Offense notes: Halftime adjustments lead to big second half for Michigan in Big Ten championship

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Michigan football hit on some big plays in the first quarter of its 42-3 win over Iowa in the Big Ten championship game, before going cold in the second quarter.

In that stanza, the Wolverines totaled just 53 yards, averaged 2.7 yards per play, went 1 of 5 on third-down conversions and threw an interception. Iowa’s blitzes caused problems, and redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara was sacked on a third down to end a drive.

But the Maize and Blue regrouped in the halftime locker room, adjusting the protections to account for the number of pass rushers Iowa was bringing. In the second half, McNamara and Co. often lined up on the ball and faked their cadence to allow the coaching staff to identify what look the Hawkeyes were showing so they could then determine the play call.

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“We were doing some check with me stuff to make sure that we were in the right play,” McNamara explained. “You know, obviously when I’m hot, that’s not a good situation. So we did the best we could. And it required the offensive line to be in their stance for a pretty long time. So I know those boys were battling, and we appreciate them.

“We were just able to play Michigan football. I don’t think we played our style of football in the first half. And we knew that. … We regrouped and we had a good second half.”

That “good” second half included 28 points and 208 yards to put the game away. The Wolverines didn’t allow another sack, and McNamara completed five of his six pass attempts for 107 yards and a touchdown. He finished 16-of-24 passing for 169 yards.

Michigan redshirt sophomore tight end Luke Schoonmaker had two catches — a 27-yarder and a 22-yarder — that set up Wolverine scores. Sophomore tight end Erick All chipped in with a 38-yard catch on a flea flicker in the fourth quarter that put the Wolverines in position to score their final touchdown of the game.

“Schoony had a big game,” McNamara said. “I mean, the tight ends had a phenomenal game. Erick … that was a huge play. I’m just so happy for these dudes, you know. I’m so happy to be a part of this team. … You could choose any guy who played today who contributed to this game. And the tight ends did for sure.”

Michigan Started Fast With Big Plays

Despite some of the first-half struggles, Michigan found success on two big plays in the opening stanza, which helped the Wolverines score first for the 12th time in 13 games.

Sophomore running back Blake Corum had a 67-yard touchdown run on Michigan’s second drive that actually wound up serving as the game-winning score. It marked the third-longest run play in Big Ten championship game history, and Michigan’s 12th touchdown of 50-plus yards on offense.

“I saw a hole. I saw the corner try to crash down. I hit him with a jump cut,” Corum recounted. “Then it was green grass. And I saw [freshman quarterback J.J. McCarthy] come by me. I slowed down for him so he could get in front of me. I think he took out like two people. And it was over from that. It was a great play by J.J. That was awesome. I’ve never seen a quarterback do something like that.”

On the next drive, freshman running back Donovan Edwards caught a backwards swing pass from McNamara, then pulled up and threw a dime to second-year freshman wide receiver Roman Wilson, who scored the 75-yard touchdown, marking the longest play Iowa has given up this season.

“First of all Donovan Edwards, we had that play,” head coach Jim Harbaugh said. “That was ready for prime time. It’s been ready for prime time about seven weeks. First put it in before he hurt his ankle. And then when he came back, started greasing it up again and knew that that one was going to work. We had it planned early.

“As soon as we got into the left hash after the fourth play, we were going run that. And he’s never missed on that throw. Sometimes he throws it off his left foot, his right foot. He’s always on the move running when he throws it. And every time it’s a dime. And Roman did a great job tracking it down. And that was big.”

Hassan Haskins Sets U-M Record

Michigan redshirt sophomore running back Hassan Haskins’ two touchdowns in the second half — one from four yards out and one from a yard out — brought his rushing touchdown total up to 20 for the season, making him the program’s all-time leader for rushing touchdowns in a single season, passing Ron Johnson (1968).

The fourth-year player gained just 56 yards on 17 carries, his third-lowest rushing yard total of the season, but it was a collective effort. Corum ran five times for 74 yards, Edwards had three carries for one yard but notched three catches for 20 yards, and McCarthy registered 23 rushing yards on four attempts.

“Watching those guys like Hassan and Donovan come together and perform, I loved it,” Corum said. “I always want to see other people be successful.

“And that’s why I think the team is so special because we all want each other to be successful. We don’t care who scores the touchdowns. We don’t care who gets the rushing yards or the tackles, whatever it may be. We just want to win. And when you want to win, you don’t care.”

Miscellaneous Michigan Football Offense Notes

• Corum’s 67-yard run matched a career-high that he set against Washington.

• Edwards has touchdowns rushing, receiving and passing this season. Previously, the last Wolverine to score in all three ways in a single season was Devin Gardner in 2012.

• Four of Michigan’s six touchdown drives were at least 75 yards in length (75, 80, 82, 81 yards).

• Michigan’s 211 rushing yards marked the seventh time it rushed for more than 200 yards this season. It also marked the most rushing yards Iowa has allowed since 2019, when Wisconsin amassed 300.

• Michigan’s 7.4 yards per play were the most Iowa has yielded this season, with the next-highest amount being 6.1 (Purdue).

• McCarthy threw an interception on a Hail Mary attempt at the end of the first half.

• Haskins now has 1,288 yards rushing this season, which ranks 19th in program history for single-season rushing.

• The Wolverines have registered 63 plays on offense of 20-plus yards (39 passing, 24 rushing) this season.