Published Nov 28, 2020
Halftime Box Score/Recap: Penn State 17, Michigan 7
Austin Fox  •  Maize&BlueReview
Staff Writer

The Michigan Wolverines' football team trails Penn State at halftime, 17-7, following a disappointing first two quarters.

Here's how they unfolded:

First Quarter

Michigan's defense got off to a rough start today, with Penn State marching right down the field on them on the opening drive. The Nittany Lions went 75 yards in 10 plays, capping things off with a six-yard touchdown run by freshman running back Keyvone Lee to put his club up 7-0.

The Wolverines' offense stalled on their opening drive, going for it on fourth-and-two at the Nittany Lion 42-yard line, but saw redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara's pass fall incomplete.

Penn State missed a 49-yard field goal on its next series, keeping the score at 7-0. U-M finally got some momentum when redshirt sophomore running back Hassan Haskins ripped off a 60-yard run that eventually led to a two-yard touchdown scamper from him with 30 seconds left in the quarter.

The score knotted the game at 7-7, though McNamara got hurt on the second last play of the series and headed to the locker room.

Second Quarter

The majority of the second quarter played out as a punt fest. The stanza began with three consecutive punts, two by Michigan and one from Penn State. The Nittany Lions extended their lead to 14-7 when redshirt junior quarterback Sean Clifford found the end zone on a 28-yard touchdown run with 3:32 left in the half.

Clifford's score capped off an eight-play, 76-yard drive and put Penn State up 14-7. McNamara returned on Michigan's ensuing series after Milton had struggled mightily (1-of-3), but his return unfortunately didn't do much good.

The Maize and Blue went three-and-out and were forced to punt. U-M's defense forced a PSU punt of its own, but sophomore receiver Mike Sainristil fumbled the punt and the Nittany Lions recovered at Michigan's 27-yard line.

It led to a 22-yard field goal by Penn State with just 15 seconds left in the frame to put PSU up 17-7. Michigan then ran out the clock to cap off a dismal and uninspired first half.

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