5 Storylines to Follow as Penn State Takes on Michigan

It’s finally here. Penn State and Michigan will take the field on Saturday for a noon kick that will shape the College Football Playoff and Big Ten title race, as well as plenty of other smaller narratives within each program. Michigan enters a slight favorite while Penn State enters slightly desperate. A million different things will go into the outcome and fallout of Saturday’s game, but here are five storylines to follow.

Ahead of the Sticks: It goes without saying that Penn State will have a very hard time beating Michigan if the Nittany Lions can’t stay on schedule for the majority of its offensive possessions. Penn State is just not a team equipped to deal with unfavorable down and distance. If nothing else, Michigan is too good to think that long down and distance is a winning formula. How Penn State goes about moving the ball is one of the more interesting dynamics of Saturday’s game, but it’s safe to say that on the offensive side of the ball it will matter less how the Nittany Lions are moving it and more that they are. Michigan won’t afford Penn State the benefit of not converting third downs to the extent that Ohio State did.

Stick to It: James Franklin has preached the need for the Nittany Lions to stay patient throughout the course of the afternoon and stick with what is working. It will be interesting to see how much he is able to take his own medicine and fight to live another down. In a similar vein, it will be intriguing to see if Penn State opts to stick with the more recently productive Kaytron Allen at running back or continues to hope for the Nick Singleton breakout game. Whatever the case might be, if Penn State finds something that is working it will be interesting to see how committed it becomes to the bit. Moving the ball helps here — nothing gets you into an offensive rhythm more than being able to run more than three plays at a time. A small aside: You can often get a sense of what Penn State thinks its chances are in games like these based on how it handles fourth-and-short situations.

Give Him Help: Drew Allar may not have been at his best against Ohio State, but he wasn’t getting much help either. From receivers to the offensive line and play calling, Allar will be able to make the most of this opportunity on Saturday if the Nittany Lions around him can give him a hand. Dante Cephas playing well against Maryland is great, but can he do it against the Wolverines? Kaytron Allen running physically for 5-6 yards is wonderful, but can he do it against a great defense? Mike Yurcich can call great games against bad teams, but can he do it when it counts? Allar will need to improve in his own right, but the more help he gets the better off Penn State will be.

Cuts Not Gashes: Penn State’s defense gave up 418 yards on the ground to Michigan last year and that has been on the Nittany Lions’ mind ever since. The Wolverines are a good running team this year but they aren’t overwhelming. If Penn State is going to win, it needs to hold Michigan’s running game to more short gains than gashing runs. That might be obvious but that doesn’t mean it’s not important — especially after last year.

Pressure on Them: The pressure might be on James Franklin to finally win one of these games, but the pressure is also on Michigan to pass its first real test of the season and to make good on what has been a playoff hopeful team all year. Penn State has been on the outside looking in of postseason conversations for most of the season but the Wolverines have started out as a potential title favorite and haven’t lost a step since. Can Penn State make Michigan uncomfortable and put the Wolverines under the kind of pressure they haven’t faced all year? The more angst that bubbles up on Michigan’s sideline the better it’ll be — in theory — for Penn State.