10/22/2022 football Edit

Penn State vs Minnesota: Five storylines to watch on Saturday night

Dylan Callaghan-Croley • Happy Valley Insider

Editor

The No. 16 Penn State Nittany Lions are looking to bounce back from a 41-17 drubbing at the hands of Michigan last week by taking on the 4-2 Minnesota Golden Gophers who have dropped their last two games to Purdue and Illinois.

There's been plenty of storylines throughout this week leading up to the White Out from on the field to the recruiting trail and everywhere in between. That being said, here are five storylines that will ultimately decide Saturday night's White Out matchup between the Nittany Lions and Golden Gophers.

1. Can Penn State stop the Minnesota rushing attack?

After last weekend, it's easy to wonder what type of success, if any, Penn State's defense will have against the Gophers' offensive line and their dangerous running back Mohamed Ibrahim.

Ibrahim, one of the country's most underrated players has been a machine for the Gophers this season when healthy. This season, Ibrahim has totaled 694 rushing yards on 104 carries.

He's ran for 100+ yards in each of his five games played this season. There's no completely stopping him but if the Nittany Lions' defense can keep him to 4.5 yards per carry or under, the Nittany Lions as a whole should be in a good position overall on Saturday night.

2. What Sean Clifford will Penn State get on Saturday?

Notably, Sean Clifford left last week's game against Michigan with an undisclosed injury and it looks like he'll go against Minnesota on Saturday. That being said, if Clifford does play, which Clifford will Penn State get against the Gophers?

Will they get the Clifford who in his first three games this season was off to a great start, completing 63% of his passes for 673 yards and five touchdowns? Or will it be the Clifford who completed 53% of his passes for 477 yards including going just 7-of-19 last weekend against Michigan?

If Penn State can get the Clifford we saw in the first three games this season, one has to feel good about Penn State's chances. However, if the Clifford of the last three weeks shows up at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, the game will likely be much closer than it should be. With Clifford's struggles the last three weeks, the Penn State offense has nearly lost all of its identity.

If Penn State is going to have any sort of consistent success against the Gophers, they'll need the sixth-year quarterback to play at least a similar level to what he did earlier this season in hopes of refinding that offensive identity.

3. Will the tight ends be a bigger part of the game plan?

Over the first three weeks of the season, we saw the tight end position, especially that of Brenton Strange be a major part of the Nittany Lions' offensive game plan. Over the last three weeks, however, their usage has gone down by quite a bit despite favorable matchups.

On Saturday, the Nittany Lions will have a favorable matchup with Minnesota's LB room including star linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin. Will Mike Yurcich and Sean Clifford finally go back to the tight ends on Saturday? So far this season, Sori-Marin has allowed 12 receptions this season on 17 targets.

4. How will Minnesota's quarterbacks fare against the Nittany Lions' secondary?

First of all, it will be intriguing to see if sixth-year quarterback Tanner Morgan plays for Minnesota. The Gophers' chances of keeping it close and winning on Saturday would be on paper, quite a bit higher than they would be if Morgan does not go. If Morgan is unavailable for the Gophers, freshman Athan Kaliakmanis or junior Cole Kramer will go for the Gophers.

Either way, quarterback play has been inconsistent for the Gophers this season. If they do have success in slowing down the Gophers on the ground, they'll force whoever is behind center to have to make big plays through the air for the Gophers to have a chance. If you're the Nittany Lions, you'll take that matchup every day of the week.

5. Will Penn State be able to avoid back-to-back losses despite historic trends?

Penn State over the James Franklin era has struggled in bouncing back from their first loss of the season, or really losses in general. In six of Franklin's first eight seasons including four of their last five, the Nittany Lions' have lost back-to-back games at least once.

Last weekend, the Nittany Lions were taken to the woodshed by Michigan in a 41-17 loss. Now, they'll face a Minnesota team that will likely enter the game with a very similar game plan. A second loss in a row could spell trouble for the Nittany Lions with a matchup against Ohio State on the horizon.