Final score: Michigan 63, Northern Illinois 10

Brief recap: This one was over in a hurry. Michigan jumped out to a 14-3 lead after the first quarter and never looked back. That would be as close as the Huskies could get as the Wolverines responded with 49 unanswered points over the next two quarters. Northern Illinois ended up scoring a garbage-time touchdown in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late. Michigan was able to get whatever it wanted offensively, both on the ground and through the air.

Key player: There are several candidates for this, but Blake Corum appears to have settled in as one of the best running backs in the Big Ten. He carried the ball just 13 times, but produced 125 yards (9.6 per carry) and scored 3 touchdowns. He also caught a pass for 13 yards.

Key moment: Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara hit receiver Cornelius Johnson late in the first half for an 87-yard touchdown. That score made it 35-3 and firmly put the game out of reach heading into halftime. It also showed that Michigan’s offense has an element of big-play ability that it’s been missing in recent years.

Key stat: 3. That’s how many Michigan running backs scored multiple touchdowns in this game. Corum scored three times, and then Hassan Haskins and Donovan Edwards each scored two. Cade McNamara also punched one in on the ground.

What it means moving forward: Michigan is now 3-0 and has been impressive across the board. The Wolverines have won all three games by 3+ touchdowns and enter conference play with a lot of momentum. Michigan was favored in each contest, but it’s still a good sign for a team that struggled to establish consistency a season ago.

Michigan hosts Rutgers in Week 4.