Michigan 49, Penn State 10
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — De’Veon Smith led an overwhelming ground game with 107 yards rushing and a touchdown and Karan Higdon ran for two scores and No. 4 Michigan routed Penn State 49-10 on Saturday in both teams’ Big Ten opener.
The Wolverines scored six touchdowns on the ground as they finished with 326 yards rushing. Wilton Speight threw one touchdown pass.
“I was really impressed by all of our running backs,” coach Jim Harbaugh said. “We were moving the chains and breaking off big runs. That’s an efficient way to great way to move the ball, and our entire offense was very effective with it today.”
Michigan (4-0) dominated both sides of the ball. Penn State (2-2) has lost three straight to the Wolverines.
“Give Michigan credit, that’s a good, mature football team,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “They are one of the oldest teams in the country, and they are ranked No. 4 for a reason.”
Jabrill Peppers gave the fans an early thrill by returning Penn State’s first punt to the 9, although a bench-interference penalty moved the ball to the Nittany Lions 24. Seven plays later, Khalid Hill dove in on 4th-and-goal from the 1.
“It’s cool that Coach trusts us to jam the ball in that situation,” Speight said. “Every guy on the offense wanted to go for it on that fourth down, and it is nice to be on the same page with Coach.”
The Wolverines also scored touchdowns on their next two drives. Penn State finally got a couple stops, but the Wolverines took a 28-0 halftime lead on Higdon’s 2-yard run.
The Nittany Lions got on the board with a field goal early in the third, but Chris Evans made it 35-3 with a 3-yard run and the Wolverines cruised to the win.
The Nittany Lions came into the Big House without any of their starting linebackers then lost Brandon Smith to a second-quarter targeting penalty. That left the Penn State defense helpless against Michigan’s running game and short passes. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been through or seen anything like this,” Franklin said. “We’ve got three guys out, and then Brandon gets thrown out going for an interception. Then Jan Johnson comes in, and we lose him, too.”
Penn State returns to Happy Valley for the first of three straight home games. The Nittany Lions face Minnesota next Saturday in the Golden Gophers’ first trip to Penn State since 2009.
Michigan will play its fifth-straight game at the Big House, but will have a tougher test next Saturday against Wisconsin. The 11th-ranked Badgers routed No. 8 Michigan State 30-6 in East Lansing.
