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KEY MATCHUPS P E N N   S T A T E   V S .   M I C H I G A N | 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 225.4 YPG, 5.6 YPC // MICHIGAN RUN DEFENSE97.1 YPG, 2.9 YPC THE LOWDOWNPenn State rushed for only 118 yards last week against Iowa, but it still fields the fourth-ranked running game in the Big Ten. RB Miles Sanders leads the Nittany Lions and is third in the conference with 834 yards and eight touchdowns on 136 carries (6.1 ypc). QB Trace McSorley also ranks among the league's top 10 rushers with an average of 77.1 yards per game on the ground. McSorley has rushed for 617 yards and nine TDs on 110 carries. With backup Mark Allen out for the year with an injury, Ricky Slade has been Sanders' top backup. He's gained 155 yards but didn't have any carries in Penn State's past two games. In Michigan, the Lions will be facing their toughest test of the season. The Wolverines have the No. 1 overall defense in the country, as they are allowing only 220 yards per game and 3.7 yards per play. Their leading tackler is MLB Devin Bush with 49 stops, including seven tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. FS Tyree Kinnel is next with 44 tackles, followed by DE Chase Winovich with 43 stops, including 11 tackles for loss. Standout DE Rashan Gary has played in only five games due to a shoulder injury but has 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. // KEY MATCHUP If Penn State hopes to have success running the ball against Michigan, LT Ryan Bates will need to control Winovich, and the Nittany Lions' interior offensive linemen – C Michal Menet and guards Steven Gonzalez and Connor McGovern – must get to the second level to take on Bush. // EDGE Michigan PENN STATE PASSING GAME 234.1 YPG, 14.4 YPC // MICHIGAN PASS DEFENSE 122.9 YPG, 10.1 YPC THE LOWDOWNThe Wolverines are fielding the top-rated pass defense in the country, so the Lions will be hard-pressed to get their aerial attack turned around aBer falling to seventh in the Big Ten. Due in part to a string of dropped passes, McSorley has completed only 52.8 percent of his attempts for 1,628 yards. Against Iowa, he suffered a knee injury that forced him to sit out part of the second quarter. That situation will bear watching on Saturday. The Lions' leading re- ceiver has been K.J. Hamler with 27 catches for 497 yards and five TDs. Juwan Johnson, who saw limited action against Iowa because of a leg injury, is next with 21 catches for 293 yards. Michigan has allowed its first eight opponents to complete only 47.5 percent of their passes for 983 yards. The Wolverines only have seven interceptions as a team, but they have returned three of those picks for TDs. SS Josh Metellus leads with three interceptions. In juniors Lavert Hill and David Long, Michigan has the best cornerback tandem in the Big Ten. Also, the Wolverines are fourth in the con- ference with 24 sacks, and their surprise leader is backup MLB Joshua Uche with five. // KEY MATCHUP For Penn State to throw the ball with any consistency, it will need someone besides Hamler to step forward at wide receiver. Michigan exclusively plays press man-to-man coverage in the secondary, so the matchup between Hamler and Kinnel will be a key. Up front, Bates and fellow tackle Will Fries must contain Winovich, Gary and Uche. // EDGE Michigan PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. MICHIGAN PASS DEFENSE MICHIGAN RUNNING GAME 212.8 YPG, 5.1 YPC // PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE 161.4 YPG, 3.9 YPC THE LOWDOWNThe Wolverines' running game has made big strides since the beginning of the season, and they will enter their game with Penn State on Saturday ranked sixth in the Big Ten in rushing offense. RB Karan Higdon ranks second in the conference with an average of 118.7 yards per game. He has rushed for 831 yards on 153 carries (5.4 ypc), with six rushing touchdowns. In addition, QB Shea Patterson has added an extra dimension to Michigan's running game, gaining 145 yards on 40 carries. Penn State has struggled against the run, as it ranks ninth in the Big Ten. Penn State's leading tackler is freshman OLB Micah Parsons with 42 stops. Safeties Garrett Taylor and Nick Scott and ILB Cam Brown are tied with 42 tackles apiece. As a team, Penn State leads the Big Ten with 65 tackles for loss. DE Yetur Gross-Matos leads the conference with 12.5 negative-yardage stops. // KEY MATCHUP Michigan's run game sets up its play-action passing game. On first and second downs, the Wolverines like to use both tight ends, Zach Gentry and Sean McKeon. How Michigan's starting offensive tackles, Juwan Bushell-Beatty and Jon Runyan, handle Penn State's defensive ends will go a long way toward determining how well it runs the ball. PSU can't allow the Wolverines to control the clock. They lead the Big Ten in time of possession at more than 34 minutes per game. // EDGE Michigan MICHIGAN RUNNING GAME VS. PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE MICHIGAN PASSING GAME VS. PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE W H E N M I C H I G A N H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME VS. MICHIGAN RUN DEFENSE 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 4 MICHIGAN PASSING GAME 207.6 YPG, 12.6 YPC // PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE 225.4 YPG, 10.3 YPC THE LOWDOWNThe Wolverines are ranked 10th in the Big Ten in passing offense, but they have gotten better as the season has gone on. Patterson is averaging 190.4 yards per game, with 12 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Gentry is Michigan's leading receiver with 23 catches for 332 yards and one touchdown. WR Donovan Peoples- Jones is next with 22 receptions for 326 yards and six TDs, and WR Nico Collins has 21 catches for 320 yards and two TDs. Penn State's pass defense has been up and down throughout the season. The Nittany Lions rank seventh

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