Michigan Football: 5 Things to know about Penn State

Looking ahead to Michigan football’s next opponent in Penn State and here are five things you need to know about the Nittany Lions. 

Last week, Michigan football took care of business with a 29-7 home victory over Indiana. The Wolverines improved at 8-1 ahead of one of the toughest remaining tests on the schedule.

This week, the Wolverines will travel to Happy Valley to battle the Penn State Nittany Lions. Penn State may not be receiving a ton of respect from the committee (currently unranked), but I think it is a top 15 team. Here are five things to know about the Nittany Lions.

1. Penn State’s red zone defense is elite

If you want to score on Penn State, it would be in your best interest to hit an explosive play. Penn State is 10th in red zone defense, but that does not tell the whole story. Penn State’s opponents are 20/29 in the red zone, however, in those opportunities, Penn State has only allowed eight touchdowns. Its 27.5% touchdown rate is third-best in the country behind Georgia and Clemson. Additionally, Penn State is second in finishing drives.

Penn State’s defense sealed wins over Wisconsin and Auburn with defensive stands in the red zone. We have seen Michigan have to settle for field goals over the last month because it couldn’t convert in the red zone.

I think it was the main reason it lost to Michigan State. The Wolverines have fallen to 74th in finishing drives offensively. How Michigan does in the red zone will be one of the deciding factors in the game.