GET THE INSIDE SCOOP EVERY DAY WITH YOUR PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION!

P.J Fleck's Minnesota Golden Gophers will look to bounce back from their second straight loss last weekend at the hands of Illinois by going into one of the country's most hostile environments, Penn State's White Out. The Gophers (4-2) will look to down the No. 16 Nittany Lions (5-1) on Saturday evening.

Here's what you need to know about the Nittany Lions.

It was a game to forget for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Despite having a lead over the Wolverines both near the end of the first half and early in the second half, Penn State was never truly in the game or had a chance to win. The Wolverines ran all over the Nittany Lions en route to 418 total rushing yards in the game.

Was it an aberration for Penn State or is it the beginning of the trend for the Nittany Lions?

1. Can the Nittany Lions stop Minnesota's rushing attack?

It's pretty straightforward, Penn State last weekend, couldn't stop a beach ball. This week, the matchup doesn't get any easier for the Nittany Lions as they go up against one of the best offensive lines and running backs in not just the Big Ten but the country.

2. Which sixth-year quarterback will step up?

Part of this depends on Tanner Morgan's availability on Saturday but assuming Morgan starts, it will be intriguing to see which sixth-year quarterback will step up on Saturday under the lights. Both quarterbacks are in very similar positions in their careers for their programs with periods of playing at a high level but ultimately struggling to put it together for full seasons.

3. Can Minnesota's defense keep Penn State's offense in check?

Penn State's offense over the last few weeks has lost its identity. They've struggled to run the ball after looking like they made vast improvements while their passing attack has severely taken a step back. The Gophers' defense on the other hand started off hot this season but has struggled over their last two games. Could going up against an out-of-sync Penn State offense be just what Joe Rossi's unit needs?

We briefly touched on it above but Penn State's offense over their last three games has gotten quite out of sync and has lost its identity. After a strong start to the season where the Nittany Lions' rushing attack was clicking and the passing attack was explosive both have taken big steps backward the last few weeks. Here's what you need to know;

Sixth-year quarterback Sean Clifford can either be super hot or super cold at any moment during a game. Overall, he's a solid college quarterback but his inconsistencies have cost the Nittany Lions several games over his career. While he won't throw a ton of interceptions over the course of a season, he does have a tendency to miss easy big play opportunities at least once or twice per game.

The Nittany Lions' rushing attack is led by a pair of freshmen in Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Singleton is the Nittany Lions' true homerun threat, if he gets to the outside, there's a great chance he can take it all the way. Allen, on the other hand, is a bit of a thunder-and-lightning combination, he can run through the tackles at a high level but he also has his fair share of speed and elusiveness that makes it hard to bring him down.

On the other end of Sean Clifford's passes, you're likely looking at three main targets. Wide receivers Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley as well as tight end Brenton Strange. Washington and Tinsley are not necessarily game-changing wide receivers for the Nittany Lions but they're consistent, soft-handed wide receivers who will catch a majority of the passes thrown their way. Strange, on the other hand, started his season red hot but has cooled off the last few weeks as Sean Clifford has failed to look his way much over the last three weeks.

The Nittany Lions' offensive line is improved over the last few years but is still prone to be pushed around here and there. Their pass protection is greatly improved but their run blocking still has a ways to go.

On defense, prior to last week, Penn State had one of the best defenses in the country. Now, after giving up over 400 rushing yards and 41 points to Michigan last week, it's a bit harder to guess what the Nittany Lions are on the defensive side of the ball. Now, they're probably as bad as they looked a week ago but being drastically improved against the opposing run game seems to be quite unlikely, they still, however, are fantastic in coverage.

The Nittany Lions defensive line is overall pretty good, they do a great job of getting pressure on the quarterback but as we saw last week and have discussed, can struggle against the run. The biggest weakness for the Nittany Lions defensively is at linebacker. The position was expected to be a weakness coming into the season and while they've been servicable throughout the season, they have been shown to be a bad matchup for your more athletic running backs. Look for the Gophers to continue to expose the Nittany Lions' linebacker room on Saturday night.

Finally, the secondary is one of the best in the country. Joey Porter Jr is a likely first-round pick in next year's NFL Draft and sophomore Kalen King might be even better than Porter and a future first-round pick himself. The Nittany Lions have one of the deepest secondaries in the country and will be a major test for whoever is under center for the Gophers on Saturday night.

Minnesota has a chance to pull off the upset on Saturday night, especially after what we saw last week from the Nittany Lions against Michigan. If Minnesota can run the ball even to half the degree Michigan did last weekend, the Gophers' chances of winning on Saturday go drastically up.

That being said, I expect Penn State to sell out in stopping the run and doing whatever it takes to slow down Mo Ibrahim. With that, I'm not sure that the Gophers have the quarterback or wide receiver play to make enough plays through the air to ultimately win the game. Give me Penn State to win 27-20.

============================

- Talk about it INSIDE GOPHER NATION.

- SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PODCAST

- Follow us on Twitter: @MinnesotaRivals, @AlexCarlsonTGR, @SeanW_Rivals, @DylanCC_FB, @CollegeBBNews

- SUBSCRIBE to The Gopher Report.