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Posted on Tue, Oct 20, 2009 : 2:10 p.m.

Brandon Graham, Evan Royster trade words on Michigan-Penn State

By Dave Birkett

Penn State hasn’t won at Michigan Stadium since 1996, but Nittany Lions tailback Evan Royster expects that streak to end Saturday.

“I think we feel like we’re the better team and we can go out there and still beat them," Royster told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for a story published Tuesday.

Graham_Brandon_2009J.JPG

Brandon Graham

Brandon Graham’s message to Royster: Prove it.

“He’s just going to have to show it,” Graham said on a teleconference. “We’re going to come. They better come hard, cause we’re coming. I just don’t think they really know. How much preparation and how much we’ve been waiting for this game since last year. If he feels pretty confident, they better prepare. That’s all I have to say.”

Graham said he’s still bitter about Michigan’s 46-17 loss to Penn State last year. Michigan scored the game’s first 10 points and led 17-14 at halftime, but Penn State scored 32 unanswered in the second half for the win.

The Wolverines (5-2, 1-2) host No. 13 Penn State (6-1, 2-1) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC/ESPN). Michigan has won nine of the last 10 in the series.

“We had them last year, we just didn’t finish the game,” Graham said. “The score might not say we had the chance, but from the first half leading, and then come out and get beat like that, it was just not acceptable. So we just got to go out there, do what we know how to do.”

Told of Graham's comments Tuesday afternoon, Royster reiterated his feelings during a separate teleconference.

"I was just saying that it's something we kind of have to go in the game with, we have to go in with a confident attitude," he said. "It's not to make anybody mad or anything like that. It's just we feel we are the better team and we want to go out and show we can be one of the better teams in the country and we have to beat Michigan to do that."

Michael Rothstein contributed to this report. Dave Birkett covers University of Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at 734-623-2552 or by e-mail at davidbirkett@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

Comments

Signal0101

Thu, Oct 22, 2009 : 11:34 a.m.

Not sure why PSU would want to be Michigan. PSU had much better records in the past two years and has a legendary coach that has the most wins in Div 1 a football. Both Michigan and PSU are 800+ win teams. PSU has a bigger stadium as well as a #1 or #2 recruiting class this year. Right now, PSU has the edge. Don't believe me? Just ask all of the Michigan decommits that ended up leaving last year. Must have been that Appalachian State game. Why would PSU want to be Michigan? That makes no sense. As far as the referees go. Yes they were an issue in the past. Why? Because when the game expired (every Michigan fan knows what I am talking about as well as my baby sister who now goes to Michigan :)), they put one second on the clock with Michigan on the goal line. They DETERMINED the OUTCOME of the game. Anyhow, I don't look to the past very much. I think Michigan is close to becoming a very good football team but not yet there. That is not to say they can't beat Penn State but they are not there as a program yet. Players reporting the coaches for violation of practice rules, freshman QB arguing with the coach and getting benched, and etc. Too many distractions....Should be an exciting game either way.

Signal0101

Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 3:51 p.m.

Some of the fans here are clearly blinded by colors blue and yellow lol. Let me clarify the understanding of PSU's defense this year. It is second in the nation allowing 8.9pts per game and if you watched any games you know that the 8.9pts per game comes not only with its stars on the bench but also in the 3 or fourth quarter on meaningless touchdowns. To put this in perspective, the team has not allowed a single touchdown this year before halftime. If you still this PSU is "respectable" and "not much differnet" to Michigan State or other teams, you have another thing coming not only this year but in the next few years (check out PSU's recruiting class this year). Lol. And the Michigan player that said we should have won the game because we were leading in the first quarter and lost 70-3 is a darwin. Lol. Not even going to explain. Watch some tape of how nasty PSU's defense is or their 4th down goal line stand last week (forgetting the shutout) and then talk. I hope Michigan brings it because it is clear that PSU players are neither afraid nor worried about the game. Times have changed and Michigan is now viewed as the armpit of the Big Ten. Good luck.;)

GoBlueinAL

Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 1:45 p.m.

@Gina - Not until you pointed it out. Go Blue!!

Gina Valo

Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 8:49 a.m.

Did anyone else find Graham's first quote ridiculously amusing?

stevieboy

Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 1:18 a.m.

We should have beaten MSU, we definitely should have beaten Iowa. We gave those game to those teams. Michigan beat themselves. Focus,execution and hunger is the key here. They lost a little of that during those two weeks. The Deleware State game has put that back into them. Penn State is not as good as everybody think. OSU just proved that no team in this conference is a solid champion. The Big Ten is up for grabs. I see Michigan coming out on top of this game, just because they have something to prove and a big chip on their shoulders. GO BLUE!!!!!!!

Txmaizenblue

Tue, Oct 20, 2009 : 7:49 p.m.

can you say back track....too late Royster, you already provided the locker room post. Now hopefully, we move the ball on offense

gershonpsu

Tue, Oct 20, 2009 : 6:59 p.m.

There's no disputing that Lloyd Carr and Chad Henne had success against Penn State. Rich Rod not so much so far. Looking forward to a great game in the Big House. GO STATE!

rensational

Tue, Oct 20, 2009 : 3:30 p.m.

I think the key is Forcier. The defense is bound to be what it's going to be, and my understanding is PSU has one of the better defenses in the Big Ten...so running might not be as easy as it has been on some other teams. It's time to find out if Forcier's performance in the two games before DSU was about his shoulder or just him being shut down on the road against teams that played better. I believe it was his shoulder, and if it was...this is bound to be a close game, so we will need one of his classic comebacks. I agree with LRTROJAN, though, i.e. glad to see I'm not the only one holding a grudge over last year's whippin' by PSU. Never should happen. PSU might generally be a respectable team, but when it comes to Michigan they're not much different from Michigan State and Minnesota--we own all those teams. I don't see how PSU can have the kind of lackluster season they're having relative to last year in terms of how they play and fix their mouth to say they're better than Michigan.

jeremy

Tue, Oct 20, 2009 : 2:26 p.m.

Yeah, but aside from graham our defense's tackling isn't awe inspiring or making a fan very confident. Thank God the offense can score like crazy

LRTROJAN

Tue, Oct 20, 2009 : 2:13 p.m.

I love it. I'm glad to see Brandon Graham stepping up and giving this team a nasty attitude for this game. I have a feeling we are going to see a really jacked up team Saturday. Something tells me Royster and Graham are going to be seeing eachother a few times this game.