Penn State vs Michigan boils down to one matchup: BWI Daily
Penn State football faced Michigan on Saturday in one of the most anticipated home games of the season. After watching the film, looking up the data, and listening to experts, host Thomas Frank Carr has boiled the entire game down to just one key matchup.
Penn State Bookends
He believes how left tackle Rasheed Walker, right tackle Caedan Wallace and quarterback Sean Clifford handle the pass rush of Michigan edge rushers Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo will determine the outcome of the game on Saturday.
The path to victory for Michigan is clear. First and foremost, they need to win enough one-on-one battles on the edge of the pocket to force quarterback Sean Clifford to make a critical mistake. If they can disrupt the Nittany Lions’ passing attack with quick pressures and sacks, Penn State does not have an effective means of moving the football.
On the flip side, the path to victory is much messier for head coach James Franklin’s squad.
T-Frank plays clips from Franklin’s weekly press conference to give listeners the head coach’s perspective and then deciphers what he means after that. He also provides context to the matchup by describing the types of players that Wallace and Walker have succeeded against this season. Does that match the playing style of the Wolverines?
Backing it up
T-Frank also gives key pass rushing and pass protection stats to back up his theory. Then he discusses different ways to neutralize the duo from Ann Arbor.
The wildcard in all of these paths to success for Penn State will be the play of Clifford. Has his game changed since his injury? T-Frank digs into the numbers about Clifford outside of his passing to find a dramatic shift in his playing style.
Finally, he wraps up by giving an edge to one group or the other based on the evidence.
