UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State (6-2, 3-2) travels to Michigan (7-1, 5-0) for a pivotal Big Ten matchup at 3:45 p.m. (ET), which can be seen on ESPN. Here's what we learned from Tuesday's media availability.
1. Defensively, Michigan is as good as they get. The Wolverines currently lead the FBS in total defense, allowing just 220.0 yards per game. "They've held seven of their last eight opponents to the lowest yardage total of the season. They're a base four-down front, but they'll mix in some three-down stuff," said Franklin. "They spend all week preparing on those things that people try to do to try to attack press man coverage, and we spend all week trying to come up with ways to beat it."
2. Penn State's history with Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown stems deep. "You look all the way back to his time at Boston College. We faced them in the bowl game, the Pinstripe Bowl when he was the defensive coordinator," James Franklin said. "He's had either the top defense in the country or one of the top defenses in the country really since he's been doing it now for the last how many years."
Added head coach James Franklin: "Obviously we have history even before that. He was defensive coordinator at Maryland when I was the offensive coordinator. Got a lot history there; got a lot of respect for Don both personally and professionally, and his family. I think he did a great job. Really, really good job."
3. The Wolverines offense currently rank third in the Big Ten averaging 36.0 points per game. Shea Patterson, a transfer from Ole Miss, heads the balanced attack. "They're extremely balanced offensively. I think in some ways similar to what we faced last week in terms of a run first team," James Franklin said. "They were able to get a veteran guy [Shea Patterson] who has played a lot of football and has mobility, so that will be challenging."
Nick Scott on the difference Shea Patterson makes: "He's a guy that you have to worry about extending plays with his feet. He's really talented. He's got a great arm. It's going to present a challenge for us and finding out a way to sort of eliminate him from the game."
Patterson ranks second in the Big Ten in efficiency (155.5) while running back Karan Higdon ranks second in the Big Ten in rushing yards with an average of 118.7 yards per game.
4. James Franklin believes Trace McSorley is the best player in college football. "We played good football here at Penn State for a long time, and he's got a chance to be the winningest quarterback in program history," Franklin stated. "Obviously everybody knows he got dinged up in the game, so I'm not keeping that a secret. Well, literally by 7:00 a.m. he's done more than most people do all day to give him the best chance to be healthy, to practice at a very, very high level, and then also to make sure that he can go and be present and dominate in the classroom."
Added DeAndre Thompkins: "His resume says everything. Look at the games he's been playing in, the big moments he's been clutch in, and then think about the guys who he's made better around him and the guys he's been playing around. It just speaks a lot about who he is and who his character is."
