Penn State Preparing to be Without Star Player Again Against Michigan

Saturday in Ann Arbor will be a very fascinating environment when the Nittany Lions do battle with the Michigan Wolverines. These are two of the most disappointing programs in college football so far this year.

Both teams got new coaches this offseason, which infused both programs with a fair and fresh dose of excitement. 

And then, the games started. Penn State is going through a three-game stretch from hell, while the Michigan Wolverines have had a season that not even Hollywood could write the script for. 

Now, the two teams will line up against each other, both yearning for a win. It was never going to be easy for the Nittany Lions, but they didn't get good injury news on Tuesday. Head coach matt Campbell announced that his star wide receiver, Koby Howard, will likely not play this weekend and it is likely that we won't see him until after the bye week.

The Nittany Lions have been without Howard for the last three weeks, and coincidentally, the Nittany Lions are 0-3 in those games. Now, this isn't to say that if Howard had played that they would have won, but he certainly would have helped.

In three games this year, he had 12 catches for 344 yards and three touchdowns on the young season. 

As he scampered for a 70-yard touchdown against Buffalo, he got "nicked up" on his way to the endzone, and it has cost him a quarter of the season, and it has cost the Nittany Lions the chance at at least a couple of wins this year. 

Looking ahead, Penn State could have really used him this week in their game against Michigan. They really do need him because this offense is stagnant, and truthfully, they are just bad. 

They have had bad quarterback play to this point in the season, but it doesn't help that their receivers have been subpar and Howard has been missing in action.

For the big picture, the Nittany Lions just desperately need a victory any way possible. Sure, they won't have their best player for yet another week, but they have to scratch and claw to get the victory in any way possible.

A win over Michigan would go a long way to settling the nerves around the program as it heads into the bye week. They are going to lose several more football games this year, but as long as they can beat Michigan, they will have at least something to salvage from this season.

Now, if the flipside happens, well, we don't need to think about that yet.

Koby Howard is out for Saturday against Michigan; hopefully they get him back after the bye week.