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P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> 2017 RECORD 13-1, 9-0 Big Ten COACH Paul Chryst (34-7 in three sea- sons at Wisconsin; career record: 53-26) SERIES RECORD The series is tied, 9-9. MOST RECENT MEETING Trace McSor- ley threw for 384 yards and four touch- downs, and the Nittany Lions rallied back from a 21-point =rst-half de=cit, defeat- ing the Badgers, 38-31, in the Big Ten Championship Game on Dec. 3, 2016, in Indianapolis. It was the Lions' third con- secutive victory over Wisconsin. EXPECTED STRENGTHS The Badgers =nished third in the Big Ten in scoring last season at 33.8 points per game, and with nine starters back from that o?en- sive unit, they should be at least as e?ec- tive this coming season as they were in 2017. As always, Wisconsin's primary threat will be a potent ground game. With running back Jonathan Taylor returning, along with all =ve starters on the o?en- sive line, the Badgers have a chance to be dominant again this fall. Taylor is coming o? a debut season in which he led the Big Ten and was third in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 1,977 rushing yards. He's been getting some Heisman Trophy buzz this o?-season aAer =nishing sixth in the voting as a freshman. The Badgers also return quarterback Alex Hornibrook following a sophomore season in which he hit 62.3 percent of his passes for 2,644 yards. He'll no doubt miss second-team All-America tight end Troy Fumigalli, but three of Wisconsin's top four pass- catchers are back. While the defense was hit a lot harder by graduation than the of- fense, Wisconsin has a big-time play- maker in inside linebacker T.J. Edwards, who was second on the team a year ago with 81 tackles and tied for =rst with four WISCONSIN BADGERS TOP RETURNEES PASSING Alex Hornibrook 198 of 318 | 2,644 yds. | 25 TD | 15 int. RUSHING Jonathan Taylor 299 att. | 1,977 yds. | 13 TD RECEIVING Quintez Cephus 30 rec. | 501 yds. | 6 TD TACKLING Ryan Connelly 57 solo | 31 asst. | 88 total INTERCEPTIONS T.J. Edwards 4 int. | 63 yds. W E E K 1 0 | N O V E M B E R 1 0 | B E A V E R S T A D I U M loss, six sacks) and linebacker Devin Bush (102 tackles, 9.5 TFL, =ve sacks). POTENTIAL CONCERNS Michigan's quarterback problems were obvious last year, but a less-obvious problem was that it didn't run the ball very consistently. The Wolverines averaged under 3 yards per carry against Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin and South Carolina. Tackle Mason Cole and center Patrick Kugler have since departed, and so has o?ensive line coach Tim Drevno, the latter having been replaced by Ed Warriner, a former Minnesota and Ohio State assistant. If Warriner can get this unit patched up, it will bode well for Karan Higdon, who managed to gain 994 yards and score 11 TDs despite the prob- lems up front in Michigan's biggest games. It will also bode well for Patter- son, who will need the threat of a capable running game to maximize his e?ective- ness as a passer. One other factor that bears mentioning is that Patterson is coming back from a torn posterior cruci- ate ligament in his right knee, an injury that he su?ered last October. He's an elu- sive QB who is very good at throwing on the run, but his new teammates had still better keep him out of harm's way. SCHEDULE Let's not mince words: the Wolverines will be facing an absolutely brutal slate this fall. If there is a reason to be skeptical of their College Football Playo? chances, this is it. Michigan is set to play =ve of the top 12 teams in ESPN's preseason Football Power Index. In addi- tion to their annual matchups with Big Ten East rivals Penn State, Michigan State and Ohio State, the Wolverines will face Wisconsin in conference play and will open their season Sept. 1 at Notre Dame. In addition, they will begin the Big Ten season against a Nebraska team that is looking more formidable now that Scott Frost is in charge, followed by a trip to Northwestern. One perk: an o?-week prior to that Nov. 3 showdown against Penn State at the Big House. GAME OF THE YEAR It's the last one, obviously. And history tells us it won't be easy. Since rolling to a 38-26 victory in 2000, the =nal regular-season game of John Cooper's tenure at Ohio State, Michigan has gone 0-8 in Columbus. OUTLOOK Harbaugh has taken the Wolverines on spring junkets to Rome and Paris and in coming years plans to take them to South Africa and Greece. One place he hasn't taken them yet is to Indianapolis, site of the Big Ten Cham- pionship Game. But with Patterson hav- ing received his waiver from the NCAA to play immediately, this could be the Wolverines' year, as all the other pieces appear to be in place. If they do manage to win the East Division crown, they will de=nitely have earned it, given the di@- culty of their schedule. If they don't, and especially if Ohio State has a hand in denying them a title shot, Michigan fans will =nd their patience tested in a most interesting way. For obvious reasons, they want a coach who can deliver vic- tories over their archrival. But if Har- baugh, a former Michigan All-American and Bo Schembechler protégé, isn't the right guy for the job, who is? –M.H. TOP RETURNEES PASSING Brandon Peters 57 of 108 | 672 yds. | 4 TD | 2 int. RUSHING Karan Higdon 164 att. | 994 yds. | 11 TD RECEIVING Grant Perry 25 rec. | 307 yds. | 1 TD TACKLING Devin Bush 38 solo | 64 asst. | 102 total INTERCEPTIONS David Long, Tyree Kinnel, Lavert Hill 2 int.

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