Michigan Football: Behind enemy lines with a Penn State expert

How do you see this game playing out? Give us your score and are prediction.

Alec: Last year was the first real competitive game between these two in what feels like forever. It felt like in the past six matchups or so we had a pretty good idea of who was winning after the first quarter. I think this game will be similar to last year’s in that aspect but I expect more points because both teams look more balanced on offense this season. Considering this is his sixth year in college, and fourth as a starter, I don’t think the atmosphere will get to Clifford.

With that said, I do give a slight nod to the Wolverines for being home, even though I think both these teams are pretty even in terms of talent. In trying to be as unbiased as possible, I’d take Michigan 27-23. I do think Penn State can win though, especially if they can force a few turnovers.

Nick: On defense, I think the Nittany Lions’ front seven is tested and that Blake Corum has some success, but ultimately, I think they can contain him just enough to give themselves a shot. JJ McCarthy is a great young quarterback with a bright future, but he could struggle against Penn State’s talented secondary and the Michigan offense will be forced to stick primarily with the ground game.

Offensively, I think Penn State will find some success on the ground, which will help set up play action and I anticipate Brenton Strange getting a lot of targets in this one. Plus, they’ve already been tested on the road twice, so crowd noise should not be a factor. The main question on this side of the ball is how well the pass protection will hold up against the best pass rush they’ve seen to this point.

I think [offensive coordinator] Mike Yurcich may have a few tricks up his sleeve after a bye week, plus one or two big runs by Singleton that could be the difference. I tend to be a bit of an optimist (sometimes to a fault), so I’ll take the Nittany Lions: 31-27.

Special thanks to Nick Kreiser and Alec Whitaker of VictoryBellRings.com. They, along with the rest of the staff over there, bring excellent coverage on all things Penn State. Be sure to check them out as they bring the “enemy” perspective on the big game this week.