Game Grades: Michigan
The undefeated season comes to an end.
No. 10 Penn State fell in its road test against No. 5 Michigan with a 41-17 defeat.
Here’s a look at how each position group performed during Saturday’s loss in Ann Arbor.
Offense: F
Oh boy, this was not a fun offense to watch.
If not for a 62-yard Sean Clifford rush to set up a goal-line touchdown from Kaytron Allen, the blue and white would’ve had just 49 rushing yards and barely over 200 total yards.
Offensively, the Nittany Lions looked lost and were unable to move the ball from start to finish.
Time of possession tells the story as Penn State only held the ball for just over 18 minutes of play compared to the Wolverines’ 42 minutes.
The Nittany Lions tried to run a hurry up offense even when the game was still tight which didn’t work at all.
Clifford only completed seven passes before being taken out due to injury and was the team’s leading rusher with 74 yards, mostly due to the big run mentioned earlier.
It’s hard to win games with just one offensive touchdown especially against a top-five team in the country and the Nittany Lions looked outmatched offensively from the opening kick.
Defense: D+
Michigan did not punt once in this game, that should tell you the whole story right there.
In reality, it was a tale of two halves for the defense.
During the first half, the Nittany Lions bent but didn’t break as they held the Wolverines offense to two field goals on the first two drives before finally finding the endzone midway through the second quarter.
Curtis Jacobs also helped the cause by returning an interception to the house to give the Nittany Lions a late lead in the second quarter.
The second half however was totally different.
Michigan’s ground game broke through as Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards each finished with over 160 rushing yards.
The defense was completely gassed exiting the locker room and it didn’t help that the offense was giving the ball right back every two minutes allowing no time for rest.
With that being said, allowing 563 total yards and 418 rushing yards is inexcusable.
But hey, at least they won the turnover battle!
Coaching: F
Can I go lower than an F? Where to begin here…
Everything the coaching staff tried to pull out went wrong in this blowout loss.
Trying to move quicker offensively just didn’t work as the Wolverines defense was ready for everything the Nittany Lions threw their way.
During the bye week, James Franklin spoke on having three number one receivers in Mitchell Tinsley, Parker Washington and KeAndre Lambert Smith who all combined for 90 receiving yards.
The rushing game which had been a big part of the Nittany Lions offense went silent with both Allen and Nicholas Singleton each finishing with less than 20 rushing yards.
There was also a lack of accountability as Franklin mainly focused on plans for recruiting during the bye week rather than preparing for Michigan during the week.
It’s not going to be a great look for those recruits after a loss like that.
Logan Bourandas is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.
