Michigan football score vs. Minnesota: Game recap, highlights

Michigan football (6-0, 3-0) flashed its championship merit for a full 60 minutes the first time this season against Nebraska last week and repeated the performance Saturday to avoid a slip-up against Minnesota (3-3, 1-2).

It is the second straight game for the Wolverines on the road against a Big Ten West opponent after starting the season with four straight home games. The game kicked off at 7:30 EDT in Minneapolis and was televised on NBC. Michigan was an 18.5 point favorite.

Game recap

Final: Michigan obliterates Minnesota for 52-10 win

Michigan is a perfect 6-0 halfway through the 2023 season after dismantling Minnesota 52-10 on the road. The Wolverines were a class above the Gophers from the jump and didn’t relent the entire 60 minutes for the biggest win of the season so far.

Michigan’s defense set the tone immediately with a pick-six from Will Johnson on the second play of the game. Outside of a blown coverage that led to a Minnesota touchdown right before halftime, it was a perfect night after the big play early defensively. Michigan held Minnesota to 169 total yards and got another pick-six from Keon Sabb to finish the night outscoring the Gophers by themselves.

Offensively, it was another efficient and dominant performance. With the help of the defensive touchdowns, the Wolverines scored 52 points on 58 total plays. J.J. McCarthy had two rushing touchdowns to go along with his 14 of 20 for 214 yards and one touchdown passing performance. Blake Corum had 69 yards on nine carries and scored his 10th touchdown of the season. The Wolverines were so dominant that the starters sat the entire fourth quarter after already amassing a 45-10 lead.

Michigan returns to Ann Arbor next week for its first Big Ten East battle with Indiana.

9:21, fourth quarter: Leon Franklin rushing TD puts Michigan up 52-10

The reserves are in the game for Michigan but the offense did not lose a beat. Backup quarterback Jack Tuttle and running back Kalel Mullings led the Wolverines down the field in 10 plays with the same ease as the starters. Michigan capped off the drive with a goal line rushing touchdown from reserve running back Leon Franklin to break 50 points.

1:43, third quarter: Keon Sabb records Michigan's second pick-six

The Michigan defense came up with another big play immediately after the Loveland touchdown. Keon Sabb sat on an out route and easily came down with the Minnesota pass and returned it to the house. Michigan's defense has now outscored Minnesota by themselves with the second score. The real competition for the rest of the game is if the Wolverine defense can keep that up because the game is all but over.

3:20, third quarter: Colston Loveland hauls in 24-yard touchdown catch, Michigan leads 38-10

The route is officially on in Minneapolis. After another quick stop on defense, J.J. McCarthy and the Michigan offense cruised right back into Minnesota territory. The Wolverines converted a third and short with a short run at the 25, then took a shot deep to tight end Colston Loveland the next play. Loveland faked a short route and spun past the defender down the sideline for the wide open touchdown.

8:28, third quarter: J.J. McCarthy runs for his second touchdown

J.J. McCarthy's dual threat abilities are shining tonight in the red zone. For the second time, McCarthy has kept the ball on a read option inside the 10 yard line and raced for the pylon and stiff-arming a defender on the way for a rushing touchdown. The drive was kickstarted by a couple of McCarthy passes to his favorite target, Roman Wilson, for big plays. It is the first career game with two rushing touchdowns for the Wolverine quarterback.

Halftime: Minnesota hits deep shot to end first half, Michigan leads 24-10

Minnesota drove into field goal range with less than 30 seconds left but did not settle for the kick despite letting the clock tick as long as possible. With six seconds left, Gopher quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis threw a deep shot to Daniel Jackson, who beat Mike Sainristil one-on-one on stop-and-go route for a 49-yard touchdown.

The big play put a slight damper on another dominant half for Michigan. It started with a pick-six by Will Johnson on the second play of the game, and the defense continued playing well until the Sainristil error. On offense, Michigan hasn't faced much resistance on the ground or through the air so far. J.J. McCarthy is 8-10 for 124 yards and one rushing touchdown and Blake Corum has 60 yards and one touchdown.

5:50, second quarter: McCarthy runs for touchdown, Michigan leads 24-3

Michigan's offense is humming in Minneapolis. The Wolverines moved down the field quickly on two big passes to Donovan Edwards and Cornelius Johnson, who made a leaping contested catch for 49 yards. After Johnson's highlight, J.J. McCarthy kept it himself and raced to the pylon for his second rushing touchdown of the season.

10:08, second quarter: Corum punches in touchdown for 17-3 lead

Blake Corum finally got loose for a big run and gained 40 yards into Minnesota territory on the first play of the drive. A few runs and a pass to Roman Wilson later, Michigan found itself on the goal line. Corum pounded it in from the 1-yard line on his second attempt to double Michigan's lead.

2:35, first quarter: Minnesota hits long field goal to cut Michigan lead to 10-3

Minnesota found some success on its third drive by pounding the ball on the ground. The Golden Gophers moved the ball down the field on tough runs but ran into a wall at the Michigan 37-yard line. Mason Graham, who returned from a hand injury, made a big play to make a tackle for loss to end the drive. Minnesota kicker Dragan Kesich barely cleared the crossbar on a 54-yard kick but made it to make it 10-3, Michigan.

7:33, first quarter: Michigan adds field goal to go up 10-0

Michigan's offense also had a successful first stint on the field, but it wasn't as fruitful as the defense's. The Wolverines moved deep into Minnesota territory thanks to a fourth down conversion at midfield but had to settle for a field goal. James Turner nailed the chip shot for the early two-score lead.

14:48, first quarter: Will Johnson pick-six gives Michigan instant lead

Michigan's top-ranked defense did not take long to make their mark on the game. On the second play of the game, cornerback Will Johnson jumped an out route and intercepted the pass for an easy return for a touchdown.

The play was so good that Jim Harbaugh had to get involved with the celebration.

Pregame notes

Michigan received the second-most first place votes in this week’s top-25 poll after dominating Nebraska 45-7. The Wolverines accumulated 436 total yards of offense against a Cornhusker defense that was stout before that matchup thanks to another great performance from Blake Corum, Roman Wilson and J.J. McCarthy running the show.

Michigan’s defense is no. 1 in the country in scoring, only allowing six points per game, and held Nebraska scoreless for the first 56 minutes of the game before the backups allowed a touchdown late.

The Wolverines will have another favorable matchup this week against Minnesota’s offense, who ranks 95th in the country in scoring (24 points per game) and heavily favors running the ball. Defensive tackle Mason Graham is expected to return from injury after missing the first two conference games.

Michigan has won three straight games in the Little Brown Jug rivalry with Minnesota, dating back to 2014. The last matchup was during the COVID-altered 2020 season, when current Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton led the Wolverines to a 49-24 victory in Minneapolis.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football vs. Minnesota: Game recap, highlights