Five Players To Watch: Michigan Wolverines vs. Penn State Nittany Lions
Michigan Wolverines football takes on the Penn State Nittany Lions Saturday at noon ET on ABC.
Here are five players to keep an eye on:
Michigan Sophomore Wide Receiver Cornelius Johnson
Johnson is emerging as Michigan’s top pass-catcher on downfield passes, as evidenced by his beautiful route on a 46-yard touchdown reception against the Scarlet Knights. He had a breakout game, catching five balls for 105 yards and two scores. The opt-out of Nico Collins in the preseason opened the door for Johnson, at 6-3, 205 pounds, to become the possession receiver Michigan has lacked in Collins’ absence. His role seemingly increases by the week.
Penn State Junior Wide Receiver Jahan Dotson
A Michigan pass defense that is allowing 274 yards per game (103rd in the country) has its hands full once again with Dotson coming to town. The 5-11, 182-pounder is second in the Big Ten with 527 yards through five games. He’s also scored six touchdowns on his 31 catches.
The Maize and Blue secondary knows it must be up to the challenge this week to stop or at least slow down Dotson.
"I think the keys to stopping him would just be getting our hands on him at the line of scrimmage,” redshirt sophomore Vincent Gray said. “I think we can run with him very well, so just making sure that we are patient and we’re not overly physical with our hands downfield and we’re just matching his routes."
Michigan Sophomore Defensive Tackle Chris Hinton
Hinton is getting more and more comfortable as a starter on Michigan’s defensive line by the week, and had his best game in a winged helmet against Rutgers. Hinton notched four tackles, two stops for loss and his first career sack. With the Wolverines having notable injuries on the d-line, Hinton’s emergence is a welcomed sign for coordinator Don Brown’s unit.
Penn State Fifth-Year Senior Defensive End Shaka Toney
Toney has been one of the best edge defenders in the league for some time, and he’s coming off of a big game in which he posted two sacks against Iowa. He has 17 total tackles, 5.5 stops for loss and four sacks on the year. Michigan’s offensive line has been banged up the last few weeks, and if that remains the case this week, Toney, a veteran, could take advantage of some of the youth up front for the Wolverines.
Michigan Redshirt Freshman Quarterback Cade McNamara
After showing flashes the week prior against Wisconsin, McNamara was inserted into the Rutgers game late in the second quarter for a struggling redshirt sophomore Joe Milton. McNamara led the Wolverines back from down 17-0 and helped the team win in triple overtime. His final stat line was impressive: 27-of-36 passing for 260 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for a score.
McNamara has all but been announced Michigan’s starter for this week. In his limited action so far, he has run the Wolverines’ offense at a much higher level than Milton. This week against Penn State is one more week to prove that he is Michigan’s guy going forward.
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