The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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134 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY ANDREW HUSSEY Replacing quarterback Trace McSorley was never going to be an easy task for Penn State. The sixth-round draft pick left as the Nittany Lions' all-time leader in passing yards (9,899), total offense (11,596), touch- down passes (77) and victories by a quarter- back (31). For the past three seasons, he was the leader of Penn State's offense and helped his team win more games in a three-year period than any Nittany Lion quarterback since 1994-96. However, McSorley is now with the Balti- more Ravens. and Penn State is looking for someone to take over under center. Projected starter Tommy Stevens transferred to Mis- sissippi State in the offseason and left the position in the hands of redshirt sophomore Sean Clifford, who has only attempted seven passes in his career. While Clifford is inexperienced, he gets to throw to one of the best wide receivers in the conference in redshirt sophomore KJ Ham- ler. Though only 5-9 and 168 pounds, Ham- ler led Penn State last year with 42 catches and 754 receiving yards, which ranked eighth in the conference. He also finished second in the Big Ten and 25th nationally in yards per catch (17.95). In addition to his exploits as a receiver, he is also a dangerous threat as a kick returner and averaged 26.2 yards per attempt last year, which ranked 18th in the land. Other than Hamler, the wide receivers are inexperienced, therefore sophomore tight end Pat Freiermuth will be asked to expand his role. Last season, he was second among all Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) tight ends with eight touchdowns while compiling 26 catches and 368 receiving yards. Penn State must also find a replacement for running back Mile Sanders, who ranked second in the Big Ten with 1,274 rushing yards in 2018. Sophomore Ricky Slade will be the starter for the Nittany Lions after backing up Sanders in 2018. He had 257 rushing yards and six touchdowns on just 45 carries last season. While Penn State doesn't have the offen- sive firepower of recent seasons, its defense will be difficult to face. Last season, the Nit- tany Lions led the FBS with 3.6 sacks per game and were fourth with 8.2 tackles for loss per game. Junior defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos is one of the most disruptive defenders in the nation. His 1.5 tackles for loss per game in 2018 ranked second in the Big Ten and 12th in the country. He totaled eight sacks and had at least a half sack in five straight games. Fifth-year senior defensive tackle Robert Windsor and sophomore outside linebacker Micah Parsons are also back after very pro- ductive 2018 campaigns. Windsor finished sixth in the Big Ten with 0.63 sacks per game on his way to second-team All-Big Ten honors from the Associated Press, while Parsons notched 83 stops to become the first freshman in program history to lead the team in tackles. Penn State's strong front seven will help as the Nittany Lions find two new two start- ers in the secondary. The secondary does return senior safety Garrett Taylor and red- shirt junior cornerback John Reid, after both earned honorable mention All-Big Ten status from the coaches and the media in 2018. Reid intercepted two passes and broke up eight passes, while Taylor had three and seven, respectively. With a strong defense, Penn State will be in the mix to win the Big Ten East along with Michigan and Ohio State. The Nittany Lions will be looking for revenge against the Wolverines after a 42-7 blowout in 2018. In Michigan's last trip to Penn State, the Nit- tany Lions won 42-13, which will serve as motivation for the Wolverines. Notes Defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos and tight end Pat Frei- ermuth were both named first-team All-Big Ten by Athlon, while defensive tackle Robert Windsor and linebacker Micah Parsons were named to the second team … Wide receiver KJ Hamler was named to the second team as a kick returner and to the third team as a receiver … Offensive linemen Michal Menet and Steven Gonzalez plus cornerback John Reid were named to the third team. ❑ PLAYERS TO WATCH Offense: Pat Freiermuth, So., TE — Named to the Freshman All-America team by The Athletic and ESPN, along with being named honorable mention All-Big Ten … Had 26 receptions for 368 yards and eight touchdowns … Made a catch in 12 straight games and had 14 catches of 15 yards or more. Defense: Yetur Gross-Matos, Jr., DE — Named first-team All-Big Ten by the media in 2018 … Finished last season with 20 tackles for loss, which was second in the conference and tied for eighth most in program history … He also had 54 tackles and two forced fumbles in 2018. Penn State Has To Reload 2019 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2018 Result Aug. 31 Idaho — Sept. 7 Buffalo — Sept. 14 Pittsburgh W, 51-6 Sept. 27 at Maryland W, 38-3 Oct. 5 Purdue — Oct. 12 at Iowa W, 30-24 Oct. 19 Michigan L, 42-7 Oct. 26 at Michigan State L, 21-7 Nov. 9 at Minnesota — Nov. 16 Indiana W, 33-28 Nov. 23 at Ohio State L, 27-26 Nov. 30 Rutgers W, 20-7 GAME 7 • PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS • OCT. 19 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: U-M leads 14-8 First Meeting: U-M 21, PSU 13 (Oct. 16, 1993 at State College, Pa.) Last Meeting: U-M 42, PSU 7 (Nov. 3, 2018 at Ann Arbor) Head Coach: James Franklin, 45-21 at PSU (7th year) and 69-36 overall (10th year) 2018 In Review: 9-4 overall, 6-3 Big Ten (3rd East) Final 2018 Ranking: No. 17 in the Associated Press and coaches' polls Returning Starters: 13 (5 offense, 6 defense, 2 specialists) Last Bowl Appearance: 2018 (Citrus Bowl vs. Ken - tucky, L 27-24) Big Ten Championships (last): 4 (2016) RETURNING LEADERS Passing: Sean Clifford (195 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT) Rushing: Ricky Slade (257 yards, 6 TD) Receiving: KJ Hamler (754 yards, 5 TD) Tackles: Micah Parsons (83 tackles) Sacks: Yetur Gross-Matos (8) Interceptions: Garrett Taylor (3) Redshirt sophomore wide receiver KJ Ham- ler set a Penn State rookie record with 1,417 all-purpose yards last year, topping the previ- ous mark of 1,237 set by star running back Saquon Barkley in 2015. PHOTO COURTESY PENN STATE