Best And Worst From Michigan Football's Blowout Of Minnesota

No. 18 Michigan Wolverines football knocked off the No. 21 Minnesota Golden Gophers in Minneapolis, 49-24, on Saturday night. The Maize and Blue started their season with a bang, with arch rival Michigan State at The Big House coming up next week.

Here's the best and worst from the primetime showdown.

RELATED: Wolverine Watch: Milton & Co. Flip The Script

RELATED: P.J. Fleck Discusses Minnesota's Loss To Michigan Football

Biggest Hit

Midway through the first quarter, U-M redshirt sophomore viper linebacker Michael Barrett, who was making his debut as a starter, got a clean lick on Minnesota redshirt junior quarterback Tanner Morgan, blitzing off the edge after being lined up over the slot receiver. Morgan never saw him coming, and let the ball come loose, before it was picked up by ...

Biggest Player To Score A Touchdown

Wolverine redshirt junior defensive tackle Donovan Jeter, who stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs 318 pounds, recovered Morgan's fumble and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown. After receiving plenty of preseason praise from his coaches and teammates, Jeter turned in an impressive season opener, notching a tackle and a pass breakup to go along with his scoop and score.

Worst Decision

U-M senior fullback Ben Mason, on the second play from scrimmage and following a redshirt sophomore quarterback Joe Milton 24-yard completion to freshman running back Blake Corum, committed an unnecessary roughness penalty for blocking his man after the whistle. Every ounce of momentum the Wolverines gained on their first play was lost, with U-M subsequently being forced to punt it away — except the punt didn't go away, it got blocked. Minnesota started at the U-M 17 and scored two plays later to open up a 7-0 win. The Wolverines came out with a victory, but Mason's early mistake started Milton and the offense off on the wrong foot.

With that said, we'll give Mason the nod for "best redemption," because he ended up playing a stellar game from that point on, including scoring on an eight-yard touchdown reception late in that same quarter.

Best Stat

We mentioned earlier that fifth-year senior punter Will Hart had his punt blocked on U-M's opening possession. Well, he got benched after that, but not by head coach Jim Harbaugh. Instead, it was Milton and the offense that took matters into their own hands, never having to boot it away after that. The drive chart is quite impressive, with the Wolverines either scoring a touchdown or attempting a field goal on nine of the team's final 11 drives (including the last drive in which U-M kneeled the clock out):

Best Breakout Performance

Without a doubt, this one goes to Barrett. In addition to the aforementioned forced fumble, Barrett was all over the field on defense, compiling seven total tackles with 1.5 for loss. He also returned a kick 66 yards to allow the Wolverines to set up shop at the Minnesota eight yard line on a drive U-M ultimately scored on. After only appearing in two games on defense in his previous two seasons in Ann Arbor, Barrett made his mark on the big-time victory.

Most Disappointing Aspect Of The Game

This ties hand in hand with "most significant injury." Junior placekicker Jake Moody had nailed 16 of his 20 career attempts heading into the game, but missed all three of his looks on Saturday night — from 38, 48 and 33 yards out. Fifth-year senior Quinn Nordin was "working through [an injury]," Harbaugh said after the fact.

Moody has it in him to make kicks — clutch ones — but having Nordin back, sooner rather than later, would be a plus for U-M.

Best Freshman

The Wolverines showcased several freshmen, many of which made significant impacts in the opener. But none were bigger than Corum, a former four-star recruit out of Baltimore (Md.), who flashed his quicks on multiple occasions, running five times for 24 yards and catching two passes for 36 yards.

There were questions preseason on how U-M could possibly play four running backs, but it was effective tonight, with each having a role.

Best Postgame Quote

Harbaugh and his players have lauded the "oneness" on their team, and it was apparent on Saturday night. The squad stayed connected and seemed genuinely happy for each other's success.

Harbaugh's quote of the night: "I'm just really proud of our team. I believe in them, I respect them and I trust them. I just wanted them to go out there tonight and just let it rip, and they did that. It was fun. I was living every play with them. I'm just honored to be their coach and go out there tonight and take the field with them, and fight. They did really well. I'm really proud of them.”

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