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By Neil Rudel
nrudel@altoonamirror.com
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Following are the highlights and lowlights from Penn State's 41-17 loss to Michigan on Saturday at Michigan Stadium:
Play of the game: After stopping Penn State on fourth-and-6 from the Michigan 39, the Wolverines' Blake Corum raced 61 yards for a touchdown and a 31-17 lead with 7:20 left in the third quarter that pretty much ended the game.
Offensive player(s) of the game: Michigan's offensive line.
Defensive player of the game: Michigan cornerback D.J. Turner made four tackles, broke up a pass and had a quarterback hurry.
Most telling statistic: Michigan outrushed Penn State 418-111.
Hidden statistic: The Wolverines controlled the clock, 41:56-18:04.
Most deceiving statistic: Penn State didn't commit a turnover.
Best run: Sean Clifford burst a 64-yard run in the second quarter to the UM 4, setting up a TD (13-7) that got the Lions in the game.
Best pass: Clifford dropped a 48-yard dime to Harrison Wallace III early in the third quarter, setting up a PSU field goal and a 17-16 lead.
Worst pass(es): Clifford tried a couple end-zone fades. They almost never work and didn't.
Best catch: Mitchell Tinsley snagged a 15-yarder in the third quarter.
Catch it, will ya: Nick Singleton didn't catch the second-half kickoff cleanly but recovered in time for a short return. He also dropped a fourth-quarter pass from Drew Allar.
Hold it, won't ya: Penn State didn't fumble.
Best block: Guard Hunter Nourzad sprung Clifford's big run.
Best tackle: With UM second-and-goal at the PSU 2, Nit safety Ji'Ayir Brown broke through and dumped Corum for a 3-yard loss, leading to a field goal and a 6-0 Michigan lead.
Worst tackle: Brown had a clean, one-on-one shot at Donovan Edwards at the PSU 40 but whiffed, and Edwards completed a 67-yard TD run to give the Wolverines a 24-17 lead with 11:12 left in the third quarter.
Best kick: Barney Amor launched a 50-yard punt in the first half.
Worst kick: Gabriel Nwosu kicked off out of bounds, giving Michigan possession at the 35 -- just after the Nits had taken a 14-13 lead. UM used the jump-start for a late second-quarter field goal.
Best call: This was such a domination that none stood out.
Worst call: See play of the game. On fourth-and-6, rather than go for it, would like to have seen a PSU punt and given the defense another chance to keep UM pinned in.
Worst penalty: A turning point came after a third-down conversion pass to Singleton (to UM 27) was wiped out by 15-yard pass interference vs. Tyler Warren, moving Nits (down 24-17) back and leading to an empty series. Because Singleton didn't catch the screen behind the line, the penalty was called. Two plays later, Corum busted a 61-yard TD.
Best effort: Jacobs returned an interception (that Chop Robinson deflected) 47 yards for a touchdown that put Penn State up 14-13 with 4:27 left in the first half.
Unsung hero: Michigan named its locker-room tunnel for Lloyd Carr, who was on hand.