Penn State doesn’t have much room for error in Ann Arbor. The Nittany Lions are trying to snap a three-game Big Ten skid, and the path to doing it runs straight through a physical Michigan team on Saturday.
The Lions’ last win came on Sept. 19, when they rolled Buffalo 55-13 at Beaver Stadium. Since then, the conference stretch has gone sideways, with home losses to Wisconsin, 24-20, and USC, 31-23, dropping Penn State to 0-3 in Big Ten play.
If Penn State is going to get back on track, it has to start by making Michigan work for everything on offense. That means getting young quarterback Bryce Underwood into third-and-long and forcing him to win with his arm.
Underwood is a talented athlete, but he has had his issues as a passer over the last two seasons. He is completing 59.3 percent of his throws, and his 5-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio is not exactly clean.
The other obvious danger for Penn State is Michigan wideout JJ Buchanan. He’s been the Wolverines’ most productive target, with 24 catches for 446 yards and four touchdowns. Buchanan has already put together two 100-yard games, including a 130-yard day against Iowa, and Underwood will be looking his way most of the time.
Penn State also has to take care of the ball. The Lions have done a good job there so far, turning it over just four times in six games and posting a plus-5 turnover margin.
Michigan, meanwhile, has given it away plenty, with Underwood throwing four interceptions and the Wolverines losing five fumbles. That leaves Michigan at minus-4 in turnover margin, a number that has to be troubling Kyle Whittingham, the team’s head coach.
And once Penn State gets Michigan near the goal line, it has to close the door. The Lions’ defense has let opponents score on 17 of 18 trips inside the 20, and 11 of those 17 scores have been touchdowns. In a game like this, that’s the kind of leakage that can wreck a plan fast.
In Other News...
Penn State Still Feels The Fallout From One Costly Decision
Penn States autumn of upheaval began with James Franklins firing on Oct. 12, 2025, after a third straight Big Ten loss, and the ripple effects have barely let up since. What followed was a 54-day coaching search that finally landed on Matt Campbell, a move meant to steady the program after a jarring midseason reset and give the Nittany Lions a clean path forward.
Instead, the broader conversation around the program has lingered on the process itself, from the pursuit of Bob Chesney and Kalani Sitake to the questions now facing athletic director Pat Kraft. Penn State did open the next season 3-0, but the subsequent losses quickly shut the door on College Football Playoff hopes, leaving the search for answers to stretch well beyond the coaching carousel and into how the decision-making unfolded in the first place. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State's Linebacker Room Just Took Another Hit
Penn States linebacker depth took another blow this week when Alex Tatsch was ruled out for the rest of the season after getting hurt in practice. Coach Matt Campbell confirmed the setback, though the exact nature of the injury is still being sorted out, leaving the Nittany Lions to keep adjusting in a spot that has already been tested.
Cam Smiths recovery offers at least a little encouragement for a room that has needed it. He is expected back soon, which gives Penn State a chance to stabilize a position group that has been thinned by injuries at a time when depth matters most. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Used White Out Weekend To Turn Up Recruiting Pressure
White Out weekend once again doubled as a recruiting showcase for Penn State, with the program bringing more than 100 prospects to campus for one of its biggest annual sales pitches. The visitor list was loaded with the majority of the 2027 class, including 18 of the 22 committed players, while several highly rated 2028 prospects also made the trip to State College.
The timing matters because the Nittany Lions are trying to keep momentum rolling well beyond the current class, which is ranked No. 20 nationally. Along with hosting the committed group, Penn State also used the event to extend offers to players in the 2028, 2029 and 2030 classes, another sign the staff was thinking as much about long-term pressure as the atmosphere inside Beaver Stadium. [Read more 🡒]