Grades: Michigan
QUARTERBACKS: Sean Clifford wasn’t perfect by any means, but against arguably the best defense he’s faced to date, he did enough to win. He overshadowed a few missed throws with some beautiful ones, including a 53-yard dime to KJ Hamler that halted a 14-point Michigan run. Clifford made some plays with his legs, too, finishing with a rushing touchdown to go with his trio of passing touchdowns. He finished 14 of 25 with 182 yards. Not flashy, but certainly worthy of a passing grade against a defense like Michigan.
GRADE: B
RUNNING BACKS: There are some questions here that we’ll save for the ‘coaches’ category later on. It wasn’t an impact game for Penn State’s running backs, who struggled to find much room outside of Ricky Slade’s 44-yard carry. It wasn’t great, but the backs did enough to keep Michigan’s defense off balance, especially in the first half.
GRADE: C+
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS: It seemed like this was the position group that made the difference for Penn State. The Nittany Lions had no real issues beating Michigan’s defensive backs, and that made for a number of explosive plays in the passing game that ultimately won Penn State the game. Drops didn’t plague the Nittany Lions either. You can’t say that for Michigan.
GRADE: A-
OFFENSIVE LINE: Like the running backs, it wasn’t the best of nights for Penn State’s offensive line. Clifford was sacked twice and did well to escape a few more. But against a good defensive front, the offensive line did enough to give the Nittany Lions the time they needed to make plays down the field, and that has to be reflected in the grade.
GRADE: B-
DEFENSIVE LINE: The Lions weren’t able to get to Shea Patterson the way they got to Josh Jackson, Jack Plummer and Nate Stanley in the three games leading up to last night’s clash with Michigan. Penn State finished with one sack, and it was by Garrett Taylor on a safety blitz. Still, PSU generated enough heat to keep Michigan from tying the score at the end.
GRADE: B-
LINEBACKERS: Micah Parsons was everywhere, especially early in the game, tying a career-high with 14 tackles. Cam Brown wasn’t far behind with 10.
GRADE: B
DEFENSIVE BACKS: The Lions gave up some third-and-longs and had some costly penalties, including a pass interference flag that set up a Michigan touchdown. Patterson threw for 276 yards, but he also committed the game’s only turnover, throwing a pass to Tariq Castro-Fields in traffic to set up a Penn State TD in the second quarter.
GRADE: B-
SPECIAL TEAMS: The Lions’ biggest lapse in the kicking game came on the opening kickoff of the second half, on which a Hamler touchdown was negated by two holding penalties. Blake Gillikin averaged 44 yards on eight punts, including a 60-yarder.
GRADE: B+
COACHES: The Nittany Lions might have squandered a scoring opportunity late in the first half with some sloppy clock management; Franklin admitted as much afterward. But the staff had a plan for dealing with Michigan’s high-pressure defense, and while it didn’t involve Noah Cain as much as many thought it would after two consecutive 100-yard games, it got results.
GRADE: B