Michigan senior running back Karan Higdon has developed into one of the best running backs in the nation (he entered Saturday's contest against Penn State averaging 118.7 yards per game, which was ninth best in the country), and he backed that notion up against the Nittany Lions with yet another outstanding performance.
The senior carried 20 times for 132 yards and a score, averaging 6.6 yards per tote.
The performance was Higdon's seventh straight where he exceeded the century mark (which is tied with Butch Woolfolk for the second-longest streak in school history), and he is now just one shy of tying Mike Hart's record of eight consecutive set in 2007.
The Wolverines moved to 12-0 when Higdon hits the 100-yard plateau.
His performance was part of a 259-yard, three-touchdown rushing effort the Wolverine offense put together against a Penn State front seven that had only been giving up 161.3 yards per tilt.
"It’s time for Karan to get nominated for some big-time awards," junior quarterback Shea Patterson exclaimed after the game.
The senior gave the praise to his offensive line — just as he always does — and so did head coach Jim Harbaugh.
"We’ve got to give a lot of credit to the offensive line," Harbaugh chimed in. "I know [director of athletics] Warde Manuel watches the offensive line intently, and he thought [fifth-year senior right tackle] Juwann Bushell-Beatty had his best game of the season, which is good, because we were saying we thought he had his best outing of the year two weeks ago. It's good to see the guys ascending and playing confident.
"It’s great for our ball club and bodes well for us. All those guys up front have really improved their game and [offensive line coach] Ed Warinner deserves a lot of credit — he's doing a heck of a job with them."
Shea Patterson Continues his Efficient Play
The junior quarterback put together another excellent game on Saturday, connecting on 11 of his 17 passes for 144 yards with two touchdowns and no picks.
His touchdown-to-interception ratio now sits at 14-3 on the year, a stellar improvement from last year's 9-10 mark that U-M's trio of signal-callers — Wilton Speight, John O'Korn and Brandon Peters — put together.
Patterson didn't just hurt the Nittany Lions through the air, but on the ground as well, rushing for 42 yards and a score.
He got the action started with a one-yard scoring plunge at the 8:12 mark of the first quarter, and then found sophomore wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones for a 23-yard touchdown with 6:52 to go in the first half, putting his team up 14-0.
Patterson's final scoring throw of the day came at the 7:05 mark of the third quarter when he found redshirt junior tight end Zach Gentry for a seven-yard strike, extending Michigan's edge to 21-0.
Sophomore wideout Nico Collins actually led the club in receiving yards with 53 (on two catches), while Peoples-Jones was next with three grabs for 38 yards.
When asked specifically about Peoples-Jones in the postgame, Harbaugh couldn't help but praise several other players on the offense as well.
"Everybody is playing so well on that side of the ball," he gushed. "Our quarterback is playing really well — Karan, Donovan and Nico with the big plays he makes.
"You just don’t know who’s going to do it. They all have the ability to make the big play and do their job really well. It's been impressive seeing the way our guys catch the ball."
Miscellaneous Notes
• The Wolverines are 34-0 when rushing for 125 yards or more under Harbaugh (since 2015).
• Michigan has scored 40 or more points in five of its nine games this year. In comparison, U-M never exceeded 36 in a single showing in 2017.
• With the 35-point win, the Wolverines have now won every home game by at least 21 points this season, with the closest score being the 42-21 victory over Maryland on Oct. 6.
• Redshirt freshman quarterback Dylan McCaffrey entered the game late in the fourth quarter when the affair was well in hand, but unfortunately was injured.
"He suffered a broken collarbone in the game, which is too bad," Harbaugh revealed in the postgame. "He was doing so well, but he’ll be back. I'm real sad about that right now."
• Peoples-Jones' touchdown catch was his third in the team's last four showdowns. He is tied for second place for the most single-season receiving scores under Harbaugh, trailing only Jehu Chesson's nine in 2015 and tying Amara Darboh's seven in 2016.
• Michigan compiled 403 yards on the day, marking the sixth time it has done so this year. On the flip side, U-M hit that mark just five times in 13 games last season.
• Gentry has caught at least one ball in 13 straight contests, finishing with two receptions for 18 yards and a score.
“It’s a play we’ve had in since the start of the season," Patterson admitted after the triumph. "Zach did a great job of winning that one-on-one match-up, and I had a clear throwing lane.”
• The victory was the third straight for Michigan over a ranked opponent, marking the first time the program has accomplished the feat since 1997 — when they closed out with wins over No. 23 Wisconsin, No. 4 Ohio State and No. 8 Washington State.
• The Maize and Blue entered the game possessing the ball for an average of 34:17 per game, and held it for 37:56 against the Nittany Lions.
• Redshirt freshman wideout Tarik Black saw action for the second straight clash after missing the first seven with a broken foot. He actually hauled in a touchdown catch from Patterson in the fourth quarter, but it was nullified by penalty.
“Tarik has had the same injury twice and has come back from it each time," Patterson lamented. "We all see the hard work he puts in to get back here with us. Just to see him go out there and have fun and make that play was an amazing feeling.”
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