Michigan football dominates UNLV in 35-7 win at Big House: How it happened
The Michigan Wolverines matched up Saturday in Ann Arbor against Mountain West opponent UNLV. Michigan was looking to stay perfect on the young season without head coach Jim Harbaugh, currently serving a three-game self-imposed suspension.
In his place Saturday in Week 2 acting as interim head coach: Jay Harbaugh, Jim's son, handled the first half with Mike Hart, the former All-American running back for the Wolverines, taking over the second half.
Jim Harbaugh meanwhile was on the sidelines at a youth football game in the chain gang.
But back to Michigan Stadium: Here's a recap of the big plays and game-changing moments you need to know about from Michigan's 35-7 victory over UNLV.
Final: Michigan takes down UNLV 35-7
Michigan dominated from start to finish in its second game of the year to punish UNLV 35-7. Blake Corum pounded in three touchdowns on the ground and Roman Wilson hauled in two touchdown catches. J.J. McCarthy had another impressive performance, completing 22 of 25 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns. The Wolverines nearly held UNLV to a shutout before surrendering a touchdown with less than three minutes left.
Michigan remains undefeated without Jim Harbaugh, who is currently serving a three-game suspension. The Wolverines will look to remain perfect without its head coach next week against Bowling Green.
3 QUESTIONS: Michigan football's front seven redeems itself by turning UNLV QB into 'human piñata'
2:43, fourth quarter: UNLV breaks shutout with late touchdown run
Michigan's defense couldn't hold onto the shutout with reserves on the field late in the blowout against UNLV. Jordan Young-Humphrey found the endzone on a 20-yard touchdown run to give UNLV points before leaving Ann Arbor.
14:45, fourth quarter: Backup QB Davis Warren throws interception
Michigan's backups had the first big mistake of the day to start the fourth quarter. Reserve quarterback Davis Warren threw an interception over the middle deep in UNLV territory.
3:16, third quarter: Blake Corum scores third touchdown, Michigan leads 35-0
Blake Corum's campaign for back-to-back All-American honors is off to a strong start. The senior running back powered in for his third touchdown after a Cornelius Johnson reverse set Michigan up inside the 10-yard line.
8:08, third quarter: UNLV fails on fourth down
UNLV's best chance of the day came to a halt inside of the Michigan 40-yard line. Michigan stuffed the run on fourth down to keep the shutout intact. The Wolverines have only surrendered 77 yards so far.
10:31, third quarter: Michigan goes up 28-0 on 47-yard Roman Wilson touchdown
J.J. McCarthy's great day continues in the second half. On Michigan's second drive of the half, McCarthy found Roman Wilson on the sideline, who cut upfield and streaked past the UNLV secondary.
Halftime: Michigan cruises to three-touchdown lead
It's been smooth sailing so far for Michigan against UNLV in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines have moved the ball easily and capped three drives off with two touchdowns from Blake Corum and one from Roman Wilson. J.J. McCarthy looks sharp once again, completing 17 of 18 passes for 188 yards and one touchdown in the first half.
Michigan's defense has looked equally as good, holding UNLV to 42 total yards and -16 rushing yards. The defensive line has shut down the UNLV offense with consistent disruption, forcing five sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss.
0:24, second quarter: Michigan takes 21-0 lead on Roman Wilson touchdown
In the final minutes of the half, Michigan marched down the field again through the air. J.J. McCarthy picked up a third down conversion on the ground with 30 seconds left before hitting Roman Wilson on a crossing route the next play for a touchdown.
8:30, second quarter: Michigan fails to convert on fourth down
Jay Harbaugh's first big decision as head coach did not go the Wolverines' way after Blake Corum was stuffed on a fourth down run in UNLV territory.
14:56, second quarter: Blake Corum doubles Michigan lead with 2nd touchdown
Corum continues to look healthy early in the 2023 season, adding his second goal line touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. Michigan is having no issue with UNLV on either side of the ball early in the game. J.J. McCarthy has completed a career-high nine completions to begin the game.
7:06, first quarter: Blake Corum gives Michigan early lead
Corum gave Michigan a lead on its first drive of the game with a three-yard touchdown run. It was a dominant drive from J.J. McCarthy, who was 5-5 to start, which set the Wolverines up in the redzone.
Injury Report: Wolverines secondary banged up
Michigan football released their availability report for Week 2 vs. UNLV and it had six players listed out: safety Makari Paige (undisclosed), cornerback Amorion Walker (lower body), cornerback German Green (undisclosed), linebacker Jimmy Rolder (undisclosed) and running backs Tavierre Dunlap (undisclosed) and Benjamin Hall (undisclosed).
Defensive backs Will Johnson and Rod Moore are also listed as questionable.
The Wolverines dominated East Carolina last week, particularly with their newfound passing game under junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy and their always-sharp defense, which held the Pirates scoreless until the waning minutes of the game.
SCOUTING REPORT: Expect Michigan football to get run game going vs. UNLV
INJURY CONCERNS: Michigan football injury report vs. UNLV: Makari Paige out; Will Johnson, Rod Moore iffy
As for the Wolverines' opponent on Saturday, UNLV was fairly impressive in Week 1, beating Bryant 44-14, but shouldn't provide too much of a challenge for the No. 2 team in the country. Michigan has been a huge favorite all week and the spread is listed as high as 38 points with some sportsbooks.
Harbaugh, who will be watching from home for the second straight week, has found ways to stay busy during his suspension and spent Saturday morning working the chains for a youth football game in Bloomfield Hills.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football dominates UNLV in 35-7 win: How it happened
