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Penn State Football: Previewing The Opponent: Michigan

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Ben Jones

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Penn State football will have its hands full on Saturday as the Nittany Lions travel to face No. 4 Michigan in Ann Arbor looking for a third win on the year while the Wolverines try and continue their unbeaten streak in 2016. Michigan has won two of the past six meetings between the two teams.

The Nittany Lions are coming off of a 34-27 victory over Temple this past weekend. Penn State will face Michigan before traveling home for three straight games in the friendly confines of Beaver Stadium.

Last Week:

The Wolverines are coming off a 45-28 victory over Colorado at the Big House after falling behind 21-7 in the first quarter. Michigan used two special teams touchdowns to help seal the comeback and blow past the Bison. The Wolverines have cored 45 or more points in all three games this season with wins over Hawaii and Central Florida prior to their meeting with Colorado.

The Offense:

The fourth best scoring offense in the nation averages 53 points per contest while Amara Darboh has a receiving touchdown in three straight games. Under center Michigan looks to Wilton Speight who went 16-for-30 against Colordan for 229 yards an an effective effort. In the backfield it’s De’Veon Smith who takes over the majority of the carries after racking up 1,542 yards so far in his career in 15 starts at running back. Aside from the reliable Darboh it’s Maurice Ways and Drake Harris both stepping into larger roles this season. Michigan’s rushing attack ranks 52 in the nation. About the only weak spot its an offensive line that has allowed 6.0 TFL per game an average 10th worst in the Big Ten conference. That being said Erik Magnuson has been a solid and reliable asset at right tackle having been named to the Outland Trophy watch list.

The Defense:

As stingy of a defense as Michigan has ever had the Wolverines are ranked 19th in the nation in scoring defense and 24th in total defense. Taco Charlton is one of the best defensive tackles in the nation while working alongside another nationally recognized tackle in Chris Wormley, both players have racked up the sacks and tackles for a loss during their careers. Defensive end Chase Winovich has been reliable with 15 tackles so far this year, fifth best on the team.

Farther out it’s linebacker and do-it-all athlete Jabrill Peppers and Jourdan Lewis working at cornerback to lock down a solid secondary and linebacker corps. Lewis was a preseason All American while Peppers is a longshot as a defensive Heisman trophy contender.

The Player To Watch:

It’s hard to say that a team this good can come down to one player, but Peppers is one of the most dynamic athletes in college football. Between his work on kickoff and punt returns as well as cameo appearances on offense, there isn’t an aspect of the game where Peppers can’t hurt you. In turn he’s the obvious choice as the player to watch. He might not be the reason why Michigan wins any given game, but he’s the reason why any given defensive coordinator is up late at night.

The Prediction:

Penn State will give this a good effort, but the Nittany Lions’ defense is too injured to give this game any reasonable chance. The Nittany Lions might be scoring points in bunches, but they’ll probably need to score them in boatloads to get a shot on Saturday. 48-20 

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