In week 9, Michigan defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions 34–8 in front of a record crowd of 97,498 at Beaver Stadium. Penn State entered the game with the longest active winning streak among major colleges at 12 games and was ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll and No. 3 in the Coaches Poll. Michigan was 8–0 and ranked No. 4 in both polls. The game matched Michigan's defense, which was ranked first in Division I-A in scoring defense (7.5 points per game), yards per game (202.5) and pass efficiency rating (77.5), against Penn State's offense, which was ranked eighth in total offense (464 yards per game) and ninth in rushing offense (240 yards per game).