Nate Bauer of BlueWhiteIllustrated swung by TheWolverine.com this week to help break down Penn State's squad prior to its matchup with the Michigan Wolverines' football team this weekend.
He explained what Maize and Blue fans should be on the lookout for on Saturday night in Happy Valley, and also revealed how he thinks the game will go by providing his final score prediction at the end.
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Penn State Football's Projected Starters On Offense
• Redshirt sophomore QB Sean Clifford — His 13 touchdown passes are the third most in the Big Ten, while his 64.2 completion percentage is good for fourth in the league. Clifford's 260.0 passing yards per game, meanwhile, lead the conference, and his 252 rushing yards are the second most on his team.
• Redshirt sophomore RB Journey Brown — His 233 rushing yards are actually the third most on the roster, due to the fact that Penn State employs three other running backs on a regular basis (freshmen Noah Cain and Devyn Ford, and sophomore Ricky Slade). Brown rushed for 109 yards in the 17-10 win over Pittsburgh Sept. 14, but has actually not surpassed 38 yards in any other game this season.
• Redshirt sophomore WR K.J. Hamler — He leads the Nittany Lions in all of the team's major receiving categories, including catches (26), yards (455) and touchdown receptions (five). The 5-9, 176-pound speedster has been consistently productive for PSU, reeling in at least 61 yards in five of the team's six outings.
• Sophomore WR Jahan Dotson — His 261 receiving yards are the second most on the squad and his three TD grabs are tied for second, while his 14 catches check in third. Dotson's 18.6 yards per reception also stand as the sixth-best average in the Big Ten.
• Redshirt freshman WR Justin Shorter — He has been banged up a bit this year, and has only hauled in eight catches for 100 yards as a result. The former five-star recruit's 6-4, 235-pound stature has a chance to create mismatches in the passing game, though he has yet to compile more than 36 yards in a game this season.
• Sophomore TE Pat Freiermuth — He has built off a solid freshman campaign in which he racked up 368 yards and eight scores, hauling in 17 catches for 203 yards and three touchdowns this time around. Freiermuth's 203 yards are actually the third most in the Big Ten among tight ends, trailing only Purdue fifth-year senior Brycen Hopkins' 345 yards and Indiana redshirt sophomore Peyton Hendershot's 256.
