O'Brien focused on Nits' preparations for Michigan

STATE COLLEGE - Here's what Bill O'Brien wanted to talk about yesterday: His team and Michigan. End of list.

Penn State's head coach had his mind on this Saturday, not the last one. Not the one in which Penn State laid an egg in its Big Ten Conference opener, losing to Indiana by 20 points.

"I've moved on to Michigan. Indiana is over. It's in the rearview mirror," O'Brien said at his weekly news conference. "That game is over. We're focused on Michigan. We're putting together a game plan. It'll be finalized probably [tonight], and we feel like it's a good game plan. But again, we've got to go out and execute it on Saturday night."

Fresh off the disappointment at Indiana - in which the team surrendered 31 points in the second half - the Nittany Lions will try to avoid slipping to 3-3 against No. 18 Michigan at Beaver Stadium.

After Saturday's loss, O'Brien said that this is not a "normal" Penn State team, a reference to the team's lack of scholarship players because of NCAA sanctions after the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal. He was asked about scholarship reductions yesterday.

"I'm not talking about scholarships, sanctions, anything. I'm talking about Michigan," he said. "Our team is focused on Michigan. I'm here to talk about Michigan and Michigan only, and our team."

Penn State will face a 5-0 Michigan team, which had to squeak out wins against Akron and Connecticut to get there. Saturday's contest will mark the first time O'Brien and Michigan coach Brady Hoke will face each other as opposing coaches.

Though Wolverines quarterback Devin Gardner isn't having the type of season some expected, he remains the catalyst of the offense. Gardner is averaging 270.8 total yards (207.2 passing, 63.6 rushing) a game, has 14 total TDs and eight interceptions this season.

"He's a dangerous guy, because he can run and throw, and there's a number of guys like that in this conference," O'Brien said. "I think the thing you've got to try to do is really try to keep him in the pocket. When he gets out of the pocket, he's very dangerous."

Gardner will be up against a Penn State defense that was picked apart for 486 yards by Indiana. The Lions have allowed an average of 496.5 yards in their two losses, as opposed to a combined 633 yards in their three victories.

"I wouldn't point to one thing in particular, I would just put it down to execution, just sometimes we're just not functioning as an entire whole, one person, like missing an assignment here or there, and that can hurt us," middle linebacker Glenn Carson said of the defense's struggles. "We're just really not going out and executing it sometimes, and we've just really got to fix that and just play all 11 at once."

O'Brien noted wide receivers Allen Robinson and Brandon Felder will be ready to play against Michigan.

Robinson (621 yards, five TDs) landed hard on his back against Indiana, but returned to the game. Felder (16 catches, 135 yards) missed the Indiana game with an ankle injury.

Safety and placekick holder Ryan Keiser - who didn't play against Indiana - is questionable for with a hand ailment.