Michigan football, without Jim Harbaugh, runs through Penn State, 24-15
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. − There weren't even 90 minutes left before kickoff when official, final word came down: Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh would not lead his team Saturday in Happy Valley.
The Big Ten Conference suspended U-M's head man Friday afternoon, as he and the No. 2 Wolverines were aboard the 45-minute flight from Detroit to State College, for violating the league's sportsmanship policy.
Though Michigan was prepared to fight the ruling immediately − the University of Michigan Board of Regents and Jim Harbaugh filed for a temporary restraining order in the Washtenaw County Circuit Court in the hours that followed − it was ultimately not decided on Saturday, but instead pushed to 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 17.
So, for the fourth time in 10 games, U-M was without Harbaugh. For the fourth time, it didn't matter.
In what was said to be Michigan's biggest test on the field, following a week that ultimately became it's largest test off of it as well, the Wolverines faced early adversity but enforced their will on the ground to beat No. 9 Penn State, 24-15.
The Nittany Lions entered play with the nation's No. 1 run defense, surrendering just 60 yards per game.
However by the time Donovan Edwards ripped off his second 22-yard run of the afternoon − this one an inside handoff he was able to bounce outside on third-and-11 to high-step into the end zone mid-way through the second quarter − U-M had crossed the 100 yard mark with more than 35 minutes to play.
He followed in line behind lead back Blake Corum, who three plays earlier bounced an inside run of his own outside the left tackle, then scampered up the sideline for a gain of 44, his second longest run of the year.
But the no-doubt-about-it moment came with 4:15 to play, one-play after the defense forced a turnover on downs, when Corum ripped off a 30-yard back-breaking touchdown.
From the 7:41 mark of the second quarter for the rest of the game, Michigan didn't even attempt a pass − technically it threw the ball twice, but flags were assessed on both plays so neither went in the box score − but ran the ball on 30 consecutive offensive snaps to finish the afternoon as it dared Penn State's offense to beat them.
The Nittany Lions were unable to do so. Drew Allar completed just 10-of-21 passes for 70 yards and one touchdown and though Penn State had early success running the ball and finished with 34 rushes for 156 yards , just 57 of those came in the second half.
Corum, meanwhile, ran 26 times for 145 yards and two scores and Edwards ran 10 times for 52 yards and a score as U-M finished with 44 carries for 231 yards and three scores as a team.
J.J. McCarthy completed 7-of-8 passes for 60 yards.
Surviving a slow start
For all the success the backs had on the ground, it could be argued the most important rush of the day came from McCarthy.
The Wolverines had picked up just one first down on their first two series and were forced to punt both times when they faced third-and-10 on their own side of the field. That's when McCarthy took a designed run around the right side for a gain of 13 to move the sticks as the quarter ended.
It seemed to crack the seal, as on the first play after the break, Edwards ran through the biggest hole he's seen all year for a gain of 22. Four plays later, after Penn State was flagged for too many men on the field, Corum pounded in a three-yard score run for the game's first touchdown to cut U-M's deficit to 7-3.
Penn State had a chance to punch first, but ended up landing more of a body blow than a knockout.
The Nittany Lions had just put together a 13-play, 66-yard drive that chewed up more than six minutes of clock in the first quarter and became the first team to take a snap inside of U-M's 10 yard line all season.
However, Penn State had five snaps from inside the four and even though it had success on the ground earlier in the drive − it had run eight consecutive plays not counting a pass interference call against Will Johnson, five of which gained five yards or more − Allar threw consecutive incompletions on second and third and goal and Penn State was forced to settle for a field goal.
The Nittany Lions, however, did have more success their next time in the red zone. On the final drive of the half, Allar completed two fourth down passes to keep the possession alive, then scored from 11 yards own to go into the break down 14-9.
Penn State entered play as the top-ranked team in the nation in turnover margin and though it turned the ball over just once Saturday, it was a big one. On third-and-2 on the opening possession of the second half, Allar kept the designed QB-run but Rayshaun Benny got a paw on it from behind, forced the fumble, which Makari Paige fell on near midfield.
Commit to the ground
From there the Wolverines opened the second half with a meat-grinding 12-play, 45-yard drive.
Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore, who served as acting head coach for Harbaugh, called 12 consecutive runs on the drive, and though only J.J. McCarthy's nine-yard run on fourth-and-1 went for more than seven yards and U-M settled for a field goal, it took more than eight minutes off the clock.
Penn State picked up one first down, but ultimately punted and pinned U-M inside its 5. The Wolverines, playing it safe, ran three times and punted in their own right and then again forced a three-and-out.
Though it looked like the Wolverines may score after they got to the Penn State 43 following a Penn State flag, they were forced to punt again. U-M's defense was not phased, and forced a three-and-out, giving the offense the ball back on its own 31 with 7:05 to play.
Though the Wolverines were forced to punt, the defense forced a turnover-on-downs inside PSU territory and the offense needed just one play for the final blow. Corum took a delayed run, then burst through a hole on the left side for a 30-yard touchdown run.
It appeared Quentin Johnson sealed the game with an interception, but it was over-turned after review.
That left the game open for Penn State, who used two Michigan penalties to get down inside the Wolverines before Allar found Theo Johnson for an eight-yard score. Penn State tried a trick play on the 2-point conversion, which was unsuccessful, then U-M recovered the onside kick.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football, without Jim Harbaugh, runs through Penn State 24-15
