Blue White Illustrated

KEY MATCHUPS P E N N   S T A T E   V S .   M I C H I G A N   S T A T E | B Y   P H I L   G R O S Z W H E N P E N N S T A T E H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME 261.2 YPG, 6.0 YPC // MICHIGAN STATE RUN DEFENSE33.8 YPG, 1.3 YPC THE LOWDOWNThis could end up being the most interesting matchup of the game. Penn State is fielding the No. 2 rush- ing attack in the Big Ten, but on Saturday, it will be facing not only the top run defense in the conference, but the No. 1 run defense in the entire Football Bowl Subdivision. PSU enters the game with both RB Miles Sanders and QB Trace McSorley ranked among the top five runners in the Big Ten. Sanders is third with an average of 107.6 yards per game, while McSorley is fiCh at 82 yards per game. Both have six rushing touchdowns. The Nittany Lions have posted 21 rush- ing touchdowns in their first five games to lead the country. Michigan State's front seven is led by junior MLB Joe Bachie. An All-Big Ten player last season, Bachie is the Spartans' top tackler with 39 stops, including 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack. CB Justin Layne is the team's second-leading tackler with 35 stops. OLB Andrew Sowell is next with 34 tackles, including four tackles for loss. DE Kenny Willekes leads the defense with eight TFL, while DT RaeQuan Williams has six. // KEY MATCHUP Penn State guards Connor McGovern and Steven Gonzalez will match up against Bachie and Williams, while LT Ryan Bates will try to neutralize Willekes. For Penn State to have success run- ning the ball inside the tackle box, McGovern and Gonzalez must control Bachie and Williams, with help from C Michal Menet. In addition, Bates will need to prevent Willekes from getting penetration off the edge. // EDGE Even PENN STATE PASSING GAME 248.8 YPG, 15.9 YPC // MICHIGAN STATE PASS DEFENSE 305.2 YPG, 10.7 YPC THE LOWDOWNEven though they are fielding the second-ranked offense in the Big Ten at 510 yards per game, the Lions have had some difficulty throwing the ball consistently, ranking fiCh in the conference in passing offense. Mc- Sorley's completion rate has fallen to 52.9 percent, the lowest of his career. However, he has thrown for 1,049 yards, with 10 touchdown passes and only two interceptions. One of the reasons for McSorley's low completion percentage is that Penn State's receivers have averaged about four drops per game. The Lions' top receiver is K.J. Hamler with 13 catches for 308 yards and four TDs. He did not return to the Ohio State game on Sept. 29 aCer being shaken up follow- ing a hit, but it appears that he will be ready to play this Saturday. Juwan Johnson has 17 receptions for 202 yards. Michigan State has struggled badly against the pass so far this season, ranking last in the Big Ten. Opponents have completed 64.5 percent of their attempts, but the Spartans do rank second in the Big Ten with nine interceptions. SS Khari Willis leads the way with two interceptions. // KEY MATCHUP Bates will be looking to control Willekes' outside pass rush. If he's able to do that, McSorley will have an excellent chance to throw for 300 yards against an overmatched Michigan State secondary. Hamler will be a big challenge for Dowell in man-to-man coverage situations. Assuming he's healthy enough to play, it wouldn't be surprising to see him surpass 100 receiving yards. EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. MICHIGAN STATE PASS DEFENSE MICHIGAN STATE RUNNING GAME 123.0 YPG, 3.4 YPC // PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE 161.8 YPG, 3.9 YPC THE LOWDOWNPenn State has struggled at times against the run, but that might not be the case against a Michigan State ground game that has been slowed by injuries and as a result has been ineffective for much of the season. Senior RB L.J. Scott has played in only two games, gaining 103 yards on 30 carries (3.4 ypc) with no touchdown runs. In his place, Connor Heyward has rushed for 147 yards on 42 carries (3.5 ypc), with three TDs. The Spartans are big propo- nents of the jet sweep, as WR Jalen Nailor has gained 95 yards on just five carries. Penn State ranks 10th in the Big Ten in run defense. Its leading tackler is MLB Jan Johnson with 29 stops, while FS Garrett Taylor is next with 27. DE Sha- reef Miller leads the Lions with 6.5 tackles for loss, while LB Cam Brown and DE Yetur Gross-Matos have four apiece. // KEY MATCHUP Michigan State LT Cole Chewins will try to control Miller, while guards Tyler Higby and Kevin Jarvis will take on defensive tackles Robert Windsor and Kevin Givens. If the Spartans are going to have any success running the ball, it will be between the tackles. For that to happen, Higby and Jarvis must win the one-on-one battles with Windsor and Givens, and Chewins must stop Miller from coming off the edge. I don't see that happening. It wouldn't surprise me if PSU were able to hold Michigan State to 125 yards or less on the ground. // EDGE Penn State MICHIGAN STATE RUNNING GAME VS. PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE MICHIGAN STATE PASSING GAME VS. PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE W H E N M I C H I G A N S T A T E H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME VS. MICHIGAN STATE RUN DEFENSE O C T O B E R   1 0 ,   2 0 1 8 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 4 MICHIGAN STATE PASSING GAME 266.8 YPG, 11.9 YPC // PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE 192.6 YPG, 10.0 YPC THE LOWDOWNMichigan State's pass offense ranks fourth in the Big Ten, thanks primarily to junior QB Brian Lew- erke, who is completing 64.2 percent of his attempts and is averaging 265.6 yards per game, with six touchdown passes and six interceptions. The Spartans' leading receiver is senior Felton Davis III with 23 catches for 374 yards and two TDs. Cody White is next with 20 catches for 300 yards, followed by Darrell Stewart with 15 receptions for 142 yards. The tight end position hasn't been a big part of Michigan State's passing game this year, as Matt Sokol

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