By: Tyler Millen - GoPSUsports.com
Two regular season games remain for No. 4 Penn State who is coming off a 39-point win on the road against Purdue. The Nittany Lions march to Minneapolis for a clash with Minnesota for the 17th time in program history on Saturday at 3:30 on CBS.
Penn State (9-1) has won its last two games by a combined score of 84-16 and faces a 6-4 Golden Gophers team looking to bounce back after a 26-19 loss to Rutgers on Nov. 9. The Nittany Lions hold a 10-6 lead in the all-time series and took the last meeting 45-17 in 2022 at Beaver Stadium.
Penn State has won six of the last eight meetings against Minnesota who is led by eight-year head coach P.J. Fleck. Minnesota is tied for fourth in the country with 16 interceptions and is 17th nationally in passing defense which will challenge junior quarterback Drew Allar who has a 71.9 completion percentage, 2,253 passing yards and 16 touchdowns to just five interceptions.
Head coach James Franklin said the Golden Gophers, “do a really good job with their run blitzes, but they're going to line up and play hard and play fast and play physical, and that's showing up.” Minnesota is 11th nationally in total defense, 12th in scoring defense at just 17.7 points per game allowed and is first in the Big Ten in turnovers created which has become a point of emphasis for Franklin.
“The stats that we talk about week in and week out is the turnover ratio and the explosive play ratio and those two things are going to be critical on Saturday,” Franklin said. “And with a team that’s doing a really good job of turnover ratio, I think they’re plus-12, that’s going to be a major factor in the game and we’ve done a good job of protecting the football and we’re going to have to continue to do that.”
A key matchup on Saturday will be the Nittany Lions rushing defense against the Golden Gophers ground game. Penn State is fifth in the country in rushing defense - allowing 98.6 rushing yards per game - and Minneasota is 121st nationally in rushing offense with just over 100 yards per contest.
The Nittany Lions are fourth nationally in total defense with 272.6 yards per game allowed and stand sixth in the country in scoring defense with 13.6 points per game allowed. Penn State has allowed just 49 second-half points across 10 games in 2024 and Franklin said his defense is hungry to generate more turnovers.
“The next step is not just the confidence of breaking the ball up, but actually going after the ball,” Franklin said. “Most importantly, I want to continue to play great defense, which I think we are doing. I don't think Tom Allen and the defensive side of the ball is getting enough credit for how good of defense we're playing.”
Another compelling matchup is how both teams execute on third down. Penn State is fifth nationally in third down percentage while Minnesota is ranked 18th in that category. These scenarios are where the Nittany Lions defensive line shines including junior defensive end Adbul Carter.
Carter recorded a pair of tackles for loss against the Boilermakers and led Penn State with five tackles. Carter displayed his signature speed, tenacity and tackling on Saturday and is facing a Minnesota offensive line that ranks 13th in the Big Ten in sacks allowed per game.
Carter has three consecutive games with multiple tackles for loss and has eight TFLs in the last three games. Carter has 17.5 tackles for loss on the season which is second in the FBS and is seventh in sacks with eight.
“When you watch the tape, the guy is impactful,” Franklin said. “Whether it's sacks, whether it's tackles for loss, whether it's holding calls, whether it is obvious that they have a specific plan in how they're trying to limit his impact, keeping tight ends in, keeping running backs in, always sliding in his direction so there's a double team between the tackle and the guard. He is impacting the game in a number of ways, which creates opportunities for other guys on our defensive line and within our defense and causes a lot of headaches.”