ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – After the first quarter, it looked as though Michigan might be in trouble down, 7-3. They weren’t as their defense kicked in and Blake Corum rushed for 177 yards on 33 carries leading Michigan to a 29-7 victory. Michigan moves to 8-0 on the year and 5-0 in the Big Ten.
“I thought our guys played great defensively, very opportunistic on special teams, took care of business on offense … I thought we won all three phases,” says head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Michigan produced 443 yards of total offense as 276 came on the ground. The defense held MSU to just 252 yards of offense and 37 rushing yards. J.J. McCarthy was 15-of-25 for 167 yards and one touchdown followed by Corum’s 177 yards rushing. Luke Schoonmaker had 70 yards receiving on five receptions. Corum had the passing touchdown, too.
It was Jake Moody that took care of business on the field making five field goals. He hit a field goal in every single quarter with a 22-yarder in the first quarter and a 25-yarder in the second. He then made a 39-yard and 33-yard field goal in the third and then a 54-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
“The stops throughout the game were key for us. Them driving to our 10-yard line and getting no points was a huge stop. The stops throughout the game were key to our game especially the third down stops. The three-and-outs in the second half. It was a great job done by our defense,” says Harbaugh.
Five players for MSU tried to rush the gall as Elijah Collins was the leader with just 22 yards. Payton Throne was 17-of-30 for 215 yards with one touchdown pass. Of the 215 yards passing, Keon Coleman had 155 yards receiving on five receptions and the lone touchdown.
The first quarter was a battle as Moody hit his first of five field goals with a 22-yard make for a 3-0 lead. MSU’s only score came with 23 seconds left in the quarter when Thorne found Coleman from 26-yards out to take the lead, 7-3. Michigan retook the lead, 10-7, with 11:58 to go in the second quarter on a McCarthy to Corum pass from two-yards out. MSU was responding to the Wolverine lead taking the drive to the Michigan five-yard line. On a fourth-and-one, instead of kicking a field goal to tie the game at 10, MSU decided to go for the first down and was stuffed for a two-yard loss by Junior Colson and Michael Barrett stopping the momentum and any chance of MSU taking the lead.
Michigan marched down the field from the MSU seven-yard line that ended with a Moody 25-yard field goal just before the half for a 13-7 lead.
Moody then kicked two field goals in the third quarter of 39 yards at 9:15 for a 16-7 lead and then with 3:58 left from 33-yards making it 19-7. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Moody hit a 54-yard field goal to move the lead to 22-7. Corum finished out the scoring with 12:47 in the fourth on a four-yard run as the final became 29-7.
Michigan travels to Rutgers on Saturday, November 5, to play on the Big Ten Network at 7:30 p.m.
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