ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Usually for the fall, turnovers are a delicious addition to the diet and a nice touch on a crisp, cool day. In a football game featuring two 3-3 teams in search of their first Big Ten wins, turnovers shouldn’t have been the main course, but on this Saturday they were.
Both teams served up turnovers, but Michigan was able to turn all three Penn State turnovers into touchdowns and that was the difference in the 21-18 defeat.
TURNOVERS
Penn State forced two Bryce Underwood interceptions that were sheer beauties and sent him to the bench for the second half.
Zion Tracy hauled in this bouncing ball for the first interception of the day in the second quarter. It thwarted a drive by Underwood and the Wolverines and started to swing momentum back to the Nittany Lions.
Zion Tracy with a crazy INT for @PennStateFball 😳
Watch on CBS https://t.co/2mi5c9zJEM
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) October 17, 2026
Josiah Zayas hauled in a one-handed interception to ensure Penn State went into the half with the lead.
ONE-HANDED PICK JOSIAH ZAYAS 👀 @PennStateFball
Watch on CBS https://t.co/piUHeCwmWC
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) October 17, 2026
From there though, the Nittany Lions couldn’t force any turnovers and the Rocco Becht threw two costly interceptions, both of which he’s sure to want back.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Instead of punting and heading into the half like Penn State did with their turnovers, the Wolverines turned each pick into seven points and took a 14-3 lead in the third quarter.
Becht’s fumble in the fourth on what could have been a game-winning drive put the nail in the coffin for Penn State and set the stage for yet another Michigan scoring drive.
DEFENSE HAS A DAY
Defensively, the Nittany Lions played about as complete of a game as they have in Big Ten play thus far. They were gashed late with big runs, but overall, Penn State was able to keep the Wolverines in check for most of the game.
Of course, a pass rush would be fun to see and so to would be tackling in important situations, but alas, that’s been a problem all season and why would it change now?
THE CHASE IS ON
Penn State has desperately been searching for a top receiver to replace the injured Koby Howard and Chase Sowell has quickly risen to the occasion. Sowell hauled in 11 of his 15 targets for 151 yards and a touchdown against Michigan.
Howard getting healthy and a confident Sowell could be just what the doctor ordered for a Penn State offense that is in dire need of success and an identity.
