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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 111.7 YPG, 3.2 YPC // MICHIGAN RUN DEFENSE140.0 YPG, 3.6 YPC THE LOWDOWNEven with standout RB Saquon Barkley returning, Penn State struggled to run the ball in its first three games. The Lions rank 13th in the Big Ten in rushing average, with Barkley having amassed 258 yards on 51 carries and six rushing TDs. QB Trace McSorley is Penn State's second-leading rusher with 38 yards on 32 carries and one rushing TD. With Barkley out of action due to an apparent ankle injury, freshman Miles Sanders, redshirt sophomore Mark Allen and redshirt freshman Andre Robinson rotated at running back in the first half of the Temple game. Michigan was solid in nonconference games against Hawaii, UCF and Colorado, ranking seventh in the Big Ten in rushing defense. The Wolverines have a remarkable 10 seniors in their starting lineup, so it's not sur- prising that they lead the Big Ten with 32 tackles for loss. Their leading tackler is redshirt sophomore SS Jabrill Peppers with 28 stops, including a team-high 9.5 tackles for loss. Senior MLB Ben Gedeon is Michigan's second- leading tackler with 25 stops and four tackles for loss. Senior OLB Mike McCray has 19 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. Senior SS Dymonte Thomas is next with 16 total tackles. // KEY MATCHUP Penn State LT Brendan Mahon will take on Michigan defensive ends Chris Wormley and freshman Rashan Gary, while TE Mike Gesicki will match up with Peppers. // EDGEMichigan PENN STATE PASSING GAME 276.0 YPG, 14.3 YPC // MICHIGAN PASS DEFENSE 156.0 YPG, 13.0 YPC THE LOWDOWN This matchup will pit strength against strength. Penn State's passing offense has been a bright spot so far this season, ranking second in the Big Ten. Meanwhile, Michigan leads the conference in pass defense. McSorley was very effective in the first three games of the season, completing 58 of 92 passes (64.4 percent) for 828 yards and averaging 276 yards per game, with four touchdown passes and two interceptions. Junior WR Chris Godwin is the Nittany Lions' leading receiver with 18 catches for 220 yards and one touchdown. Redshirt junior DaeSean Hamilton has 12 receptions for 141 yards, while Gesicki has nine catches for 158 yards. McSorley has completed passes to nine different receivers. Michigan has been strong against the pass, with senior FS De- lano Hill and senior CB Channing Stribling both pulling down interceptions. It should be noted that Michigan has been without preseason All-America CB Jourdan Lewis, who has been bothered by nagging injuries to his back, hamstring and quad. But coach Jim Harbaugh said he's hopeful that Lewis will be able to play against Penn State. Peppers and McCray are tied for the team lead with 2.5 sacks apiece. As a team, Michigan has 11 sacks. // KEY MATCHUP Gesicki and Barkley will be looking to evade Peppers, while Godwin will match up with CB Jeremy Clark. // EDGEEven PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. MICHIGAN PASS DEFENSE MICHIGAN RUNNING GAME 197.7 YPG, 4.9 YPC // PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE176.3 YPG, 4.2 YPC THE LOWDOWN Michigan has made big strides since last season, when it ranked 83rd in the Football Bowl Subdivi- sion with an average of 158.2 rushing yards per game. Through three games this fall, the Wolverines are averaging just under 200 yards. Their leading rusher is freshman RB Chris Evans with 157 yards on 21 carries (7.5 ypc), but the starter is senior De'Veon Smith, who has 152 yards on 27 carries. Adding to their play-calling repertoire, the Wolverines like to run the jet sweep, with senior WR Jehu Chesson and freshman WR Eddie McDoom carrying the ball. McDoom has carried five times for 55 yards, while Chesson has five carries for 36 yards. The Lions have strug- gled against the run, ranking 12th in the Big Ten aAer three games. That's partly a reflection of the problems they've had at linebacker. All three of their opening-day starters – Jason Cabinda, Brandon Bell and Nyeem Wartman- White – have been injured. Wartman-White is out for the season, and it's entirely possible that none of them will be on the field Saturday against Michigan. If that's the case, the Lions will likely start sophomores Manny Bowen and Jake Cooper at outside linebacker and redshirt junior walk-on Brandon Smith in the middle. Junior FS Mar- cus Allen has 21 tackles to lead the Nittany Lions // KEY MATCHUP Penn State DE Garrett Sickels will face Michi- gan LT Grant Newsome, while DT Parker Cothren do battle with senior RG Ben Braden. // EDGEMichigan 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 S E P T E M B E R 2 1 , 2 0 1 6 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 4 MICHIGAN PASSING GAME 254.3 YPG, 12.7 YPC // PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE168.7 YPG, 10.1 YPC THE LOWDOWNThe big surprise here in the first three games of the season has been the performance of junior QB Wilton Speight. Speight has completed 51 of 80 passes (63.8 percent) for 686 yards with eight TD passes and just one interception. As a team, the Wolverines rank third in the Big Ten in passing offense. Michigan's leading receiver is All-Big Ten TE Jake Butt with 15 catches for 192 yards and three TDs. Senior WR Amara Darboh has

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