Five running backs score as Michigan football drills Penn State 49-10
Jim Harbaugh’s coaching philosophy revolves around a single premise: physical domination.
In the third quarter of today's 49-10 win over Penn State, his No. 5 ranked Michigan Wolverines finally got to show off those skills.
“There was one drive… we called the same play (nearly) eight times in a row, we would just flip it back and forth,” U-M quarterback Wilton Speight said. “I started laughing looking at the play call because they did the same signal, the same number, every time. The linemen were getting so excited because we were calling the same play…
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“When that happens, it’s demoralizing probably for a defense. I’ve never played defense but I can imagine that would suck every play having someone run you over.”
It appears that was the drive to push the lead to 35-3, only enhancing the satisfaction.
A week after the No. 5-ranked Wolverines (4-0) were pushed and forced into comeback mode against Colorado, flexing their muscles over the Nittany Lions (2-2) was an ideal situation.
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Penn State is a Big Ten opponent known historically for its toughness and stingy defensive front. And Michigan embarrassed them, rushing for 326 yards and six touchdowns, including five from different players.
Four games into the season, this Michigan offense is in historic territory.
The 208 points scored through the first four games are the most in program history. The four straight 40-point games to start are the most since 1947. The previous two seasons (25 games) had a total of four 40-point games and that has already been matched.
That it happened on the ground allowed Michigan to make a statement to the Big Ten — that this is not just the passing team from last year.
They were led by senior tailback De’Veon Smith, who was his tackle-breaking self from the start, with 46 yards in the first quarter, eventually topping 100 yards for the first time this season.
He got his 107 on just 12 carries, his longest a 39-yarder, tearing apart Penn State rush defense early. Later, he was joined in the explosion category by Chris Evans and Karan Higdon (two touchdowns), who each had runs of at least 37 as well.
After a 306-yard day against Hawaii, it was tough to come by against Central Florida’s eight/nine man defensive front and Colorado’s large and athletic defensive line, both under 170 rushing yards.
But Penn State’s front seven was severely lacking due to injury.
“We saw going into the game a big opportunity in the run game and the offensive linemen were so happy about that,” Speight said. “They came out with the mindset they were going to beat their guy and win the war in the trenches. The running backs saw every hole and helped the passing game out a lot.”
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Once Penn State linebacker Brandon Smith was ejected for targeting early in the second quarter, it gave U-M a chance for its third touchdown and the 21-0 lead.
That’s when it was clear by that point Michigan’s defense had more than enough cushion.
After one quarter, they had three sacks and had allowed on 16 total yards. By halftime it was up to five sacks and 50 total yards with Michigan leading 28-0.
The second half became academic, especially after Penn State got to the Michigan two-yard line in the third quarter and elected to kick a field goal instead of going for it.
“We knew that once we shut down the run, we could get to the quarterback with blitzes and different things that coach (Don) Brown has us do,” defensive lineman Chris Wormley said. “Those two sacks on the first drive were huge. It backed them up and set it up for Wilton and the offense to punch it in and score a touchdown and start the game off.”
On the day where U-M’s next opponent, Wisconsin, throttled Michigan State in East Lansing earlier in the day, the Wolverines made a statement leading to the showdown in Ann Arbor.
Contact Mark Snyder: msnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark__snyder.
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