by Chuck Sommers
Monday, Sep 19, 2022
Game time: Noon ET
Venue: Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA
Where to watch: BTN
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Season record
Central Michigan: 1-2
No. 22 Penn State: 3-0
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Central Michigan - Penn State preview, analysis and prediction
Last week
Central Michigan: won 41-0 vs. Bucknell
Penn State: won 41-12 at Auburn
The Penn State Nittany Lions might be good, folks. And if there was ever a year where the James Franklin era finally paid off, it might be this one. Penn State is going for a 4-0 start and can get that with a win against the Central Michigan Chippewas this upcoming Saturday.
The Penn State Nittany Lions might be good, folks. And if there was ever a year where the James Franklin era finally paid off, it might be this one. Penn State is going for a 4-0 start and can get that with a win against the Central Michigan Chippewas this upcoming Saturday.
You could’ve looked at the first two road games as trap games for Penn State. The opener against Purdue, where the Nittany Lions had to rally and win that one late, is definitely labeled as one. It’s also not easy for teams to go into Jordan-Hare and defeat Auburn as soundly as they did this past weekend.
Going on the road and winning 41-12 against Auburn – even though there are plenty of questions with Auburn right now – was a big win for this Penn State team that’s trying to come up the rear when it comes to the Big Ten. How do you get to the level of Ohio State and Michigan? Keep winning games like that.
But right now, the star at Penn State is freshman running back Nick Singleton, who is a walking explosive play every time he touches the ball. He had 124 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 carries, which is all Sean Clifford needed to have a proficient day (14 of 19, 178 yards).
“The ability to be more balanced and take pressure off the passing game has been really important for us,” said Penn State coach James Franklin. “We also have some dynamic backs that can help create some explosive plays.”
At the time of publishing, Penn State will likely see a bump in their top-25 ranking, and it’s well-deserved. Penn State is clearly that team in the Big Ten that no one wants to play and will be a formidable opponent to one of the top dogs. One way they can do that is continue this dominance in the running game.
Penn State had 245 rushing yards compared to Auburn’s 119. They held Tank Bigsby, one of the best running backs in the SEC to just 39 yards on nine carries.
“We emphasized it all week long, and we were able to make (Auburn) one-dimensional, to a degree,” Franklin said. “Obviously, there’s some things we’ve gotta get cleaned up in the passing game. But that was the plan. We wanted to put (Finley) in a position to beat us, and I think we did that.”
Penn State returns home to what is likely going to be a raucous home crowd in Happy Valley, and going 4-0 won’t be an issue against an interesting Central Michigan team. The Chips are coming off their first win of the season on Saturday against Bucknell, 41-0. Prior to that, CMU lost to No. 7 Oklahoma State by just two scores, but followed that with a home opener dud against South Alabama.
The passing game led by Daniel Richardson was fairly sound last year and should give Penn State some fits this time around. But that’s all it’ll be: fits. Because Penn State should not lose this game.
Prediction
Clifford is a steady presence that isn’t going to turn the ball over often. In these kinds of games where time of possession will be important, it’ll be key for the Nittany Lions to control clock, win with big plays, and continue to dominate possession. That’ll happen here. Penn State by 28
Betting trends
Central Michigan is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 road games.
Central Michigan is 0-3 ATS in its last three following consecutive non-conference games.
Penn State is 7-6 ATS in its last 13 home games.
Penn State is 18-11 ATS in its last 29 against MAC opponents.
Statistical leaders
Central Michigan:
Passing: Daniel Richardson -- 889 yards, 7 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Lew Nichols III -- 258 yards, 5 TD
Receiving: Jalen McGaughy -- 200 yards, 2 TD
Penn State:
Passing: Sean Clifford -- 673 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Nick Singleton -- 334 yards, 4 TD
Receiving: Brenton Strange -- 169 yards, 1 TD
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
