The unbeaten Nittany Lions (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) are coming off a bye week as they prepare for their toughest three game stretch of the season. They face fifth-ranked ranked Michigan (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) this Saturday at noon in Ann Arbor. Then the Lions host Minnesota (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) on Oct. 22 and No. 2 Ohio State (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) on Oct. 29.
We know James Franklin has the talent but can he prove his doubters wrong?
This football team is more talented than they were last season despite losing some players to the NFL draft. However, I don’t think they’re the most talented team Franklin has ever coached even though they have a lot of young stars. Will history repeat itself or can Penn State shock the College Football world?
Franklin has struggled his past two seasons as Penn State’s head coach with a combine record of 11-11. Against Top 10 teams Franklin is 3-13 overall, 1-9 on the road. Against Top 25 teams he is 10-20 overall, 5-14 on the road. Against Michigan he is 3-5 and against Ohio State he is 1-7. Franklin is 1-1 against Minnesota and lost against them most recently in 2019. The last time Penn State defeated Ohio State was 2016.
History shows that this weekends game will be an extremely tough one to win against an outstanding Michigan team coached by Jim Harbaugh. Michigan is coming off a 31-10 win over Indiana where junior running back Blake Corum carried the ball 25 times for 124 yards and a touchdown. They have had no problem throwing the ball either as J.J. McCarthy completed 28 of 36 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns. Penn State Defensive Coordinator Manny Diaz will surely be up for a test come Saturday.
Franklin signed a 10-year, $75 million contract extension in November that runs through the 2031 season and now he gets a chance to prove his doubters wrong starting this weekend. For now, he remains as an excellent recruiter but a subpar game day coach.
What if Penn State upsets Michigan this Saturday?
A win would be huge for the Nittany Lions and put them into the discussion of Franklin making a move for his second Big Ten Title and a chance at making the College Football Playoff. This will also be a huge relief for the Nittany Lions knowing they beat the toughest team they will face on the road throughout the regular season.
Last year in their sixth game of the season is when everything went south after Sean Clifford went down and Ta’Quan Roberson came into the game which resulted in a 23-20 Iowa victory. Luckily, the quarterback room is stacked this year with five star freshman Drew Allar as the backup quarterback, Christian Veilleux and Beau Pribula.
The running game has improved as well with two freshman backs, five star back Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. In Penn State’s last trip to Michigan they won 27-17 in a game where there were no fans allowed to attend due to COVID-19 protocols. This Saturday will be different as there will be a packed house in Ann Arbor.
Looking Forward to Minnesota and Ohio State
Minnesota lost their first game last weekend as quarterback Tanner Morgan threw three interceptions against Purdue in a 20-10 loss which was really there only true test so far. Penn State barely got by Purdue 35-31 in their first game of the year but based on Franklin’s history this one is anyone’s game. Minnesota’s biggest win so far is over Michigan State 34-7, but Michigan State is currently 2-4 on the year so that doesn’t say much.
Ohio State has been terrific all year despite the absence of star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba who should be back in time to play against Penn State. Their closest game was their first game of the season against Notre Dame where they won 21-10. Since then the lowest amount of points they scored in a game is forty-five. They have outscored the three Big Ten opponents they have played so far 150-51. Ohio State is led by Heisman candidate C.J. Stroud who has completed 113 of 160 passes this year for 1,737 yards and a 24 to 3 touchdown to interception ratio.
In the rushing game Miyan Williams and TreVeyon Henderson lead the team with 933 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. Emeka Egbuka leads the team in reception yards with 655 and Marvin Harrison Jr. has the most reception touchdowns with 9 so far this season. Ohio State really has depth all around and has thirteen starters that returned to their team from last season.
It is going to be hard for Penn State to even win two of these three games let alone winning one at all. Their best chance of winning will come against Minnesota at home, but if the Lions can’t beat Michigan they could lose all momentum and be stuck in the same cycle they went through last season. Which is three straight losses after starting 5-0.