Best and worst from Michigan's massive win over Penn State
No. 6 Michigan Wolverines football kept its Big Ten and national title hopes alive with a 21-17 win over Penn State Saturday afternoon in Happy Valley.
Here are the best and worst from the contest.
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Play Of The Day
Not that it was a question, but the play of the day was a 47-yard connection between redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara, who had fumbled on the prior possession, and sophomore tight end Erick All, who was playing at 80 percent after missing the prior contest, with 3:29 remaining.
The Wolverines executed a rub route on a mesh pattern, with McNamara finding All, whose defender ran into a teammate. The tight end jetted down the sideline for the first touchdown of his career. It wound up being the game-winner.
Needs An Ice Bath
There will be plenty of soreness and lactic fluid tomorrow on both sides of things. But perhaps the players who will most need an ice bath and some extra recovery this coming week are Penn State fifth-year senior quarterback Sean Clifford, who was sacked seven times and hit on multiple other occasions, and Michigan redshirt sophomore running back Hassan Haskins, who notched 31 carries and five catches (which means he was tackled 36 times, since he didn’t score a touchdown).
Give both credit for battling. Clifford took some blows that some other quarterbacks wouldn’t have gotten up from, and Haskins was a warrior for the Maize and Blue. He would not be denied — a theme with this team.
Dime Of The Day
McNamara threw his fair share of pretty balls Saturday, none better looking than his 21-yard strike to second-year freshman wideout Roman Wilson on a post pattern to put the Wolverines ahead 7-3.
Perfect timing. Perfect arc. Perfect placement. Six points.
Best Run
There weren’t many to choose from, since Penn State runs had the intensity of an intentional walk in baseball, but one in particular stood out, and may be a forgotten play of the game.
Down 17-14 with less than six minutes remaining, Michigan needed to put together a drive. They turned to Haskins, the guy who’s gotten it done so many times this season and throughout his career.
His 17-yard rip on a cutback off the right side got the Wolverines’ drive going. It marked the second-longest run of the contest. A few plays later, McNamara hit All for the score. Runner up goes to Haskins’ two-yard rush on third-and-two just two plays before the game-winner.
Best Duo
Michigan junior defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and redshirt freshman outside linebacker David Ojabo aren’t slowing down any time soon. They’re both up to 10 sacks on the season, tied atop the Big Ten, after Hutchinson had three and Ojabo had two on the day.
A projected first-round 2022 NFL Draft pick, Hutchinson has been described by multiple analysts as the best player in the country. Should he start garnering some Heisman Trophy hype? Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald thinks so …
Welcome To The Party
Welcome to the big time, Rod Moore.
The true freshman safety became the 10th Wolverine this season to make his first career start on defense. And he fared well, registering six tackles (tied for fourth on the team) and staying solid in coverage situations. His fourth-down tackle on Penn State star junior wide receiver Jahan Dotson in the fourth quarter stands out.
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We expect second-year freshman R.J. Moten to still be a factor at free safety, especially against more run-heavy teams, but Moore should have more of a role going forward, too.
Quote Of The Game
This Michigan team reminds us a bit of head coach Jim Harbaugh‘s 2011-12 San Francisco 49ers squad that made a Super Bowl appearance, in that the Wolverines feed off his energy and personality, play hard and for each other and make winning plays when they need to.
If we were told this quote was said years ago about that ’49ers squad, we wouldn’t question it. Nope, he’s talking about this year’s Michigan team that ranks No. 6 in the nation and, barring a disaster against Maryland next week, will have a chance to win the Big Ten on the regular season’s final week.
“It’s a great win, no doubt this team is full of all the championship qualities in guys, football players,” Harbaugh said. “They were born to do this. They approach it like, yeah, we’re born for these kind of days, so let’s go have at it. Let’s have good days, and then go play the game.
“They enjoy it. They’re having a lot of fun; the energy is high. It’s time to go. That’s the stuff I see and I hear, and then they go and have at it. It’s great to be a part of.”
Top Tweet
Prior to the season, Michigan quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss showed up to a press conference wearing a ‘Chase The Lion’ shirt. The Michigan media asked the hard-hitting question: What the heck does that mean?
It’s biblical, Weiss explained, from 2 Samuel 23:20. He discussed how Michigan would be wise to channel Benaiah, who chased a lion into a pit on a snowy day and slayed it.
Michigan slayed the Nittany Lions Saturday, and Weiss took to Twitter afterwards …
Best Celebration
This column wouldn’t be complete without this video of the Wolverines’ postgame locker room celebration. In case any Michigan fans missed it, here’s another example of how much fun this team is having. Winning cures a lot.
Enjoy it.
