Josh Hull has a pretty good idea of how the league's top passing unit plans to attack.
He expects it to be right at the defense -- on the ground.
"I really feel that they're going to try to come out and run the ball first," the linebacker said during his Wednesday conference call.
"If we can't stop that, they'll continue to do it. If we do shut the run game down, their attack in the air is pretty good."
Thanks to a strong passing game, Michigan State brings forth the Big Ten's No. 1 offensive club in terms of yards per game.
Despite facing an offense that averages about 134 more yards per game through the air than on the ground, Penn State is prepared to keep an eye on the Spartan running backs even though it shut down Michigan State's biggest threat last season in Javon Ringer. Ringer posted his
season-low of 42 rushing yards in the 2008 meeting.
With Ringer gone, a handful of players have carried the load. Four players have posted at least 200 rushing yards, including wide receiver Keshawn Martin, who's averaged 15.5 yards per carry on 14 attempts.
"We have to be on our toes all four downs," linebacker Navorro Bowman said. "We don't know what they're gonna do. They're a real balanced offense. We have to be a balanced defense and be ready for whatever they're throwing at us."
When it comes to assessing Michigan State's offensive line, defensive tackle Jared Odrick said it's a unit composed of big guys who know how to pass block, as the linemen check in from 6-foot-4 to 6-foot-7. Comparatively, Penn State's expected offensive line starters measure at 6-foot-3 to 6-foot-5.
The Spartan front has kept quarterback Kirk Cousins' jersey clean by conceding just 12 sacks this season as he's has emerged to throw for 17 touchdowns and only five interceptions.
"They've beaten some pretty good football teams," Penn State head coach Joe Paterno said.
"They've been in games where they scored a lot of points, maybe not enough to win, but they've been very competitive because of their quarterback."
Indeed, Michigan State has lost
three games in which it scored at least 30 points.
Despite the size of the line and the high-flying pass attack, the Spartans actually rank just No. 70 in the nation in third down conversions. Conversely, the Lions are holding opponents to a 33.33 conversion rate to tie for No. 16 in the country.
Although this is one area Penn State has a clear advantage, Hull doesn't foresee any aspect where the stop unit can exploit Michigan State.
"I don't think so. In the past, Michigan State's always been a really physical team," Hull said. "They're not afraid to run the ball between the tackles and come right at us."
