The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 131 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE Penn State might have a Michi- gan and Ohio State problem. But at this point, everybody else in the Big Ten does, too. The Nit- tany Lions are 0-4 against the two powers and 18-4 against every- body else over the last two sea- sons. They went 11-2 a year ago, including a 35-21 Rose Bowl vic- tory over Utah, but ended with an unfulfilled feeling after finishing third in the East Division. PSU had a chance against Ohio State, holding a lead briefly in the fourth quarter, but left Ann Ar- bor with an identity crisis after giving up 418 rushing yards in a 41-17 blowout loss. Turns out, the Nittany Lions would bounce back just fine, covering the Vegas spread in six of their last seven games. Now, head coach James Frank- lin and Co. are looking to take the next step and win their first Big Ten championship since 2016. Sophomore quarterback Drew Allar might be the guy to lead them there. For- mer signal-caller Sean Clifford won 32 games as the starter, but Allar is a former five-star who's regarded as having im- mense potential. After playing the role of backup in 2022 — tossing 35 comple- tions on 60 attempts for 344 yards and 4 touchdowns in 10 games — it's the 6-foot-5, 242-pounder's show this fall. Junior left tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu, a 2022 second-team All-American per Walter Camp, is the fourth-best return- ing offensive tackle in the nation, accord- ing to Pro Football Focus (PFF). He's one of four starters that are back from an of- fensive line that allowed just 1.6 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss per game last sea- son. The Nittany Lions will be without their top two receivers from a year ago but brought in two-time first-team All-MAC wideout Dante Cephas, a redshirt senior, out of the transfer portal from Kent State. One of the best running back duos in the nation paced a ground game that pro- duced 181.1 yards per contest in 2022. Sophomores Nicholas Singleton (1,061 yards, 12 touchdowns) and Kaytron Al- len (867 yards, 10 TDs) both appeared on Athlon Sports' preseason All-Big Ten list, on the second and third team, re- spectively. Outside of the Michigan debacle, PSU's defense was exceptional last fall under coordinator Manny Diaz. The unit ranked ninth nationally in scoring defense and 17th in total defense, allowing only 5.8 yards per pass (fifth) and 3.3 yards per rush (tied 13th). PSU will have to replace a pair of now- NFL defensive backs in cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (second round, Pittsburgh Steelers) and safety Ji'Ayir Brown (third, San Francisco 49ers), but junior corner Kalen King, who had 4 interceptions and 18 pass breakups last season, is expected to make a big jump and become one of the Big Ten's best second- ary players (first team, Athlon Sports). The Nittany Lions led the na- tion with a 44.1 percent pressure rate in 2022, per Sports Info So- lutions, and recorded 3.2 sacks per game (seventh). The defensive line is set to be explosive again, with junior defensive end Chop Robinson (10 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks) and senior end Adisa Isaac (11 tackles for loss, 4 sacks) lead- ing the way. Along with Robinson, sopho- more linebacker Abdul Carter — the team's leading returning tackler — was a first-team pre- season All-Big Ten pick by Athlon Sports. He tallied 6.5 sacks to lead the team last season and earned freshman All-America honors from On3, ESPN and PFF. Notes Penn State ranked tied for fourth in college foot- ball with a plus-0.9 average turnover margin per game … The Nittany Lions scored touchdowns on 75.5 percent of their red zone trips in 2022 (fourth nationally). ❑ PLAYERS TO WATCH Offense: Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Jr., OL — The 6-foot-6, 323-pound left tackle is the projected No. 3 overall 2024 NFL Draft pick by The Ath- letic's Dane Brugler. He checked in No. 9 on ESPN analyst Todd McShay's mock draft. Defense: Chop Robinson, Jr., DE — The 6-foot- 3, 253-pounder led the Big Ten with 48 pressures last season, per PFF. He is in his second season with PSU after transferring from Maryland. Penn State Expected To Contend For Big Ten, CFP In 2023 2023 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2022 Result Sept. 2 West Virginia — Sept. 9 Delaware — Sept. 16 at Illinois — Sept. 23 Iowa — Sept. 30 at Northwestern W, 17-7 Oct. 14 UMass — Oct. 21 at Ohio State L, 44-31 Oct. 28 Indiana W, 45-14 Nov. 4 at Maryland W, 30-0 Nov. 11 Michigan L, 41-17 Nov. 18 Rutgers W, 55-10 Nov. 25 Michigan State* W, 35-16 *at Ford Field in Detroit GAME 10 • PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS • NOV. 11 • 12 P.M. (FOX) QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Michigan leads 16-10 First Meeting: U-M 21, PSU 13 (Oct. 16, 1993, in State College, Pa.) Last Meeting: U-M 41, PSU 17 (Oct. 15, 2022, in Ann Arbor, Mich.) Head Coach: James Franklin, 78-36 (10th year) at PSU, 102-51 overall (13th year) 2022 In Review: 11-2, 7-2 Big Ten (3rd East) Final 2022 Ranking: 7th Associated Press, 7th Coaches Returning Starters: 14 (7 offense, 6 defense, 1 specialist) Last Bowl Appearance: 2022 (Rose Bowl vs. Utah, W 35-21) RETURNING LEADERS Passing: Drew Allar (344 yards, 4 TD) Rushing: Nicholas Singleton (1,061 yards, 12 TD) Receiving: KeAndre Lambert-Smith (389 yards, 4 TD) Tackles: Abdul Carter (56) Sacks: Abdul Carter (6.5) Interceptions: Kalen King (3) A five-star prospect and the No. 28 overall player in the 2022 class per the On3 Industry Ranking, sophomore Drew Allar is PSU's top-rat- ed quarterback recruit since Christian Hackenberg in 2013 (No. 10). PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN