What was predicted to be a potential top-10 matchup before the season looked like a junior varsity game between two of the Big Ten’s high-profile programs. Had it been Illinois vs. Rutgers in different uniforms, nobody would have known the difference.
That’s how far these two programs have fallen in just a season, though some would say U-M's decline has been a few years in the making. It was a marquee matchup in name only, complete with stupid turnovers, poor play calling, very little imagination and not much energy.
But Penn State — 0-5 Penn State — was by far the better team on both sides of the ball, much the way most U-M opponents have been this year, and the Nittany Lions pulled out their first win of the year, 27-17.
They broke some dubious streaks along the way. James Franklin’s crew hadn’t led going into halftime once this season, but they took a 17-7 advantage into the locker room after a Michigan turnover gave them three points to end the half. They hadn’t scored on their first possession or stopped the opponent from scoring on its first drive, but sure enough, the Wolverines were the cure for their ills.
Michigan, meanwhile, was unimaginative on offense, flat out terrible defensively from the first drive in a game, taking the “tackling optional” approach in being embarrassed at home for the third straight time this year.
"I’m very competitive and want to win,” head coach Jim Harbaugh said of his team’s latest setback. “I hate losing, so I’ll respond by pressing on and attacking it. That's the response from me, and I know a bunch of our players. That's our only choice …