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Penn State vs. Michigan: Prediction and preview
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Penn State vs. Michigan brings a top-10 B1G East battle to Week 7 with a lot on the line. The contest will be featured on FOX as the Big Noon Kickoff game set for 12 p.m. Eastern time.
Penn State vs. Michigan Preview
Heading into the matchup, James Franklin’s Penn State squad has a bit of an advantage. Coming off a bye in Week 6, Penn State has had an extra bit of time to rest and prepare for the trip to the Big House.
Through the first half of the season, the Nittany Lions also head into the game as a road-tested squad. Penn State opened the season on the road vs. Purdue before an SEC road trip vs. Auburn.
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The Nittany Lions have also worked hard to build depth through the first 5 games of the season. We will see if that depth plays a factor against the Wolverines.
Offensively, Penn State has rebounded and been much more explosive following the struggles of 2021. The Nittany Lions are averaging 34.4 points per game to start 2022 with a renewed explosive ground game.
True freshmen Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen have combined for over 760 yards and 8 rushing touchdowns. Behind that ground game, Sean Clifford is completing 62% of passes and has thrown for 9 touchdowns with just 2 interceptions to begin the year.
On the other side of the ball, Michigan comes into the game after a tough road battle against Indiana in Bloomington. While the Wolverines are impressively balanced on both sides of the ball, recent results against Maryland and Indiana have provided some cause for concern.
Regardless of those results, Blake Corum and JJ McCarthy are powering one of the top offenses in the country through 6 games. The Wolverines are averaging over 40 points per game with McCarthy continuing to complete 78% of his passes.
As for McCarthy, he will get another career “first” in Saturday’s game. After notching his first B1G start and first road start as Michigan’s QB1, Saturday’s game will be his first career start against a ranked opponent. We’ll see if the Nittany Lions can rattle McCarthy.
Saturday’s game will also be an emotional one for Michigan after the incident involving Mike Hart last week. After collapsing on the sideline in Bloomington, Hart was carted off the field and eventually transported to the hospital.
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It remains to be seen if he will be cleared for Week 7. The Wolverines will either play their first game this season without Hart starting on the sideline or face the wave of emotions with Hart stepping back to his post.
Penn State vs. Michigan prediction
With a lot of attention on the offenses in this game, do not be surprised if the game hinges on the defensive side of the ball. Both teams have shown an ability to get after the passer, so look for a key turnover to swing things one way or the other.
Prediction: Michigan 27, Penn State 23
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.