ANN ARBOR, Mich. (EYT) — Penn State will kick off Big Ten play at 3:30 p.m. Saturday when it travels to No. 4/5 Michigan for a game televised on ABC.
(Photo of linebacker Manny Bowen making a tackle against Temple last week. Photo by Paul Burdick. Check out more of Burdick’s work here.)
The Nittany Lions (2-1) are coming off a win over Temple, while Michigan (3-0) beat Colorado last week.
Quarterback Trace McSorley has had a strong start to his Penn State starting career and is the Big Ten’s passing yards leader with 828 yards to go with four touchdowns and two interceptions. He is completing 64 percent (58 of 90) of his passes on the year and has also run for 38 yards and a touchdown.
Saquon Barkley continues to impress as well. Despite missing most of the first half against Temple with an injury, Barkley has still run for 258 yards and six touchdowns on the season.
Chris Godwin (18 catches, 220 yards, 1 touchdown) and DaeSean Hamilton (12 catches, 141 yards, 1 touchdown) lead the receiving corps.
On defense, Penn State will have to find a way to overcome the loss of Nyeem Wartman-White, who was lost for the season in the Temple game for the second straight year. Wartman-White had 14 tackles and a 1/2 sack in two games and change.
Brandon Smith stepped up against Temple and made eight tackles after having played just three snaps prior to last week.
Marcus Allen (21 tackles) and Malik Golden (18 tackles, 1 interception) are the leaders on the defense.
That defense will be tested by a Michigan offense that has averaged a program-best 53 points per game to start the year.
“Between the offensive line, the tight end and the receivers, I think they are special,” Franklin said. “And then they work in the tailbacks. Thayt have big, physical tailbacks as well.”
For the Wolverines, tt starts with quarterback Wilton Speight, who is 51 of 80 on the year for 686 yards, eight touchdowns and an interception.
Tight end Jake Butt (15 catches, 192 yards, 3 TDs) and Amara Darbough (10 catches, 204 yards, 4 TDs) are Speight’s favorite targets, and the trio of Chris Evans (21 carries, 157 yards, 2 TDs), De’Veon Smith (27 carries, 152 yards, 1 TD) and Ty Isaac (22 carries, 76 yards, 1 TD) power the run game.
“The biggest thing we’d like to do is make them one dimensional,” Franklin said. “They have a new quarterback who is starting for them. He’s not a young player. He’s been in the system now a couple of years. I think he’s a junior. So you’d like to make him one dimensional and force him to drop back and throw the ball.”
On defense, the Wolverines are led by defensive back Jabril Peppers, who was the the Big Ten Special Teams and Co-Defensive Player of the Week last after making nine tackles, including 3.5 for loss and returning a punt 54 yards for a touchdown in the win over Colorado.
“I think you do have to be aware of where Peppers is,” Franklin said. “You’ve pretty much got a good idea where he’s going to play.”
EXTRA POINTS
- Penn State has won two straight Big Ten openers beating Rutgers in each of those games. The Nittany Lions have won four of five Big Ten lid lifters overall.
- This is the 20th meeting between Penn State and Michigan with Michigan leading the series 12-7 including in each of the last two years.
- This is the fifth time Penn State will face a top-five ranked team in the past eight season.
