Michigan 18, Penn State 13
Eric Upchurch/MGoBlog
Throw out the records. Ignore the lack of offense. Forget that Penn State's offensive line looks eerily like Michigan's 2013 O-line.
Michigan won a game tonight in front of a packed house of genuinely excited fans, and it felt damn good. Maybe not for much of the game, an ugly slog in which the two teams combined for just 470 yards of offense, several Wolverines went down with injuries—including Devins Gardner and Funchess—and both coaching staffs seemed intent on out-bungling the other, but come that final drive, it felt like Michigan football should.
The stars of this game, without a doubt, were on defense. The Wolverines limited PSU to just 214 yards, with a paltry 65 in the second half after Michigan came out a little flat against the run. Six different Wolverines accounted for the team's six sacks. Jourdan Lewis came up with a critical second-half interception when the defensive front nearly got to Christian Hackenberg again, forcing an ill-advised throw across the field. Mike McCray anticipated a fake punt and displayed tantalizing athleticism in hawking Grant Haley to blow it up two yards behind the line.
When Penn State needed a field goal to tie with 3:44 left, the defense came through with their biggest possession of the night, as Jake Ryan and Frank Clark sacked Hackenberg on consecutive plays to force the Nittany Lions into punt formation from just outside their own goal line. PSU coach James Franklin bizarrely called a timeout to avoid a delay of game—one that would have cost his team about half a yard—before making the correct call to take a safety and go for an onside kick.
What happened next perhaps made up for the blown call at the end of last week's Rutgers game. Penn State recovered the initial kick, but a questionable flag for offsides negated it, and Blake Countess fell onto the ensuing re-kick without any trouble to effectively end game.
Bryan Fuller/MGoBlog
In feelingsball world, however, the star of this game was Devin Gardner, who recovered from a bad interception and an ugly-looking ankle injury to engineer the game-winning field goal drive. Gardner's numbers didn't look great—16/24, 192 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT—but without him on the field for two second-half drives, the offense looked helpless with Russell Bellomy at quarterback. Gardner may be inconsistent—yes, often infuriatingly so—but there's no question he's by far the most capable leader of this offense, and it showed most tonight during his brief absence.
Devin Funchess scored Michigan's lone touchdown of the evening in the first quarter, somehow chasing down a Gardner moonshot and snatching it away from PSU safety Ryan Keiser, who looked like he was preparing to field a punt—after a bobble, Funchess secured the ball and streaked towards the home sideline, arms raised in triumph.
That turned out to be the only touchdown the Wolverines would need, with Matt Wile providing the decisive points on field goals of 45, 42, and 37 yards.
Granted, the running game proved non-existent, the offense remained relatively ineffective, and Brady Hoke gifted Penn State a Hail Mary attempt at the end of the first half by inexplicably taking a timeout with three seconds left on the clock. Those are concerns, to be sure, but they're concerns for another day.
Tonight, we celebrate. Hail to the victors, valiant.
October 11th, 2014 at 11:07 PM ^
It weren't purty but it was a W.
October 11th, 2014 at 11:11 PM ^
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October 11th, 2014 at 11:11 PM ^
Brian summed it up best with his tweet saying "This is the dumbest game ever." That being said, I'm glad we were the winners of said game. Go Blue!
October 11th, 2014 at 11:24 PM ^
that he isn't glad. Probably wasn't thrilled that the boycott was boycotted.
October 11th, 2014 at 11:59 PM ^
I'm sure Brian was pining for a boycott that was evidently started on his blog, considering he was hosting a bunch of former players who seem to support the current regime.
October 12th, 2014 at 1:36 AM ^
After all he led the march to the President's House...you remember, the protest march about Dave Brandon, the same Dave Brandon that was the supposed target of the boycotted boycott.
October 12th, 2014 at 1:53 AM ^
There was no confusion or even possibility for confusion over who was being protested at the Brandon rally. Distinct difference between the two.
October 12th, 2014 at 10:34 AM ^
What is the point of this comment? We finally have a positive result and you feel the need to complain about how Brian might feel about it so that you can complain about it? It's so unbelievably annoying.
October 12th, 2014 at 11:31 AM ^
exactly how he felt, he thought the outcome dumb. That isn't a might have, that's what he wrote. He also said he'd look stupid if Michigan won. Here's his quote.
Finally, three opportunities for me to look stupid Sunday:
Sludgefart espectaculo, with total rushing yards under 150 between both teams.
PSU's DL outperforms Michigan's and this is the difference in the game.
Penn State, 17-14
October 12th, 2014 at 11:47 AM ^
- He said that the game was dumb, not the outcome. The game was dumb by pretty much any objective measure. Would you like to claim that it was an outstanding example of the sport of football? Penn State called one of the dumbest timeouts in the history of the sport. Then we got bailed out by a very close (technically correct) offsides call. Neither team looked outstanding.
- He was right on with his prediction about the sludgefart and the total rushing yards.
- He predicted that Penn State would win. That doesn't mean that he wanted them to win. I think that most M commentators expected a loss. See, e.g., Magnus' game post and cf. MVictor's write-up.
October 12th, 2014 at 9:03 PM ^
If the offsides isn't called, Penn State has the ball on their own 30 with 90 seconds left, and they haven't moved the ball an inch in the second half. My belief is that the most likely truth is that the offsides call ended the game a bit faster, and that's it. Unless Hackenburg had magically developed an OL in the 5 minutes since their last drive.
Rob
October 12th, 2014 at 10:43 PM ^
Poor wording on my part. I meant more that it was a bad play and we were bailed out of that mistake (not that it would have necessarily or probably meant the loss of the game).
October 12th, 2014 at 11:36 PM ^
left way too little time for Penn St. To go the needed 45 yards for FG range would have required several exchanges of punts to move down the field... Can't do that in 90 seconds.
October 12th, 2014 at 2:44 PM ^
So I'll just add that these are invented grievances.
October 12th, 2014 at 5:21 PM ^
I think the real point of Brian's tweet was that it was a terrible game of which coach could out-dumb the other and which offense could out-suck the other and it was a dumb game, but I'm sure Brian was just as glad as most* of the people on this board that Michigan finally got the W.
October 12th, 2014 at 12:33 AM ^
Brian's negativity can be really annoying.
October 12th, 2014 at 3:39 AM ^
Well said. The ESPN announcers talked about how some of the UM fans were rooting for UM to lose, Brian was definitely rooting for UM to lose.
October 12th, 2014 at 7:25 AM ^
October 12th, 2014 at 7:34 AM ^
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October 12th, 2014 at 5:26 PM ^
I completely disagree. I feel like Brian is distraught as many of us fans are, but while he wants an AD and coaching change, I believe he still wants UM to win and don't believe he would be like the fan on ESPN who told James Franklin, despite being covered in Michigan gear, he wanted Michigan to lose so Brady Hoke would be fired. I don't think Brian would say this because I think he, along with most on the board, believe that Hoke's already out and the outcomes of the remaining games likely won't make a difference in his tenure, that being said, I know I as a fan, still want to see Michigan be succesful this season, not to save Hoke's career, but for the kids who play for the Maize and Blue.
October 12th, 2014 at 8:59 PM ^
Brian is very pained by the season and wants UM to win as many games as they can. He isn't rooting for losses though, I know some UM fans are. I hope they are few in number.
October 11th, 2014 at 11:12 PM ^
October 11th, 2014 at 11:18 PM ^
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October 11th, 2014 at 11:35 PM ^
Yeah, You have to hand it to Gardner to come back like he did. He's got heart and looks like he really loves this school and this game. Good for him. You can say what you want about his skills, but you can't question his desire.
Go Blue.
October 12th, 2014 at 3:47 AM ^
When he completed his on-field interview with a "Go Blue" I was just like... fuck yeah, man.
I really like that young man and want the best for him SO BAD.
October 12th, 2014 at 7:29 AM ^
October 11th, 2014 at 11:19 PM ^
Doesn't feel like turning a corner so much as finally finding a storied program in even worse shape, but after all these players have been through, it's nice to see them earn a win to savor.
October 11th, 2014 at 11:26 PM ^
If I could. That was one of the best disingenous left handed compliments I've ever seen.
October 11th, 2014 at 11:19 PM ^
It was close but I'd say it was correct
October 11th, 2014 at 11:23 PM ^
I agree.
October 11th, 2014 at 11:29 PM ^
Do you have your TV setup sideways??
:)
October 11th, 2014 at 11:32 PM ^
ha, not sure what happened. It looks fine on the mobile app
October 12th, 2014 at 3:20 AM ^
Do you?
October 12th, 2014 at 2:00 AM ^
As much as I want to say they got it right, well, I just don't see it. This is a bang-bang call, but it's also something that could probably get called on just about every kickoff if you really wanted to throw a flag. If I were a PSU fan, I'd be feeling pretty hosed right now. And for good reason.
October 12th, 2014 at 2:58 AM ^
I checked a PSU message board and saw only a very small amount of complaining about the officiating. Most felt that there was no way they'd have gone the 75 yards for a TD after, anyway.
October 12th, 2014 at 8:30 AM ^
Cool, Penn State's as broke as we are. Darboh catch called incomplete against Rutgers? Meh, we'd have found a way to lose anyway.
October 12th, 2014 at 7:33 AM ^
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October 12th, 2014 at 10:47 AM ^
done another replay, it certainly looked to me as if the PSU player touched the ball, before it had gone 10 yards, before the ball touched Clark.
October 12th, 2014 at 10:19 AM ^
Man, that's a call you just don't make at that point in the game.
I have no sympathy for Penn State, but if the Ref's will do it to them, they'll do it to us.
Oh, yeah, they already did . . . in the Rutgers game.
These guys need to settle down and not make it about them. We know you know all the obscure rules. If you're trying to show off, do it in a high school game.
October 12th, 2014 at 10:29 AM ^
position to see it you should make it. That's your job. Start adding in subjective stuff and that's when refereeing drives me crazy.
October 12th, 2014 at 11:47 AM ^
Every call they make is subjective. That's their job, to make those good decisions.
You don't make that call in that situation.
October 13th, 2014 at 8:14 AM ^
No. The game is on the line, that is exactly when you need to make the right call. I've never understood the mentality that the refs should just check out and not make the right calls near the end of a game.
October 11th, 2014 at 11:21 PM ^
The replay officials actually got a call right. Took way too long, but they got it right.
Gardner has a lot of heart.
October 11th, 2014 at 11:24 PM ^
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October 11th, 2014 at 11:26 PM ^
he is on the field. Makes my night.
October 12th, 2014 at 1:01 AM ^
October 12th, 2014 at 3:58 AM ^
If he had caught the Rutgers punt out of the end zone last week (that bounced on the RU 43) he would've probably been able to take it down to at least their 35 yard line. At that point, M doesn't even need a first down to get into FG range. That's the winning points we're talking about. He has GOT to get up there and field that punt!
Instead, he let it bounce in front of him and the ball rolled 17 yards all the way back to our own 40. Michigan wouldn't score on the ensuing drive.
October 12th, 2014 at 11:48 AM ^
They did show him dancing on TV. It looked like he was having fun. The moment was not too big for him.
October 11th, 2014 at 11:24 PM ^
That win was far from beautiful, but damn did it feel good. Sweet golly I am happy the Michigan Wolverines have won a game.
Go Blue. Go Gardner. Go away Brandon
October 11th, 2014 at 11:25 PM ^
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