Blue White Illustrated

GAME GRADES QUARTERBACKS It wasn't the best of days for Christian Hackenberg. He completed a few nice throws, but even his touchdown pass could've been de- fended if the defensive back would have turned around. He also continues to struggle with the intermediate throws and held the ball longer than he should have on multiple plays. GRADE D RUNNING BACKS Saquon Barkley made plays when he had the opportu- nity, but it was tough to get anything going throughout the game. Give him credit for trying to make plays, but when he did that, it often resulted in a loss of yards. There's not really much else to say. GRADE C RECEIVERS Penn State's receivers once again struggled to consistently get open, although I think it's important to emphasize just how good Michigan's secondary is. Still, separation on a few pivotal third-down plays would have gone a long way in a game that PSU may not have won, but could have kept closer. GRADE D OFFENSIVE LINE Another game, an- other inconsistent showing by Penn State's offensive line. Barkley had just two nice holes all day, while Hackenberg was pressured more often than not. The Nittany Lions managed just 70 yards rushing, most of which came on Barkley's big run early in the game. GRADE F DEFENSIVE LINE Penn State's defen- sive front was able to get pressure in the beginning, but as the game went on, Jake Rudock had plenty of time to find his receivers. Give them credit for shutting down Michigan's run game, but it didn't really matter, as the Wolverines were able to do whatever they wanted in the pass game. It was clear that this unit really missed Carl Nassib today. GRADE C LINEBACKERS Penn State's young linebackers continue to play well against the run, but it was a pretty poor effort in pass coverage. They made a few plays, most notably Bran- don Bell's interception in the first quarter, but Michigan's receivers were consistently open on short and inter- mediate routes. GRADE C DEFENSIVE BACKS As was the case with the linebackers, Penn State's de- fensive backs had a poor day in pass coverage. Michigan was consistently able to dink and dunk for yards when needed. Poor tackling also allowed the Wolverines to pick up valuable yards on a few important drives. GRADE D SPECIAL TEAMS Penn State's cover- age teams were able to contain Jabrill Peppers, and the blocked punt was nice to see, but poor punts kept PSU buried deep in its own zone for much of the game. Also, the fumbled punt by De- Andre Thompkins in the third quarter was basically a dagger. In games like this, PSU needs its special teams to make a few plays. That didn't happen, and things could have been worse, as Michigan should have had a blocked field goal. GRADE D COACHES John Donovan was defi- nitely too conservative at times, espe- cially on second down. Bob Shoop consistently brought pressure, and that worked a few times, but it left the de- fensive backs exposed more often than not. GRADE D CROWD The noon kickoff was a let- down to most fans, but the student sec- tion was full by the end of the first quarter and the crowd forced a few false starts. As always, the White Out looked great. The official attendance was 107,418. GRADE A N O V E M B E R 2 1 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 10 R Y A N   S N Y D E R | B L U E W H I T E I L L U S T R A T E D RECRUITING Rivers' commitment boosts Class of 2017 Linebacker prospect Dylan Rivers of Stephens City, Va., joined Penn State's Class of 2017 on Saturday, giving the Nittany Lions their second verbal com- mitment. A three-star prospect from Sherando High School, Rivers made it no secret that the Nittany Lions were one of his top schools leading up to his unofficial visit for the game against Michigan. During the past year, he earned 14 total scholar- ship offers, including offers from such programs as Clemson, North Carolina, Pitt, Virginia, Virginia Tech and West Virginia. It was believed that Virginia Tech was Penn State's main competitor, but fol- lowing the decision by longtime coach Frank Beamer to step down after the season, Rivers decided to make his commitment to the Nittany Lions offi- cial. The commitment may have grabbed the headlines, but there were more than 100 total recruits in attendance on Sat- urday, including Class of 2016 defensive back JoeJuan Williams from Henderson- ville, Tenn. A four-star prospect, Williams took his first official visit of the year to Penn State. It's still unclear where the Nittany Lions stand with Williams, but he's also considering R Y A N   S N Y D E R | B L U E W H I T E I L L U S T R A T E D

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