Michigan Football: 5 Things to know about Penn State

2. Penn State is really dependent on Sean Clifford

When the Nittany Lions are rolling on offense, it is usually because Sean Clifford is playing at a high level. For the season, Clifford is completing 64% of his passes with 16 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.

However, when Clifford went down with an injury against Iowa, Penn State could not move the ball at all. Penn State had a 17-3 lead despite two interceptions when Clifford left that game and I think the Nittany Lions would have beat Iowa going away if Clifford finished the game.

Clifford played two weeks against Illinois, but he could not move and the Nittany Lions could not move the ball.

The Nittany Lions scored just 10 points in regulation and had 227 yards of total offense. If Michigan football harasses Sean Clifford, which Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo are capable of doing, it will go a long way towards shutting down this Penn State offense. It will also limit the effectiveness of Jahan Dotson, one of the best receivers in the country.

3. Penn State’s running game is nonexistent

The reason Penn State is so dependent on Clifford is because it cannot run the ball. At all. Running back Noah Cain (former Michigan target) is Penn State’s leading rusher with 293 yards and four touchdowns on 3.2 yards per carry. The Nittany Lions are 119th in rushing yards per game (106.3), 105th in rushing success rate, and 113th in rushing play explosiveness.

Michigan’s run defense has been solid outside of the Michigan State game, so you would expect that this is one area that favors the Wolverines.

Penn State uses short passes to Dotson as an extension of its running game. Dotson has 71 receptions for 932 yards and 9 touchdowns. Last week, he had 11 receptions, 242 yards, and three touchdowns against Maryland. You can expect that he will see a lot of Daxton Hill and DJ Turner.