{"id":2011,"date":"2014-10-08T19:59:57","date_gmt":"2014-10-09T00:59:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/big10gameday.wordpress.com\/?p=14"},"modified":"2014-10-08T19:59:57","modified_gmt":"2014-10-09T00:59:57","slug":"big-ten-game-of-the-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/wrpg211\/2014\/10\/08\/big-ten-game-of-the-week\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Ten Game of the Week"},"content":{"rendered":"

Game Details:<\/strong><\/p>\n

This week’s Big Ten Game of the Week is Penn State vs. Michigan at the Big House in Ann Arbor, Michigan. \u00a0The game is on ESPN 2 on Saturday, October 11th at 7:00 PM.<\/p>\n

Penn State:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Nittany Lions come into this game with a 4-1 record, 1-1 in the Big Ten Conference. \u00a0The Lions are looking to bounce back from a devastating loss to Northwestern at Beaver Stadium two weeks ago. \u00a0Coming off a bye week, the offense is determined to find success in the run game as they are rushing for just over a 100 yards per game. \u00a0In the air, Christian Hackenberg is leading Penn State’s offense with 295 yards per game passing. \u00a0Penn State’s defense continues to be stellar, only allowing 60.2 yards per game on the ground, which is good for second in the nation.<\/p>\n

Michigan:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Wolverines come into this game riding a three game losing streak. \u00a0Michigan’s offense has been struggling to find a rhythm this season behind quarterbacks Devin Gardner and Shane Morris. \u00a0With Morris concussed, Gardner will get the start on Saturday. \u00a0Earlier this week it was also announced that leading rusher Derrick Green will miss the rest of the season with a broken clavicle. \u00a0With all the struggles on the offensive side of the ball, the silver lining for the program has been the defensive play. \u00a0The Wolverine’s defense is only allowing 315.5 total yards per game, which ranks 19th in the nation.<\/p>\n

Prediction:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Big House provides a tremendous home field advantage for the Wolverines, but will that be a deciding factor in the game? \u00a0With Michigan’s offense struggling and the tremendous loss of Derrick Green, \u00a0Penn State should have a field day on the defensive side of the ball. \u00a0Look for Penn State linebacker Mike Hull flying around making tackles all over the field. \u00a0Christian Hackenberg is putting up stellar numbers this season in the air, and if Penn State finally finds their running game after this bye week, it may prove to be too much for this Wolverine defense. \u00a0With all that being said, my prediction is as follows:<\/p>\n

Penn State beats Michigan by a score of 20-17<\/strong><\/p>\n

If this game is\u00a0anything\u00a0like last year’s showdown\u00a0between\u00a0Penn State and Michigan, we’ll be in for a good show. \u00a0Below are some highlights of the 4 OT thriller from last year at Beaver Stadium. \u00a0This should help get you hyped up!<\/p>\n