A Big Ten regular season battle with college football implications will take place in Ann Arbor, MI on Saturday as the 5-0 Penn State Nittany Lions travel to the Big House to take on the 6-0 Michigan Wolverines. Penn State had a week off after defeating Northwestern on October 1st and face their toughest stretch of the seasons as they will follow this matchup with home games against Minnesota and Ohio State. For the Wolverines, this could be their last major test before their showdown with Ohio State on November 26th. The opening kick is scheduled for 12:00pm EST.
The NFL, College Football, the NHL and the MLB playoffs…oh my! Check out all my premium picks for a variety of premium events. My Best Bet of the week is available for only $49.99 (normally $100) if you use this link. Don't miss out as this comes with profit guarantee. Win or get the money back in credit!
The #10 Penn State Nittany Lions come into Michigan primed to keep their perfect season alive and continue a push towards the college football playoffs. The Nittany Lions enjoyed a week off last week as they prepare for a monstrous part of their schedule that includes Michigan, followed by home games against Minnesota and Ohio State. Two weeks ago, Penn State took down Northwestern in a closers-than expected game, 17-7 at home.
“Fortunately, for most of the game, our defense was either able to get a turnover back or they just played great. They played phenomenal. I think we started the game with five straight three-and-outs, which is impressive. We lost the penalty battle, and we lost the explosive play battle. Not really our formula for how we win, but again, like I said earlier, you know there is a ton of value of being able to win games under less-than-ideal situations. So, we're going to go into this bye week. It is a bye week, not an off-week, a bye week and we must get better this week. We have a tough stretch coming up with Michigan. We must get in that facility. We'll practice Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, players will have the weekend off and the coaches will go recruit on the weekend. We'll get a head start not only on our next opponent, but the next couple opponents. We also need to live in the training room and get as healthy as we possibly can.” Head coach James Franklin said in his postgame press conference.
The soggy conditions at Beaver Stadium surely played a key role in the low scoring game with Northwestern. Quarterback Sean Clifford had a quiet day, going 10-of-20 for 140 yards and a touchdown. Running back Nicholas Singleton rushed for 87 yards on 21 carries. Penn State had 360 yards of total offense, including 220 yards on the ground. Turnovers were the story for Penn State's offense. They lost four fumbles in the sloppy conditions and Clifford had an interception.
The Penn State defense was up for the challenge, however. The Nittany Lions defense recovered two fumbles, had an interception and were able to force three turnover-on-downs in the fourth quarter, including one from their one-yard line. They have now forced 11 turnovers in the last three games. Penn State held Northwestern to just 31 yards on 28 carries. They had five tackles for loss and a sack on the day as well.
Saturday. #WeAre pic.twitter.com/wTh9SqEgy7
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) October 10, 2022
Penn State comes into this matchup with an opportunistic defense and a well-rounded offense. Penn State is 23rd in the nation in scoring offense thus far. They rank 28th in rushing offense and 53rd through the air. Penn State's four fumbles in the soggy conditions against Northwestern dropped them a bit but they still rank 11th in the country in turnover differential. On the defensive side of the ball, Penn State is 9th in the country in scoring defense. They are also 9th in rushing defense, which was highlighted in their thorough domination of Northwestern's rushing attack. The Nittany Lions are vulnerable against the pass, however, ranking just 88th in the country. They possess very opportunistic cornerbacks, particularly Joey Porter Jr., so if they can force Michigan into obvious passing situations, they can take advantage.
Key Injuries: Penn State comes into this matchup relatively healthy after their bye week.
Click here to bet on player over/unders VS THE HOUSE to 21x your bet OR play in PICK 'EM contests against other people! Get a 1st deposit match up to $50 1st w/ promocode WandW!