Game Grades: Michigan
No. 6 Penn State (7-0, 4-0) got an enormous win at home during the electrifying White Out over rival No. 16 Michigan (5-2, 3-2). This was in addition to an impressive victory in Iowa last week, which proves that the Nittany Lions are a contender and not a pretender. Here are the grades from Saturday night’s game for each Penn State unit:
Offense: B
The offense looked like it was going to get an A grade after putting up 21 straight points to open the game, but the Nittany Lions only scored seven the rest of the game after that. Penn State did not sustain drives, as big plays were the ways that the Nittany Lions got in the end zone. This game featured all four backs, which had many people wondering why Noah Cain was not the workhorse, considering his strong performances these past few games. Sean Clifford delivered a near-flawless performance in the first half but continued his theme of struggling to duplicate it in the second half. Overall, the offense did enough to lead Penn State to a win against a stingy Michigan defense.
Defense: A-
The defense showed how dominant it could be in the first half, but it let up as the game went on. If not for a dropped pass in the end zone by Michigan’s Ronnie Bell, the game would have been tied at 28 in the fourth quarter. The defense was allowing passes right over the middle of the field almost all night. On instances where Yetur Gross-Matos or Shaka Toney did not get pressure, Shea Patterson was able to recognize the man coverage and gash the defense. Still, Penn State was able to get pressure early on, which helped give the Nittany Lions a 21-0 lead. Tariq Castro-Fields also jumped a screen pass and picked the ball off, which gave the Nittany Lions good field position. In general, the defense played fine but far from its best of the year.
Special Teams: B-
Blake Gillikin pinned Michigan down early in the game, flipping the field when necessary. The issues started to come as the game went on when the punts kept getting shorter, which was unlike Gillikin. In a battle of two top defenses, field position is critical, and the Wolverines started to get momentum as they got better starting field position in the second half. The return game was solid all night, even though KJ Hamler’s punt return touchdown was called back. It was a solid performance by the special teams, but they need to have more consistent punting for an entire game.
Coaching: A
James Franklin did his best coaching job of the year in this game against Michigan. In many critical moments where the Nittany Lions needed a first down, the coaching staff delivered. Close games against ranked teams such as Michigan require good coaching to end up on top. The ability to rally the team to stop the tying score after Michigan went down the field and faced a fourth-and-goal was vital. If the team was flustered, there was no way Penn State would have escaped that possession without allowing a touchdown. This was one big test that Franklin and the Nittany Lions passed, but there are many more to come.
Ben Geller is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email bjg5666@psu.edu.
