No coach? No problem. Not all wins are created equal. Saturday's victory by No. 3 Michigan comes as a feather in the cap not just for the Wolverines but their coach, Jim Harbaugh, too. Michigan improved to 10-0 -- 4-0 in games Harbaugh has missed due to suspension -- this season with a more-decisive-than-the-score-looks 24-15 win over No. 10 Penn State at Happy Valley.
It was not a pretty game, nor was it that exciting, but you won't hear many complaints from the Michigan faithful. Well, you won't hear them complain about the football game, at least.
After getting off to a slow start on offense, Michigan changed up its approach. Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore, serving as acting coach in Harbaugh's stead, threw out most of the passing playbook and leaned on his running game. Michigan countered the speed and aggressive nature of Penn State's defense by beefing up the offense, and it worked.
Blake Corum, Donovan Edwards and J.J. McCarthy combined to rush for 227 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. The Wolverines' last 30 plays of the game were all runs, and they did not complete a pass beyond the middle of the second quarter. As for Penn State, it was another rough day for the offense against an elite defense. Much like we saw against Ohio State, Drew Allar and company struggled to move the ball effectively through the air.
- Corum led Michigan with 145 yards and two touchdowns, including a 30-yard score run to put the game away in the fourth quarter.
- McCarthy only registered eight official pass attempts in the game. He completed seven of them for 60 yards.
- The teams combined for only 134 yards passing.
- Penn State coach James Franklin is now 4-16 against Michigan and Ohio State. He's also just 3-17 against AP Top-10 teams.
- Michigan has won four straight over Penn State and seven of the last 10 since 2014.
- Michigan held Penn State to 96 yards in the second half with 75 of them coming on PSU's final drive while it was down two scores.