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

Bonus key to success – limit penalties

Penalties has not necessarily been a huge issue for Penn State Football so far this season, but it could still be better. They are averaging six penalties per game, which is tied for 50th in the country–better than average, but still not where you want to be.

On the other hand, Michigan is one of the least penalized teams in college football. They’re averaging just three penalties per game, which is third in the nation.

So one thing is for certain when it comes to the Wolverines: they’re going to play a relatively clean game and not gift their opponent yards with penalties.

The Nittany Lions need to match that and also play a clean game, because if this matchup is as close as many project it will be, a couple penalties one way or the other could be the difference.

This team has already faced a pair of tough road environments, so the crowd noise shouldn’t play much of a factor, and they should have no pre-snap issues that lead to false starts. The line will also need to play a clean game in terms of holding penalties.

The biggest thing when it comes to penalties is no late hit, unnecessary roughness, or taunting penalties. Other penalties happen from time to time, but these ones are just mental mistakes more often than not and can be major drive killers on offense and also drive boosters for your opponent if you’re on defense.

To have a shot at the upset this week, Penn State Football cannot shoot themselves in the foot with a ton of penalties.