ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan had two weeks to prepare for a Penn State that lost three games in a row. But the Wolverines played as uninspiring of a half as one could play. Michigan mustered 80 yards of offense and quarterback Bryce Underwood tossed two interceptions.
Tommy Carr replaced Underwood in the second half. It was the spark the offense needed and Michigan scored two touchdowns. But it wasn't without typical Michigan drama. The Wolverines allowed Penn State to score a touchdown, but the defense stripped Rocco Becht late in the fourth quarter and Carr capitalized with a 12-yard touchdown run.
Michigan would go on to win, 21-18 and move to 4-2 on the season. Here are some takeaways.
It's Tommy Carr time
There was a lot of coach-speak this past week from both Kyle Whittingham and Jason Beck. The Wolverines supposedly looked themselves in the mirror and canned things that didn't work for the offense. They said they had a team meeting with the offense and aired frustrations out.
Michigan had two weeks to prepare for Penn State, and this is what the Wolverines trotted out on Saturday. Michigan had 80 total yards in the first half, and Bryce Underwood was picked off twice. Underwood underthrew Andrew Marsh, and the ball hit Marsh and bounced off his chest into the PSU defender. The second one was a great one-handed pick by the Nittany Lions.
And that's when it became Tommy Carr time. Whittingham opted to insert the four-star true freshman into the game and he was the spark Michigan needed. The Wolverines' first drive was a first down and then punt, but the next two resulted in rushing touchdowns, while Carr made plays. Michigan's offense remained stagnant until late in the fourth.
After Chris Bracy stripped Rocco Becht, Carr remained poised and ran in a 12-yard score to put the Wolverines up 10 points. In the second half, Carr certainly didn't look like a true freshman and we would be shocked if he didn't start next week against Indiana.
Run game can work... if you get downhill
During the week, Jason Beck said he wasn't going away from the Rhino look. In fact, he said it's their most productive personnel on the field. An extra blocker should pave the way for more rushing yards, but the fact is, we haven't seen it be very productive this season.
And with Bryce Underwood in the game, Michigan's rushing attack had 37 rushing yards. It didn't matter how the Wolverines tried to run the ball, it just didn't work. But Tommy Carr clearly sparked some magic and Beck ran some counters, along with some dives up the middle — between the tackles.
Bryson Kuzdzal hit a home run on a 43-yarder. Savion Hiter ran for an 41-yard scamper and Jordan Marshall had an 11-yard carry. Those are all more productive than we've been used to seeing from this offense. Michigan has to play to its personnel and getting downhill is the way to go for this Wolverines team.
Michigan had its most rushing yards of the year, running for 211 yards against Penn State.
Defense was opportunistic but had its struggles
Michigan had the No. 3 ranked defense in the nation entering Week 7 against Penn State. The Wolverines' defense bent quite a bit in the game against the Nittany Lions. Quarterback Rocco Becht passed for 267 yards against Michigan, but the Wolverines' defense was opportunistic when they needed to be.
Rod Moore intercepted the first pass, but suffered an injury on the diving pick. Then Chris Bracy intercepted Becht. On a must-stop possession in the fourth quarter, Bracy stripped Becht and Michigan recovered in the red zone.
Nittany Lion wide receiver Chase Sowell had a day, catching 11 passes for 151 yards and a score. Jyaire Hill was on him for most of the contest, and struggled. It was the worst Hill has looked all season, at least from recent memory. Even Smith Snowden struggled when he had to defend Sowell.
But overall, Michigan's defense kept the Wolverines in the game. Again, the Wolverines' offense was putrid in the first half and Penn State had chances to put the game out of reach, but Jay Hill's unit continues to fly around and make plays.
End of the Bryce Underwood era?
Bryce Underwood was defined as the savior of Michigan football when the Wolverines flipped him from LSU during Sherrone Moore's first season. Underwood was thrust into the starting spot as a true freshman, and we learned he lived on an island with little to no coaching.
Jason Beck and Kyle Whittingham coming to Michigan was supposed to change Underwood's trajectory. But, once again, it's been shaky for the former No. 1 rated prospect. Underwood has flashed at times. He had arguably his best game as a Michigan player in the loss to Iowa, but there have been too many turnovers and Underwood has had bad habits of zeroing in on targets.
Underwood has six interceptions to five passing touchdowns this season. Sometimes things just don't work out, and it's a possibility here. Maybe Underwood needed to sit and take the game in from the sideline, but if Carr continues to play well — you can't take him off the field.
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