| Michigan vs. Penn State, Saturday, Nov. 13, at State College, Pa. In
losing to Minnesota last week, Penn State probably lost its shot at the national
championship. But if the Nittany Lions can beat Michigan in this game and Michigan State
the next week, they will go to the Rose Bowl. For Michigan, this game is about positioning
itself for a chance to play in a decent bowl game. Until Michigan lost to Michigan State,
many people believed this game would be for all the marbles. The Wolverines hurt
themselves further by blowing a big lead and losing to Illinois. Penn State needed a
near-miraculous play to beat Miami (Fla.) and also came very close to losing to Purdue
before falling to the Golden Gophers on a couple of fluky, miracle-type plays.
Quarterbacks — Both teams rotate a senior with a younger, more
gifted player who represents their future. Both starters — Penn State’s Kevin
Thompson and Michigan’s Tom Brady — are tall, rather immobile drop-back passers
who will throw well when they get into a groove. Thompson has the stronger arm and is the
better deep passer, while Brady is more accurate underneath. As for the backups,
Michigan’s Drew Henson has all the tools to develop into a premier pro prospect in
football. He already is a pro baseball player in the Yankees’ chain and has the size,
arm and movement skills scouts in both sports admire. Penn State’s Rashard Casey is
more of a Joe Hamilton-Doug Flutie type with great athleticism and improvisational skills,
but Casey makes too many mistakes and has had some costly turnovers. Edge: Michigan.
Running backs — Michigan generally features Anthony Thomas, a
big, power-running tailback who has speed and good hands but lacks great moves. FB Aaron
Shea is a former tight end who catches the ball very well and is a decent runner. Penn
State’s Eric McCoo shows signs of developing into a special back but does not break
many tackles and needs to get stronger. FB Aaron Harris has played both tailback and
fullback and is starting to regain the run skills he had before he hurt his knee. Mike
Cerimele is more of a lead-blocking, complementary I-formation fullback. Edge: Even.
Receivers — Michigan’s David Terrell lacks polish but is a
superior athlete with great playmaking ability and unlimited potential. He is a Charles
Woodson-type athlete and has played in the secondary. Flanker Marcus Knight is one of the
best No. 2 receivers in the college game and is better than people may realize. The tight
ends have not really been a big part of Michigan’s passing game this year. Penn
State’s big-play man is Chafie Fields. He is a former tailback who is extremely
dangerous with the ball and, as he showed against Miami (Fla.), can get deep and catch the
home-run ball. TE Tony Stewart could be a big factor against Michigan’s defense. Edge:
Michigan.
Offensive linemen — The Nittany Lions’ line got better when
the coaches benched less athletic but more experienced C Francis Spano and put freshman
Joe Iorio in the lineup. OT Kareem McKenzie is an exceptional talent and Penn State’s
best run blocker. This is not one of Michigan’s vintage lines, but OG Steve
Hutchinson is a dominating run blocker and a potential All-American. OLT Jeff Backus is
also a very good player. Edge: Michigan.
Defensive linemen — In Courtney Brown, Penn State has the best
defensive lineman in the country and probably the best football player around. He is tall
and rangy with the wingspan of a 747 and has the balance and body control of a gymnast,
the quickness of a cat, great coordination and tremendous use of his hands. He can jerk
and snatch better than most of the defensive ends in the NFL, and when he uses his hands,
he can still do everything in sync and keep his feet going. He is explosive off the ball,
has a burst to get around the tackle, uses head fakes well and can also play with power.
Plus, his intangibles are top-notch. The only thing you can knock Brown for is that he is
a well-rounded human being and a really nice, low-key person rather than someone who eats,
breathes and sleeps football and is as mean as a junkyard dog. Michigan mainly tells its
defensive linemen to keep blockers off the linebackers so they can make plays. Despite
size and athletic limitations, Rob Renes is a very good college player at nose tackle
because he is so tough, intense and instinctive. Edge: Penn State.
Linebackers — The last college linebacker who made as many
spectacular, sensational, game-turning plays as Penn State’s LaVar Arrington was
Lawrence Taylor. However, Arrington is not as fluid, powerful or explosive as Taylor was.
Taylor could defeat double-team blocks and had great hand use, which may be
Arrington’s weakest areas. That is why Penn State designs its defense to free up
Arrington so he is up against air as much as possible. While Arrington has the instincts,
he takes too many chances and at times leaves big holes in the defense. He also has been
flagged for some foolish penalties and gives the impression he can be hard to coach. He
may have a little Brian Bosworth in him. While most media people praise MLB Brandon Short
to the hilt, most scouts who watched tape of him early in the season were bitterly
disappointed. While Short is playing better now, he still does not seem comfortable in the
scheme Penn State is using and is on the ground too much. Mac Morrison is a little stiff
and not that athletic or mobile, but he is a smart, tough player who gets the maximum out
of his ability. Michigan does not have any All-America types at linebacker, but undersized
Ian Gold is a very good, productive and active inside linebacker when the line keeps
blockers off him. Dhani Jones is a little bigger than Gold but not quite as athletic.
James Hall is a combination defensive end-outside ’backer who is put in a position to
get sacks. Edge: Penn State.
Defensive backs — Michigan may be able to take advantage of Penn
State’s lack of height in the secondary as Minnesota did. Not one of the Nittany
Lions’ starting defensive backs is taller than 6 feet, and CBs Anthony King and David
Macklin are 5-8 and 5-9, respectively. Macklin is a potential All-American and a top cover
guy. Michigan’s best defensive back is Terrell, but he spends most of his time on
offense. Edge: Even.
Special teams — Penn State has the more reliable kicking game,
and Arrington is a great kick blocker. It will be interesting to see if Michigan has
Terrell returning kicks. Edge: Penn State.
Prediction: Penn State 27, Michigan 16 |
