Michigan players respond with big win amid Jim Harbaugh suspension
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The Wolverines played angry en route to a statement win over Penn State.
Michigan football has seemingly been in the news for all the wrong reasons in recent weeks as a result of an NCAA investigation for an alleged sign-stealing probe. These allegations and pressure from other Big Ten schools contributed to an unprecedented situation, where Michigan was informed that their head coach, Jim Harbaugh, would be suspended for the remainder of the season, including a road game against a top ten team that would kick off in less than 24 hours.
The Wolverines have been attacked from every angle this year for the sign-stealing investigation, offseason allegations of recruiting violations, and it schedule, however the Wolverines were once again able to band together and get the job done, this time in the form of a 24-15 win over Penn State to advance to 10-0 on the season.
The external noise and the news seemed to strike a tone with Michigan’s players, who seemed to play with chips on their shoulders in order to churn out a victory in a hostile environment.
“It pissed a lot of guys off,” said offensive lineman Trevor Keegan following the win when asked about the news. The players were able to harness that anger and use it to their benefit, as Keegan would also add, “We took it extremely well. Adversity hit us and we just punched it right in the face.”
The adversity certainly hit the Wolverines before the game with the news of the Harbaugh suspension, however adversity hit during the game as well at different points. Early on it seemed that the crowd might have played a factor to disorganize the offense, while the Penn State defense was also flexing its muscles and showing why it’s one of the best units in the country.
The Michigan offense didn’t look like the machine it has been all season, mostly due to issues with pass protection against Penn State’s dominant pass rush, however the team didn’t buckle and relied on leadership and good old-fashioned spite to ultimately find success in other ways.
“We’ve got a very hungry team, a lot of leaders, guys who wanted to prove the haters wrong.” Said Keegan after the game. The Wolverines were able to (at least partially) prove the haters wrong by adjusting course and relying on the rushing attack for much of the game. The run game has been a work in progress for much of the season, but was able to find success today behind the offensive line and 145 yards from Blake Corum.
Michigan would run for 227 total yards on the day and would even run on each of its final 32 plays from scrimmage in the game. Impressive, and certainly gutsy given the prowess of Penn State’s run defense for much of the year.
Ultimately though, today’s game was about more than statistics or X’s and O’s for Michigan. It was a chance to put the college football world on notice and showcase the culture that’s been established and has only grown stronger over the last three years, as the Wolverines had so much going against them, but relied on their effort and appreciation for each other to get a big win.
“The storm is coming? We are the storm,” said Trevor Keegan following the win. Certainly not a storm that Michigan’s detractors would want to be in down the stretch.
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