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and his status for this week's game is un- clear. The Wolverines were off this past Saturday and thus had an extra week to re- cuperate before facing the Lions. Gary re- turned to practice prior to Michigan's game against Michigan State, but he didn't play against the Spartans on Oct. 20. When asked about the All-Big Ten lineman's po- tential availability this week, Harbaugh de- murred. "Don't know," he said. "Don't have an update." If Gary's absence has weakened Michi- gan's defense, it hasn't shown up in the stats. His replacement, Kwity Paye, has five tackles for loss and two sacks, and as a team, the Wolverines have 24 sacks, fourth-most in the Big Ten. It helps that Michigan has another out- standing defensive end in Chase Winovich. A 6-3, 255-pound fifth-year senior, Winovich passed up a chance to enter the NFL Draft after last season, and that deci- sion looks like it's going to pay big divi- dends. He's having a huge season, with 11 tackles for loss, three sacks and seven quarterback hurries. Harbaugh attributed Winovich's success to his all-in attitude. "It seems to be a rarer trait in individuals these days," he said. "I see younger people having an approach that they're too cool for school, as opposed to gung-ho. Chase is definitely a throw- back in my mind in the area of attacking each day with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind, which I have great respect for." Winovich was a reserve defensive end in September 2016 when Penn State last vis- ited Ann Arbor. He had two tackles and a sack in that game, contributing to Michi- gan's 49-10 romp over a Nittany Lion team that seemed to be floundering in its third season under Franklin. Winovich was going places, but as it turned out, the Nittany Lions were also going places, too – to the Big Ten Championship Game and eventu- ally the Rose Bowl. Since that dismal after- noon at Michigan Stadium, they have gone 26-5, and the combined margin of defeat in their five losses has been 12 points. The most lopsided of Penn State's defeats since falling to Michigan by 39 points a little over two years ago has been a four-point loss earlier this season to Michigan State. Franklin said Penn State learned from its experience that day in Ann Arbor. "I think if you look at how we've played since that game, we've made a lot of corrections. We've gotten better. I think we're one of the better teams in the country when you look at that, and not only [in terms of ] overall record but also specifically how those games have played out – the wins, the losses, all those types of things. We've been very competitive," he said. "Obvi- ously, I'm not happy and we're not happy until we win them all. I get that. But to sit here and say we're going to go back to that game [two] years ago, no. We've evolved, we've learned, we've grown. It's going to be a challenge, there's no doubt about it. We're excited about the opportunity, and we're excited about the challenge." O C T O B E R   3 1 ,   2 0 1 8 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 3 NATE BAUER 6-2 | Just to get this out of the way from the top, Penn State can play with Michigan. Trace McSorley, with a decent offensive line in front of him, can direct the ball up the field with the Nittany Lion offense. And Penn State's defense has gotten better all season, putting it in a good enough spot to hold the Wolverines to their season scoring average of 36 points per game. In Ann Arbor, though, those possibilities might prove to be a bit too heavy for these relatively inexperienced Nittany Lions to completely bring to fruition. As has been the case in recent weeks, a close one could again be on the docket, but the edge has to go to the home team. | MICHIGAN 38, PENN STATE 34 PHIL GROSZ 7-1 | At this time, it is fully understandable why Michigan is considered to be a 10-point favorite over Penn State at the Big House. The Wolverines enter the game with the No. 1-rated defense in the country, having allowed only 220 yards per game and an amazing 3.7 yards per play through eight games. Michigan also has the top pass de- fense in college football at 122.9 yards per game and 10.1 yards per catch. This is without question one of the best defenses I've seen in the 30-plus years I've been covering Penn State's football program. The Nittany Lions, on the other hand, have played uninspired football since losing to Ohio State by one point on Sept. 29. In fact, it would be fair to say they haven't played a complete game all season. But despite all that, I think this game is going to end up being much closer than most college football analysts have predicted. Penn State's past five losses have been by a total of 12 points. I might be crazy, but I'm calling for an upset. Penn State finds a way to exorcise its demons on offense and special teams and upsets the Wolverines. | PENN STATE 24, MICHIGAN 21 MATT HERB 6-2 | While Penn State's Big Ten championship dreams were dashed with its back-to-back losses to Ohio State and Michigan State, this is still a big game for the Nit- tany Lions. If they're able to pull off an upset in Ann Arbor, they'll be well-positioned to claim their third consecutive New Year's Six bowl invitation. If they lose, well, that goal will probably fall by the wayside, too. In assessing the Lions' schedule this past summer, I had the Michigan game written down as a probable loss. The Wolverines were going to be playing at home and were going to bring a typically stout defense and an improved quar- terback situation into this year's matchup. Eight games into the season, that assessment still feels right. Michigan is unbeaten in conference play and is coming off a bye week as it prepares to welcome the Nittany Lions back to the Big House, site of their most lopsided loss in the past three seasons. This won't be another 39-point romp for the home team, but I just don't see the Lions' up-and-down offense being able to move the ball with any consistency against a defense as good as this one. | MICHIGAN 31, PENN STATE 20 TIM OWEN 6-2| It's not that Penn State is unable to go into the Big House and come out with a victory. That will happen under James Franklin. But this year? That, I'm not so sure of. Facing the Big Ten's stingiest defense and an offense that averages 46 points per game when it plays at home, the Nittany Lions have the deck stacked against them this week. It's not going to be a romp like it was the last time they visited Michigan, but it's going to be an uphill battle to keep it close. | MICHIGAN 41, PENN STATE 34 RYAN SNYDER 7-1 | At the beginning of the season, I picked the Lions to go 9-3, with this game being one of those losses. Michigan is a quality team that has revenge on its mind, so this will be Penn State's biggest test of the season. I expect the Lions to put up a good showing, but similiar to the Ohio State game, the Wolverines will pull away in the end. | MICHIGAN 24, PENN STATE 20 S T A F F P R E D I C T I O N S

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