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Rapid Reaction: Michigan’s revenge tour continues with dominating blowout of Penn State
By Paul Harvey
Published:
It may be time to take Michigan’s revenge tour for real.
After losing to the Nittany Lions 42-13 in 2017, the Wolverines entered Saturday’s game with a bit of a chip on their shoulder. That was evident as Michigan hit the ground running and did not let up in the 42-7 beat down of Penn State.
As has been the story for much of the year, Michigan’s defense set the tone from the jump. They forced one turnover in the first half and kept Trace McSorley and company in check without allowing a point in the first half.
Whatever adjustments Penn State tried to make at the break did not workout. The Wolverines forced two interceptions in the second half, including a pick-six by Brandon Watson. Tommy Stevens, seeing time in the second half, made a terrible read and threw a pass right into the arms of Watson. Watson took it the other way 62 yards for the score.
Offensively, quarterback Shea Patterson and running back Karan Higdon were the big stars. Patterson completed 11-of-17 passes for 144 yards and 2 TDs. The big play for Patterson in the game came on a beautiful strike that resulted in a toe-tap touchdown for Donovan Peoples-Jones. Patterson also added 42 yards rushing and a touchdown on the ground.
For Higdon, he set the tone on the ground with 20 carries for 132 yards and a touchdown. But it was definitely a team effort on the ground as six Wolverines combined for 259 yards rushing.
However, the big story of the day is undeniably Michigan’s defense. Jim Harbaugh’s squad limited Penn State to 184 yards of total offense while forcing three turnovers. The Nittany Lions were limited to 66 yards rushing with Miles Sanders managing just 11 yards against the Wolverines defense.
For McSorley, he appeared to be nursing a knee injury at times throughout the game, but he was never able to get on track. He completed just 5-of-13 passes for 83 yards and an interception. When he was forced to run, Michigan held him to negative five yards as he was bottled up all afternoon.
It will be interesting to see if Michigan receives a bump in the College Football Playoff rankings following the impressive win. Either way, the Wolverines look focused while playing with an edge since the loss to Notre Dame. On the other side, Penn State will try and recover for a strong finish to the season after its third B1G loss of the season.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.