Maybe both.

But Franklin especially highlighted the latter after practice Wednesday night.

“They’re going to get hands on you, and they’re going to run with you and be at your hip,” Franklin said. “But, while they’re at your hip, they’re grabbing your pants, they’re grabbing your hip, they’re grabbing your — very rarely is it the jersey because you see the jersey. They’re well-coached at it.

“But what you will see is you’ll see the receiver running and the DB right behind him and they’re both running full-speed, and then all of a sudden, for some reason, the receiver slows down and the DB runs by him. Doesn’t add up. So they do a really good job at those things, so our mentality all week long is we have to fight through those. They’re going to grab, they’re going to tug, they’re going to hold, and it’s smart on their part. We need to fight through it.”

Is Franklin just laying the foundation for an out if Penn State loses big? Or is Franklin right and nobody’s had the wherewithal yet to call U-M out on it like that? Pay attention to the pass coverage, and decide for yourself.

Trace McSorley’s right knee

Franklin declined to discuss his quarterback’s health, snapping at one reporter Wednesday when the question was asked.

But, like it or not, it’s one of the biggest storylines to this game. McSorley went down against Iowa in the second quarter, stayed out for two series and then returned. Even if he did run for a 51-yard touchdown in the third quarter, he’s still clearly not 100 percent this week.

This is purely speculation, but it’s the best guess out there: McSorley likely suffered a sprained MCL in his right knee, potentially hindering his lateral ability, according to a tweet by former NFL team doctor David J. Chao. Depending on the grade of the sprain, it could be fully healed in a week — or, if it’s severe, maybe six weeks. The fact is we just don’t know.

What we do know: McSorley wore a right knee brace at practice Wednesday, and he knows he’s going to have to run against Michigan. “That’s definitely something I’m going to have to do,” he said earlier in the week. Of the Wolverines’ last six losses, four came against dual-threat quarterbacks who had big games rushing. Last season, McSorley had three rushing touchdowns against U-M.

If McSorley’s rushing ability is hindered, Penn State’s offense is hindered. He doesn’t like having a brace — he said before it feels restrictive — and he might not have one Saturday. He said the staff is taking that day by day. So, if you see him without one Saturday, that’s definitely a positive.

Can Michigan RB Karan Higdon keep his 100-yard streak alive?

Jim Harbaugh’s teams are at their best when they can run the football — and, like the Wolverines, Higdon has been on a roll lately.

The senior running back has rushed for at least 100 yards in six straight games. In fact, over that span, he’s rushed for 759 yards while averaging 5.8 yards per carry. It’s not as if Higdon has just faced inferior competition either. He rushed for 144 yards against Michigan State’s top-ranked run defense and also reached the 100-yard milestone against Northwestern and Maryland, two teams who boast a better run defense — at least statistically — than Penn State.

If there’s a key stat to this game, it’s how Michigan fares running the football in wins compared to losses. There’s a definite pattern here. Over the last two seasons, during U-M’s six losses, the Wolverines averaged just 85.5 rushing yards per game while averaging 2.3 yards per carry. In their wins? U-M averaged 234 yards per game and 5.4 yards per carry.

If Michigan can’t run, it can’t win. Since 2015, it’s 1-11 when rushing for less than 110 yards.

Lots of stars on both defenses

Harbaugh called Penn State’s defensive line “the best we’ve played so far.” Penn State assistant Matt Limegrover called Devin Bush “one of the most electric playmaking linebackers I’ve seen,” not too mention praising defensive ends Chase Winovich and Rashan Gary.

There’s a lot of future NFL talent on these two defenses. Michigan boasts the best defense in the nation, and Penn State might be Michigan’s toughest test so far.

Let’s look at a few of the other defensive bright spots. Penn State DE Yetur Gross-Matos, over the last two games, has 19 tackles to go along with four sacks and six tackles-for-loss. Shareef Miller is the leader of Penn State’s line and might even declare early for the 2019 NFL draft.

In the secondary, both Penn State’s Amani Oruwariye and Michigan’s Lavert Hill were second-team all-conference last season. And at linebacker, Penn State freshman phenom Micah Parsons is as athletic as they come, while Bush has earned praise from every direction. Said Franklin: “Devin Bush is as impressive a middle linebacker as you’ll see. He flies all over the field and is explosive, strong, and powerful.”

Both offenses average more than 36 points per game. But, since Week 2, Penn State’s defense hasn’t allowed more than 28 points and Michigan hasn’t surrendered more than 21 points.

Special teams — especially Penn State’s miscues

Both of these teams boast explosive returners and inconsistent kickers. The main difference? Penn State’s penchant for committing a handful of special-teams miscues every game.

In the Nittany Lions’ last game, a botched snap on a punt and a bobbled snap on a punt led to a pair of safeties. On several occasions this year, against both Michigan State and Iowa, Penn State was unable to stop special-teams fakes — despite expecting the plays. Onside kicks have been issues, staying in the end zone on kick returns has been a problem at times (and sometimes not), and there’s been more shanks than past seasons.

Penn State’s DeAndre Thompkins and Hamler have the ability to go for touchdowns at any point on special teams. But the same can be said of Michigan’s Donovan Peoples-Jones and Ambry Thomas. Of those four, all but Hamler have recorded special-teams touchdowns this season, and Hamler’s been close a few times.

If the game comes down to special teams, Penn State’s at a clear disadvantage.