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The second week of the playoff rankings is underway, and Michigan is now sitting at No. 6 in the nation — the Wolverines officially control their own destiny. If the maize and blue can win out then all of their dreams that they had at the beginning of the season can fall into their lap.
But first comes the Nittany Lions. Michigan will travel this weekend to face-off with Penn State on Saturday. PSU has won the last two games in the series and the Wolverines are hoping to change that come this weekend — especially with what’s at stake.
Penn State head coach James Franklin met with the media on Tuesday to preview the big game against the Wolverines. In Franklin’s opening statement he talked about his respect for Jim Harbaugh and Josh Gattis. But, Franklin really broke down the offense, defense, and special teams mentioning players that have caught his eye at Michigan.
“Obviously, Coach Harbaugh and the University of Michigan, I have tremendous respect for the university and the history and traditions there — what Coach Harbaugh has been able to do as a letterman and alumni,” said Franklin. “Josh Gattis, their offensive coordinator, obviously, everybody on this phone call knows that me and Josh go way back from our time at Vanderbilt as well as at Penn State. He’s the offensive coordinator.”
“The guys we’ve been impressed with are their two running backs, Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum, No. 25 and No. 2, and Cornelius Johnson, No. 6,” said Franklin. “We know these guys pretty well, not only from what we’ve studied on tape but in recruiting, specifically Corum and Johnson. And then Mike Macdonald, the defensive coordinator, came from the Baltimore Ravens. Been impressed with how they’re playing on defense.
“I think it really starts with their two defensive end. David Ojabo who we know very well — went to the same high school as Jayson Oweh. They list him as a linebacker — linebacker/D-end in my mind. And then obviously Aidan Hutchinson, 6’6”, 265 pounds, No. 97, for them, playing at a really high level. Both of those guys. And then their nickel, Daxton Hill, who seems like he’s been playing there forever, and their corner Vincent Gray, No. 4. Those guys stand out.
“And Jay Harbaugh, the special teams coordinator, they do a good job on special teams. They play aggressive, especially when it comes to punt return and trying to block kicks. Impressed with No. 13, Jake Moody, their kicker. Has been really efficient. 91-percent field goal percentage. And then returners, A.J. Henning and Blake Corum, one is a punt returner, one kick returner. And their punter, Brad Robbins, doing a nice job as well. So, talented football team, like Michigan always is. And it’s going to be a tremendous challenge and a tremendous opportunity come Saturday. And that’s why we need everybody in that stadium to create a challenging environment so we can find a way to be 1-0 together.”
James Franklin is obviously well aware as to who Josh Gattis is since Gattis worked under Franklin at Penn State. The Nittany Lions coach talked about how the offense is now a good blend for the Wolverines with what Gattis is doing. He thought that offense the Wolverines are using differs this year more than in years past.
“I think probably in years past it was probably similar,” said Franklin. “This year there’s been a change. Obviously early in the season, early in the season, where they were heavy run — and I think it was probably a blend of what Josh has done both at Penn State and at Alabama — and then also obviously I think this offseason, with things that Coach Harbaugh had done in his past, specifically, probably, at Stanford. I think there’s probably a little bit more of an influence of that than Josh has shown in the past. I think it’s been a good blend for them, especially with the tight ends that they have, the backs that they have and with the offensive line that they have. I think it’s been a good blend. It’s served them well, specifically early in the year. And I think they’ve opened it up a little bit since then.”
The life of the Penn State offense is its receiver Jahan Dotson — he is what makes this offense click. Franklin was asked what he thought Michigan may do to slow his star pass-catcher down. Franklin was more intrigued with the duo at the defensive ends, more so than the Wolverines coverage scheme.
“I still think it’s a decent amount of man coverage,” said Franklin. “I think the thing that probably really differentiates them right now is having two defensive ends that can cause real problems for people. You watch that Michigan State game, both of those defensive ends showed up with huge plays. And when you’re able to have a guy on either side, that becomes real challenging. You have to decide how you’re going to deal with both of them. So I think that’s a big factor for them. And then I think the other thing I would say when it comes to Jahan, obviously people are going to have a plan for him. And whether that is bracket or whether that is clouding and having a high safety over to his side.”
While Dotson is what makes the Nittany Lions click, the Michigan running game is what makes it click. Franklin talked about the Michigan running attack and what he sees from the Wolverines in the trenches.
“Obviously that’s going to be a challenge come Saturday because I think that’s a big part of their identity in who they are,” said Franklin. “They’re massive upfront with the O-line and the tight ends. They’ve got a converted O-lineman playing tight end as well to serve in that role. They’ve got a big back that can hammer it in there. And then they have an undersized quick back that also does a great job of breaking tackles and plays with more power than you would think. So it’s going to be a challenge. There’s no doubt about it.”
“But I think we’re also going to get some of the heavy-sets,” Franklin continued. “And obviously we’ve worked on that the last couple of weeks to make sure that we have a plan for that and have got enough reps working on it in practice because I really expected to see that the last two weeks. And so, we’ve been working on it the last two weeks and we’re working on it again this week as well. I think what it really comes down to is having gap accountability and fighting to keep your gap, and also being willing to get an extra guy into the box to defend the run with one of the safeties or even a corner, whether it’s a trap corner or whether you’re bringing the corner off the edge, to try to get another hat in the box to defend the run. Obviously, that causes some challenges in the secondary. But I also think we’re playing pretty good in the secondary as well. So, we’re going to have to build on that. And that’s something that’s going to have to be a focus all week long.”
You can watch the game on ABC this Saturday at noon EST.
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