3
TheMichiganDaily, www.michigandaily.com
Penn State
at Michigan
Matchup:
Penn State 2-1;
Michigan 3-0
When:
Saturday
3:30 P.M.
Where:
Michigan
Stadium
TV/Radio:
ABC
Wolverines prepare for first conference
game against Nittany Lions on Saturday
The Michigan football team
opens up conference play on
Saturday
against
Penn
State
(2-1),
a
team
desperate
to
prove its worth.
The
Nittany
Lions
finished
last
season
4-4 in Big Ten
play, and after
two
mediocre
seasons
under
coach
James
Franklin,
Penn
State is in need of
a pick-me-up.
A win over the
fourth-ranked
Wolverines
would do just that, but after
struggling
against
Temple
last week — ultimately pulling
through to win 34-17 — and losing
to in-state rival Pittsburgh the
week before, it’s not likely Penn
State will be able to pull it off at
Michigan Stadium.
The Nittany Lions have a
few key players absent due to
injury, complicating that effort
even
more.
Three
starting
linebackers are injured, with
Nyeem
Wartman-White
definitely out against Michigan.
He will miss the rest of the
season after suffering an injury
against Temple. Fellow starting
linebackers Brandon Bell and
Jason Cabinda are injured as well,
with their statuses for Saturday’s
game unknown. Wide receiver
Saeed Blacknall, who had two
receptions in Penn State’s season
opener, has also been absent since
early September.
On the other side of the ball,
the statuses of Michigan senior
cornerback
Jourdan
Lewis,
senior
defensive
end
Taco
Charlton and redshirt sophomore
defensive tackle Bryan Mone
are still unknown. All three are
starters on the defense, and it
would be valuable to have the trio
back to begin Big Ten play. Senior
cornerback Channing Stribling
indicated that Lewis practiced
on Tuesday, but it is unknown if
Mone or Charlton are practicing.
Michigan’s biggest challenge
will come against the Nittany
Lions’
offense.
Redshirt
sophomore
quarterback
Trace
McSorley leads the Big Ten in
passing with 828 yards over three
games. Recently, against Temple,
he went 18-for-24 and showed
off his deep ball on a 52-yard
touchdown pass.
“Penn State’s offense, they’ve
got a very good quarterback,
they’ve got a very good running
back,
they’ve
got
very
good
players that I think are very good
for that (no-huddle system),” said
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh.
“So it’s another challenge for us
and why we treat every game
like it’s a championship game.
It’s a big game. Every opponent
on our schedule comes in with a
strong will to defeat us and good
coaching and good players.”
Running back Saquon Barkley
has already collected six rushing
touchdowns this season, so expect
Michigan to give him special
attention early. Against Temple,
the sophomore averaged 7.6 yards
per run and recorded a 55-yard
touchdown. Last season against
Michigan, Barkley racked up 68
yards but still underperformed
compared to his season average of
97.8 rushing yards per game.
Monday,
senior
linebacker
Mike McCray said he was looking
forward to facing the challenges
Barkley would bring.
“He’s a great back,” McCray said.
“He’s going to be a good challenge
for us, to go against one of the top
backs in the country. We’re up to
the challenge, though.”
While
Penn
State
won’t
be
Michigan’s
toughest
Big
Ten
competition
this
season,
Harbaugh
is
maintaining
his
attitude that every game should
be treated the same.
“The way we’ve looked at it,
we were out to be at our best
every single week,” Harbaugh
said. “As we assess the schedule
from the start of the schedule,
every opponent that we play was
going to have to be treated with
the utmost respect. Preparation
was going to have to be precise
and locked in and focused to give
ourselves the best chance to be
successful in the football game. …
Every game is a big game. Every
game is a championship game.”
No. 4 Michigan looking to earn first win in Big Ten title chase against a shorthanded Penn State team
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh (bottom) opens his second Big Ten season Saturday,
and he expects to have senior cornerback Jourdan Lewis (top) back from injury.
KELLY HALL
Daily Sports Editor
FILE PHOTO/Daily
BY THE NUMBERS
Michigan vs. Penn State
10.5%
Third-down conversion rate for
Michigan’s opponents this season,
including 1-for-13 last week
276
Passing yards per game so far for Penn
State quarterback Trace McSorley, a
first-year starter
1
Penn State win in Ann Arbor since
1996 (the Wolverines are 5-1 in home
matchups in that time)
89.4
Michigan’s special teams efficiency,
ranking second in the country behind
Temple