BleedGopher
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per Penn Live:
For program morale, for a easier path to a bowl game, and for more reasons than one can count, Penn State's Saturday meeting with Minnesota is a must-win for James Franklin's 2-2 Nittany Lions.
It's a label that doesn't come lightly, as there is plenty of logic in the school of thought that says declaring one game as so pivotal is foolish, especially this early in the season, and yet, it's hard to see this meeting with the Gophers, for the suddenly relevant Governor's Victory Bell, any other way.
Calling the trophy, which only exists because the Big Ten felt it necessary to manufacture "rivals" for Penn State when it joined the Big Ten, relevant would be silly in most cases, but considering it goes to the winning side, allowing it to go back to Minnesota with Tracey Claeys team would equal another setback, another missed opportunity to right the ship, and more questions than answers for the Lions five weeks into the college football season.
Minnesota can be had defensively, as it seems a bit prone to missing tackles and might not matchup all that well with Penn State's spread attack. But, like every other opponent the Lions have faced so far, it will try to take away the run (Claeys has already declared as much) and force the Lions to make plays in space, something they've done very well at times and not so well at others.
The Gophers (3-0) also have a quarterback in Mitch Leidner who can run a bit and cause havoc because of it, which is a proven weakness for Penn State's injury-riddled defense. Minnesota also has a very big, and experienced, offensive line that rivals what PSU saw against Pittsburgh and Michigan in those two areas, which will make the challenge all the greater.
Oddsmakers have installed the Lions as three-point favorites as of this writing, and theoretically, Penn State's skill players on offense should overwhelm Minnesota's back seven enough to win the day; the Gophers are undefeated, but they haven't beat a quality opponent by any measure. Yet, it's hard to call anything a certainty at this point of the Lions season.
All we know is that Penn State has a record many predicted it would have heading into October but more injuries than anyone could have guessed. It will face a considerable step down in Minnesota compared to Michigan, but the defense must hold up, and the offense click better than it did in Ann Arbor, to move to 3-2. Check both of those boxes, and it's on to Maryland on a high note. Miss on both, and it's likely that the frustrations grow louder.
So, yes, it is a must-win, for any number of reasons.
http://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/index.ssf/2016/09/penn_state_must_win_minnesota.html
Go Gophers!!
For program morale, for a easier path to a bowl game, and for more reasons than one can count, Penn State's Saturday meeting with Minnesota is a must-win for James Franklin's 2-2 Nittany Lions.
It's a label that doesn't come lightly, as there is plenty of logic in the school of thought that says declaring one game as so pivotal is foolish, especially this early in the season, and yet, it's hard to see this meeting with the Gophers, for the suddenly relevant Governor's Victory Bell, any other way.
Calling the trophy, which only exists because the Big Ten felt it necessary to manufacture "rivals" for Penn State when it joined the Big Ten, relevant would be silly in most cases, but considering it goes to the winning side, allowing it to go back to Minnesota with Tracey Claeys team would equal another setback, another missed opportunity to right the ship, and more questions than answers for the Lions five weeks into the college football season.
Minnesota can be had defensively, as it seems a bit prone to missing tackles and might not matchup all that well with Penn State's spread attack. But, like every other opponent the Lions have faced so far, it will try to take away the run (Claeys has already declared as much) and force the Lions to make plays in space, something they've done very well at times and not so well at others.
The Gophers (3-0) also have a quarterback in Mitch Leidner who can run a bit and cause havoc because of it, which is a proven weakness for Penn State's injury-riddled defense. Minnesota also has a very big, and experienced, offensive line that rivals what PSU saw against Pittsburgh and Michigan in those two areas, which will make the challenge all the greater.
Oddsmakers have installed the Lions as three-point favorites as of this writing, and theoretically, Penn State's skill players on offense should overwhelm Minnesota's back seven enough to win the day; the Gophers are undefeated, but they haven't beat a quality opponent by any measure. Yet, it's hard to call anything a certainty at this point of the Lions season.
All we know is that Penn State has a record many predicted it would have heading into October but more injuries than anyone could have guessed. It will face a considerable step down in Minnesota compared to Michigan, but the defense must hold up, and the offense click better than it did in Ann Arbor, to move to 3-2. Check both of those boxes, and it's on to Maryland on a high note. Miss on both, and it's likely that the frustrations grow louder.
So, yes, it is a must-win, for any number of reasons.
http://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/index.ssf/2016/09/penn_state_must_win_minnesota.html
Go Gophers!!
