Michigan 41, Penn State 17

Tag: Penn State

16Oct 2022
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Michigan 41, Penn State 17

Donovan Edwards (image via USA Today)

This reminded me of 2021 Northwestern. Last fall Michigan played a completely overmatched Northwestern team. The Wolverines dominated that matchup . . . except for when Northwestern running back Evan Hull broke out on a 75-yard touchdown run. He ended up with 81 total rushing yards, and quarterback Ryan Hilinski was 14/29 for 119 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception. It was one of those games where one huge play for the opposition really grinds your gears. Against Penn State yesterday, it was two big plays: a 62-yard run by quarterback Sean Clifford and a 47-yard interception return touchdown by Curtis Jacobs. Somehow the Nittany Lions were ahead 14-13 and 17-16 despite being totally unable to find any consistency on offense.

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14Oct 2022
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Preview: Michigan vs. Penn State

RUSH OFFENSE vs. PENN STATE RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan is #19 in rush offense (212.3 yards/game) and #14 in yards per carry, based largely on the vision, elusiveness, and toughness of Blake Corum, who led the country in rushing touchdowns (11) until Pitt’s Israel Abanikanda popped off with 6 scores last weekend to bring his total to 12. Backup Donovan Edwards has yet to really break out this season and had 7 carries for just 15 yards last week against Indiana. Penn State is #5 in rush defense (79.8 yards allowed/game) and allows just 2.96 yards per carry, which is #15 in the nation. Senior safety Ji’Ayir Brown (5’11”, 202 lbs.) leads the team with 18 tackles, followed by freshman inside linebacker Abdul Carter (6’2″, 233) with 17, but there are twelve players with between 10-17 tackles. Junior defensive end Adisa Isaac (6’4″, 233) paces the Nittany Lions with 4.5 tackles for loss. They are a good defense without a lot of standouts, but Michigan hasn’t been able to create much in the run game that Blake Corum hasn’t created for himself.
Advantage: Penn State

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16Nov 2021
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Michigan vs. Penn State Awards

Aidan Hutchinson (image via MLive)

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Blake Corum. Corum missed most of the Indiana game and the entire Penn State game, leaving the Wolverines to rely heavily on Hassan Haskins. Corum has 130 carries for 778 yards (5.98 yards/carry) and 10 touchdowns. A report came out on Saturday that Corum would miss the next two games, but it’s unclear if that meant he would be out through the Maryland game or the Ohio State game. I’m not expecting Corum to come back this week, but it would be great if he could be back by OSU.

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14Nov 2021
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Michigan 21, Penn State 17

David Ojabo (image via ClickOnDetroit)

That was a win. It wasn’t always pretty – especially on offense – but a win in Happy Valley is always nice. It’s not an easy place to play, and the Nittany Lions are usually pretty good, so you take an ugly win if you can get it. I decided to watch the game sans social media and just enjoy the back-and-forth, because I knew there would be a ton of griping. And nobody’s allowed to gripe but me. So I grumbled at times to myself, but for the most part, I thought Michigan played pretty well.

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12Nov 2021
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Preview: Michigan at Penn State

RUSH OFFENSE vs. PSU RUSH DEFENSE
Michigan’s rushing offense has dropped off somewhat dramatically from earlier in the year, which is saying something, since they’re still #6 with 234 yards/game on the ground and #15 in rushing average. Hassan Haskins leads the team in carries (165), yardage (829 yards), and touchdowns (11). He may be relied on more heavily than normal. After a career-high 27 carries last week with Blake Corum missing all but one offensive play, Haskins is the only somewhat experienced back on the roster. I do not expect Corum (who was in a walking boot by the end of the game) to play and freshman Donovan Edwards missed last week due to injury, leaving Haskins and then . . . walk-on Leon Franklin and freshman fifth-stringer Tavierre Dunlap. Penn State is #50 in rush defense (137 yards allowed/game) and #31 in yards per carry allowed (3.56). With starting defensive tackle P.J. Mustipher out for the season, the Nittany Lions’ rushing defense has fallen off; they gave up 357 yards on the ground to Illinois three weeks ago. Things have improved a little over the past couple weeks, but that may be due to playing Maryland, which is pretty inept on the ground. The leading tacklers are senior linebacker Ellis Brooks (6’1″, 241 lbs.) and junior inside linebacker Brandon Smith (6’3″, 241) with 68 and 61 stops, respectively. I think Michigan can pound the ball a little bit, but they need to be careful to keep Haskins fresh.
Advantage: Michigan

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