Michigan Football: The good, bad, and ugly from win over Penn State
Michigan football made Penn State look foolish over the weekend and here’s the good, bad, and ugly from the Wolverines’ 24-point triumph.
When looking back at Michigan football’s 41-17 win over Penn State, it’s hard to find things to complain about, although some Wolverine fans will certainly try.
The defense held Penn State to fewer than 300 yards. The Nittany Lions offense scored a touchdown after a 60-yard run by Sean Clifford and a field goal after a 48-yard completion.
Outside of that, the only points came on the defensive touchdown. Michigan football was favored by 6.5 points (according to FanDuel) and won going away. I predicted a 10-point win and a 120-yard game for Blake Corum.
Yet, no one could have predicted the dominating effort we saw from the offensive line on Saturday. It was reminiscent of the Ohio State game and we start with the Wolverines’ running game as we look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Penn State game.
The Good: Michigan’s running game
Penn State football was ranked fifth nationally when it came to rushing defense prior to the game. It was allowing less than three yards per carry, but it was clear from the start that Michigan was going to be able to run the ball.
There were a couple of stops in the second quarter and it seemed like Penn State might be able to stand up against the run a little bit. But in the second half, the Wolverines broke their will.
Michigan is getting so good at the counter. It was the bread and butter a year ago and Blake Corum runs it as well as anyone I’ve seen in a long time. The offensive line knows if they just get a hat on a hat, Corum will find room and if it’s one-on-one, he’s going to make the guy miss.
Donovan Edwards also showed some real improvement as the game wore on. In the first half, he was too impatient. There were a couple of runs that if Corum had taken the ball, would have gone for more yardage, instead U-M settled for three.
In the second half though, Edwards looked like a different back. He waited for the perfect time to cut back on his 67-yard touchdown and was really good on the last touchdown drive, one in which Corum sat for the last few plays.
Michigan football has an elite offensive line and maybe the best running game in the country. If you can run on Iowa and Penn State, you can run on just about anyone in the Big Ten and that’s what Jim Harbaugh is banking on.