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Donovan Edwards ran for a go-ahead, 67-yard touchdown, and Blake Corum had a 61-yard run for a score on consecutive snaps in the third quarter as No. 5 Michigan pulled away and beat No. 10 Penn State 41-17 on Saturday.
The Wolverines (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) finished with 418 yards rushing, gaining 7.6 yards per carry, against a team that was giving up fewer than 80 yards rushing per game to rank among college football’s leaders.
Michigan was dominant for much of the first half, but led by just two points, because it settled for field goals after stalling at the 5 twice and at the 11 once.
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Despite having only one first down, the Nittany Lions (5-1, 2-1) took a 14-13 lead late in the first half after scoring two touchdowns in a 1-minute, 44-second span.
Penn State went ahead again after the opening drive of the third quarter, but Edwards answered with a 67-yard run on the next play. Edwards darted to the right to take advantage of excellent blocking to get to the sideline and used his speed on a cutback that gave the Wolverines a 24-17 lead with a 2-point conversion.
On the ensuing drive, Nittany Lions coach James Franklin went for it on fourth-and-6 from the Michigan 39 and asked Sean Clifford to attempt a difficult pass to Parker Washington downfield and toward the sideline, but it fell incomplete.
On the next play, Corum sprinted through a huge hole and broke away on a 61-yard run that gave the Wolverines a two-touchdown lead midway through the third.
Edwards scored twice and had career highs with 16 rushing attempts and 173 yards on the ground. Corum finished with 166 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries.
Michigan’s Jake Moody made his fourth field goal early in the fourth for a 34-17 lead.
J.J. McCarthy was 17 of 24 for 145 yards with an interception that was deflected by an end, caromed off a defensive tackle and returned 47 yards by linebacker Curtis Jacobs to give Penn State a 14-13 lead with 4:27 left in the first half. McCarthy had a career-high 57 yards rushing.
Penn State’s go-ahead pick-six followed Kaytron Allen’s 1-yard touchdown run after its offense moved the sticks for the first time midway through the second quarter.
Clifford was 7 of 19 for 120 yards and was replaced by freshman Drew Allar, a five-star recruit, with a 17-point deficit in the fourth.
THE TAKEAWAY
Penn State: The run defense that helped the team get off to an undefeated start was exposed by a superior line and explosive running backs.
Michigan: Jim Harbaugh’s team no longer has to answer questions, or hear criticism, about beating inferior opponents.
HART RETURNS
Michigan running back Mike Hart, who left last week’s game at Indiana with a medical emergency, returned to coach against Penn State.
UP NEXT
Penn State: Hosts Minnesota and No. 2 Ohio State over the next two weeks, givingthe team a chance to stay in the Big Ten race.
Michigan: After an open date, plays rival Michigan State at home, aiming for its first win over coach Mel Tucker in three years.
