Michigan Football: 3 Keys for Wolverines against Penn State

3. Jump on them early

Penn State is in a freefall right now, but they can still score some points. But being 0-5 the mindset of this team can not be good. So the Wolverines need to jump on them early and get them in the, here we go again mindset.

When a team is struggling as much as the Nittany Lions are, you don’t want to give them any reason to feel like they can win the game. Nebraska jumped on them early and they could never recover.

If they can get some momentum, then they have enough talent to beat the Wolverines, so Michigan football needs to have a strong start.

The problem is that hasn’t exactly happened for U-M in any game this year. Even in the Minnesota game, the Wolverines got off to a slow start. A blocked punt and touchdown gave the Gophers an early lead.

Then after the Minnesota game, the Wolverines hadn’t led in a game until early in the fourth quarter against Rutgers. Almost four complete games without having a lead for any part of it.

Michigan football needs to come out and score early and give the defense some breathing room. Get after them defensively and not let them attack the cornerbacks. Force Penn State to play catchup and they should be in good shape.

If Penn State can get a lead early, they will play with confidence and could win their first game of the year. But if the Wolverines can get ahead early, Michigan should be able to get back to .500 and send Penn State home with a 0-6 record.