Defense/Special Teams Notes: U-M Fails To Stop PSU's Ground Game In Loss
The Michigan Wolverines' football defense has struggled to stop opponents this season (yielding 42 points last week at Rutgers, 49 the previous week against Wisconsin, etc.), and that trend continued in Saturday's 27-17 loss to Penn State.
The Nittany Lions' rushing attack in particular enjoyed a successful afternoon, compiling 254 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 5.1 yards per rush. PSU's ground game had been dreadful entering the weekend, averaging just 139 rushing yards per outing prior to Saturday (which ranked 88th nationally).
The most disappointing aspect surrounding U-M's defensive showing was the way they allowed PSU's fourth-string running back, freshman Keyvone Lee, to enjoy a career afternoon.
The Nittany Lions' top three running backs — redshirt junior Journey Brown, and sophomores Noah Cain and Devyn Ford — were all out with injury. Lee took advantage of his opportunity by rushing for 134 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, averaging 6.1 yards per attempt.
“We have to get better," redshirt sophomore defensive end Taylor Upshaw stressed in the postgame. "There’s no excuse for missed tackles. We’ve been playing football our whole lives. When those are happening, we have to look in the mirror. That’s what I have to say about that.
"When it comes to tackling, it’s simple — you run into them and take them to the ground. We’ve been taught our whole lives how to tackle and it’s something we just have to do.”
Heading into Saturday, Lee had never rushed for more than 49 yards in a game. Nittany Lion redshirt junior quarterback Sean Clifford added 73 rushing yards of his own, consistently burning the Michigan defense with his legs.
He also registered a 28-yard touchdown run with 3:32 remaining in the second quarter to give Penn State the lead for good, at 14-7. PSU's 254 rushing yards were a season best, with its ground game having been limited to 94 yards or fewer in three of its five prior contests.
One positive aspect was that senior defensive end Kwity Paye returned from injury for the first time since the Oct. 31 loss to Michigan State, but U-M's defensive front nevertheless posted only one sack and two tackles for loss.
Michigan Wolverines' Mike Sainristil Makes Crucial Special Teams Mistake That Leads To A Penn State Field Goal
Sophomore wideout Giles Jackson has served as Michigan's primary punt returner all season long, but he missed Saturday's game with an injury and fellow sophomore receiver Mike Sainristil took over those duties.
Things did not go smoothly for Sainristil, who fumbled a punt that hit him squarely in the chest late in the second quarter with Michigan trailing 14-7. The Nittany Lions recovered the ball at the Wolverines' 27-yard line, before kicking a 22-yard field goal with 15 seconds left in the half to give them a 17-7 edge at the break.
Sainristil was removed from the punt returning duties from that point on, with freshman running back Blake Corum taking his place. Jackson wasn't the only key special teamer who was out with an injury. Fifth-year senior kicker Quinn Nordin missed Saturday's contest, as well.
Junior Jake Moody served as U-M's kicker in Nordin's place, connecting on both of his extra points. He also made a 40-yard field goal in the third quarter, marking his first successful field goal since last year's 45-14 blowout of Notre Dame on Oct. 26.
Redshirt junior punter Brad Robbins, meanwhile, had been on fire entering the weekend (averaging at least 42.0 yards per punt in each of Michigan's previous four games), but he averaged only 37.2 yards on four attempts against Penn State.
Additionally, Robbins dropped just one of his four punts inside the Nittany Lion 20-yard line.
Miscellaneous Michigan Football Defensive Notes
• Paye finished with four tackles in his first game action since Oct. 31.
• Upshaw picked up his first collegiate sack, recording a quarterback takedown for a loss of six yards in the third quarter. It was his third tackle for loss on the year.
• U-M's home record fell to 0-3 on the season, with the other two losses occurring against Michigan State and Wisconsin. The Wolverines are allowing an average of 34.3 points per game in their three home setbacks. The last time Michigan dropped at least three tilts in Ann Arbor in a season was 2014.
• Saturday marked the first time PSU held a double-digit lead all season.
• U-M limited Penn State junior receiver Jahan Dotson to three receptions for 30 yards, after he had entered the game with 31 catches for 531 yards and six touchdowns on the year.
• Moody's field goal was the third in his career of at least 40 yards. The other two were a 43-yarder he made against Army last year and a 48-yarder he tallied versus Florida in 2018.
• The Wolverines' defense failed to force a turnover for the fourth time in their last five games. They have recorded only three takeaways the entire season. The 13 giveaways PSU had committed entering the weekend, meanwhile, were the second most in the Big Ten.
• Saturday was the first time Michigan hosted Penn State at noon since 2000.
• Upshaw and redshirt freshman defensive tackle Mazi Smith tallied U-M's two tackles for loss on the afternoon, with the former also registering the team's only sack.
“They were getting rid of the ball quickly," Upshaw said in the postgame. "We were pretty close to getting home on several occasions that would’ve been big plays. I was close to a strip sack. It’s football, though, and we just have to get home.”
• Redshirt sophomore linebacker Cameron McGrone missed the game with injury, with redshirt junior linebacker Adam Shibley seeing the majority of the action in his absence.
• Redshirt junior linebacker Josh Ross' 12 tackles were a career best, surpassing the 11 he had last week at Rutgers.
• Michigan's all-time record against Penn State now sits at 14-10. The Wolverines also fell to 8-2 against PSU in their last 10 games in the series in Ann Arbor (since 1997), with 2009 being the only other loss during that span.
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