A win over a ranked opponent has eluded Penn state since a late November game against No. 15 Wisconsin in 2013. A spot in any ranking poll has eluded the post-sanctions Nittany Lions, too. Against those Top 25 teams this season? Penn State stands 0-2, plus a lopsided 27-10 loss at Temple, which jumpstarted a 7-0 start that saw the Owls earn a spot among the top teams in the country.
Two chances remain for Penn State (7-3, 4-2 Big Ten) to pick up a marquee win to add to its underwhelming 2015 resume, starting with possible the best opportunity: Hosting No. 12 Michigan in the home season finale that will serve as Senior Day and the White Out game.
The last time the Wolverines came to town, fans witnessed one of the most exciting games in Beaver Stadium history as the Nittany Lions won the primetime homecoming matchup in quadruple overtime. Whether the Nittany Lions can duplicate that performance remains to be seen, but if Penn State is capable of competing with the top teams in the country, Saturday will be the optimal time to prove it.
After a 5-1 start, capped off with a 38-0 smashing of then-No. 13 Northwestern, Michigan (8-2, 5-1 B1G) outplayed No. 9 Michigan State before losing the closing seconds on a special teams play. The Wolverines followed that up with a 29-26 win against Minnesota, including a goal line stand in the final seconds. Over the past two weeks, Michigan has tossed up 49 and 48 points, respectively, on the board.
“Michigan has shown they’re pretty two-dimensional,” redshirt freshman Troy Reeder said Wednesday via teleconference. “Earlier in the year it was the running game, now they have a passing attack and are running the ball really well.”
Michigan quarterback Jake Rudock had a career game last week against Indiana, tossing six touchdowns for 440 yards on 33 of 46 attempts to guide the Wolverines to a 48-41 win.
The stout Wolverine defense has shown vulnerability to the run over the past weeks, most recently with Indiana running back Jordan Howard pounding them for 238 yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries. The Hoosiers went on a stretch late in the game where they called over 10 consecutive run plays, and while everyone on the field knew who would have the ball, Michigan had a tough time slowing him down.
Saquon Barkley will look to have that same type of success as the freshman running back continues to try and regain the form he had prior to an ankle injury that sidelined in for two and a half games the in the middle of the season. Coach James Franklin has said Barkley is still working on getting back to 100 percent health, and that the bye week certainly helped him do so.
The key matchup, however, will be Penn State’s aerial attack against the veteran Michigan defensive backs, which will play the Nittany Lions aggressively.
“Honestly its come down their secondary,” said sophomore receiver Chris Godwin who leads the team in catching yards. “They have some talented guys that can do some good things … they’re effective in the way they attack opposing offenses.”
Godwin has excelled in man coverage this season, using his physicality and football IQ to pull down 49 catches for over 800 yards. But Godwin and the Nittany Lions receivers face probably their toughest challenge, starting with junior cornerback Jourdan Lewis, who made career-bests with seven tackles and six pass broken up against Connor Cook and Michigan State last month.
“As a competitor, you always want to go against another competitor and try and be the best competitor you can be,” Godwin said of the chance of being matched up with Lewis on Saturday. “It’s definitely something that you look forward to because you know you’re going to have an opportunity to make a play and make a contested catch.”
In wins this season, Penn State averages 230.6 passing yards, compared to 153.3 yards in the air in the losses. Michigan won’t shy away from taunting the Nittany Lions if things don’t get rolling for Penn State early.
“I’m definitely expecting things like that,” Godwin said on the probability of a battle of words with the Wolverines secondary. “Not just (Lewis) but from their defense in general.”
“They were one of the more talkative teams we played. I’ll let my play speak for me, I’m not one to talk do too much trash talking.”
