Penn State exposed at Michigan in battle of unbeaten teams: Highs and Lows

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Penn State couldn’t hang with Michigan in any facet on Saturday afternoon at the Big House. Though the score was close through the first half thanks to a pair of big plays for the Nittany Lions, the performance was otherwise completely dominated by Michigan.

Here is a look at the highs and lows from the game:

Penn State vs. Michigan Highs and Lows

PLAYER OF THE GAME Choosing between Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards doesn’t seem fair to either of Michigan’s running backs given their performances on Saturday. So, we won’t. Edwards broke open the game for Michigan in the third quarter with a stunning 67-yard touchdown jaunt, and Corum put it to bed with his 61-yard scamper in the same frame. All told, Edwards had two touchdowns and 173 yards on 16 carries while Corum had two scores and 166 yards on 28 carries.

PLAY OF THE GAME Donovan Edwards found a big hole to his right, saw a lagging Tyler Elsdon and open space beyond him, and did his thing. In a 17-16 ballgame early in the second half, the Michigan running back hit the home run Penn State had spent the bulk of the 2022 season preventing. With a 67-yard score, capped by a 2-point conversion, Edwards returned Michigan’s touchdown advantage.

BEST PASS J.J. McCarthy had an option wide open in tight end Joel Honigford on first-and-10 from his 17-yard line. Rolling to his right, the better choice was Cornelius Johnson well downfield. Throwing a perfect strike to Johnson on the sideline, the pair connected for a 35-yard pickup and immediately advantageous field position.

BEST RUN Penn State needed something, anything, to go in its favor midway through the first quarter, trailing 13-0. Headed for a third-straight three-and-out, Sean Clifford provided that shot with an unencumbered 62-yard run through a completely vacated Michigan defense. Ultimately caught by D.J. Turner at the 4-yard line, Clifford couldn’t find the end zone, but Kaytron Allen’s 1-yard plunge four plays later did.

BEST SACK McCarthy was every bit as difficult to bring down as Penn State anticipated coming into the game. But, Coziah Izzard, in his second game back from a four-game absence to open the season, finally got home for the Nittany Lions’ first sack in the fourth quarter, helping to hold Michigan to a field goal.

BEST TACKLE Backs against the wall late in the first quarter, Ji’Ayir Brown’s slash past a pair of Michigan blockers into the backfield proved critical. Meeting Blake Corum at the handoff, the veteran Nittany Lion safety caused a 3-yard loss. More importantly, it kept the Wolverines out of the end zone, ultimately setting up a field goal try.

BEST HIT Michigan defender Will Johnson unloaded on Clifford on a third-and-19 scramble for 13 yards along the Wolverines’ sideline.

BEST EFFORT A third-and-short pass from J.J. McCarthy, deflected by Chop Robinson, was a solid play on its own. But when it bounced off P.J. Mustipher’s helmet, Curtis Jacobs snatched it out of the air and ran 47 yards the other direction to give Penn State an improbable 14-13 lead late in the first half.

BEST KICK Michigan place kicker Jake Moody wasn’t especially tested on Saturday, but every one of his four field goal attempts connected. He hit from 29, 24, 23, and finally 37 yards to help pad the Wolverines’ advantage.

BEST RETURN Jacobs didn’t have to navigate much, but his 47-yard pick-six late in the first half was about as momentous as plays can be. A ball initially batted from McCarthy at the line of scrimmage by Chop Robinson, Jacobs stuck with it off Mustipher’s helmet to give Penn State a 14-13 lead.

BEST DECISION For Penn State, there isn’t much to choose from in this one. Even Michigan had a few cracks that better opponents will likely exploit. The bottom line in this game, however, is that Michigan sized up Penn State and believed it could and would successfully dictate the terms of the game. That meant pushing around the Nittany Lions on both sides of the line of scrimmage, ultimately paying off in the form of explosive, backbreaking runs when the outcome was still in doubt.

WORST DECISION Penn State had some head-scratching decisions on Saturday, but two, in particular, stand out as game-defining. In a contest that otherwise had been owned in the trenches by Michigan, the Nittany Lions had two low-percentage passing plays called in crucial third- and fourth-down moments. The first was an end zone fade on third-and-4 from the Michigan 10 on Penn State’s first possession of the second half, thrown for an easily defended incompletion. The second, with Penn State trailing 24-17, came on another unlikely out pattern thrown just beyond Parker Washington’s grasp. Deflated by the turnover on downs, Blake Corum’s 61-yard touchdown run on the very next play upended what had, to that point, still been a competitive game.

MOST TELLING MOMENT Responding to Michigan’s first points on the scoreboard, Penn State had its opportunity to respond in the first quarter. Facing a third-and-1 at the 34-yard line, though, Penn State attempted to go toe-to-toe with Michigan on the line of scrimmage. It didn’t work. On a handoff to Singleton, Michigan DT Kris Jenkins easily redirected the play, leaving Mike Morris to secure the tackle and force a punt with a 1-yard loss. It was the showing of what was to come all afternoon. Penn State had no answers, or really even any semblance of them, for a Michigan program that outclassed it in every respect on the afternoon.