Michigan 28, Penn State 16
The difference. [Eric Upchurch/MGoBlog]
There were shades of the dark, recent past. A non-existent running game. An ugly interception. Catching seemingly all the bad breaks.
One particularly bad aspect of that past was missing, however. While James Franklin cost Penn State a chance to win by kicking a field goal from the one and mismanaging their timeouts, Jim Harbaugh stood opposite him, competent and then some.
Michigan won this game due to coaching and finishing drives, and the two were inextricably linked. Both teams had one touchdown from outside the red zone, Michigan's a 26-yard pass from Jake Rudock to Jake Butt before PSU responded with a 25-yard fade to Saeed Blacknail. The Wolverines converted all three* of their red zone chances into touchdowns. Penn State also had three, but ultimately settled for three field goals, stymied by a stout Wolverine defense and their own conservative playcalling.
James Ross laid some licks. He wasn't alone. [Upchurch]
While the game remained close throughout, Michigan controlled most of the action, outgaining PSU 343-207. Outside of a bad pick, Jake Rudock continued his pinpoint ways of the last couple games, throwing for 256 yards and a pair of scores on 36 attempts. Amara Darboh moved the chains and earned a hard-fought touchdown on a steady diet of wide receiver screens and added a remarkable sideline snag; Butt found open spaces for 66 yards; Chesson stretched the field and chipped in M's best run of the day on a 20-yard end-around. While it was a frustrating day on the ground, the weapons in the passing game again proved their steadily increasing worth.
On the other side, Michigan allowed an early 56-yard run to standout freshman back Saquon Barkley and otherwise limited him to 12 yards on 14 carries. The defensive front beat up quarterback Christian Hackenberg, who managed just 131 yards on 37 attempts and took four sacks among many, many hits. By PSU's last-gasp drive, Hackenberg seemed out of it—quite possibly injured—and even started trotting off the field before barely getting the play off on fourth down; his final throw sailed harmlessly out of bounds.
If you're looking for the moment that turned around the game, the muffed punt that Chesson recovered inside the ten, setting up a one-yard Sione Houma plunge for a 21-10 lead, is the simplest answer. But if you'd like to say it's the moment Michigan hired Harbaugh, whose timely aggressiveness got the Wolverines a critical score late in the first half for the second straight game, it'd be hard to argue.
Ultimately, that's why this game will be fondly remembered—if quickly lost in the excitement of the week to come—instead of another nightmare in Happy Valley. Be gone, ever-fuzzier recollections of McGloin and Floyd and 27-for-27 and missed overtime field goals. Michigan is one Ohio State victory away from playing for the Big Ten East.
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*Not including the game's final drive, when Michigan kneeled out the clock while inside the PSU five.
November 21st, 2015 at 4:15 PM ^
Nice gamer. Thanks!
November 21st, 2015 at 4:16 PM ^
November 21st, 2015 at 4:32 PM ^
November 22nd, 2015 at 9:01 AM ^
LOL. I visited some of the Penn State message boards throughout the week last week and most of them talked about how the officials always favor Michigan. That was a shock to my system, but O.K.
So I checked those same message boards after the game yesterday, and even the Penn State fans were saying the referees kept them in the game. Wow. How about that?
Let's Go Blue!!!!
November 21st, 2015 at 4:18 PM ^
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November 21st, 2015 at 4:19 PM ^
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November 21st, 2015 at 5:06 PM ^
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November 21st, 2015 at 4:30 PM ^
November 21st, 2015 at 5:41 PM ^
He told Karsch in the postgame interview that he was fine.
November 21st, 2015 at 4:18 PM ^
I have no fucking idea what targeting is.
November 21st, 2015 at 4:23 PM ^
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November 21st, 2015 at 5:10 PM ^
That's the part that killed me. Zettel came up on his toes to get to Jake's head. Seemed like a textbook example. While I was angry that it got reversed, I wasn't surprised. At least they still enforced the penalty.
November 21st, 2015 at 5:35 PM ^
He left his feet.
Left his feet. It was textbook targeting. Just terrible. The Big Ten conference is a joke of an organization. Delany presides over a clown show.
November 21st, 2015 at 5:40 PM ^
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November 21st, 2015 at 5:52 PM ^
With the acquisition of our 13th and 14th members, Delaney made it easy for me to not care about conference loyalty, except insofar as teams 1-10 and 12 winning against teams 11, 13, and 14.
November 21st, 2015 at 4:54 PM ^
That's okay because apparently nobody else in B1G does either.
November 21st, 2015 at 7:21 PM ^
You could be a Big 10 ref.
November 22nd, 2015 at 9:15 AM ^
The definition of targeting? Let me help you out. I have the official NCAA rule book right in front of me.
Page 10, paragraph 4: "If a Michigan player is flagged for targeting, eject that player. I repeat - eject that player."
Page 15, paragraph 2: "If an opponent targets a Michigan player, reverse the call, pick up the flag, and dance a freakin' jig."
Gooooooooooo Blue!!!
November 22nd, 2015 at 6:19 PM ^
Targeting is when a Michigan player gets blocked into the opposing team's QB and barely hits him while falling on top of him. It's not when an opposing team's player hits Rudock in the head with his shoulder or helmet when he is sliding feet first or when the opposing team's player leaves his feet and hits Rudock in the head with his helmet.
November 21st, 2015 at 4:19 PM ^
November 22nd, 2015 at 9:05 AM ^
Nooooooooooooooofreakin'body!!!!!!!!!!
Goooooooooooooo Blue!!!!!
November 21st, 2015 at 4:22 PM ^
November 22nd, 2015 at 9:10 AM ^
You took the words right out of my mouth.
Fortunately (or unfortunately), I'm also a Detroit Lions fan so I learned early on in 2008 to hold my applause after a good play because a flag was coming. Every time the Lions made a good play, which was rare, a penalty flag would magically appear out of nowhere. That year I mastered the art of "hold the applause."
A holding call on a defensive lineman? Really refs? Really?
Go Blue!!!!!
November 22nd, 2015 at 2:20 PM ^
Hah! Exactly! I've been doing that for years as a Lions fan without consciously thinking about it. And I did the same thing yesterday--after ever key pickup or stop, look for the yellow laundry. You know it's coming.
November 21st, 2015 at 4:22 PM ^
We weren't great, screwed plenty of stuff up, but got it done when it mattered and came out on top.
Every game isn't going to be a one-sided shutout (although I want them to be!), so getting through a slog like this one was a job well done.
November 21st, 2015 at 4:23 PM ^
November 21st, 2015 at 4:26 PM ^
November 21st, 2015 at 5:12 PM ^
Why? It seems clear that there are no consequences for their incompetence.
November 21st, 2015 at 8:34 PM ^
November 21st, 2015 at 11:50 PM ^
"No, it's nothing. he was just some stupid little clown....He was....He was an idiot."
November 21st, 2015 at 10:38 PM ^
surely I thought the Big Ten should review the tape after the personal foul for low block on Chesson or was it Darboh? when he hit the PSU DB's arm next to his shoulder!
did anyone else think Zettel deserved the targeting? he freaking leaves his feet!! its like one of those bad hits in hockey when they launch into the a man at the boards! i dont understand how you review that on video and still wave off the targeting.
November 21st, 2015 at 4:26 PM ^
Nice job Ace! Go Blue!
November 21st, 2015 at 4:30 PM ^
November 22nd, 2015 at 12:40 PM ^
A note of caution, despite all of us seeing the rise of the phoenix out of the ashes of the bitchRod and cHoke era : in cHoke's 1st year he went 11-2 with a win over ohio and Va Tech in the Sugar Bowl. After that? well we know. The big difference I see is a team playing with tenacity, beating teams we should beat even if we aren't playing well, not letting poor officiating impede the mission and most of all playing hard. You could never say that about the previous two regimes. They won, if at all, with individual talent, not team play and once opponents zeroed in on that, we were doomed. Ironically enough, ref incompetence might have actually helped us by not calling Zettel for targeting. If Molester U has any chance of beating Sparty, they will need all the defense they can muster. But jeez we need to learn how to run the ball again! Why wasn't De' Veon in there for more carries? Anyone have some insight into that?
November 22nd, 2015 at 1:13 PM ^
Go back from whence you came.
November 21st, 2015 at 4:30 PM ^
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November 21st, 2015 at 4:40 PM ^
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November 22nd, 2015 at 1:13 PM ^
Or 10-1. Who's counting?
November 21st, 2015 at 4:36 PM ^
First win in PSU since 2006? Right
November 21st, 2015 at 6:04 PM ^
November 21st, 2015 at 9:13 PM ^
November 21st, 2015 at 4:38 PM ^
November 21st, 2015 at 4:41 PM ^
November 21st, 2015 at 4:43 PM ^
First time going undefeated in conference on the road since '97.
November 21st, 2015 at 9:27 PM ^
November 22nd, 2015 at 12:20 AM ^
No shit - incredible
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