Penn State Football: 3 reasons Nittany Lions will beat Michigan in Week 8

2. Penn State’s front-seven is nearly unstoppable

While Penn State’s offense has looked great against some of the less formidable teams on their schedule, they have struggled at times against quality defenses like Pitt and Iowa. Their defense, on the other hand, is playing at an elite level. In particular, the front seven is nearly unstoppable.

The front seven is full of quality athletes. Yetur Gross-Matos and Shaka Toney are outstanding defensive ends and were leaders in the effort against Purdue in a team total 10 sacks. Defensive tackles Antonio Shelton and Robert Windsor are wrecking havoc on the inside. Against Iowa, Windsor nearly took over the game, providing constant pressure on quarterback Nate Stanley.

At linebacker, Jan Johnson patrols the middle while Cam Brown and freakish athlete Micah Parsons are on the outside. Outside of the starters, Penn State loves to rotate fresh bodies and they have the depth at the second and even third levels to do so.

Good luck running the ball on the Nittany Lions. They are giving up only 53.8 yards per game on the ground, good for third in the country. They have given up 49 points in six games, 8.2 points per game and second only to Wisconsin in the nation. Does not matter who they have played, those stats are quite impressive.

While the secondary does give up more through the air, they are playing good too. It’s more of a product because teams can’t run the ball against the Lions. They are very quick, athletic and stick to their gap assignments. Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson better be prepared for relentless defensive pressure Saturday night.