Michigan vs Everybody

Analysis of Michigan's victory over Penn State

Michigan’s big win over Penn State proved that they are a top team in the country. Prior to Saturday, there was uncertainty surrounding the team because they hadn’t played any good teams. Now, they have a top 10 win under their belt, and all the confidence in the world. 

There was a lot of emotion surrounding this game. Michigan’s Head Coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended just the night before the game. Michigan came with a chip on their shoulder, and wanted to win the game for their coach. Penn State also had a lot at stake, because this was an elimination game for them. A loss meant that their chances of making the CFP were reduced to zero.

Michigan’s win was not perfect. They struggled on their first 2 drives, and it was clear that the noise of Beaver Stadium was affecting them. Beaver Stadium was the loudest stadium I’ve ever been to, and I couldn’t hear the people next to me at times. It’s a really scary environment for the opposing team. Therefore, Michigan was unable to adjust to the defense, and couldn’t call audibles. They happened to start both those drives in the Penn State student section, where the noise was worst. It was a complete whiteout on that end, and the noise was simply too much. It was impossible to function, and even from 40 yards away you could hear the vibrations. Michigan had to punt twice. Luckily, the defense held Penn State to only 3 points.

From there, the offense started to shine. Michigan drove down the field and Blake Corum punched in a touchdown to take the lead. 

The Penn State offense continued to struggle, and Donovan Edwards broke off some big runs to widen the lead to 11. Donovan Edwards had his biggest game of the year, and looked excellent out of the backfield. 

Right before the half, Penn State QB Drew Allar had a beautiful run to cut the lead to 5. Despite his struggles, Allar was actually hard to stop in the running game. However, the Penn State offense couldn’t do much else. 

Coming out of halftime, Allar immediately got the ball punched out by Rayshaun Benny, and this gave Michigan more life. They turned that possession into a field goal. 

From this point on, Penn State seemed to lose its fire on the field. They punted the ball again, and Blake Corum broke off a beautiful touchdown run on the first play of the Michigan possession. He was untouched the whole run and flew away from the defense. The game was not yet over, but the Penn State fans really believed it was. The PSU fans began to leave the stadium with about 6 minutes to go. It was clear they’d given up on their team.

Similarly, the crowd noise died off. In the first quarter, the noise was deafening. But once Michigan took the lead, the fans became quieter. We heard the consistent grumbling from the fans in our section about the lack of creativity in the Penn State play-calling.

You could sense a lot of frustration in both the team and their fanbase. In the past 2 seasons, Penn State has been undefeated against everyone, except they’re 0-4 against Michigan and Ohio State. The belief amongst Penn State fans is that HC James Franklin cannot win big games, and we saw this before our eyes. 

Overall, the Michigan win was shaky. They did not throw the ball once in the 2nd half, and McCarthy threw only 8 passes in total. Many of those were short throws and check-downs. The coaches seemed scared to let him throw a deep ball. However, McCarthy’s legs were a huge reason for the Michigan victory. Several times, he turned a dead play into a large Michigan game. I remember one instance when he rushed for a first down on a 3rd and 10. Watching this live, I thought it was a remarkably risky call, but it worked anyway. McCarthy has a fluid acceleration that I haven’t before seen on TV. These types of plays were disheartening to the Penn State defense. 

Michigan seemed fixated on the idea that they could beat Penn State just by running. The number 1 run defense in the country couldn’t stop Edwards and Corum, as they allowed over 200 yards and 3 touchdowns. After the game, we saw Corum walking to the media room with blood all over his face. He and Edwards gave it their all on Saturday, and it showed.

While this type of play led to a win, it cannot become a habit. Against a better team like Ohio State, it will be especially important for McCarthy to be able to light it up down the field, instead of just repeating the same run plays. 

Michigan has proved to the world that they’re for real, but their biggest test is still to come. The game against Ohio State will likely decide if they make the playoffs or not. The stakes are high, as you could see on Corum’s face. This is the best Michigan team in decades, and the Ohio State game will determine their outcome.