Michigan will likely play in its toughest environment of the season Saturday night at Happy Valley against the No. 7 team in the country.

Two years ago, the Wolverines walked into a very similar situation at Penn State and didn’t handle the crowd very well. Michigan lost, 42-13.

With that in mind, when ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit gave his keys to the Michigan-Penn State matchup on SportsCenter on Saturday morning, he said it will be vital Michigan gets off to a much better start than it did in 2017 at Beaver Stadium.

“The biggest thing he’s going to have to do is not let the game get away from him early,” Herbstreit said on SportsCenter early Saturday according to 247Sports. “Two years ago, we were here for the whiteout and Saquon Barkley hit about a 60-yard run, and Michigan was playing uphill the rest of the game. They’ve got to be able to settle into the game and not (fumble). They have been self-destructing.”

Specifically, Herbstreit mentioned Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson as a key to a Wolverines victory.

“Everybody wants to know about Josh Gattis and his new system, but the unfortunate part for Shea Patterson is they lead the nation in fumbles. Seventeen fumbles already on the year. They’ve lost nine of those, which is one of the worst in the country. Shea (Patterson) is going to need to do an outstanding job taking care of the football.”

Penn State will host Michigan at 7:30 pm ET. Michigan has won four of the last five against Penn State, but again, the Nittany Lions routed the Wolverines the last time they visited Happy Valley.