The Michigan defense has been shutting opponents seemingly every week this season, and Saturday's showdown with Penn State was no different.
The Wolverine attack held the Nittany Lions to just seven points, 186 yards (118 passing, 68 rushing) and 2 of 11 on third-down conversions, and forced three turnovers for good measure.
Everyone on the defensive side of the ball seemed to join the effort — redshirt junior viper Jordan Glasgow, fifth-year senior defensive end Chase Winovich, junior linebacker Josh Uche and junior viper Khaleke Hudson all tallied at least one sack (Uche had two), while junior cornerback David Long and fifth-year senior cornerback Brandon Watson each recorded interceptions.
Watson's was a pick-six that occurred with nine seconds left in the third quarter and increased U-M's lead to 28-0 at the time.
Penn State's offense recorded 12 possessions on the day and went three-and-out on five of them. Perhaps even more impressively, PSU ran 47 total plays, and Michigan's defense held it to an average of just 4.0 yards per play.
As a result, U-M's defense has given up a total of 27 points over its last 12 quarters (since the Oct. 13 Wisconsin clash).
Uche explained after the triumph that the contest was personal for everybody involved, but perhaps even more so for defensive coordinator Don Brown, who admitted he made some coaching mistakes in last year's 42-13 blowout loss in Happy Valley.
“Last year’s game haunted him," Uche insisted. "Penn State tried to embarrass us last year, and we weren’t about to let that happen again. We did what we had to do and dominated.
"Coach Brown was definitely happy. We wanted the shutout, but he was all smiles.”
The Maize and Blue nearly got their first shutout of 2018, but the Nittany Lions found the end zone on a scoring run by redshirt junior quarterback Tommy Stevens with just 1:59 left in the game.
Winovich was also asked about the defensive mastermind after the win, and he noted he's setting the example for the rest of the team.
“Coach Brown was an interesting character tonight," the fifth-year senior laughed. "At some point, I expected his excited, happy attitude to come out that I’ve seen in other games. I’m not a master interpreter of how people’s emotions are, but the guy has bigger things on his mind.
"He’s already shifted to next week. He wants to keep this thing rolling. Coach Brown isn't complacent, and he’s not going to let us get complacent.”
Nordin's Kicking Struggles Continue
Redshirt sophomore kicker Quinn Nordin entered Saturday's tilt having converted just three of his last six field goal attempts, and his struggles continued against the Nittany Lions.
With 1:06 left in the first quarter, he lined up for a 50-yard field goal to try and extend Michigan's lead to 10-0.
It was blocked, however, and Penn State actually ran it back for a touchdown (although it was nullified by penalty).
Prior to the current 3-of-7 stretch he's on, Nordin had been 8-of-9 on the year.
It's unclear how long Jim Harbaugh's leash is on him, but freshman Jake Moody — who also handles kickoffs — would be the presumed backup if the head man chooses to go in a different direction.
Redshirt sophomore punter Will Hart, meanwhile, averaged 43.3 yards on three punts Saturday afternoon. He entered the contest tallying 49.5 yards per boot.
That mark would have been the second best in the nation, but he didn't qualify (qualifiers must be averaging 3.6 punts per contest, and Hart had been tallying 3.5 prior to Saturday's game). He allowed just one return for one yard.
Finally, sophomore receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones was his usual solid self on punt returns, bringing two back for 54 yards, including a 28-yarder.
Miscellaneous Notes
• Long's interception in the fourth quarter was his first pick of the year, and the third of his career. Ironically, he intercepted the Nittany Lions last year in Happy Valley as well.
• Junior defensive end Rashan Gary returned to action after missing the last three tilts with injury, and finished with two tackles.
• Watson became just the fourth player in school history with two or more pick-sixes in a career, joining Lavert Hill (2017-present), Thom Darden (1969-71) and Lance Dottin (1989-91). Only Watson and Dottin (1991) have accomplished the feat in the same season. As a result, the Maize and Blue now have four pick-sixes in 2018, which are tied for the most in the FBS.
• Winovich's fumble recovery in the second quarter was the first by the Michigan defense this season (its special teams unit had grabbed two, though).
• Uche accumulated two sacks in the first half, giving him a team-leading seven (on just 12 total tackles).
• Michigan held Penn State to 77 yards in the first half, marking an FBS-leading eighth time it has yielded less than 100 yards in a half this season.
• U-M has defeated PSU, 91-17, in the Nittany Lions' last two trips to The Big House (49-10 in 2016 and 42-7 on Saturday).
• Eight of Michigan's nine foes have been held to their season low in offense. The Wolverine defense gave up their third-lowest total (184 yards) of the year on Saturday, with the 94 surrendered to MSU on Oct. 20 being the fewest.
• When Penn State converted a third-and-one with just under three minutes to go in the first half, it marked the first third-down conversion by a U-M opponent since Wisconsin was successful in a fourth quarter opportunity on Oct. 13. The Maize and Blue had stopped their foes on 16 straight third downs, after MSU went 0-of-12 on Oct.20. Over its last three games, Michigan has held its opponents to a combined 4-of-34 success rate on third downs.
• Saturday's matchup marked the 22nd meeting between the two storied programs, with U-M now holding a 14-8 edge.
• The Wolverines have won three in a row and eight of the last 11 against PSU in Ann Arbor — the Nittany Lions' only three victories in The Big House came in 1994, 1996 and 2009.
• The game's honorary captains were Wolverine alums Bryan and Kathleen Marshall, and former U-M basketball standout and Fab Five member Chris Webber.
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