Matt Campbell Calls Michigan One of Nation’s Top Defenses

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Penn State head coach Matt Campbell went to the numbers Tuesday instead of the atmosphere. Michigan has one of the top defenses in the country, he said, and by his own admission Ann Arbor has been a hard place for the Nittany Lions to win.

Campbell met with the media at his weekly press conference ahead of Penn State’s trip to Michigan Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 17, with kickoff scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS. On the challenge of going on the road, Campbell said,

“Do we have the leadership, the toughness and the character? You’re going to find out a lot more about us this week. Man, you’ve got to go on the road, play one of the top defenses in the country statistically. You have to go on the road and play at a place that traditionally is hard to play. Especially it’s been hard here at Penn State.”

Michigan Has the Nation’s Third-Ranked Defense

Michigan has the third-ranked defense in the FBS for the 2026 season. The Wolverines are giving up just 241.4 yards per game, and they rank No. 17 against the run at 94.6 yards per game. The Michigan defense is not the reason the Wolverines are just 3-2 this season. They have done a lot of things well defensively under first-year head coach Kyle Whittingham.

Penn State’s Offense Has Gone Quiet in Big Ten Play

Penn State averages 392.8 yards and 30.5 points per game on the season, but that production has dried up against conference opponents. The Nittany Lions have run for 116 yards combined over their last two games and are averaging fewer than 3.3 yards per carry in Big Ten play. It will no doubt be tough for them to score against this elite defense on the road.

Penn State Has Not Won in Ann Arbor Since 2020

The last time that the Nittany Lions won at Michigan was on November 28, 2020, when Penn State beat the Wolverines by a final score of 27-17. Penn State is 0-3 in Big Ten Conference play and Michigan is 0-2 in Big Ten Conference play. Either Penn State or Michigan will be getting its first win in conference play on Saturday.

Matt Campbell Wants a Prove-It Answer From His Team

Campbell also feels like his football team needs to prove it against the Wolverines, and he said,

“The prove-it mentality is exactly what I keep talking about. I’ve said it since January. I said it in July, August. I kind of said it as we kind of got in here. Adversity is going to hit. Are we tough enough to work through really hard things?”

This is a big week for both teams. Campbell knows it will not be easy to win on the road. The last thing Whittingham and the Wolverines want is a team on a three-game losing streak beating them at Michigan Stadium.

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