Michigan Wolverine Football: Hoke, Michigan Grab Much Needed Win Under the Lights
By Alex Dale
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
It was ugly. It was at times very dumb. It was certainly #B1G. But for Michigan, most importantly, it was a win. The Wolverines got their first Big Ten win of the season, topping Penn State 18-13. So, let’s see how it happened and what it means.
While Devin Gardner was portrayed as Michigan’s hero while limping through the final moments of the game, it was the defense that won this game for the maize and blue.
Oct 11, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Christian Hackenberg (14) is sacked in the backfield during the second quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Michigan’s defense was all over Christian Hackenberg and the Penn State offense Saturday night, delivering the type of performance this beleaguered offense needed for the team to win. After bending but not breaking on the first two Penn State drives – 10 plays for 57 yards and 11 for 60 respectively – Michigan’s defense held the Nittany Lions to field goals both times. However, on the third drive, they did break, though it would be hard to blame them considering Gardner set Penn State up at the Michigan 28 thanks to an interception. Hackenberg completed two passes and Penn State had 13 points after just 16:02 of play.
But then things changed.
Michigan’s defensive front stepped up in a big way, dominating the Nittany Lions offense and keeping them scoreless the rest of the game. They sacked Hackenberg six times, disrupting him plenty more, and shockingly, actually forced a turnover, when Jourdan Lewis intercepted Hackenberg late in the third quarter. Jake Ryan and Frank Clark led the way, but the entire defense was as impressive as they’ve been in a long time.
Oct 11, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines quarterback Devin Gardner (98) looks to the sidelines during the fourth quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
The offense was, well, something else. If one were to only view Michigan’s drive chart, they would likely be willing to bet a pretty penny that Michigan not only lost, but got drilled. And the crazy part is, the offense may have been worse on the field than what is shown on paper. Gardner was shaky all game, but compared to what Russell Bellomy showed during the two drives Gardner was forced to miss with a bad ankle, Gardner was Tom Brady.
Bellomy was nowhere near ready to be on the field Saturday, the same sentiment shared after a similar emergency showing at Nebraska in 2012. The difference between tonight and that frightful evening in Lincoln was that Michigan didn’t need Bellomy to be good, or even competent, and that Gardner, unlike Denard in 2012, was able to return. Brady Hoke’s defense was good enough that a couple of near-disastrous, though far from functional, drives with Bellomy didn’t doom Michigan against Penn State.
Michigan’s defense was terrific and the offense was not terrible, at least at a few key points, and they still won. And boy, did Michigan, and an embattled Hoke, need this win.
It started with throngs of former Michigan football players pointedly showing their support for the current team as they took the field, was played under the glowing lights in some fresh Michigan alternate unis and it finished with a victory. While the win was exciting for Michigan, it was equally a relief: a reprieve for Hoke. They needed this win just because they couldn’t afford another loss. This win is unlikely to turn Michigan’s season around, they’ll still struggle to make it to a bowl game, but a loss on this night would have been calamitous for Hoke and the program. After Shane Morris-Gate and losing four out of five coming into Saturday, a loss to Penn State, at the Big House, under the lights, would have been one more sharp, heavy nail in Hoke’s coffin.
Oct 11, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Devin Funchess (1) celebrates with teammates after catching a pass for a touchdown during the first quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Luckily, Gardner’s ankle and Devin Funchess’ everything will get an extra week to rest up, as Michigan has a bye week. And they’re going to need to be at 100%, as Michigan’s game next week is a big one: at Michigan State.
If Michigan’s defense plays as well as it did tonight, they will have a shot at their in-state rivals. But if the offense plays like it did, they will have no shot. This was a need Michigan dearly needed, but things don’t get easier from here.
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Written by GBMWolverine Writer — Alex Dale
Go Blue — Wear Maize!