Behind Enemy Lines: Michigan Edition

For the first time in three games, Penn State was able to get back to their winning ways as they defeated Maryland last weekend. Now, Penn State returns home after a couple of weeks away from Beaver Stadium. the Nittany Lions will host No. 6 Michigan for the last big game of the season in Happy Valley.

For this week’s edition of Behind Enemy Lines, we were fortunate to be joined by Isaiah Hole from Wolverines Wire to get some insight on everything to expect out of this week’s opponent.

Nittany Lions Wire:  Your Initial thoughts of Penn State vs Michigan

Isaiah Hole: This game was much more daunting to me earlier in the season when it appeared that [Penn State offensive coordinator] Mike Yurcich had turned the offense around in a hurry — which, generally isn’t something you see when a team hires a new offensive coordinator, as offenses jelling takes time. The run game hasn’t looked as good (at all) as I had expected for the Nittany Lions, whereas the passing game — when Sean Clifford is healthy — still has shown a ton of ability.

For Michigan’s side of things, the Wolverines appear to be a complete team, but have a fatal flaw: they cannot score touchdowns in the red zone with regularity — something that the Penn State defense is excellent at preventing. Injuries could play a major factor as Michigan could be without RBs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, TE Erick All, WRs Andrel Anthony and A.J. Henning, and CB Gemon Green. Most of those are starting-caliber players, whether it be on the primary units or on special teams. I do expect most will return, but who knows how healthy they’ll actually be?

For me, this game comes down to Michigan’s execution more than anything. If the Wolverines can get into their offense and actually score touchdowns, that will be enough. Defensively, the maize and blue are No. 6 in the country and the pass defense has been increasingly excellent. If Penn State can stall the Michigan offense and get it to be a lower scoring game, then that bodes well for the Nittany Lions

Nittany Lions Wire: Who on offense should Penn State be concerned with the most?

Isaiah: Well, it depends on who actually is available to play.

Michigan hasn’t necessarily had a game-breaking wide receiver, though Cornelius Johnson played that role against Wisconsin and Indiana, Roman Wilson (still not 100% after being injured at Wisconsin) also had a big game vs. the Badgers, while Andrel Anthony came alive against Michigan State. But, that’s generally not how Michigan beats teams. It does so mostly in the run game.

Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum have arguably been the best one-two punch in college football, with Haskins being the athletic bulldozer (he’s also been known to hurdle defenders) while Corum is the speedster. Get used to one and then you’ll get a heavy dose of the other. The offensive line has been excellent all year, but in run blocking and pass protection, which has allowed for the limited times that Michigan has decided to run play-action. The favorite target was starting to be TE Erick All prior to his injury.

Nittany Lions Wire: For those who don’t follow Michigan, what makes this matchup interesting?

Isaiah: To me, this game is all about how Penn State can handle Michigan’s offense. The Wolverines aren’t a flashy sort of offense as they prefer to run the ball, yet they have one of the top offenses in the country. The PSU defense has been really solid almost all year, but Michigan managed to handle Wisconsin — arguably the best defense in the country as it’s statistically even with Georgia. Again, if Penn State can force field goals, then it sets up the potential win here.

On the other side of the ball, I’m still not sure the pass defense is really that improved, and we’re about to see how it works going up against Jahan Dotson — easily the best receiver Michigan will have faced. It won’t just be up to the corners, though, as the Wolverines’ pass rush has really taken off, with likely All-American edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson’s counterpart, David Ojabo (you might remember him as being high school teammates with Jayson Owen), suddenly taking off and leading the conference in sacks. Even when Michigan isn’t getting to the QB, the pass rush is affecting the game, so I’m curious to see how much tight end checkdowns in the flat becomes a staple for Penn State this week.

Nittany Lions: What did you take away from last year’s encounter?

Isaiah: My biggest takeaway is that these were two defeated teams and neither particularly wanted to be there! Honestly, I don’t think much of what we saw last year was indicative of either team, and the records this year prove that.

Nittany Lions: What is one reason why Michigan defeats Penn State?

Isaiah: Because Michigan is a more complete team, with more depth at the moment, and has (mostly) bludgeoned every team it’s come up against. This is a team that’s back to delivering body blows the way the 2018 team did and the defense is improving nearly every week. Michigan doesn’t win if, again, the red zone is an issue, or if Jahan Dotson particularly terrorizes this team. I’m also curious about the team’s mental toughness given that Indiana wasn’t much of a test after Michigan State. Remember: Michigan had a commanding lead, but when things started to go wrong, the Wolverine defense folded, allowing Kenneth Walker III to have a field day.