After back-to-back losses, Michigan got back in the win column on Saturday and won its first in-conference game, defeating Penn State, 21-18.
It was a great second half for Michigan’s offense — which scored 21 points after switching to freshman quarterback Tommy Carr at halftime — but it wasn’t quite as great a day for the defense. Despite only allowing 18 points to the Nittany Lions, Michigan surrendered a season-high 267 passing yards.
Penn State’s ability to throw the ball wasn’t a major concern
coming into the game, but quarterback Rocco Becht showed right away he was going to hit his targets if given time to do so. On Penn State’s opening drive, Becht completed 8/9 passes, taking advantage of the soft zone coverage Michigan was playing. It was part of a lengthy nine-minute opening drive, but Michigan was able to clamp down and limit the damage to just a field goal.
Becht finished the first half completing 15-of-19 passes for 123 yards. Penn State played much of the second half from behind and was a bit in desperation mode, which contributed to Becht’s efficiency falling a bit, but the Nittany Lions were able to find a formula to move the ball.
“I thought we may be a little soft in pass defense in this game,” head coach Kyle Whittingham said. “We need to get up and challenge a little more, get in the receiver’s face and be a little more aggressive in that respect.”
A big contributor to Penn State’s success through the air was senior wide receiver Chase Sowell. He was a problem for Michigan’s defensive backs all afternoon, hauling in 11 passes for a season-high 151 yards and a touchdown. He made several catches on the perimeter, a few of which were contested at the expense of Jyaire Hill and Smith Snowden.
It was a rough afternoon for Hill, who was also dealing with an injury at the end of the game; Whittingham said it didn’t appear to be anything “long-term.” Hill also drew two penalties in coverage, while Snowden and Shamari Earls each drew a flag of their own. On the opposite end of the spectrum was safety Chris Bracy, who was Michigan’s player of the game on Saturday by recording an interception and forcing a fumble in the game’s final minutes.
Next week, Michigan will have to clean up its act a bit in the secondary, as it welcomes in Indiana and a pair of highly-touted pass-catchers in Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh. When asked if anything needed to change over the next week, Bracy chalked up the Nittany Lions’ success to them making great plays, rather than there being an issue on Michigan’s end.
“Guys made good catches. Honestly, I thought it was good coverage throughout the game,” Bracy said. “There wasn’t any bad coverages on any plays. We’ll be fine.”
Michigan’s offense was able to do enough on Saturday to outpace Penn State, but it’s going to be a much greater challenge next week when Michigan hosts Indiana. A continuation of what we saw in the second half from the offense would likely quell some concerns, but the defense can and needs to do its part in keeping the game close as it prepares to be tested like it hasn’t been tested yet this year against the defending national champions.
A win over Penn State did a good job of temporarily stopping the bleeding for a Michigan season that was starting to slip, but a win next week could help to totally flip the narrative for the better.
