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Penn State Football: keys to success for the Nittany Lions against Michigan

By Nick Kreiser

STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 01: Sean Clifford #14 of the Penn State Nittany Lions huddles with teammates before the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium on October 1, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 01: Sean Clifford #14 of the Penn State Nittany Lions huddles with teammates before the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium on October 1, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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STATE COLLEGE, PA – OCTOBER 01: Chop Robinson #44 of the Penn State Nittany Lions lines up against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at Beaver Stadium on October 1, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA – OCTOBER 01: Chop Robinson #44 of the Penn State Nittany Lions lines up against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at Beaver Stadium on October 1, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

Key to success on defense #2 – make JJ McCarthy uncomfortable

Michigan sophomore quarterback JJ McCarthy has had a great start to the season, but if the Nittany Lions can pressure the young quarterback and make him uncomfortable, they could force a lot of incompletions and interceptions.

Penn State Football has done an excellent job so far at pressuring opposing quarterbacks, but they’ll need that to continue this week.

It will be especially important for Manny Diaz to continue to be creative with his pre-snap looks and blitz packages, which could confuse McCarthy.

Additionally, last week during Michigan’s game at Indiana, Fox analyst Joel Klatt said on the broadcast that Indiana was “slanting the defensive line to opposite gaps and it’s giving Michigan problems”. If Diaz does that with a far more talented defensive front than what Indiana has, they can have a lot of success up front and create a lot of pressure on JJ McCarthy.

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