Michigan continues dominance over Penn State, 24-15

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – Michigan did not have Jim Harbaugh, its head coach who had been suspended by the Big Ten on Friday over sign-stealing allegations. But they did bring a stifling defense and a ball-control rushing game into Happy Valley on Saturday. As a result, Penn State (8-2, 5-2 Big Ten) fell to the Wolverines (10-0, 7-0) by a score of 24-15 in a packed Beaver Stadium.

The Nittany Lion defense allowed 24 points on 287 total yards. Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy was held to 60 passing yards and was sacked once by Dani Dennis-Sutton. In total, the Nittany Lions registered seven tackles for loss as a group, keeping the Blue & White within striking distance throughout the contest. Defensive end Adisa Isaac led the way with six total tackles, including three tackles for loss.

But Michigan’s defense was even better. Penn State quarterback Drew Allar had a hand in both Nittany Lion touchdowns on the afternoon. Allar’s 11-yard touchdown run, which happened moments after he caught a pass on fourth down earlier in the drive from running back Kaytron Allen, was Penn State’s first touchdown of the day. Allar also threw a touchdown pass to tight end Theo Johnson late in the fourth quarter as the Nittany Lions attempted a comeback. But Allar was held to 74 passing yards, lost a fumble and had a pass intercepted.

On the ground, Kaytron Allen led the way carrying the ball 12 times for 72 yards. Nicholas Singleton also contributed 43 rushing yards on 13 carries.

Penn State welcomed a crowd of 110,856 fans to Beaver Stadium, the largest crowd of the 2023 season and second-largest attendance in the venue’s storied history. PSU recorded its third instance of at least 110,700 fans packing Beaver Stadium this season.

With a little over two minutes remaining in the opening quarter, Penn State got on the board first with a 20-yard field goal by Alex Felkins. The kick was the culmination of a 13-play, 66-yard drive that took 6:24 off the clock and gave the Nittany Lions a 3-0 lead.

Michigan took a 7-3 lead on a three-yard rushing score by Blake Corum at the 11:56 mark of the second quarter. The Wolverines went 75 yards on nine plays for the score.

A 22-yard rushing touchdown by Donovan Edwards put the Wolverines up 14-3 with 6:07 left to play in the first half.

A pair of fourth down conversions led to the Nittany Lions’ first touchdown of the day, an 11-yard scamper by Allar. The Nittany Lions could not convert their two-point conversion attempt, so the score remained 14-9 Wolverines. Penn State’s drive went 75 yards on ten plays, with Allar punching the ball into the end zone at the tail end of the half. Penn State entered the break trailing by five.

Michigan picked up a Penn State fumble on the first possession of the second half and converted a 22-yard field goal on its ensuing drive to increase its lead to 17-9.

The Wolverines’ final score of the afternoon was a 30-yard run by Corum that put them ahead 24-9 with 4:15 to go in the fourth quarter. The Nittany Lions answered with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Johnson (failed two-point try), but were not able to complete the comeback, as they fell to Michigan 24-15.