Penn State Football: 5 Storylines to Follow as the Nittany Lions Face Michigan

Things are starting to get interesting. Penn State is 5-0 and the No. 10 team in the AP Poll headed to face equally undefeated No. 5 Michigan in Ann Arbor. A win will redefine what Penn State’s season can be. A loss wouldn’t ground all hopes and dreams, but with Ohio State on the horizon it would paint a more challenging road ahead. All the same, Penn State can only take this game one play at a time, but lots of plays will eventually write the story of this noon contest.

Here are five storylines to follow as the Nittany Lions take on Michigan.

Can Penn State Be Disruptive?

Michigan is one of the better teams in the country on first down and nothing makes an offense’s life easier than having manageable situations on second and third down. The Wolverines are going to move the ball, but Penn State can make life harder for their hosts by getting to the quarterback and slowing down Michigan’s consistent ground game. That is obviously a lot easier said than done, but the more you hear PJ Mustipher’s name the better Penn State’s day is probably going. In the secondary Penn State will need to lean on its ballhawks. Can Zakee Wheatley force yet another turnover and can Joey Porter Jr. continue his fairly penalty-free play? You aren’t going to stop a team like Michigan entirely from doing good things, but the more disruptive you can get the better off your chance are.

Can The Nittany Lions Avoid Handing Out Free Gifts?

Penn State is No. 19 in the nation on third-down defense which has helped get the Nittany Lions’ opponents off the field and end more than a few drives. At the same time this defense has given up a handful of longer range third down plays. That’s bound to happen from time to time but if Penn State does well enough to get Michigan off schedule it can’t afford to give away third down conversions after the fact. The idea of no free gifts expands to more than third down too. Sean Clifford has never thrown an interception against Michigan and this weekend wouldn’t be the time to start. Turnovers, penalties and other miscues can give an opponent life and this game will be hard enough already without mistakes like that extending Michigan drives or giving the Wolverines short fields to work with. If Michigan is going to win Penn State will want the Wolverines to earn it. Making your kicks goes a long way too.

Can They Bring That Same Energy?

When the Nittany Lions faced Auburn on the road earlier this year they looked ready for the moment. As it turned out, Auburn wasn’t very good, but Penn State stomped the Tigers out and never really looked back. That’s not going to happen on Saturday, but if Penn State can come out with the same intensity it had in Alabama that will go a long way towards a win in Ann Arbor. It’s hard to imagine that this group isn’t up for things on Saturday, but it has been a while since we’ve seen this team come out with the same energy it had that day. Michigan is too good to show up in the second or third quarter and still expect to win. Good energy and good focus can be the difference in games like this one.

Can They Get Ahead of the Sticks?

Penn State is No. 103 in the nation on third downs and that simply won’t fly against a team like Michigan. The better Penn State can do on first down the better off the Nittany Lions will be if they want any shot of winning on Saturday. This will come from a few different things including a solid rushing attack and receivers getting open on early downs for Sean Clifford to hit. This could be another big day for Brenton Strange and getting him involved early could certainly help Penn State’s chances of moving the sticks. Beating good teams isn’t really rocket science, but there’s a big difference between knowing what to do and being able to do it.

Can He Give Them Something to Talk About?

For better or worse, Sean Clifford is in a constant state of waffling between what his legacy at Penn State will be and games like Saturday’s will go a very long way toward helping define that legacy. Clifford could be one of the few quarterbacks with two wins against Michigan under his belt which would put him in rarified air. A win would also set Penn State up with a decent shot of hosting Ohio State in two weeks undefeated if the Nittany Lions can hold off a feisty Minnesota team at home. Clifford will have to be at his best on Saturday and that will mean equal parts not making mistakes but also not missing out on the chances he gets down the field. A win will help his legacy, a loss will be another in the column of big game defeats, especially if he can’t avoid the miscues.