Blue White Illustrated

"That's a great environment for foot- ball," Harbaugh said. "First time I had ever been there was two years ago. The stadium is really tall – one of those really tall, big stadiums. Great crowds. And they've got a really good team there right now. This is a well-built team that's really good every- where." Good enough to defeat an opponent that it hasn't beaten since 2013, a team that is ranked No. 19 in the latest Associated Press poll, is fielding one of the country's most stifling defenses and has its back to the wall as it looks to remain in the hunt for the Big Ten championship? The odds- makers think so – second-ranked Penn State is a 9 1 ⁄2-point favorite – but the se- ries history gives the Nittany Lions every reason to be wary. It's not just last year's game that rankles. In Harbaugh's first visit to University Park, he came away with a 28-16 victory thanks to a 256-yard passing performance by Jake Rudock. The Nittany Lions also lost in Ann Arbor the previous year, 18-13, during Brady Hoke's final season as head coach. Moreover, the last time Penn State went into its matchup with Michigan ranked second in the country, it lost 34-8 in a much-anticipated primetime home game midway through the 1997 season. That '97 game might dredge up some un- pleasant memories for longtime fans, but of course it's not particularly relevant to the players in this year's game, most of whom were toddlers at the time. What is relevant is that the 2017 Wolverines are al- lowing only 223.8 yards per game to lead the Football Bowl Subdivision and have two of the most disruptive defensive line- men in the country in senior tackle Mau- rice Hurst and sophomore end Rashan Gary. Those two figure to create some major problems for a Penn State team that was enduring some upheaval on its offen- sive line heading into a bye week. Penn State coach James Franklin said the danger Hurst poses is plainly evident on tape. "His get-off is what really jumps out," Franklin said. "You watch as the ball is snapped, and he's the first one across the line of scrimmage. They move their defen- sive line a lot. He uses his hands well. Very productive, very disruptive. … He's prob- ably a top-10 [NFL Draft] pick, and it looks like that on tape. We've got a lot of respect for him and his game, how he plays, the motor he has. He's an impressive guy to watch." As for Gary, the Lions know all about him, having tried unsuccessfully to recruit the former five-star prospect from Plain- field, N.J. "An impressive athlete, a guy who is as big as advertised, 280 pounds," Franklin said. "[It's reported that] he can run in the 4.5s. It looks like that on tape. A lot of the time, people talk about guys and it doesn't necessarily look like that when you watch. He is a really, really good athlete who flies around and plays hard." Complementing Michigan's gritty de- fense is an old-school Big Ten offense that relies on a between-the-tackles ground game and timely play-action passes. Ty Isaac, Karan Higdon and Chris Evans split the carries, having combined for 1,056 yards and eight touchdowns through six games. Higdon enjoyed a breakout after- noon against Indiana, rushing for 200 yards and three touchdowns. Of more concern for Michigan is the passing game, which will be orchestrated this weekend – and possibly for the rest of the season – by John O'Korn. The fifth- year senior played sparingly last year and will undoubtedly be something of an un- known to Penn State fans this weekend. But Penn State is not unknown to O'Korn. Having grown up in nearby Huntingdon, Pa., where he cheered on the likes of Paul Posluszny, Michael Robinson and Daryll O C T O B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 2 NATE BAUER 6-0 | Michigan's suspect offense isn't a free pass for the Nittany Lions to enter Saturday night's game feeling comfortable. As they demonstrated at Iowa last month, an inability to cash in when it counts and a few broken plays defensively are all it takes to upend the best-laid plans. Given the Wolverines' own defensive prowess, that means in many ways this game will come down to Trace McSorley's ability to withstand pressure and make plays that can ultimately free up Saquon Barkley and others. I've seen enough to know better than to bet against him doing exactly that. | PENN STATE 31, MICHIGAN 16 PHIL GROSZ 6-0 | This game is a matchup between two of the best defenses in the Foot- ball Bowl Subdivision. Michigan has the No. 1 defense in the country. It's allowing only 138.0 yards per game through the air and 85.8 on the ground for an FBS-best total of 223.8 yards per game. Not to be outdone, Penn State is allowing an average of only 9.0 points per game to rank No. 1 in the country in scoring defense. In addition, it's tied with Central Michigan with an FBS-best 17 takeaways, a stat that helps account for the team's Big Ten- leading turnover margin. What makes Penn State the winner in this game for me is that it has by far the better offense. It's averaging 456.2 yards per game compared to Michigan's 376.3-yard average. The Wolverines have been struggling for consistency in both their run- ning and passing attacks. | PENN STATE 21, MICHIGAN 10 MATT HERB 6-0 | Defense travels, and Michigan has a great one. Maurice Hurst and Rashan Gary are going to cause a lot of problems for a Penn State offensive line that has been underwhelming so far this season. What's more, if the Wolverines can turn this into the kind of game that is decided by a late field goal, you have to like their chances. Quinn Nordin has been money in his debut season, while Tyler Davis has been uncharacteristi- cally wild. But the White Out atmosphere is probably worth a few points, and the bye week helps, too. When it's operating at peak efficiency, Penn State has one of the better offenses in the country. So while I don't think it's farfetched to imagine Michigan leaving Beaver Stadium with a victory, I've got to go with the Nits. | PENN STATE 27, MICHIGAN 20 TIM OWEN 6-0 | This was one of the losses that I had predicted before the season started. Since then, I've changed my mind and here's why: While Michigan's defense has lived up to its reputation, its offense has not. PSU's offense will be relatively contained, but I don't see it being held below 21. That, in fact, hasn't happened since last year in Ann Arbor, and we know it's a completely different team since then. Meanwhile, Michigan has been held below three touchdowns four times since that game, and I don't see it scoring more than that against this Penn State defense. | PENN STATE 21, MICHIGAN 14 RYAN SNYDER 6-0 | On Saturday night, the Nittany Lions will be facing the best de- fense they've seen all season. On the flip side, Michigan will be facing the best defense it's seen so far. I expect the score to be lower than in most other games, but Penn State will win. | PENN STATE 27, MICHIGAN 17 S T A F F P R E D I C T I O N S

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