Last season we finally ended the 9 game losing streak to Michigan, but in order to exorcise the full demon of losing to the Wolverines is to finally post a W in The Big House. Then, and only then, will the Curse of Michigan be fully abolished, until this happens our psyche will not be right when playing these guys.
In order to exercise these demons, here are the 5 keys to a Penn State victory tomorrow afternoon.
1. Play our game/Control the Tempo -- JoePa always plays more conservative on the road then at home, and at Michigan Stadium that seems to be more the case than anywhere else. But if we're going to win this game we need to play balanced football, but with a little more emphasis on the passing game since Michigan's defensive weakness is pass defense. If we have success early throwing the football it will open up the running game later on. Problem is if history has taught us anything is that Joe will invert this, and play into Michigan's defensive strength.
2. Win the turnover battle -- The weather is going to be lousy, so this facet of a game will be even more important. While our defense has been playing solid football the problem is we have not been very good at forcing turnovers, especially fumbles (forces 3 fumbles so far). With Michigan relying on the run game and the weather, holding on to the football will be key.
3. Big Uglies -- Easy to say, hard to do, but the Offensive and Defensive lines have to play lights out and dominate their respective counterparts. On the Offensive Line, the key will be how our Tackles handle the Michigan Defensive Ends, we have to give Clark time to throw and be able to provide outside running lanes for our running backs. If Michigan starts crashing the ends successfully in one-on-one match-ups, then they'll start blitzing the middle of our offensive line, which will mean less time to throw and no running lanes.
On the flip slide, our front four on defense needs to wreak havoc from the inside out. If Defensive Tackles Jared Odrick and Ollie Ogbu can force the interior of the Michigan Offensive line backwards we will disrupt their running game, allowing the Linebackers to have the freedom to roam and destroy. If we can neutralize/shut down the Michigan running game then we'll force them to be a pass first team, which is out of their comfort zone.
4. Be Special -- To date the Penn State Special Teams have been anything from Special. We seen missed field goals, blocked punts, abysmal returns and pathetic kick coverage. I'm not even going to say we're due for a big play from these units, but we need to make sure Michigan doesn't have any big plays on Special Teams, specifically the kick returns. We also need to mitigate running away/allowing punts to bounce an additional 20 yards further. We've set-up ourselves in bad positions due to poor kick coverage and punt returns. Play solid, not spectacular, in those two areas and control starting field position in our favor.
5. Show your age -- Two years ago we went The Big House with a Senior QB and Michigan was starting a Freshman QB, we lost and our Senior QB played like a freshman. Something smells similar this season, however I think Darryl Clark is big step up from Anthony Morelli. But the key will be making Michigan QB Tate Forcier play like a freshman because up until this point he's played like a seasoned vet. This means not letting him gain confidence early, so early pressure and sacks will be crucial. Another thing to keep an eye on is Tate's shoulder, which has been tender at best. If he can't go, then Michigan will turn to another Freshman QB in Denard Robinson, who is a run first, second and third type of QB. If he's in the game we should deploy a 9-2 defense and just sell out to stop the run. But the key here is simple, Clark plays like the All Big Ten QB he is, and Tate Forcier plays like a freshman starting his 7th game. If Clark plays like he did against Iowa, bad things will happen for us.
All in all I'm optimistic we’ll exercise the demons and get the win tomorrow, but the question will be how we respond to adversity. The only game we faced with any bit of adversity we lost to Iowa at home. This is on the road, so we've got to play to win vs. play not to lose. I say we win a close one taking the lead in the early 4th quarter and then hold on to win, which means controlling our own destiny for a BCS bid if we win out.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment