Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/541265
Wolverines held off visiting Penn State, 18-13, on Oct. 13, 2014. It was the first Big Ten night game ever played in the Big House. OFFENSE First and foremost, the Wolverines need to find a quarterback. Shane Morris played a bit last year, but Iowa transfer Jake Rudock is also in the mix, and Michigan has three freshmen in Wilton Speight, who redshirted last year, January enrollee Alex Malzone and Zach Gentry. Rudock and Gentry have yet to don the maize and blue, but the coaching staff is going to have to pare down this list quickly come Au- gust. The Wolverines must also replace leading receiver Devin Funchess, but they do return four players who caught more than 20 passes last season, in- cluding junior Amara Darboh (67 catches, 473 yards). The line is back virtually intact, which should benefit junior running backs De'Veon Smith and Derrick Green, who combined for 990 yards last year. DEFENSE Michigan has some holes to fill at defensive end and middle line- backer, but there appears to be some promising young talent on hand. And in the case of the middle linebacker spot, there's some veteran help on the way, with senior Desmond Morgan having re- covered from an arm injury that caused him to miss most of the 2014 season. The Wolverines, who finished third in the Big Ten in total defense last year (311.3 yards per game) are also eager to get strong safety Jabril Peppers back in uniform this fall. The former five-star recruit was forced to redshirt as a true freshman af- ter he suffered a lower leg injury in the opener vs. Appalachian State. Peppers was in action this spring and reportedly was nothing short of dazzling. SPECIAL TEAMS Michigan has an ex- perienced all-purpose return man in senior Dennis Norfleet, but his avail- ability is in question due to academic issues. Elsewhere, the Wolverines must find new starters at place-kicker and punter. Incoming freshman Andrew Davis was one of the better kicking prospects in the Class of 2015 and will likely fill the former position. OUTLOOK This could go a couple of ways. Jim Harbaugh's first season in Ann Arbor could bring about an abrupt turn- around for a program that has struggled inexplicably since the final years of the Lloyd Carr era. However, it could also turn out to be one of those messy transi- tional ordeals that even powerful pro- grams sometimes are forced to endure on the way to a brighter future. By the time they arrive in Beaver Stadium for this year's White Out game, we'll have a better fix on the Wolverines' timeline. Their high-profile new coach is facing one threat that didn't loom quite so large back when Carr and his successor, Rich Rodriguez, were in charge, that being an ascendant Michigan State. But Har- baugh rebuilt San Diego and Stanford, as well as the San Francisco 49ers, and it would be foolish to think he won't do the same at Michigan… eventually. 2014 RECORD 11-2 (7-1 Big Ten) SERIES RECORD The series is tied, 14-14-1. MOST RECENT MEETING Penn State managed only one touchdown on Senior Day, a fourth-quarter burst by Akeel Lynch, in a 34-10 loss to the visiting Spartans on Nov. 29, 2014. OFFENSE Michigan State's 2015 sea- son got off to a pretty good start when Connor Cook decided to return for his final season. Cook enjoyed a tremendous junior year, throwing for 3,219 yards with 24 touchdowns and only eight intercep- tions. But Michigan State has a lot more going for it than just a great quarterback. It also has one of the Big Ten's best of- fensive lines, a unit anchored by senior center Jack Allen and junior left tackle Jack Conklin. That line figures to make life a lot easier for whoever replaces run- ning back Jeremy Langford, a 1,500-yard rusher last fall. Junior Delton Williams seemed to be the most likely candidate, but that was before he was arrested in March for brandishing a weapon during an alleged road rage incident. DEFENSE There's some rebuilding to do here. Michigan State didn't just lose three big-time defensive playmakers in defensive end Marcus Rush, middle linebacker Taiwan Jones and free safety Kurtis Drummond; it also lost its cele- brated defensive coordinator when Pat Narduzzi left for Pitt. But there's plenty of talent returning, notably defensive end Shilique Calhoun (12.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks last year) outside line- backer Ed Davis (12 TFL, four sacks) and free safety R.J. Williamson (three inter- ceptions, five pass breakups). All three are seniors and are expected to provide the kind of leadership Michigan State will need to vie for a conference cham- pionship. SPECIAL TEAMS Junior Michael Geiger returns as kicker after an up- and-down junior season in which he went 3 of 8 from 40 yards and beyond. The Spartans need a new punter, but in R.J. Shelton, they have one of the better kick returners in the conference, as Penn State fans are all too aware after watch- ing him take one back 90 yards for a TD. OUTLOOK The Spartans may be tal- ented enough to win the Big Ten East, but they'll have to do it the hard way. Except for the season finale against Penn State, their most interesting conference games – matchups with Michigan, Ne- braska and Ohio State – will all take place on the road. Their visit to Ann Ar- bor is looking particularly meaningful given that the Wolverines are looking to re-establish their in-state supremacy under Jim Harbaugh. But while the schedule poses some major obstacles, one of its facets could work in the Spar- tans' favor. They play host to Oregon in week two, and a victory over last year's playoff runner-up would be a nice springboard, even with the Ducks likely to take a step backward now that Marcus Mariota is gone. ■ P R E V I E W W E E K 1 2 MICHIGAN STATE T i m e T BA , N o v. 2 8 @ S p a r t a n St a d i u m