Penn State head coach James Franklin’s promise to “get it fixed” is on the line as the Nittany Lions (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) take on the University of Michigan Wolverines (2-4, 0-2 Big Ten) on Saturday night in Ann Arbor.
Penn State is in limbo right now – a shocking 29-6 loss to Northwestern two weeks ago led into a bye week that focused on corrections, strength-training and rest. Michigan wants to go into its bye week with a win against Penn State, and perhaps the memory of a stinging overtime loss last year will be its motivation.
Penn State will once again look to Christian Hackenberg to take control. However, he needs to find a way to power through his frustration and improve his accuracy under pressure. The verbal conflict with Bill Belton on the field against Northwestern has brought his trademark calm, cool leadership under fire as some critics are beginning to question the 19-year-old’s maturity. Although he is currently second in the Big Ten with 295.4 passing yards per game, the sophomore quarterback had a serious fall from grace in his last game, completing only 22 of his 45 pass attempts and garnering only 216 yards. Hackenberg threw a pick-six as his team melted down around him.
Penn State’s biggest problem is its stunning lack of consistency. Hackenberg and Franklin both spoke about how the team needs to play hard and execute well to win any more games this season. The Nittany Lions have a deep bench and a lot of talent – though Hackenberg fell from his top-ten ranking in the bye week, he is still among the top 30 passers in the nation, Mike Hull leads the conference in tackles with 10.6 hits per game, and wide receivers Daesean Hamilton and Geno Lewis are both nationally ranked in the top 25 with 100.4 and 99.0 receiving yards respectively. On paper, there is no reason why Penn State shouldn’t be winning its games.
Penn State is not going to be the only desperate team in this matchup. Michigan hopes to break a three-game losing streak on Saturday. After narrowly falling to Rutgers last week, the Wolverines are hungry for a strong win. Michigan’s defense is solid; it boasts two Big Ten top-15 tacklers in Joe Bolden (48) and Jake Ryan (46) and the team only allows an average of 315.5 yards per game.
Despite what the box scores indicate, Michigan’s offense is strong. The loss of starting running back Derrick Green (fractured collarbone) has forced quarterback Devin Gardner and sophomore running back De’Veon Smith to step up. Penn State will have to focus on shutting down not only this duo, but the offense as a whole. Michigan averages 354.0 yards per game and have converted on every trip to the red zone with 13 touchdowns and two field goals, the only team in the Big Ten and one of five programs in the NCAA to boast such a feat.
Penn State will face off against Michigan at 7 pm. The game will be covered by ESPN.
