Observations on the first half with Penn State, 14-9
Michgan scored a touchdown in their only red zone; Penn State scored 9 points in two red zone trips, and neither team turned the ball over. Michigan dodged "a bullet" when Corum fumbled early, but he recovered his fumble forced by Abdul Carter.
Offense gained 170 yards with 110 on the ground with 8 first downs. J.J. McCarthy hit 7 of 8 passes for 60 yards, and had 3 yards rushing after taking a sack. Donovan Edwards ran 5 times fore 43 yards including a 22 yard TD. Blake Corum ran 9 times for 64 yards and a TD. Cornelius Johnson had 2 catches for 24 yards. Semaj Morgan had 2 catches for 17 yards. Colston Loveland had 2 catches for 7 yards. A.J. Barner had one catch for 12 yards. Roman Wilson has no catches. Time of possession is dead even, and Penn State has run 4 more offensive plays. Kevin Winston led Penn State with 9 tackles; Curtis Jacobs has 6 tackles.
Defense started good, but then let up that red zone touchdown late in the first quarter; however, they did have a BIG red zone stop earlier. Penn State gained 142 yards with 107 on the ground with 9 first downs. Drew Allar hit 3 of 7 for 31 yards, and rushed 5 times for 28 yards and a TD; he also caught a 4 yard pass. Kayton Allen had 7 carries for 48 yards. Nick Singleton had 8 carries for 31 yards. Kenneth Grant has been incredible with 4 tackles including a TD saver. Michael Barrett has 4 tackles, but is getting blocked and not filling gaps. Rod Moore also has 4 tackles.
Special Teams were pretty good as Tommy Doman hit all kickoffs for touchbacks, and punted twice for a 38.5 yard average. Jack Thaw has been solid on punt returns with a 6 yard return. James Franklin made a real stupid move by going for 2 on the last touchdown, thank goodness. Riley Thompson also had 2 punts for Penn State with a 46.5 yard average.
Second Half will be a nailbiter! Neither team has been scored on in the 3rd quarter this season! We have got to stop the Penn State running attack, and we have got to put more pressure on Allard. If we can get to 20 points, our defense should be able to finish the job. Go Blue!