Penn State’s wishes weren’t answered on 11/11 with a 24-15 loss to Michigan

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The sun broke through the clouds just in time for the top-10 matchup between No. 10 Penn State and No. 3 Michigan.

A striped-out Beaver Stadium (with some specs of maize) provided a hostile environment for a Jim Harbaugh-less undefeated Wolverine unit.

Harbaugh was suspended by the Big Ten yesterday afternoon for the remainder of the regular season for Michigan’s ongoing sign-stealing investigation.

His absence failed to make a difference as his team dealt Penn State its second loss of the season.

Penn State deferred possession to the Wolverines to get things going in Happy Valley; a sack by Dani Dennis-Sutton shut Michigan down early and forced a punt.

Drew Allar was unable to spark anything on an opening drive, and Michigan had the ball back just 47 seconds later.

Chop Robinson returned to action after suffering an injury against Ohio State and immediately made an impact with a QB hurry on J.J. McCarthy, forcing another Wolverine punt.

With the ball back, the Nittany Lions started striding — the first completion of the game went to tight end Tyler Warren for an explosive 19-yard gain. Nicholas Singleton found the gaps and rushed for 26 yards on the drive, which concluded in a 21-yard field goal.

The first quarter ended amid the Wolverines attempting to answer; McCarthy kept the drive alive with a 13-yard rush.

Staring down the Penn State student section, Michigan rushed down the Nittany Lions’ throats and took the lead with Blake Corum’s 17th touchdown of the season. Penn State was penalized for having 12 men on the field, which put the Wolverines on the three-yard line.

Clouds slowly refilled the sky as Allar’s offense failed to establish a responding drive, and Michigan continued its lion hunt. Corum found the outside edge on the left for a 44-yard gain, which momentarily silenced and stunned the crowd.

Three plays later, Donovan Edwards beat out several defenders to rush 22 yards into the endzone. Rushing explosiveness, which Michigan doesn’t typically rely on, continued to stab the Nittany Lions.

Now down, by 11 and six minutes before halftime, Penn State needed to find a rhythm: enter Kaytron Allen. Thirty-four yards later and Beaver Stadium erupted; the Blue Band echoed along with the screaming crowd.

Two key fourth-down conversions kept the drive alive. Kaden Saunders, who made his first career start, caught a 13-yard pass and not long after a trick play between Allen and Allar kept Penn State in the red zone.

The deficit was minimalized as Allar rushed 11 yards to the house, but a failed two-point conversion made the score 14-9.

Exiting halftime, the Nittany Lions started with the ball and came out firing with the run game. However, the Wolverines took over at the PSU 49 after forcing Allar to fumble on a third and short QB keeper.

Taking eight minutes to go 45 yards, Michigan added three to its lead, and for the first time all season, Penn State allowed points in the third quarter.

Michigan fans held a little presence in the crowd and made their voices heard when Penn State was on offense, and its struggles continued with three and a half minutes left in the third quarter.

Penalties down the stretch harmed the Nittany Lions and handed the Wolverines free yards for the taking. Working the clock with its run game, McCarthy didn’t need to go through the air — he only attempted one pass in the second half.

As Michigan worked into blue and white territory, the defense revived itself and forced it to punt with eight minutes left in the game.

Dwindling discipline and countless errors plagued Penn State as the clock ticked down. Only needing eight points to tie, its chances diminished with every mistake and every punt.

All the Wolverines had to do was keep running to keep the clock ticking, and even when possession flipped, Allar’s incompletions fluttered the field.

The sophomore quarterback, in his first year as a starter, finished 9-20 for 62 yards and a touchdown

Penn State turned the ball over on downs, and Michigan immediately made it pay when Corum scored his second touchdown of the day on a 30-yard rush. Pushing the score 24-9, hopes of winning were left at the entrance of Beaver Stadium as fans started moving toward the exits.

A late touchdown by Theo Johnson and another failed two-point conversion put the score at 24-15. What was left of the student section displayed its anger by throwing items onto the turf with 1:59 left in the game.

Michigan’s crowd hooped and hollered as McCarthy entered victory formation for the Wolverines to seal the deal. With the loss, Penn State worsened to 12-26 against ranked opponents in a disappointing fashion, considering the expectations leading into not only this game but the season.

Amanda Vogt is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email amandevogt@gmail.com.