Michigan is a 7.5 point underdog tonight, and they will try to accomplish the nearly impossible: winning a night game at Beaver Stadium in a so called “White Out”.
Beaver Stadium is considered to be “the most” difficult venue to earn a victory on the road according to Urban Meyer and he has coached in more than 200 football games.
For the record, Michigan lost on the road at #6 Wisconsin, and when measured against 129 Division 1 Schools, Wisconsin ranks #1 in 6 “key” Defensive categories including #1 Rushing, 45 Yards per game…#1 Passing, 129 Yards per game…#1 Scoring, 4.8 Points per game…and #1 3rd Down Conversions, 16%.
It’s worth underscoring that Michigan compiled just 40 Yards Rushing at Wisconsin, or a meager 2.1 Yards per attempt. Further adding to their futility, Michigan converted Zero of 11, 3rd Down attempts, fumbled 3 times and lost 2, threw 2 Interceptions, and scored 14 meaningless points after the game was out of reach and when the scoreboard ticked to Zero, Michigan got buried at Wisconsin 35-14.
And now Michigan will travel to Penn State.
Penn State is ranked #7 in the land, and while Wisconsin dominates Defensive stats with #1 rankings when measured against 129 Division 1 Schools, on the other hand Penn State is nearly as impressive ranking in the Top 5 in 3 “key” statistical categories:
- #2 Scoring Defense…8.2 Points per game
- #3 Rush Defense…54 Yards per game
- #4 Total Defense…260 Yards per game
And Penn State also ranks an impressive #11, 3rd Down Conversion Defense, limiting opponents to just 29%, 3rd Down conversions, and let us also mention the fact Penn State is scoring 42 points per game.
Yet of course we would be remiss if we didn’t offer another reminder: under the guidance of Jim Harbaugh, Michigan has a deplorable record vs ranked opponents: 1-9 vs ranked opponents…and 0-6 vs ranked opponents on the road….and of course, there is a double whammy for Michigan tonight inasmuch as Penn State is ranked #7, and the football game will be played on the road at Beaver Stadium, otherwise known as Happy Valley.
At the bottom line: given Michigan’s woeful inability to score points, just 14 points at Wisconsin and just 10 points vs Iowa, unless Michigan can hold Penn State to less than 10 points, there is absolutely no compelling evidence that Michigan can win this game on the road against one of the best Defenses in the land!
