Blake Corum, Donovan Edwards Run All Over Penn State

The Wolverines are still rolling after defeating Penn State, 41-17.

In a battle of the Big Ten unbeatens, Michigan and Penn State did not disappoint — for a little while. There were several big plays throughout the course of the game by both teams, a few lead changes and ultimately, a huge Michigan win. At the end of the day, Michigan is still undefeated and marching hard towards another Big Ten title.

Three Up

Blake Corum/Donovan Edwards

There's the two-headed monster we all envisioned! The two backs were explosive and effective all day long. It was a little tough for Edwards early on, but he busted a long one and then had a couple other nice runs in the third and fourth quarters. He did fumble, which landed him on the bench for a while, but Fred Jackson kept the faith and put the young sophomore right back in there. As for Corum, he just did what he seems to do every single week. He was powerful, elusive, shifty and showed the long speed on his 61-yard house call. For the first time all season, Edwards and Corum were lightning and lightning, and it just so happened to be against the most talented team they've faced all year who was supposed to be elite against the run. All told, Edwards carried the ball 16 times for 173 yards and two scores, while Corum toted it 28 times for 166 yards and a pair of his own touchdowns.

The Offense Works

Even though I'd like to see Michigan let JJ McCarthy throw it just a bit more at times, and once in a while the play calling makes me scratch my head, it's clear that this offense works. The Wolverines dominated the first half and kept the pedal down in the second, pulling away from the Nittany Lions as they cruised to a 24-point victory.

On the ground, Corum and Edwards were dynamic, as outlined above, and were it not for a fluky interception thrown by JJ McCarthy, the sophomore signal caller would've had another near-perfect game, at least in terms of accuracy and efficiency. He only had 145 yards through the air, but he went 17-of-24 and moved the offense up and down the field all day long. 

Backbreaker Midway Through The Third

About halfway through the third quarter, Michigan was up just 24-17 when Penn State had a big 4th and 6 play in front of them. The Wolverines bowed up, Mike Sainristil was in perfect position and Penn State turned it over on downs on an incomplete pass. On the very first offensive play for Michigan, Corum raced 61 yards to pay dirt. That back-to-back sequence of plays really seemed to take the air out of Penn State's sails and they never really did anything else for the rest of the game. It was a huge moment for Michigan at a crucial moment in the game and they made two massive plays to move towards a win.

Three Two Down

Too Many Field Goals

Not only did Michigan kick too many field goals, it kicked too many close field goals. Some of it was play calling, some of it was execution and some of it was playing it safe because Michigan has a weapon named Jake Moody. The moustached kicker, who everyone loves, made kicks from just 23, 24 and 29 yards out. He also made a 37-yarder. Still, a good team like Michigan, looking to defend its Big Ten title, beat Ohio State and return to the College Football Playoff has to score touchdowns when inside the 20. Red Zone woes have been an issue under Jim Harbaugh at times, but so many others things worked for the Wolverines in 2021 and so far in 2022, that those issues are masked when playing teams not on U-M's level.

Tempo Still A Problem

Luckily for Michigan, Penn State didn't run tempo on offense very often, because every time they did, it seemed to give the maize and blue some problems. We saw it for at least a half last week in Bloomington, and a few times today, especially after a successful play. Whenever Penn State had a chunk play, they went fast and caught the Wolverines slipping on the ensuing play. With about 9:25 left in the third quarter, Penn State went fast, caught Mazi Smith trotting off the field, and ultimately snapped it while he was about 15 yards from the sideline. There were other times where the defense just didn't seem set and ended up out of position a bit. Obviously it didn't cost the Wolverines today, but future opponents are likely taking note of the problems caused by the fast pace.