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Penn State vs. Michigan State preview: BWI Daily

Headshot 5x7 reduced qualityby: Thomas Frank Carr11/24/22ThomasFrankCarr
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EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 27: Sean Clifford #14 of the Penn State Nittany Lions passes the ball against the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium on November 27, 2021 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

Penn State faces Michigan State for the Land Grant Trophy on Saturday at Beaver Stadium, and to get you ready for the game, the BWI Daily Edition comes to you on Thanksgiving! Host Nate Bauer and Blue White Illustrated publisher Sean Fitz break down the game and the things going on this week with Penn State football. Subscribe to Blue White Illustrated on YouTube, so you don’t miss the show! 

Penn State’s bowl path

As the show is being recorded early, Fitz and Bauer start with the latest College Football Playoff Rankings and the outlook for Penn State’s bowl projections. Then, Fitz breaks down what the best-case scenario is for the Nittany Lions to end up in the Rose Bowl and which upsets need to happen for that scenario to unfold. 

Next, they discuss the injury update that head coach James Franklin gave during his weekly press conference. With star receiver Parker Washington done for the year, what do they think the effect will be, and what’s the outlook for left tackle Olu Fashanu and corner Joey Porter Jr? 

Finally, they discuss the game against Michigan State this weekend. Fitz gives his thoughts about the Michigan State offense, defense, and special teams before the duo gives their predictions for the game.

Penn State, Sean Clifford challenged by Rutgers: Film Study

Penn State’s 55-10 dismantling of Rutgers had less to do with the offense than it did with the other two phases of the game. The Nittany Lions eventually cracked the code, running for 258 yards and three touchdowns. However, they did manage to keep starting quarterback Sean Clifford under 200 yards passing. So today, we’ll examine why the offense struggled coming out of the gate and punted on five of its six initial possessions and how they eventually broke through.

An aggressive game plan to stop the Penn State rushing attack

It’s not an uncommon game plan against Penn State, but it is one that we haven’t seen in a while. Rutgers was adamant that they wouldn’t give up rushing yardage in this game. It’s clear at this point in the season that Penn State is led by the run game so stopping that portion of the offense and forcing the ball into Clifford’s hands is the top priority. So, for a large portion of the game, head coach and defensive mastermind Greg Schiano put an extra defender in the box to stop the run. When they didn’t Penn State found success.

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