2018 Michigan gameday #9: vs. Penn State

A fun thing that happened 16 years ago #AlanBranchKillsQBs

It's the biggest game of the year (this is not a repeat from Wisconsin and Michigan State) as the Michigan #revengetour continues during today's 3:45 matchup with #14 Penn State (6-2).

The #5 Wolverines (7-1) are still riding high on a nice hot streak and are coming off a 21-7 thrashing of Michigan State two weeks ago, plus a bye last week.  The defense was once again as advertised in dominating the Spartans, holding them to under 100 total yards, and the offense did enough to make things comfortable at the end.

Now Michigan gets a visit from coach James Franklin's Nittany Lions.  His team lost in consecutive weeks to Ohio State and Michigan State, a pair of defeats that are largely on his shoulders due to his increasingly incomprehensible calls.  They've played three decent opponents in OSU, MSU, and Iowa, with the latter being their lone win against a quality team.  Michigan will definitely be their toughest remaining test, one that they may struggle to pass without stud RB Saquon Barkley. 

Meanwhile, Michigan surely won't look past PSU as they anticipate easier games at Rutgers and vs. Indiana before heading to Columbus for The Game.  The offense will be tested by a good DL and group of DBs while the D will have to account for the legs of QB Trace McSorley.  The book on him this season has been to force him to throw, and that's likely what Don Brown's #1 defense will do.

As usual a two-score spread belies what I think will be a fairly close game unless the Wolverines find a way to blow things wide open.  Regardless, a win today would put the Wolverines in the driver's seat for some interesting postseason play, pending the result on November 24.  I hope to see my guys grind them into paste Alan Branch-style.

LET'S GO BLUE

2017 Michigan gameday #7: at Penn State

How else would I start out a Penn State post?

It's game day for Michigan, and the Wolverines will be joined by ESPN GameDay as they travel to Happy Valley for a 7:30 pm matchup with #2 Penn State.  Jim Harbaugh's team could largely turn its season around and erase the effects of a close loss to Michigan State by beating the Nittany Lions for the fourth straight year.  This is nothing if not a marquee night matchup and a tough road test for a team that's still struggling to put up points, though the good news is that the defense is even stingier when it comes to the scoreboard.

While an upset would go a long way towards the Wolverines' 2017 goals, in many ways a Penn State loss is great in general, because it's a program that deserves nothing but scorn for the way its fans and former coach Joe Paterno's family continue to blindly support the disgraced leader despite all of the evidence against him.  Plus there's these jackasses that thought it would be funny to compare Michigan's quality to that of the lead-laced water in Flint.  Stay classy, Penn State.

Regardless of what those mouth-breathers think, this game, the 21st in the series (Michigan leads 13-7) which only started in 1993, could very well be a good one.  The defense could keep the team in it by doing their usual thing while keeping all-world RB Saquon Barkley in check, while the offense needs to pitch in by eliminating turnovers and finishing off drives.

Here's hoping Michigan remembers past successes like

the 1997 game, also against the #2 team on the road, and

Mario Manningham in 2005,

2006, the year we learned that ALAN BRANCH KILLS QBs, plus

last year's 49-10 thumping for the Wolverines' third win in a row in the series.

Ride your defense and newfound running game to a huge upset.

Let's.

Go.

Blue.

2016 Michigan gameday #4: vs. Penn State

No logo for today's opponent--Penn State is a program without shame, one that continues to show no remorse for one of the most tragic and embarrassing chapters in college football history.  Its continued denial of the truth and reverence of a man (who was just a man) who ignored multiple violations of children are disgusting, and they prove that, if any program ever deserved the death penalty, it's the one from Happy Valley.  May those that blindly support Joe Paterno and continue to hurl abuse at the victims of Jerry Sandusky one day see the light.

Aside from those harsh realities--college football is one of those things that kind of let you escape reality in a way--Penn State heads to Ann Arbor for a 3:30 matchup against the 3-0 Wolverines.  I hope Harbaugh's squad puts a major beatdown on the Nittany Lions in response to comments made by their delusional fans about Jim's coaching ability, Penn State's "superiority", and the usual clock conspiracy theories.  In short, the image I hope to see when the clock says 00:00 is Penn State lying on the ground, defeated like Anthony Morelli, as Michigan, in Alan Branch's role, walks away in victory.  Beat Penn State.

LET'S GO BLUE!

(by user Blue and Joe of MGoBlog)

2015 Michigan gameday #11: at Penn State

#12 Michigan, owners of an 8-2 record thanks to a thrilling double-OT victory at Indiana last week, heads east to Happy Valley to face 7-2 Penn State, a team that was on the receiving end of a narrow loss to Northwestern a week ago.  The Wolverines are in a surprising position at this point in the season:  a win today plus an Ohio State triumph over MSU would put Michigan and the Bucks in a familiar position in which the winner of the Game would be the conference's division champ.

The Nittany Lions have a typically stifling front seven on defense to go with an excellent RB.  Their QB, Christian Hackenberg is a wild card, though, as a player who can look elite on one play and then lost on the next.  Head coach James Franklin is always good for at least one or two questionable decisions per game as well.

Jim Harbaugh's squad knows the stakes so time will tell if his Wolverines repeat past triumphs in the series, such as

ALAN BRANCH KILLS QBS

and

Mario Manningham is the New Math!

LET'S GO BLUE!

 

2014 Michigan Gameday #7: vs. Penn State

Michigan hosts 4-1 Penn State tonight at 7 pm Under the Lights© as it looks to salvage something out of this disastrous season.  My favorite team is 2-4, which has really happened very little in my lifetime much less the history of the program.  Still, sometimes things have to get worse before they get better.  And at least we're toeing the Big Ten company line of being a laughingstock of a conference for yet another year!

Despite a surprisingly bad team, a clueless coach, and the worst athletic director the school has ever employed, I'll never cease to be a fan of the Maize & Blue.  Also, anything can happen when Michigan plays the Nittany Lions, namely

Mario Manningham in 2005

Alan Branch in 2006 (YAY!  "Alan Branch kills QBs" tag!!)

Win or lose, I support my Wolverines, and apparently a ton of former players will be doing just that this weekend, hopefully providing a huge boost to a team that could use it.  There's never a better time to turn things around than right now.

LET'S GO BLUE!