Previewing Michigan Football’s Matchup vs Penn State

Michigan Football takes on their toughest opponent yet when the Penn State Nittany Lions come to Ann Arbor on Saturday. Wolverine fans will need to bring their energy in order for the “Maize Out” to be a success.

The last “Maize Out” was last season against Washington, where Michigan Football won 31-10. The Wolverines have won three of the last four games against Penn State at the Big House.

Saturday’s matchup will be JJ McCarthy’s first time starting against a ranked opponent for Michigan Football. While he still leads all FBS quarterbacks by completing 78.3 percent of his passes, the Nittany Lions’ defense will be his toughest opponent yet.

Offensive coordinators Sherrone Moore and Matt Weiss need to work on incorporating more play action calls into the playbook. McCarthy is 22 for 25 with 395 passing yards on these plays, and has thrown four of his nine passing touchdowns.

McCarthy has a number of targets that he can use for these plays, and the number is only increasing. Tight end Luke Schoonmaker has been very effective with 31 total competitions and 38.2 receiving yards per game. Schoonmaker’s presence has been felt significantly, especially since Erick All has been out with an injury.

When it comes to wide receivers, McCarthy has a number of targets in Ronnie Bell, Cornelius Johnson, and Andrel Anthony, who has shown up tremendously over the past couple of games since Roman Wilson has been injured.

Running back Blake Corum has continued to show how vital of a piece he is to the Michigan offense, averaging 122.5 rushing yards a game and 6.2 yards per carry. With Donovan Edwards back from his injury, Corum will likely have some help with rushing.

On the other side of the ball, the Wolverines’ pass rush has been extremely effective. Michigan’s defense has held opposing offenses to 165.3 passing yards per game as well as completing 22 total sacks for a loss of 164 yards.

Of these sacks, five have been from edge rusher Mike Morris, who also has three quarterback hits. He also leads the Wolverines with seven tackles for loss, whereas linebacker Junior Colson leads the team with 44 total tackles.

The rest of the defense needs to increase their productivity this weekend, especially against Nittany Lions run game. The Wolverines’ defense has been fairly effective once the ball leaves the opposing quarterback’s hands, allowing an average completion percentage of  only 53.6 percent.

Michigan’s secondary has only intercepted the ball four times and broken up 18 total passes. Defensive back DJ Turner has been one of the most important pieces in both of these areas, grabbing one interception and breaking up three passes.

Michigan Football has a very efficient red zone offense, scoring on 30 of their 33 attempts within the twenty, 24 of which were touchdowns. On the contrary, the Wolverines’ opponents only have 11 scoring attempts in the red zone, and have only scored touchdowns on six of them.

Getting to Know Penn State

Penn State is coming off of a bye week after a rough game against Northwestern. While the Nittany Lions’ four fumbles and sloppy game play against the Wildcats has been defended by the treacherous weather conditions, they have not played any other major opponents. The most impressive opponent for Penn State so far has been 4-2 Purdue, who the Nittany Lions only beat by four points.

Veteran quarterback Sean Clifford has been fairly reliable for Penn State so far. He averages 206 passing yards per game and has completed 62 percent of his passes. Clifford is also responsible for four of the Nittany Lions’ 12 rushing touchdowns.

Penn State’s running back duo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen have accounted for 766 of Penn State’s 963 total rushing yards. Singleton averages 92.6 yards per game with five touchdowns, whereas Allen averages 60.6 yards per game with three touchdowns.

Tight end Brenton Strange and wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley have been Clifford’s favorite targets in the red zone, scoring four and three touchdowns respectively. While wide receiver Parker Washington has yet to score a touchdown this season, he averages 57 receiving yards per game.

With the Nittany Lions having numerous receiving weapons and Michigan’s secondary performing at a less-than ideal level, someone in the Wolverines’ secondary needs to step up on Saturday.

Penn State’s defense has held opponents to 398 rushing yards throughout five games, with opposing offenses averaging 79.6 rushing yards a game. With Blake Corum alone averaging over 100 rushing yards a game, the Nittany Lions defense will have to be on their A game.

While Penn State has an impressive rush defense, their pass defense will need a little work before Saturday, especially if the Wolverines decide to execute more play action passes. The Nittany Lions’ defense allows an average of 262 passing yards per game, despite opposing quarterbacks only completing 49.6 percent of their passes.

When it comes to Penn State’s secondary, cornerback Joey Porter Jr. has been the go-to man. He has broken up ten passes, which is tied for first in the Big Ten with Devon Witherspoon of Illinois.

Saturday’s game will be a tough but must-win matchup for both teams, and they will likely do whatever it takes to come out victorious.  With both teams taking on undefeated Ohio State later this season, a mid-season loss cannot be afforded.