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Nittany Lions ready for Michigan showdown

By Cory Giger

For The Express

It’s hard to believe it’s been only two years, given everything that’s happened in the meantime, but pretty much everything was different the last time Penn State visited Michigan.

You remember that game, right?

Unless you’ve simply chosen to erase it from your memory completely.

Michigan 49, Penn State 10. And in the aftermath, a whole lot of people were wondering if James Franklin should or would be fired.

Well, Franklin obviously wasn’t fired. He got a vote of confidence a few days later from athletic director Sandy Barbour, then a few days after that the Nittany Lions rallied in the second half to beat Minnesota.

The rest is history, as they won nine in a row and the Big Ten title before losing an epic Rose Bowl against USC. For his part, Franklin received a contract extension less than a year later.

But what about that Michigan game in 2016? After getting destroyed in every way that day by the Wolverines, Penn State has lost just five times by a total of 12 points, and it has had a lead in the fourth quarter of every single game (31 in a row).

“Two years ago, I shook that feeling off the next week we were getting ready for the next opponent,” safety Nick Scott said. “That’s the code that I live by personally.

“So yeah, I don’t have any vengeance per se (returning there this week). I’m just worried about this Michigan team this year, this Penn State team this year and preparing ourselves to the best of our ability to go out there and compete and go 1-0 this week.”

Franklin’s 1-0 each week motto has paid off in a big way for the Lions. They started figuring out their offensive identity in the ensuing Minnesota game and never looked back

Franklin was asked Tuesday about what kind of learning experience the Michigan loss was in 2016.

“If you look at how we have played really since that game, we have made a lot of corrections,” the coach said. “We’ve gotten better. I think we’re one of the better teams in the country when you look at that, and not only overall record but also specifically how those games have played, the wins, the losses, all those types of things. We’ve been very competitive.

“I think obviously I’m not happy and we’re not happy until we win them all. I get that. But to sit here and say we’re going to go back to that game (two) years ago, no. We’ve evolved, we’ve learned, we’ve grown. It’s going to be a challenge. … (Two) years ago compared to now are two completely different teams, two completely different points in our program’s development and history.”

The 49-10 loss at Michigan helped keep Penn State out of the College Football Playoff that season, along with a loss at Pitt. As close as the Lions came to making the CFP, just getting edged out by Washington, one has to wonder if their fate would have been different had they lost, say, 30-20.

But 49-10 was such an eyesore that the CFP committee could not overlook it. One thing many people did overlook in analyzing that game, though, was that Penn State was riddled with injuries defensively. The Lions were missing six defensive starters when the game began, then had a seventh go down during the game.

Like Scott, receiver DeAndre Thompkins said that 2016 fiasco at Michigan isn’t relevant at this stage.

“I mean, that was two years ago,” he said. “It’s two completely different teams.

“I can’t really speak on two years ago, but I can speak on now, and I think our mindset is to go in this game and try to come out with a win. We know it’s going to be tough, we know it’s going to be gritty and not going to be pretty. But the Big House is the Big House, Michigan is a really good team and we’re a really good team, so it’s going to be a really good game.”

SUBHD: Greedy defense

Franklin is very familiar with Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown, having worked with him at Maryland, and gave him and his defense high praise.

The Wolverines lead the nation in total defense, allowing just 220 yards per game, and Franklin called their style “greedy.”

“Most defensive coordinators will give you something while trying to take another thing away,” Franklin said. “Don does not want to give up a yard in the game. He tries to take everything away from you.

“That’s how they play. They’re going to try to pressure your quarterback, overload the box in the run game and going to take all easy throws away because they press pretty much every play. They know how you’re going to try to attack them, and you know how they’re going to try to stop you.”

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