The Penn State Nittany Lions football team is getting ready to kick off another weekend of football. They will be on the road to take on the Michigan Wolverines, looking to bounce back after three straight losses. While Ann Arbor is a very tough place to play, the Wolverines are not living up to expectations this season, and just like the Nittany Lions, they also have multiple losses already, which makes this a winnable game for Penn State.
The Nittany Lions could come out motivated, and beating the Wolverines on the road would be a great first conference win for first-year head coach Matt Campbell. Now, let’s take a look at some keys to ensuring the Nittany Lions pull off the road win on Saturday.
Keys To A Nittany Lions’ Win
The Run Game and Offensive Line Need to Be Better
When thinking of what needs to go right for the Nittany Lions, the run game is the first thing to come to mind. The Nittany Lions starting running back Carson Hansen has just 227 rushing yards on 57 carries this season. He is also only averaging 37.8 yards per game, and that is very poor stats to have. It is also part of why the Lions struggle to put points on the board, which could also play a huge factor in why the running game is struggling so much.
If neither the running game nor the offensive line improves, expect the Wolverines to come out with a win. The Wolverines already have a good defense as it is, and that means the margin for error on the Lions’ offensive possessions is very close to zero.
Nittany Lions Defensive Line Has to Be at Least Solid
The biggest key to a Nittany Lions win is by far the defensive line. Not only is the Wolverines’ offense not very strong, but the Nittany Lions’ defensive line has looked very bad. The pass rush is what lost the game for Penn State against the USC Trojans, and the defensive line got run over for 300+ yards by two of Northwestern’s running backs.
If the defensive line plays well in the pass rush and can plug holes consistently and stop runs, the Nittany Lions could very easily win this game and pick up their first conference win. If the defensive line struggles or plays really badly, the Wolverines may dominate from start to finish and leave the Nittany Lions with a four-game losing streak.
Mental Toughness
The last key to a Nittany Lions win is simply Mental toughness. Penn State just lost three games in a row, and one of them was a blowout. There is no doubt that the Nittany Lions are a little low on spirit right now, but if they want to still have a promising season, they can not allow the mental part to get to them. If they do, the Wolverines could not only win the game, but they could also dominate.
The Last Word
The Nittany Lions have another tough conference game at Michigan this week. The Nittany Lions can absolutely win this game, but they will have to earn it, and these keys listed are what is required for Penn State if they want to beat the Wolverines. Again, the Wolverines are no contender, but the Nittany Lions will still have to work very hard to pick up the road win and stay mentally tough after losing three straight games, with one of them being the White Out game. Do you think Penn State can pick up their first conference win in the Campbell era at Penn State, or will the Wolverines get the better of them?
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