Michigan Football: The Penn State Game Will Be Huge This Year

Last year’s beatdown of Penn State was one of Michigan football’s best games of the season. This year, that matchup is going to have much higher stakes.

There isn’t a shortage of interesting games on Michigan football‘s schedule this season. There’s the opener against Florida, a trip to Wisconsin, and of course the finale against Ohio State. But in the middle of the season is a road game against a Penn State team that’s getting a lot of hype right now.

Is that hype justified? I think it is. The offensive firepower is most likely going to be there again, with quarterback Trace McSorely playing with a year under his belt and running back Saquon Barkley returning as a Heisman Trophy contender. (I’ve seen some people say McSorley is also a Heisman contender, but I’ll leave that alone for now.)

One of the Nittany Lions’ biggest problems last year was that they surrendered too many points: 42 in the loss against Pittsburg, 49 in the loss against Michigan, and 52 in the loss against USC in the Rose Bowl.

More from GBMWolverine

Penn State’s defense should be fielding a good secondary this year, especially with cornerbacks Grant Haley and John Reid returning as starters. The star of that backfield will be safety Marcus Allen. If the Nittany Lions can find a good pass rush, this could be a much improved defense.

When Penn State met Michigan last year, it was already dealing with issues at linebacker. Those problems were excelled with another in-game injury and an ejection (for a bogus targeting call). At full strength, maybe the Wolverines’ offense will have some issues with Penn State.

The top rusher for Michigan (De’Veon Smith) and top two receivers (Jake Butt and Amarah Darboh) in last year’s game won’t factor into this year’s contest. It’s reasonable to expect that the Wolverines’ offense will find its stride by Oct. 21, but that’s far from a guarantee.

And while I will continue to insist that Michigan’s defense is going through a retooling (and not a rebuilding), that unit will be facing a very different Penn State offense than the one it saw last year: same names, just more dangerous.

Without context, this game is already one of my top intriguing matchups for this season. But add to it the fact that Michigan and Penn State could be fighting again in a three-horse race atop the Big Ten East and this is a downright crucial game. Whereas last year’s game was played early (the first conference game for both teams), this year’s will be in late October, leaving enough time for a sense of importance to build up.

Next: Top 10 running backs in Michigan history

Michigan had next to no trouble with Penn State last season. This season is probably going to be different, though, and it could represent a game with heavy implications in the Big Ten.

Home/Michigan Football