Penn State heads to Michigan on Saturday with the kind of road history that would rattle just about anyone. In Ann Arbor, the Nittany Lions are 4-10, and their lone win there since 2009 came in the 2020 Covid season. The last time these teams met at Michigan, the Wolverines blew Penn State out 41-17 in 2022, piling up 563 total yards, including 418 on the ground.
This version of Michigan is coming off a much less imposing showing. Against Minnesota, the Wolverines managed just 180 yards, a performance that left head coach Kyle Whittingham frustrated heading into the bye week. Still, the message from Matt Campbell was clear: this is the kind of test that reveals a lot.
"You're going to find out a lot more abut us this week," Campbell said. "You've got to go on the road, play one of the top defenses in the country statistically and you have to go on the road and play at a place that traditionally is hard to play. Especially it's been hard here at Penn State."
Penn State’s biggest problem remains the same. The run game has gone nowhere, averaging 78.3 yards per game and 2.6 per carry in Big Ten play, with no back breaking off a run of 10 yards or more against a conference opponent.
It hasn’t mattered who gets the carries - four backs against Wisconsin, two against USC, James Peoples starting at Northwestern, Carson Hansen back in the lead role against USC. The ground game just isn’t moving.
That leaves the offense in a spot where it may have to lean on the passing game and put the ball in the hands of Rocco Becht. That would be a bold choice against the nation’s fifth-ranked defense, but there are reasons to consider it.
Michigan’s top two defensive ends are listed as questionable, and Chase Sowell is coming off two strong games. Penn State may be better off letting the passing game determine what happens.
On the other side, Michigan’s offense has its own issues. Kyle Whittingham offered only a limited show of confidence after the bye, saying Bryce Underwood would keep his starting job.
Underwood was rough in the loss to Minnesota, completing 10 of 21 passes for 101 yards with two interceptions. He has been a little better on rollouts than on straight dropbacks, where he has looked rattled.
Penn State may not have a pass rush that can really squeeze him, which could let Underwood stay in the pocket for 6-8 seconds. Even so, the Nittany Lions need to make him pay for his mistakes, whether that comes through better pressure or blitzes that speed up his clock.
Underwood hasn’t offered much as a runner, either. He had just 20 yards on 10 carries against Minnesota.
That gives Penn State a possible opening, especially since the Nittany Lions have had issues with quarterback scrambles. A return for safety Marcus Neal Jr. in a spy role would fit that problem.
That’s really the path for Penn State on defense: force turnovers and make Michigan play from behind the sticks. The Nittany Lions’ safeties have been a factor in all three Big Ten losses.
At Northwestern, they were spun around while trying to tackle. Against USC, they couldn’t stay with the Trojans’ receivers.
Michigan’s offense doesn’t present the same kind of receiver challenge, but Penn State still can’t afford breakdowns.
The Wolverines aren’t built to produce fireworks. They’re tied with Michigan State for last in the Big Ten in explosive plays of 20 or more yards, with just six.
But Penn State has been vulnerable in conference play, giving up 15 plays of 20+ yards. Northwestern had seven of them, USC had five, and Wisconsin’s eventual game-winning touchdown came on a 72-yard completion.
For Penn State, that’s the danger. Michigan’s offense has been inconsistent, but if the safeties don’t clean things up, the Wolverines can still find enough chunk plays to matter.
Penn State and Michigan kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports.
In Other News...
Penn States Big Ten Position Just Got Much More Uncomfortable
Week 7 of the 2026 college football season shook up the national picture in a hurry, and the ripple effects reached well beyond the biggest headlines. With half of the AP Top 10 going down, including Georgia and Notre Dame, the sport suddenly feels a lot less predictable, and the Big Tens pecking order got harder to read by the hour. A weekend full of upsets and quarterback absences turned what had looked like a fairly stable race into something much messier.
Ohio State now has its own concern after Julian Sayin was sidelined for several weeks, a development that changes the leagues balance in a hurry. Around the conference, teams such as Rutgers, Minnesota, UCLA and Oregon posted notable results while also dealing with the growing reality of backup quarterbacks being forced into bigger roles. For Penn State, the broader takeaway is obvious: the path through the Big Ten just got more crowded, more unpredictable and a lot less comfortable. [Read more 🡒]
Rocco Becht Faces A Penn State Question Fans Can't Ignore
Rocco Bechts season has become one of the biggest reasons Penn States offense has stalled during a four-game losing streak. Through seven games, the quarterback has dealt with turnovers and uneven play, even as his completion percentage has climbed from last season. The bigger concern is that the improvement has not translated into cleaner overall production, especially on the short throws that are supposed to keep an offense on schedule.
Penn State has not done him many favors either. The running game has been weak, and injuries to key receivers have left Becht operating with less margin for error than he would like. Even so, the questions around him are growing because the underlying issues are showing up in the same places week after week, and the Nittany Lions still need a way to turn a frustrating stretch into something more sustainable. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States QB Faces Mounting Pressure After Painful Michigan Loss
Rocco Bechts latest outing left Penn State with plenty to sort through after a 21-18 loss to Michigan, a game in which the quarterbacks mistakes helped tilt the second half. Becht was part of a messy afternoon that featured two interceptions and a lost fumble, the kind of turnover-heavy performance that can linger after a tight road loss and raise questions about how a team moves forward.
Matt Campbell, though, did not sound ready to shift away from his starter. He pointed to Bechts competitiveness and the room he still has to grow, while Becht acknowledged the challenge and said he believes in himself and in the work ahead. For Penn State, the storyline now is less about one bad night than whether its quarterback can steady things quickly enough to keep the season from slipping into something more complicated. [Read more 🡒]