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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2017
11-12:30 P.M. RACKHAM AUDITORIUM

4B — October 23, 2017
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday

Offenses a mismatch in State College

STATE COLLEGE — It was the 

impossible test waiting to happen.

Coming into a matchup against 

No. 2 Penn State, the No. 19 Michi-
gan football team knew what it 
needed to do. Its top-ranked defense 
would likely be canceled out by the 
Nittany Lions’ ninth-ranked unit, so 
it would be up to its offense to play 
up to par with Penn State’s.

But 
matching 
the 
offensive 

firepower of quarterback Trace 
McSorley and running back Saquon 
Barkley is a tall task. Saturday night, 
in a 42-13 loss, it proved to be too 
much to ask.

The Nittany Lions entered the 

game averaging 39.7 points per 
game, while the Wolverines were 
averaging 27.2. Fifth-year senior 
quarterback John O’Korn and 
junior running back Karan Higdon 
needed to lead the effort in closing 
the gap, but when Penn State hit 
them, Michigan couldn’t answer 
back.

The opening five minutes were a 

microcosm of the game as a whole. 
The Nittany Lion offense scored 
two touchdowns. The Wolverine 
offense went three-and-out twice.

They both ran six plays, but to 

completely different results.

On Penn State’s first drive, 

McSorley completed a six-yard 
pass and then Barkley took a direct 
snap 69 yards into the end zone for 
a touchdown.

On Michigan’s initial drive, Hig-

don rushed twice for three yards 
before O’Korn was sacked for a loss 
of five.

For the Nittany Lions’ second 

act, Barkley rushed for five yards, 
McSorley rushed for 23, McSorley 
threw for 35 and Barkley ran the last 
15 for another score.

For the Wolverines’ follow-up, 

Higdon rushed twice for three 
yards again before O’Korn complet-
ed a pass for a loss of six.

Where Penn State looked explo-

sive, Michigan looked static. If it 
weren’t for a momentum-stopping 
interception from sophomore cor-
nerback David Long, the Nittany 
Lions may have kept the ball rolling 
and the Wolverines may never have 
found life.

“I thought their offense played 

extremely well. Understatement,” 
said Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. 
“They were hitting on all cylinders.”

Michigan responded to the pick 

with a renewed sense of vigor, scor-
ing 13 unanswered points in the sec-
ond quarter.

On the first scoring drive, O’Korn 

threw for 21 yards and rushed for 12, 
while Higdon rushed for 12 and the 
touchdown.

On the second, O’Korn passed 

for 41 yards and rushed for 14, while 
fifth-year senior running back Ty 
Isaac rushed for 11 and the score.

With 1:45 left in the first half, 

the Wolverines had managed to cut 
their deficit to 14-13. It looked like 
Michigan’s offense could go toe-to-
toe with Penn State’s despite the 
early shot to the face.

But in a mere 52 seconds, McSor-

ley and Barkley showed why the 
Nittany Lions are on a level the Wol-
verines haven’t reached.

McSorley completed a 12-yard 

pass and then a 36-yard bomb. Bar-
kley ran for another nine. And then 
McSorley sealed the deal with a 
17-yard completion and a three-yard 
rush up the middle.

With 53 seconds left in the half, 

Penn State stretched its lead back 
out to eight. Michigan didn’t score 
again Saturday.

“To me, that was the biggest 

thing,” O’Korn said. “They made the 
big plays and we didn’t.”

After the Wolverines went three 

and out again, the Nittany Lions 
got the ball back with six seconds 
left. They had enough time to take 
a deep shot at the end zone. With 
the success of their big plays on the 
night, it would have been expected 
for them to at least try.

They took a knee instead. Michi-

gan didn’t give them a reason why 
they shouldn’t.

Penn State went on to score a 

total of 42 points, which is the most 
the Wolverine defense has given 
up under coordinator Don Brown. 
After the game, fifth-year senior 
linebacker Mike McCray spoke on 
behalf on his unit. He was at a loss 
for words.

“(It was) pretty much everything 

we’ve seen,” he said. “They had a 
great scheme.”

That pretty much said it all. 

Michigan’s defense couldn’t contain 
the Nittany Lions’ offense, despite 
knowing what was coming. But 
just as importantly, the Wolverines’ 
offense couldn’t match up with it.

Michigan brought a knife to a 

gun fight, and after taking mul-
tiple shots, the Wolverines simply 
couldn’t get up.

ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily

Fifth-year senior quarterback John O’Korn finished with 166 yards Saturday.

BETELHEM ASHAME

Managing Sports Editor

Barkley deserves the Heisman

S

TATE COLLEGE — 
Beaver Stadium trembled 
as fireworks burst over 

Happy Valley. A regular season 
game with a Super Bowl 
atmosphere.

The 

night was 
fit for a 
superstar, 
and the 
superstar 
that 
delivered 
was the one 
everyone 
expected.

Penn 

State running back Saquon 
Barkley carved up the nation’s 
No. 1 defense in the Nittany 
Lions’ 42-13 win, validating 
his case as the best player in 
college football.

He didn’t set a career high 

in rushing yards, receiving 
yards or touchdowns, but 
he did something that no 
other tailback could — run 
successfully against Michigan.

Nobody had run like him 

against the Wolverines. Prior 
to Saturday, not a single player 
on any of Michigan’s previous 
six opponents had over 100 
rushing yards, and as a unit, 
the defense gave up an average 
of just 85 rushing yards per 
game.

Barkley alone surpassed that 

in the first quarter.

“A lot of running backs 

were able to get open (against 
Michigan), but none were able 
to finish it or find a way to get 
into the end zone,” Barkley 
said. “That’s something I took 
ownership of this week.”

He called it a “heavyweight 

fight.” Sometimes Michigan’s 
defense would get the stop, 
and other times Barkley would 
punch back for a short gain. 
When either side could land a 
knockout punch, they had to 
take it.

Barkley accepted short 

gains all game long. Four-yard 

rushes, two-yard rushes and 
even negative-yard rushes. But 
when he got the chance to split 
the gap and break through, he 
pounced.

On the second play of 

Penn State’s opening drive, 
Barkley lined up for a direct 
snap and ran the ball 69 yards 
straight into the end zone. He 
burned Michigan’s secondary, 
outrunning the linebackers, the 
cornerbacks and the safeties. 
Nobody could catch Saquon 
Barkley.

It was one of those plays 

that will be on the highlight 
reel when Barkley suits up 
for the Heisman ceremony in 
December.

“We haven’t seen that on 

film,” said fifth-year senior 
linebacker Mike McCray about 
the direct snap to Barkley. 
“He’s a great player, got to give 
a lot of credit to him.”

And four minutes later, on 

the Nittany Lions’ next drive, 
he caught an option pitch and 
dashed to the goal line again to 
give Penn State a 14-point lead.

“The back is really good, 

as advertised,” Harbaugh 

said of Barkley. “(Penn State) 
hit us on quite a few plays 
we’ve defensed well this year. 
Their execution was really 
good tonight, right from the 
beginning.”

The Wolverines have 

stopped mobile quarterbacks 
and quality running backs 
already. Other teams 
simply couldn’t run as fast 
as Michigan. Sophomore 
linebacker Devin Bush prides 
himself on his speed, and 
he’s one of the Big Ten’s best 
linebackers because of it. But 
not even Bush could keep up 
with Barkley.

On his 69-yard touchdown 

run, Barkley clocked in at 22.9 
miles per hour. He ran to the 
end zone faster than a high-
schooler in his first Drivers Ed 
class.

But it’s not only Barkley’s 

speed. He’s got all the right 
mental components, too.

In the second quarter, 

Barkley was wide open on a 
route and had eyes for the end 
zone, but when the pass came 
in his direction, he couldn’t 
hold on. A completion would 

have put the Nittany Lions up 
21-0, but for just one moment, 
he had lost focus.

And that’s the play Barkley 

said will stick with him most 
from this game.

Not either of his rushing 

touchdowns, and not the 
juggled receiving touchdown 
in the third quarter. He doesn’t 
worry about the highlights. He 
remembers the plays where he 
could’ve done better.

“Sometimes I overthink and 

put myself in bad situations. … I 
was thinking ‘score,’ ” he said. 
“It humbles you again. Makes 
you realize that you got to put a 
little more work in and find the 
way to make those plays.”

Combine Barkley’s 

workhorse mentality with his 
blistering speed, and you’ve 
got one hell of a football player. 
There aren’t many players like 
Saquon Barkley, so when he 
gets on the field, make sure to 
be watching.

But don’t blink. You might 

miss him.

Janes can be reached 

on Twitter @tedjanes7.

TED 
JANES

AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily

Penn State running back Saquon Barkley built on his Heisman campaign with 108 yards and two touchdowns Saturday.

FOOTBALL
The good, the bad and
the ugly: Penn State

For all of the theatrics that 

came with Saturday night’s contest 
in Beaver Stadium, No. 2 Penn 
State’s performance still may have 
warranted more.

Michigan 
was 
punched 
in 

the 
mouth 
from 
the 
get-go, 

Saquon Barkley looked every bit a 
Heisman winner and the Nittany 
Lions provided a very convincing 
argument that their standing among 
the nation’s best is warranted.

The Wolverines, on the other 

hand, had little to nothing to show 
for a trip to State College and are 
now faced with the discouraging 
task of finishing a season void of 
much meaning.

The Daily breaks down the good, 

the bad and the ugly from Saturday’s 
42-13 blowout:

The good
Well, the Nittany Lions didn’t get 

their shame-inducing touchdown. 
And that’s about it.

With four seconds left in the 

game, Penn State had the ball on 
Michigan’s six-yard line. James 
Franklin could have told his team to 
take a knee and ride quietly into the 
night with a 29-point lead.

Instead, 
the 
Nittany 
Lions 

sideline pleaded for a chance to 
put an exclamation point on the 
blowout. Penn State got the snap 
off in time, and sophomore running 
back Miles Sanders was given the 
ball with a chance to run up the 
score and rub salt in Michigan’s 
wound.

Thanks to Khaleke Hudson and 

Michael Dwumfour, Sanders was 
tackled for a four-yard loss and a 
game that had long been over finally 
came to a close.

The bad
Fifth-year senior quarterback 

John O’Korn didn’t mince words.

“The fake love’s gone,” he said. 

“There’s no bandwagon. It’s us. 
That’s what we want. Whether 
we’re doing great or bad, it’s just 

all about us, and from here on out, 
that’s what it’s going to be about.”

O’Korn couldn’t be more right.
For 
four 
weeks, 
Michigan 

convinced its fan base that a year 
intended for rebuilding could turn 
into something special. A loss to 
Michigan State dented that outlook. 
And last night’s thrashing in State 
College 
undoubtedly 
brought 

everyone back to reality.

Michigan’s 
College 
Football 

Playoff hopes are dead. A Big Ten 
championship would be an act of 
divine intervention.

It seemed likely that, eventually, 

the Wolverines would lose their 
second conference game. But the 
loss of their preseason goals stings 
a lot more given that it came in just 
week seven.

The Wolverines have five games 

left on their schedule, and they’ll 
be playing for nothing more than 
pride.

The ugly
What was once ranked as the No. 

1 defense in the nation was battered, 
bruised and bludgeoned Saturday 
night.

It 
started 
with 
a 
69-yard 

touchdown run by Saquon Barkley 
on the second play of a game. It 
ended with quarterback Trace 
McSorley trotting nine yards into 
the end zone before Franklin put in 
the reserves.

And there was plenty of damage 

done in between. Barkley totaled 
108 yards and two touchdowns, 
McSorley tore apart the Wolverines’ 
secondary to the tune of 10.8 yards 
per attempt and wide receiver 
DaeSean Hamilton posted a 115-
yard performance.

The Nittany Lions became the 

first team to score 42 points against 
Michigan since Ohio State did so in 
2015, and the Wolverines gave up 
506 yards on the night.

McSorley said that the Nittany 

Lions 
took 
Michigan’s 
man 

coverage as a challenge. Saturday 
night, that certainly appeared to be 
the case.

KEVIN SANTO

Managing Sports Editor

