At the beginning of the season, it looked like Michigan would come off its bye week and have to face back-to-back ranked opponents with Penn State and Indiana. Instead, the Wolverines get a 3-3 Nittany Lions team that has struggled since Big Ten play began and still won't have its biggest offensive weapon due to injury.
Penn State wide receiver Koby Howard was tearing it up for the Nittany Lions through the first three games of the season, looking like Rocco Becht strongest weapon with 12 receptions for 344 yards and two touchdowns. It took nearly three full games for next leading receiver Chase Sowell to surpass Howard's numbers, even though he hasn't played since Week 3, when he went down with an injury.
It looked like Howard would return in Week 7 against Michigan when he made a social media post of Darth Vader in a bacta tank with the date of Michigan and Penn State's matchup this weekend. It was an ambitious timeline, one Howard hoped to accomplish, but alas will not see the field in Ann Arbor.
Michigan's defense can bring even more pressure on Rocco Becht with Koby Howard out
The Michigan offense is a mess, but the reason the Wolverines have even had a chance in each game this season is because of Jay Hill's defense. Michigan's defense has held every opponent this season to 20 points or fewer, and that is even with spending more than half the time on the field, since the offense struggles with time of possession this season.
The Penn State offense has simply not looked the same without Howard on the field, and his absence on Saturday should allow Michigan to bring even more pressure on Becht, who has not performed well with guys in his face. Michigan's defensive line has been the strongest part of this dominant defense, behind defensive ends John Henry Daley and Dom Nichols.
Daley and Nichols have a combined 31 total tackles and 5.5 sacks, making them problems for opposing offensive lines, which Penn State has struggled with this season. Getting more pressure on Becht, who will be without his favorite target for the fourth straight game, will be crucial in winning the turnover battle.
The Michigan secondary has been fairly good at locking up receivers this season, which will force Becht to either scramble out of the pocket and into the second phase of the linebackers or try to step up and face the wrath of this menacing defensive line.
Either way, this feels like a win-win for Michigan's defense, which in turn will hopefully give the offense more possessions to work with. The Wolverines need a good showing coming out of the bye week, and if they can't do it against Penn State, this season is even worse than anyone really thought.
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