No. 10 Penn State has no answers for Wolverines’ running game
Before the game, Blake Corum warmed up wearing a ski hat that summed up Michigan’s attitude right now: “Michigan vs. Everybody.”
After the second-ranked Wolverines were done pummeling No. 9 Penn State, Corum wore a bloodied bridge of his nose and the satisfaction of knowing that everybody is still winless against Michigan this season.
With Jim Harbaugh banned by the Big Ten Conference, Corum, J.J. McCarthy and the Wolverines played unfazed by a scandal that has hounded the program for weeks — and their toughest opponent yet — grinding past the Nittany Lions 24-15 on Saturday.
“We’re one. It made us stronger,” said Corum, who carried 26 times. “Obviously, we wanted Coach Harbaugh to be here, but we did it for him today. We’ve been going through a lot lately, but it’s only brought us closer together.”
Corum ran for 145 yards and two touchdowns, McCarthy made a few key plays with his arm and legs and the Wolverines (10-0, 7-0, No. 3 CFP) improved to 3-0 since it was revealed the program was under NCAA investigation for a sign-stealing scheme.
The timeline of the accusations cover the last three seasons of Michigan’s surge to the top of the Big Ten and two straight College Football Playoff appearances.
Coincidence? Plenty of fans think not.
“People can say whatever they want,” fifth-year offensive lineman Trevor Keegan said. “We know what’s true. We know what’s in this locker room. We trust each other. We’re brothers, we’re in this thing together. That’s the way it’s going to be.”
The struggles in big games continued for coach James Franklin and Penn State (8-2, 5-3, No. 10 CFP), which scored a combined 27 points in losses to Big Ten East rivals Ohio State and Michigan this season.
“We’ve lost to the No. 1 and the No. 3 team in the country, that’s not good enough,” Franklin said. “We have to find ways to win those games.”
In a game Harbaugh no doubt loved from afar, on what turned into a chilly and gray day in Happy Valley, the Wolverines ran the ball on 32 straight plays that counted, starting with the final two of the first half and ending with a couple of kneeldowns.
