Michigan Wolverines vs. Penn State Nittany Lions

[The General]

The Michigan Wolverines and the Penn State Nittany Lions will both be trying to pick up a win on Saturday when they battle at Beaver Stadium.

Oddsmakers currently have the Nittany Lions listed as 23½-point favorites versus the Wolverines, while the game's total has not yet been posted.

Sam McGuffie ran for 105 yards on 25 carries for Michigan in its 13-10 loss to Toledo in Week 7.

Toledo upset Michigan as 17-point road underdogs as the game played under the 53.5-point total listed by sportsbooks.

Penn State came out attacking as they ran over Wisconsin 48-7 in Week 7. Penn State easily covered the 6-point spread, and the game's 55 points made it OVER the posted total of 47.

Daryll Clark completed 16-of-25 pass attempts for 244 yards with a touchdown, while rushing for two scores in the win.

Current streak:
Michigan has lost 2 straight games.
Penn State has won 7 straight games.


Team records:
Michigan: 2-4 SU, 1-5 ATS
Penn State: 7-0 SU, 4-1-1 ATS


Michigan most recently:
When playing in October are 8-2
When playing on grass are 7-3
After being outgained are 4-6
When playing within the conference are 7-3

Penn State most recently:
When playing in October are 8-2
When playing on grass are 8-2
After outgaining opponent are 8-2
When playing within the conference are 7-3


A few trends to consider:
Michigan is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Penn State
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Michigan's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Michigan's last 5 games when playing Penn State
Michigan is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Penn State
Penn State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Penn State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Penn State's last 5 games when playing Michigan
Penn State is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Michigan


Next up:
Michigan home to Michigan State, Saturday, October 25
Penn State at Ohio State, Saturday, October 25

[The General]

Player to watch: Derrick Williams, Penn State — The senior, whose average of 33.4 yards per kickoff return ranks second in the nation, faces a team that is one of the worst kick covering teams in the Big Ten.

Recent history: Michigan has a nine-game winning streak in the series, although the last four games were decided by seven points or less.

Key statistic: Not only does Penn State lead the league with a 52.3% third-down
conversion rate, its defense holds opponents to a league-low 27.6% success rate on third down.

Bottom line: Barring a miracle, Penn State snaps its losing streak to the Wolverines.

JS Online: Big Ten preview