Penn State, Michigan face 'defining moment' in clash of unbeatens

With 30 minutes left to play this past Saturday, fifth-ranked, undefeated Michigan was tied with unranked Indiana. 

Coach Jim Harbaugh had talked previously about wanting to start fast, but after putting together a 77-yard touchdown drive on their opening possession of the game, the Wolverines settled into a funk. Their last five possessions of the first half ended like this: punt, field goal, punt, missed field goal, turnover on downs. 

When a heavy underdog finds a way to stay competitive for two quarters as the Hoosiers did last weekend in Bloomington, the result can be an erosion of confidence on the opposite sideline and maybe even an upset.

Not this time, though.

Inside The Den: Penn State prepped for season’s biggest test

Michigan’s first five drives of the second half ended like this: touchdown, interception, punt, touchdown, touchdown. The Wolverines won 31-10, finishing the game with 21 unanswered points while holding the hosts to 29 total yards over the final two quarters. In the process, they showed Harbaugh the kind of fortitude they will surely need in the weeks ahead.

“If you are going to reach the promised land, you need some games where the team shows what it’s capable of doing — defining moments in the second half of a ball game,” Harbaugh said. “There’s a lot to keep us humble, and there are things that we have to improve on, but it did also give us a glimpse of what we can be.” 

Harbaugh is hoping to see another glimpse this Saturday when Penn State visits the Big House in a battle of top-10 unbeatens. He described the upcoming matchup as “the biggest challenge of the year, in our opinion,” and the pollsters would likely agree, this being Michigan’s first game against a ranked opponent.

McCarthy takes charge of U-M offense

Sophomore quarterback J.J. McCarthy was the star at Indiana, completing 28 of 36 passes for 304 yards and 3 touchdowns. McCarthy, who unseated incumbent Cade McNamara as starter in Week 3, leads the FBS with a 78.3 percent completion rate. And while gives the Wolverines a level of aerial potency they haven’t always enjoyed during the Harbaugh era, this is also a typical Michigan team in many respects. The Wolverines run the ball exceptionally well and have one of the nation’s stingiest defenses. 

Related: Five bold predictions for Penn State’s game at Michigan

Junior running back Blake Corum leads the rushing attack. He’s third in the Big Ten with an average of 122.5 yards per game, and he’s already scored 11 touchdowns on the ground, putting him in a tie for second place in the FBS with 66 points scored.

The defense, meanwhile, is giving up only 11.3 points per game to rank fifth in the nation. One of the keys to its success has been senior edge rusher Mike Morris, who is tied for second in the conference with 5 sacks and tied for sixth with 7 tackles for loss. 

After winning the Big Ten title last fall, Michigan lost defensive ends Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo, who combined for 25 of the team’s 34 sacks and went on to be drafted in the first and second rounds, respectively. And yet, the Wolverines lead the Big Ten this year with 22 sacks, including 7 in the win over the Hoosiers. 

“I don’t know if ‘surprising’ is the right term,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “But with the departure of the two defensive ends who were so well thought of, for them to be able to pressure and sack the quarterback at the rate they’ve been able to do it has been impressive.”

‘This is why you come to a place like Penn State’

At his press conference on Monday, Harbaugh was in no danger of giving away any secrets about his staff’s analysis of Penn State. While Franklin touched on Michigan’s coaching staff, personnel, venue and game day atmosphere as part of a 786-word opening statement at his weekly presser, Harbaugh offered only a few vague generalities about the Nittany Lions.

“They’re always prepared, they’re always ready,” he said. “They always win a lot of games.”

Well, not always. The Lions are coming off two mediocre finishes in 2020 and ’21, the second of which included a 21-17 home loss to the Wolverines. 

If the Lions were to flip the script in this year’s rematch, earning a road win over a top-five opponent, they would go a long way toward changing that narrative. But Penn State is a seven-point underdog heading into the Big House, and Franklin is appropriately wary.

“We’ve got to have an unbelievable week of preparation,” he said. “We’ve got to make sure that our players are approaching it the right way. I’ve got to make sure the staff is approaching it the right way to put ourselves in the best position to be successful on Saturday. 

“It’s going to be a challenge, but this is why you come to a place like Penn State, to play in these types of games. We’ve got to find a way to be successful, there’s no doubt about it.”