UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. _ Some people might have been surprised when initial betting lines established Penn State as a 12-point or so favorite over Michigan.
Not only because the Wolverines are a pretty fair team _ after all, they're 5-1 and ranked 19th in the country _ but because there's no guarantee Penn State and Michigan will combine to score enough points to reach double-digits.
Sure, they probably will, and there are enough playmakers on each team that the game might even turn out to be something of a shootout.
That likely isn't the way to wager, though.
Not when the No. 2 Nittany Lions enter the game at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Beaver Stadium with the stingiest scoring defense in the nation, allowing just nine points per game, and the Wolverines are giving up just 223.8 yards per game, fewest among Football Bowl Subdivision teams.
Now, Saquon Barkley could singlehandedly surpass that figure by breaking three or four long runs, but Michigan opponents don't do that sort of thing very often. The Wolverines are allowing an average of just under 86 rushing yards per game.
"We've got one of the best offenses in the country," Penn State coach James Franklin said. "We've got a tremendous challenge this week against one of the best defenses in the country. ... There's going to be some pretty interesting chess matches going between all the coordinators."
The most celebrated of those is Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown, architect of a system that has earned the Wolverines high rankings in numerous categories, from most three-and-outs forced (7.8 per game) to fewest third-down conversions allowed (20.5 percent).
Brown's defense not only is laden with quality personnel _ "They're extremely physical, but also extremely athletic and fast," Penn State tight end Mike Gesicki said Wednesday _ but is extremely aggressive.
"They're a big wreck-the-decision-maker, try to get to the quarterback as much as they possibly can and either sack him or make him uncomfortable in the pocket, and don't give any yards away," Franklin said. "No free-access throws.
"A lot of the stuff they do is unorthodox. When you watch it on tape for short periods of time, you're trying to make sense of it. But they play aggressive, which is I think the most important thing that they do."
That will be evident not only up front, where Maurice Hurst and Rashan Gary could make life miserable for a Penn State offensive line that has looked out of sync for much of the season, but in the passing game, where the Wolverines deploy smothering man-to-man coverage.
That's the antithesis of the loose secondary play Penn State faced in its most recent game, a 31-7 victory Oct. 7 at Northwestern, although its receivers don't seem to mind.
"Personally, I like 'man,' because it's more of a challenge," DeAndre Thompkins said.
The Nittany Lions have a fairly diverse attack. They rank 15th in the nation in points per game (39.7), while averaging 165 yards on the ground and 291.2 passing.
Michigan's offense is balanced, passing for an average of 191 while rushing for 185, but generating just 27.2 points per game.
"We're not humming on all cylinders," coach Jim Harbaugh said. "There's still growth to be had."
Changing that against Penn State's defense _ a veteran, poised, opportunistic group that has forced 17 turnovers _ won't be easy.
"I don't see them giving up a lot of big plays in the running game or the passing game, which means they're really sound," Harbaugh said. "They're obviously really good players.
"They get to the ball, close up gaps and they're rarely out of position. We're still looking for the best ways to attack this defense."
