Bernard Fernandez: The Nittany Line: Finally, Penn State's Wallace meets expectations

October 23, 2009|by Bernard Fernandez
(Page 3 of 3)

History: Michigan leads, 10-4. The Nittany Lions won last year in Beaver Stadium, 46-17, scoring the last 39 points after falling behind 17-7, and breaking a nine-game losing streak to the Wolverines.

Coaches: Joe Paterno (44th year, 489-128-3); Rich Rodriguez (second year at school, 8-11; 17th year overall, 113-73-2).

About Penn State: Most expect this to come down to Penn State's defense, which allows just 8.7 points per game, fewest in the Big Ten, against the Michigan offense, which leads the league with a 37.3-point average. But the reverse could be true; the Nits are second in the Big Ten in scoring at 29.6 ppg while the Michigan defense appears to be much more vulnerable with an average of 21.9 points allowed ... Tailback Evan Royster got the Wolverines fired up when, after last week's shutout of Minnesota, he remarked that he felt Penn State was "the better team and we can go in there and beat them" ... Outside linebacker Sean Lee, limited to nickel-package plays last week after missing the three previous games, should be on the field much more often ... If backup tailbacks Stephfon Green (ankle) and Brent Carter (knee) can't play, wide receiver Chaz Powell might see some time as the third-teamer behind Royster and Brandon Beachum.

Story continues below.

About Michigan: New defensive coordinator Greg Williams, the former Syracuse head coach, has the Wolverines playing much more aggressively. "They don't run any defenses that we haven't seen thus far, but they have a lot of guys that make plays," Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark said. "They trust their athletes a lot because they play a lot of man coverage.'' The Wolverines are blitzing more, too ... It will be interesting to see whether 3-year starter Donovan Warren, a 6-foot, 187-pound cornerback, can handle the physical mismatch with the Nits' 6-5, 198-pound wideout, Derek Moye ... Center David Mock is recovered from a broken foot and should return to the lineup, which means a shift of fill-in center David Moosman back to right guard.

 

Prediction

 

Penn State 28, Michigan 17.

 

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