How can Penn State football take down No. 6 Michigan at home? Here are Saturday’s 2 key matchups
Penn State football snapped its three-game losing streak last week with a win over Maryland and will try to build off it back in Beaver Stadium Saturday afternoon. The Nittany Lions will take on the No. 6 Michigan Wolverines at noon. Penn State enters the game 6-3 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten, while Michigan is 8-1 overall with a 5-1 conference record.
Let’s take a look at the two key matchups that will determine if the Nittany Lions can defeat the Wolverines
Jon Sauber: Michigan’s rushing offense vs. Penn State’s run defense
The Michigan offense has relied heavily on its run game to control the field this season and has done so on its way to an 8-1 record. The Wolverines have primarily utilized Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum to lead the way, but that could change Saturday. Corum’s status is up in the air and the team’s third running back — Donovan Edwards — could also be out after missing the team’s last game against Indiana with an undisclosed injury.
Those injuries are sure to add pressure to the rest of the unit, but especially to Haskins, who has already carried a heavy load this season. The senior running back has 165 carries through the team’s nine games and has run for 829 yards and 11 touchdowns thus far.
Haskins is a power back with the mentality of a battering ram and the ability to wear an opposing defense down. Corum and Edwards have the type of explosiveness that can create big plays once a defense is tired from having to tackle Haskins. With Michigan potentially dealing with their absences, it could make Haskins or an inexperienced back take up the type of plays Corum and Edwards usually create.
That bodes well for Penn State, which generally defends the run at a high level. The Nittany Lions have had a harder time with runners who can break big plays like Auburn’s Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter, along with Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson. Some will point to Illinois’ big game on the ground as evidence that less explosive backs can beat up the Nittany Lions, but it’s unlikely Michigan repeatedly employs the same look the Fighting Illini did with seven offensive linemen..
Penn State does a good job of rallying to the ball in the run game and that’s much easier to do when the runner isn’t as fleet of foot. This is the type of matchup that could decide the game and should go in Penn State’s favor if both Corum and Edwards are unable to go. That’s not to say Haskins can’t carry the load by himself, more that the different looks the other two backs provide make it more likely Michigan can break big gains. Frankly, the Nittany Lions should find success when it comes to defending the run if Haskins is the only back among the Wolverines’ top three who is available Saturday afternoon.
Kyle J. Andrews: Penn State’s pass offense vs. Michigan’s pass defense
Michigan is a team that gives opponents fits in the passing game. A lot of it stems from strong coverage and the ability to get home on their pressure. The Wolverines allow just 173.4 passing yards per game, which ranks eighth in the nation. Through nine games, opponents have thrown for just 1,561 yards and 6 yards per attempt.
They have the horses to get after the quarterback in players like Aidan Hutchinson, David Ojabo and Mazi Smith. Hutchinson, standing in at 6-foot-6, 265 pounds, uses both his strength and speed to give offensive tackles fits. He has six sacks on the year with two pass deflections and a forced fumble. Pro Football Focus crowns Hutchinson with the No. 1 grade in the Football Bowl Subdivision for edge rushers (93.6), and his pass rush grade comes in at second (92.8). Everything that Penn State will have to do to get the ball out will stem from stopping him.
Ojabo has to be mentioned as one of the top edge rushers in the country as well. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound linebacker is built like a traditional 3-4 defensive alignment outside linebacker and could play a hybrid role as a defensive end and linebacker at the next level. He has eight sacks on the year, leading the Big Ten in that category. Ojabo also has three pass deflections, a fumble recovery, four forced fumbles and is ranked No. 11 of all FBS edge rushers on PFF with an 87.8 grade.
Smith, at 6-foot-3 and 326 pounds, has two pass deflections on the year and while he may not get to the quarterback himself, he frees up linebackers and his defensive ends to get there.
On the back end of the defense, Michigan has safety Brad Hawkins, who is another problem to scheme up for defensively. Hawkins has an 83.2 defensive grade from PFF and his stats show the work he’s put in. While he hasn’t had any interceptions this year, he’s had four pass deflections, a fumble recovery and two forced fumbles.
Just like when Loki said, “I have an army,” Tony Stark responded, “We have a Hulk.”
Penn State’s Incredible Hulk is Jahan Dotson. It hasn’t mattered what pass defense has been thrown at him this season, he’s mostly excelled. Dotson has 71 receptions for 932 receiving yards (13.1 yards per catch) and nine touchdowns. He’s coming off of the best game of his career, catching 11 passes for 242 yards and three touchdowns against Maryland, breaking former Penn State wide receiver Deon Butler’s record for the most single-game receiving yardage in school history (216). Dotson is rated 14th in the nation among wideouts with an 85.6 grade, per PFF.
The Nittany Lions, just like the Avengers, have other key contributors to their offensive weaponry. Quarterback Sean Clifford is well on his way to finishing with the best numbers of his collegiate career, going 199-for-311 on passes (64% completion percentage), 2,371 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. Parker Washington has 43 receptions for 498 yards and two touchdowns. KeAndre Lambert-Smith has added 27 receptions for 419 yards and two touchdowns. Then, tight ends Brenton Strange and Theo Johnson have combined for 27 grabs, 332 yards and four touchdowns.
But it comes down to the trenches. Can Penn State’s offensive line, especially tackles Rasheed Walker and Caedan Wallace hold Clifford up long enough to distribute the ball? Possibly and they’ve done it before.
