EDITORIAL BY GRAYDON FOX

Overview:

On Saturday, November 3^rd, the (6-2) Penn State Nittany Lions will be on the road to take on the (7-1) Michigan Wolverines.

The Crowd:

The Crowd projects a final score of Michigan 31.9 – Penn State 25.1 with an over/under of 57.0.

Lou Holtz and Mark May:

Lou is predicting a final score of Michigan 31 – Penn State 14.

Mark is predicting a final score of Michigan 31 – Penn State 17.

2018-19 Statistics (130 total teams):

Passing offense: Penn State 234.1 YPG > Michigan 207.6 YPG

Rushing offense: Penn State 225.1 YPG > Michigan 212.8 YPG

Scoring offense: Penn State 41.0 PPG > Michigan 36.0 PPG

Scoring defense: Michigan 14.4 PPG > Penn State 22.3 PPG

Passing defense: Michigan 122.9 YPG > Penn State 225.4 YPG

Rushing defense: Michigan 97.1 YPG > Penn State 161.4 YPG

Turnover Margin Per Game: Michigan +0.2 = Penn State +0.2

Summary:

Penn State is (6-2) with wins over Appalachian State, Pittsburgh, Kent State, Illinois, Indiana, and #18 Iowa.  They were defeated by #4 Ohio State and Michigan State.  Penn State, with a few key defensive stands, was able to narrowly escape with a 30-24 victory over #18 Iowa last week.  The Nittany Lions rank 11^th in points per game (41.0) and 35^th in scoring defense (22.3 PPG).  Quarterback Trace McSorely has completed 52% of his passes for 1,628 yards with 12 touchdowns to 4 interceptions.  McSorely is far for dynamic running the football where he has compiled 617 yards and 9 touchdowns.  Miles Sanders has had a big season filling in for the departed Saquon Barkley totaling 834 yards and 8 touchdowns.  The speedster K.J. Hamler is the team’s leading receiver with 497 yards and 5 touchdowns.  The Nittany Lions’ defense ranks 66^th against the pass (225.4 YPG) and 68^th against the run (161.4 YPG).

Michigan is (7-1) with victories over Western Michigan, SMU, Nebraska, Northwestern, Maryland, #15 Wisconsin, and #24 Michigan State.  Their lone defeat was a 24-17 road loss to #12 Notre Dame in week one.  Michigan is coming off their bye week and have had two weeks to prepare for Penn State.  The Wolverines rank 27^th in points per game (36.0) and 6^th in scoring defense (14.4 PPG).  Quarterback Shea Patterson has completed 67% of his passes for 1,523 yards with 12 touchdowns to 3 interceptions.  Running back Karan Higdon has had a very nice season with 831 yards to go along with 6 touchdowns.  Donovan Peoples-Jones leads the team with 6 receiving touchdowns.  The Wolverines’ defense ranks 1^st against the pass (122.9 YPG) and 9^th against the run (97.1 YPG).

Bottom Line:

Michigan has been a completely different team at home where they are averaging 46.0 points per game.  Penn State has struggled over their last four games with two losses and two late comebacks.  Trace McSorely was banged up in the win over Iowa and may not be ready to carry the ball as much as Penn State will need him to against Michigan.  With two weeks to prepare and the nation’s number one overall defense, Michigan should be a lock at home.

Michigan wins 34-17

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