It's Penn State-Central Michigan week: What channel is the game on, and when is kickoff? Early storylines and more

Penn State-Central Michigan week is here. The Nittany Lions will welcome fans to Beaver Stadium for the second time this season for a matchup with the Chippewas. It marks the second time the two sets have met all-time.

Head coach James Franklin’s team is 3-0 after beating Purdue, Ohio, and Auburn to start the 2022 season. The Lions have outscored their opponents to date by a combined margin of 122-53. And, they’ve held their last two foes under 14 points total. That includes last Saturday’s 41-12 blowout triumph over the Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

“I’m proud of our guys,” Franklin said Saturday night. “To hold that team, on the road in the SEC. without an offensive touchdown for the majority of the game is significant. They’ve got some good athletes.”

It’s time to get ready for Week 4 and Penn State-CMU. We get you ready for kickoff below.

Time and TV info

Kickoff is set for Noon ET at Beaver Stadium. Penn State will play on Big Ten Network for the first time this season. The announcing crew was not immediately available as of Monday morning.

The Penn State-Central Michigan spread

Penn State is a 25.5-point favorite, according to Vegas Insider. The total is 60.5.

Game week schedule for Penn State

It’s a normal media schedule for Franklin and Penn State this week.

Tuesday will feature player interviews and a lengthy news conference with Franklin. On Wednesday, there will be more player calls in addition to a chance to watch practice plus another opportunity to interview Franklin and a player.

Thursday brings the Penn State Coaches Show, which Franklin typically appears on for the last half hour, and that will be it for the week until Saturday after the game.

What’s up with the Chippewas?

Central Michigan is off to a 1-2 starting 2022. Head coach Jim McElwain’s team dropped its opener 58-44 at Oklahoma State. It then lost to South Alabama 38-24 in Week 2. It did finally get in the win column by overwhelming Bucknell last Saturday 41-0.

Central Michigan has the MAC’s best total offense. It has averaged 474.3 yards per game through three weeks. It has done more damage through the air than on the ground. CMU quarterback Daniel Richardson leads the conference with 889 passing yards and also has seven touchdown tosses. But, he’s completed only 57.5 percent of his passes. All told, the stats on both sides of the ball are distorted across the board because of the wild Oklahoma State game. But, from this vantage point, it’s not a good team coming to State College on Saturday.

Penn State-Central Michigan notes

–Penn State is 1-0 all-time against CMU. It beat the program 40-3 back in 2005 at beaver Stadium.

–Former Nittany Lions captain and 1982 national champion Michael Zordich is on the CMU staff as the defensive backs coach.

Weather outlook

According to Weather.com, there will be a mix of cloud and suns. The temperature will reach 67 degrees. In other words, it will be a nice late September day in State College. But, a light jacket will be needed for many.

Early Penn State-Central Michigan storylines

–Will Penn State have a letdown after blasting Auburn? It’s a fair curiosity. But with how much competition there is across the depth chart, it’s hard to buy it. And, many members of this team know what it’s like to play poorly against an overmatched opponent and what that can lead to. So, it feels unlikely.

–Can the Lions run game keep evolving? It’s true that the freshmen backs are the engine that make it go. And they can sometimes do it on their own. But, we’ve seen steps taken each week and want to see another one on Saturday.

–How many freshmen will play for Penn State? The Lions are clearly aiming to build depth with their younger players. This could, and should, turn into an Ohio like situation with lots of second half reps for players further down the depth chart. That would be beneficial moving forward.

–Can CMU test the Lions at all? This space can’t see it. But, the offense may do enough to make things interesting for a bit. Would we bet on that? No. But it’s possible.