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Penn State practice observations and Michigan game preview: BWI Daily

Headshot 5x7 reduced qualityby: Thomas Frank Carr10/13/22ThomasFrankCarr
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Penn State wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith was injured early in the game against Northwestern but was present at practice on Wednesday. His status for Saturday is uncertain but trending in the right direction. (Photo: Dan Althouse/BWI)

Penn State takes on Michigan Saturday in Ann Arbor for the biggest game of the 2022 season so far. Senior Editor Nate Bauer and publisher Sean Fitz discuss the game, the DNA of both teams and give a final prediction. They’ll also provide observations of what happened at Penn State practice this week.

Penn State practice observations

Fitz and Bauer start with a conversation about the game’s overarching themes. How important is this game for the season and the narrative about this team? They’ll also dive into how close the series between Penn State and Michigan has been under Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and Penn State’s head man James Franklin.

Next, they discuss what they saw at practice this week. Penn State held an open practice on Wednesday, and some important advances in the situation surrounding tight end Tyler Warren, receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith and offensive lineman Hunter Nourzad. They’ll also give their impressions of the tone around the practice and Franklin this week. Bauer also digs into one of Franklin’s comments about “big boy football” that they’ll have play this weekend.

That conversation about playing a Big Ten-style game this weekend morphs into a discussion about what Penn State wants to be versus what they are right now. Bauer and Fitz discuss the archetypes of teams that the Nittany Lions face and which one they would most like to resemble. Where do they land on that spectrum this year? The duo explains.

Can the Nittany Lions get a win?

Finally, they discuss the Michigan Wolverines and what Penn State faces on Saturday. They describe the overall personality of the Wolverines and what they’ve done this season. Next, Fitz dives into the numbers for the Michigan offense and discusses the major players that make an impact, including JJ McCarthy and Blake Corum. They also have a conversation about the nature of the Michigan offense and how they have been able to get the game script they want all season long. With Penn State playing a similar brand of football this season, something will have to give on Saturday.

They close the show with keys to the game for a Penn State victory and a prediction from each analyst. Fitz discusses the Nittany Lions pass rush and how he thinks Manny Diaz will attack that team. Next, Bauer highlights the showdown of the run defense against Corum. They hit on the matchups that will matter on defense before giving game picks to close the show.