Oct. 23, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State (6-1, 2-1) begins a two-game road trip on Saturday when it visits Ann Arbor for a critical Big Ten match-up with Michigan (5-2, 1-2).
The game, which is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff at Michigan Stadium, will be regionally televised by ABC and will also air on the Penn State Sports Network and www.GoPSUsports.com. ESPN will broadcast the conference contest outside of the ABC coverage area.
Last Saturday, Penn State claimed its 40th shutout under Coach Paterno, dominating Minnesota in a 20-0 victory on Homecoming. The Nittany Lions totaled 464 yards of offense, with 287 passing yards from Daryll Clark (21 of 32) and 177 rushing yards, led by Evan Royster with 137. Derek Moye had six receptions for 120 yards, including a superlative touchdown catch late in the second quarter to provide Penn State with a 13-0 halftime lead.
The Penn State defense, which is the only unit in the nation to have not allowed a first half touchdown this season, had another tremendous performance versus Minnesota, limiting the Gophers to just seven first downs, 37 rushing yards and 138 total yards. The Nittany Lions also held the Big Ten's leading receiver, Eric Decker, to one catch.
Michigan moved to 5-2 overall last week with a record-breaking 63-6 pounding of FBS opponent Delaware State. The Wolverines rolled up a program record 727 yards of offense, including 461 on the ground and matched two other school records by scoring 28 points in the first quarter and totaling 442 yards in the first half.
Freshman quarterback Tate Forcier guides a potent Michigan offense that leads the Big Ten in scoring (37.3 ppg) and rushing offense (235.0 ypg) and is second in total offense (426.6 ypg). Forcier has thrown for 1,027 yards, going 81 of 140 (57.9 pct.), with nine touchdowns and four interceptions. Sophomore wide receiver Martavious Odoms (19-238) is his favorite target.
The senior tailback tandem of Carlos Brown and Brandon Minor fuels the Wolverine rushing attack. Brown, the team's top ground gainer, averages 7.6 yards per carry (44-336) and has three touchdowns while Minor has run for 274 yards and four scores. Quarterback Denard Robinson also is a rushing threat (47-273, 5 TDs), as is Forcier (61-180-2).
The Michigan defense is led by senior defensive end Brandon Graham. The 2008 team MVP leads the Wolverines in tackles for loss (12 for minus-36) and sacks (5) and is tied for the top spot in solo tackles (21). Redshirt junior linebacker Obi Ezeh is UM's leading tackler with 55.
The Penn State-Michigan series began in 1993, the Nittany Lions' first year of Big Ten competition. Prior to Penn State's 46-17 win last year, the previous four clashes had been decided by a combined 17 points, all by seven points or less. Eight of the 14 games in the series have been decided by 10 or points less.
Following the Michigan game, Penn State will travel for the second consecutive week, visiting Northwestern on Oct. 31. Kickoff for the Halloween clash is set for 4:30 p.m. ET at Ryan Field in Evanston, Ill. and will be televised on ESPN and ESPN2. The Wildcats are 4-3 (1-2 in the Big Ten) on the season and host Indiana for their Homecoming game this weekend.