Without Jim Harbaugh, No. 2 Michigan grinds out defeat of No. 9 Penn State

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — There weren't even 90 minutes left before kickoff when the official word came down: Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh would not lead his team Saturday in Happy Valley.

The Big Ten Conference suspended him Friday 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 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. Friday.

So, for the fourth time in 10 games this season, Michigan 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 it as well, the Wolverines faced early adversity but enforced their will on the ground to beat No. 9 Penn State 24-15.

"I want to thank the Lord, I want to thank Coach Harbaugh," Sherron Moore, the interim coach in Harbaugh's absence, said. "Did this for you (pointing at the camera). For this university, the president, our AD. We got the best players, best university, best alumni in the country.

The loss eliminated the Nittany Lions from contention in the Big Ten West. The could sill make a major bowl game with wins against to finish their season against Rutgers and Michigan State.

"We did not play well enough in all three phases to get the win," said Penn State coach James Franklin, who fell to 3-7 against Michigan during his tenure. He is also 1-9 against Ohio State.

"'We've lost to the No. 1 and No. 3 teams (playoff rankings) in the country," Franklin said. "That's not good enough. We've got to find ways to win those games. But address it. Be honest. Be transparent. Go after it head on and then move on to the next opponent."

MIchigan run game gets going early

Penn State entered play with the nation's No. 1 run defense, surrendering 60 yards per game.

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 midway through the second quarter — MIchigan 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.

“We’re one. It made us stronger,” Corum said. “Obviously, we wanted Coach Harbaugh to be here, but we did it for him today. We’ve been going through a lot lately, but it’s only brought us closer together.”

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 — and ran the ball on 32 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. Sophomore Drew Allar completed 10 of 22 passes for 70 yards and one touchdown. Penn State had early success running the ball and finished with 35 rushes for 164 yards, but fewer than half 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 Michigan finished with 44 carries for 231 yards.

J.J. McCarthy completed 7 of 8 passes for 60 yards.

McCarthy said the team FaceTimed with Harbaugh after the win.

“He was a jolly good fellow,” McCarthy said.

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 one first down on their first two series and were forced to punt both times. 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 as the quarter ended.

It seemed to crack the seal. On the first play after the break, Edwards ran through the biggest hole he has 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 3-yard score for the game's first touchdown and 7-3 lead.

Penn State had a chance to punch first, but ended up landing more of a body blow.

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 Michigan's 10-yard line all season.

However, Penn State had five snaps from inside the 4-yard line, 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 their final drive of the half, they completed two fourth-down passes to keep the possession alive, then Allar scored from 11 yards out. The two-point conversion pass was no good, and Michigan led 14-9 at halftime.

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.

Moore, the team's offensive coordinator, 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 MIchigan 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 the Wolverines inside their 5. Michigan, 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. Michigan'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 Penn State 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 Michigan recovered the onside kick to seal the game.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan beats Penn State without Jim Harbaugh as run game dominates