Penn State vs. Michigan Prediction: Is This the Week?
Penn State visits Michigan on Saturday seeking to avoid its first six-game losing streak since 2004.
Any hope? Here goes.
Penn State (0-5) vs. Michigan (2-3)
When: Noon Saturday
Where: Michigan Stadium
TV: ABC
Series History: Michigan leads 14-9
Last Meeting: Penn State 28-21 in 2019
Betting Line: Michigan is a 2-point favorite
About the Lions: The state of Michigan's recent restrictions on indoor gathering and dining will alter Penn State's travel plans. Instead of having dinner and meetings at their hotel Friday night, the team will conduct both in State College before leaving. Then on Saturday, the pre-game meal will be a grab-and-go breakfast, and meetings likely will be conducted via video. The changes all are part of conducting football business as the season progresses. "It creates a very different dynamic at the hotel," Franklin said. That's yet another road obstacle for a team that hasn't fared well in Ann Arbor. The Lions are 3-8 at Michigan Stadium, where they haven't won since 2009. And Penn State already has plenty of obstacles, notably on offense. The team will play as many as six true freshmen regularly on offense, something Franklin could not have imagined before the season. This is a very different visit to Michigan.
About the Wolverines: Two years ago, after Michigan's 42-7 win at Penn State, Jim Harbaugh dedicated a beer-commercial jingle to defensive coordinator Don Brown, whose unit was dominant. How things have changed. Michigan's defensive numbers are rather shocking: 36 points allowed per game (12th in the Big Ten), 437 yards allowed (10th) and a red-zone scoring rate of 95.5 percent (last). Rutgers scored 42 points (albeit in an overtime loss) last week, five more points than in its five previous games against Michigan combined. So the Wolverines seek to compensate with their likely starting quarterback Cade McNamara, who last week became the first Michigan backup quarterback to throw four touchdown passes in one game.
The Prediction: Perhaps something good can come out of this matchup, and the teams will produce a big, messy, fun afternoon to escape their respective funks. Penn State's issues dig a little deeper, though, with their chronic inconsistencies in blocking, tackling and quarterback play. McNamara and receiver Cornelius Johnson got a good thing going against Rutgers and will continue it against Penn State. And the Lions will fly home with their first six-game losing streak since 2004.
Michigan 31, Penn State 21
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