Michigan vs. Penn State: Five takeaways from a Wolverines’ win
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It looked as if Michigan was going to have full control of the game against the undefeated Nittany Lions on Saturday. The Wolverines went right down the field against Penn State in their first three possessions, but settled for two field goals and one touchdown in the red zone while forcing two three-and-outs against Penn State.
But fluky things happened in the first half. Sean Clifford had a 62-yard run when the entire stadium thought he was going to hand the ball off on third down. J.J. McCarthy threw a pick six on a tipped ball that ricocheted off a Nittany Lions’ helmet and settled in the hands of Curtis Jacobs who took it to the house.
Michigan entered halftime leading, 16-14. The Wolverines outgained Penn State 274-83 and had 18 first downs compared to Penn State’s one in the first half.
The second half was similar to the first half, except for Michigan also dominating the scoreboard.
Michigan outscored Penn State 25-3 and the duo of Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards went wild. The defense continued its dominance and the game ended with the Wolverines entering their bye week undefeated after a 41-17 win.
Here are my five takeaways from the Michigan win.
Michigan is going to run on anyone
Photo by: Isaiah Hole
Penn State entered the game as the fifth-best run defense, allowing an average of 79.8 yards per game on the ground. The Nittany Lions have been extremely stout against the run all year.
Until Saturday.
The Wolverines unleashed the wrath of their run game against Penn State. The maize and blue churned yardage at a high level against a top-ranked run defense. This time, it wasn’t all Blake Corum either, Donovan Edwards had his fair share of yardage.
Michigan ran for 418 yards on Saturday. Blake Corum continued his excellent season by gaining 166 yards on the ground, and he ran for two scores. His counterpart, Edwards, ran for 173 yards and two scores.
The maize and blue averaged 7.6 yards per carry against the Nittany Lions. After seeing Michigan dominate the run game as it did on Saturday, I don’t see who is going to stop this masterful running attack.
Blake Corum belongs in the Heisman race
Photo by: Isaiah Hole
Blake Corum had his fourth straight 100-yard or more performance. But he had a lot more than 100 yards.
The junior went nuts on a national stage against Penn State. Corum carried the ball 28 times for 166 yards (5.9 yards per carry) and two touchdowns against the No. 5 run defense in the nation.
Corum’s name has been surfacing around the country as a dark-horse Heisman candidate. After the game against Penn State, his name needs to be heard.
Corum is leading Michigan at an insane rate, and the Wolverines’ offense will continue to excel as long as he is playing at a high level.
Dominant performance by the Michigan defense
Photo by: Isaiah Hole
Only one big play was allowed by Michigan on Saturday, and that one surprised everyone.
After back-to-back three-and-outs forced by the Michigan defense, Penn State was about to have another during its third drive of the game. But Sean Clifford kept a ball on a read-option play that shocked the entire state of Michigan, and none of the Wolverines were ready for it. Clifford ran for 62-yards which set up a one-yard score.
Outside of that one play, the Wolverines didn’t allow much of anything, and Michigan stuffed the Penn State run game. The Nittany Lions needed to run the ball against Michigan to win this game, but Penn State managed 103 yards on the ground.
This Michgian defense continues to surge at a high level each and every game, and it’s hard to find much fault with this group.
Offensive play calling was masterful
Photo by: Isaiah Hole
The past few weeks, the Michigan offense had been very vanilla and simple. On Saturday, the Wolverines seemed to right that ship.
The offensive play-calling was arguably the best it’s been all season. The Wolverines did a good job of breaking tendencies by mixing up passes and runs on different downs. Michigan disguised what it was doing with different formations, such as the pistol set, which was pivotal on Saturday.
While he didn’t throw for a bunch of yards, J.J. McCarthy completed some easy throws with the play calls allowing his receivers to get separation. Of course, it helps when your run game is at full force.
Michigan fans should be happy to see the offense moving as it did against Penn State. Just need to fix the red zone woes.
Shore up the red zone offense
Photo by: Isaiah Hole
Michigan entered the red zone six times on Saturday against Penn State. But the Wolverines managed only two touchdowns.
Jake Moody earned his scholarship on Saturday after kicking four field goals for the maize and blue.
Entering the game, Penn State was one of the best teams defending the end zone when teams entered the red zone. The Nittany Lions had only allowed six touchdowns all season to opposing teams in the red zone.
That trend continued against Michigan. The Wolverines moved the ball at will against Penn State, but the offense definitely sputtered once it got past the Penn State 20-yard line.
While it didn’t come back to hurt them in the end, it was extremely covering in the first half. Michigan. went into halftime up just two and kicked three field goals.
Something to work on for Sherrone Moore and Matt Weiss as Michigan enters a bye week before hosting Michigan State.
