Penn State Football vs Michigan: Keys for Nittany Lions to knock off No. 6 Wolverines

Penn State Football aims to pick up its third-ranked win of the season as they take on the sixth ranked Michigan Wolverines on Saturday.

Penn State Football looks look to beat Jim Harbaugh for the third consecutive season, and for the third consecutive time inside Beaver Stadium, when the Big Ten rivals square off at noon Saturday.

The Nittany Lions‘ offensive line needs to allow their quarterback time to get the ball into the hands of his playmakers, namely Jahan Dotson. Defensively, Brent Pry’s defense needs to sell out to stop the run-happy Wolverine offense.

Here are four keys for a win for Penn State Football as they take on the Wolverines this weekend.

Penn State Football offensive key to success – protect Sean Clifford

The Nittany Lions’ offense starts and ends with Dotson, but Sean Clifford needs to have ample time to get the ball to him.

Offensive tackles Rasheed Walker and Caedan Wallace will be two of the most important players for Penn State on Saturday afternoon.

Dotson is Clifford’s first read on almost every play, but if the defense sells out to stop No. 5, Clifford needs time to go through his progressions and get the ball to one of the other talented wide receivers, such as Parker Washington.

This will be no easy task, as the Wolverines have one of the best defensive lines in the country, led by defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.

This will be Clifford’s 30th career start in a Penn State Football uniform, so he has seen virtually everything a collegiate defense can throw at him over the past three seasons. As long as he is given time to do so, he will be able to use his experience to pick apart the Wolverines’ secondary and find an open receiver.