Michigan offense notes: Wolverines deliver in the biggest of moments

After scoring a touchdown to open the second half and go up 14-6, Michigan went three-and-out on two of its next three possessions, totaling 36 yards during the 13-play stretch, before fumbling on its next drive and giving the ball back to Penn State in field goal range.

Still, the Maize and Blue had a chance. Down 17-14 with 5:55 to go, and with the momentum on Penn State’s side, the Michigan offense delivered. Redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara found sophomore tight end Erick All, who said he was 80 percent healthy for the game, on a mesh route to the right side of the field, before he jetted down the sideline for a 47-yard score.

“That’s a play we work a lot,” head coach Jim Harbaugh explained. “Haven’t called it much. When we got the man coverage, we were excited as heck to call that one.

“Erick took a really perfect pass on the crossing route and circled the entire defense. They were out of leverage, and that was good for us. And Erick took it, went the distance coming back from a high ankle [injury]. Put that one to bed. He was rolling.”

That sequence was the biggest of the game, of course, with the Wolverines stepping up when they needed to after going dormant for much of the second half. They weren’t denied, either, when the unit was tasked with picking up first downs to run out the clock late in the contest.

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“Offensively, I could just see the demeanor,” Harbaugh said. “You could see the offensive line. No flinching. You knew [redshirt sophomore running back] Hassan [Haskins] isn’t; [sophomore wide receiver] Cornelius [Johnson] isn’t, [sophomore slot] Mike Sainristil isn’t, neither is [freshman wideout] Andrel [Anthony] or [second-year freshman wide receiver] Roman [Wilson]. You know Cade’s not. I said, ‘Hey Cade, you were born for this — BORN for drives like this.’ Then he went out and did what he does.”

Being opportunistic was a theme for the game. Michigan accumulated just 361 total yards — its second-lowest total of the season — and gained only 5.2 yards per play. There were mistakes, including four pre-snap penalties by offensive linemen, missed assignments, batted down balls at the line of scrimmage, etc., but the Wolverines did enough with the chances they created to come out on top against the Associated Press’ No. 23 team in the land.

Red-zone offense has been a struggle for Michigan, entering the day at No. 89 in the country in red-area touchdown percentage (55.6), but U-M scored on its only such try Saturday, outside of when it kneeled down late for the win. The Wolverines also cashed in from the 21-yard line, the shadow of the red zone, in the second quarter.

McNamara connected on 19 of his 29 pass attempts (66 percent) for 219 yards and three touchdowns, including two to second-year freshman Roman Wilson, the aforementioned 21-yarder and one from one yard out. McNamara’s performance marked the third straight contest in which he’s thrown for multiple touchdowns.

Hassan Haskins Notches A Career-High In Rush Attempts

Without second-year freshman running back Blake Corum, who did not make the trip with a lower body injury, Michigan leaned on Haskins for a second straight week. After notching career highs in rushes (27) and yards (168) with one touchdown last week against Indiana, Haskins notched 31 carries for 156 yards. He also caught five passes for 47 yards.

Haskins didn’t score a touchdown, but he helped put the Wolverines in position each time they scored. He picked up one fourth down and two third downs with his legs — including a third-and-two just two plays before All scored the game-winning touchdown. He got better as the game wore on, totaling 102 yards after halftime.

“The whole game. He’s just got a quality about him where he wants to and will take the team on his back,” Harbaugh said. “That’s his mindset. That’s what he did.”

Haskins has been a workhorse for the Maize and Blue. He’s now racked up 100-plus rushing yards in four of the last five games and in five total clashes this year.

“Hassan is really one of the dudes that’s the heart and soul of this team,” McNamara said. “His grittiness and his toughness, it’s hard to compare. His performance today was big for our offense and big for our team.”

Miscellaneous Michigan Football Offense Notes

• McNamara has now thrown touchdowns to six different receivers on the year.

• All’s 47-yard touchdown was the first of his career. It also marked the third score by the tight end group this season, after redshirt sophomore Luke Schoonmaker caught the first two last week against Indiana.

• Michigan’s 15-play, 90-yard drive (7:30) in the second quarter was the team’s second touchdown drive this season of 15 plays or more (17 plays against Rutgers).

• Michigan’s 144 rushing yards were the third-fewest it has picked up in an outing this year. The low of 112 occurred against both Rutgers and Wisconsin. Michigan has rushed for 100-plus yards in all 10 games this season.

• Wilson’s scores were his first of this year. His only other score came at Indiana in 2020.

• For the first time this season, the Maize and Blue did not settle for a field goal. They were forced to punt five times, however.

• Michigan has averaged more than five yards per play in all but one game this season (Wisconsin). The Wolverines’ 5.2 yards per down were the second-most Penn State has allowed in a tilt this season, behind only the 7.1 Ohio State racked up.

• Freshman running back Donovan Edwards suited up and carried twice for two yards, after missing the previous two games with an injury.

• Haskins has 985 rushing yards for the season and is 15 yards shy of becoming the Wolverines’ first 1,000-yard rusher since Karan Higdon in 2018.