Quick Hits: What to know about the Michigan Wolverines
In a new weekly post here at Nittany Nation, we'll be taking a quick look at key stats, figures, players, etc for each of Penn State's upcoming matchups.
On Saturday, Penn State (5-0) travels to Ann Abor for a top-10 showdown against the Michigan Wolverines (6-0). The Wolverines are off to a terrific start in 2022 after winning their first Big Ten Championship last year since 2004.
Last year, the Nittany Lions' nearly upset the Wolverines at Beaver Stadium before falling 21-17 thanks to a late touchdown by Michigan TE Erick All. That being said, Penn State has won three of the last five matchups against the Wolverines including their last trip to Ann Albor, albeit an empty one, during the 2020 covid season. That 27-20 win was their first win at Michigan for the first time since 2009, they'll look to make it two in a row, something the Nittany Lions haven't done since 1994 and 1996.
That being said, quite a bit is different about both teams entering this weekend's matchup. With the top-10 showdown just a few days away, we provide 10 quick hitters about the matchup overall as well as the Wolverines' offense, defense, and special teams.
1. Penn State vs Michigan's first top-10 matchup in Ann Arbor since....
1994.
That's the last time Penn State traveled to Michigan as a top-10 team to face a top-10 Wolverines team. The Nittany Lions came out on top in that one, 31-24 en route to their perfect 12-0 season. Will history repeat itself Saturday?
2. The Wolverines are 5-0 but are coming off a sluggish performance against Indiana....
Michigan is 5-0 and is top five in the country but their latest performance against Indiana was by far their worst of the season. The Wolverines used a big fourth quarter to pull away from the Hoosiers to ultimately win 31-10 but found themselves tied at halftime with the Hoosiers at 10 and were only up 17-10 after three-quarters of play.
3. Sean Clifford's past success against Michigan...
This will be the fourth time that Clifford has faced Michigan and his first three career starts against the Wolverines have been quality ones. In those three games, Clifford is a combined 54-for-96 for 549 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. He also has 36 career rushing attempts for 107 yards and two touchdowns against the Wolverines. Most importantly, he enters Saturday with a 2-1 record against the Wolverines all-time.
You must be a member to read the full article. Subscribe now for instant access to all premium content.
-
Members-only forums
-
Predict prospect commits with FanFutureCast
-
Exclusive highlights and interviews
-
Exclusive coverage of Rivals Camp Series
-
Breaking recruiting news