Michigan, who finished fifth, qualified with a 41-17 win over 10th in Pennsylvania, putting the Nittany Lions away in the dominant second half after failing to capitalize on the red-zone trips early. The Wolverines started the match with two long runs in the red but were forced to level field goals both times. The Wolverines finally finished another long ride on their third possession to make it 13-0, but the lack of touchdown allowed the Nittany Lions to hang around.
They could also take advantage of it. Penn State used quarterback Shaun Clifford’s long-distance and six-pick to close the gap to 16-14 in the first half, and the Nittany Lions opened the second half with a field goal that made it look like we were going to have a game. our hands.
We did not. From there, it was all the Wolverines who cut the Penn State defense to the ground. Blake Corum (16 stand, 173 yards, two landings) and Donovan Edwards (28 coaches, 166 yards, two landings) were able to get whatever they wanted on the ground, and this was a 61-yard touchdown from Corum after the Michigan defense forced a turn in Dips that put the game on ice.
Had it not been for the early field goals, this game would have been unbalanced. The win improves Michigan to 7-0 this season and keeps it alive in the Big Ten East. Penn State drops to 5-1 and will now need help from others if it wants to consider the idea of winning the division or conference.
