Nittany Lions blown out at The Big House, fall 42-7 to Michigan
One team playing at The Big House on Saturday looked like a College Football Playoff-caliber club. It was not Penn State.
The No. 14 Nittany Lions — who once held national title dreams — suffered their third loss in the last five games, getting handled by No. 5 Michigan 42-7. Penn State’s Rose Bowl hopes are over, too, as it stands at 6-3.
Michigan, meanwhile, was a machine. The Wolverines churned out 259 rushing yards, led by Karan Higdon’s 130 yards. Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson was effective when needed, completing 11 of 17 passes for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns. And the Wolverine defense shut the Nittany Lions down emphatically, proving why it’s the No. 1 defense in the country.
Person of the game
Don Brown: Typically, this section is reserved for a player. In Week 2, we deviated from that, awarding the honor to Pat Narduzzi, who bungled several decisions in Pitt’s 51-6 loss to Penn State. But this time, an opposing coach is getting props.
Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown — who James Franklin described as “greedy” earlier this week — out-dueled Penn State playcaller Ricky Rahne beautifully.
Brown’s defense stifled the Nittany Lions to the tune of 186 total yards. On 24 plays, Penn State managed 77 yards in the first half with minus-6 on the ground. The Wolverines, who entered the game as college football’s No. 1 overall and pass defense, racked up 5 sacks. Josh Uche’s stunts were magnificent, and Chase Winovich lived in Penn State’s backfield early, as the Nittany Lion offensive line proved to be largely overmatched. And Michigan cornerback Brandon Watson capped the performance with a 62-yard pick-six in the third quarter.
Two weeks ago, Brown said on a Michigan radio show that he wakes up every morning thinking about Michigan’s 42-13 loss in Happy Valley last year. And on the Wolverines’ self-proclaimed “Revenge Tour,” Brown got just that.
Stat that mattered
83: That’s the number of passing yards McSorley managed against Michigan’s defense.
The 83 passing yards were a career-low for the captain, as he completed only 5 of 13 passes. McSorley fumbled a handoff exchange, missed DeAndre Thompkins on a wide-open touchdown in the first half and never looked comfortable with Winovich, Rashan Gary and company gunning for him.
Ultimately, QB 1 was subbed out for Tommy Stevens in the third quarter, seemingly to avoid injury, though McSorley returned to throw a tipped interception. He injured his right leg last week against Iowa, but led the Nittany Lions to a triumphant win.
That didn’t happen at The Big House. Instead, it was a game to forget for the fifth-year senior.
Unsung hero
Jan Johnson: The former walk-on middle linebacker sure was active.
Johnson recorded a team-leading 10 tackles, 7 of which were solo stops. The Mohnton native also broke up a fourth-down passing attempt in the first quarter, a critical play at the time.
In the stadium where he suffered a season-ending injury back in 2016, Johnson put in a valiant effort.
Up next
Big Ten title rematch: Wisconsin entered 2018, like Penn State, with College Football Playoff dreams. Those have since been dashed.
Wisconsin, which in its last meeting with Penn State lost in the Big Ten Championship, are 6-3 on the season. The Badgers fell to BYU in the non-conference, got smoked by Michigan and lost by two touchdowns to Northwestern a couple weeks ago. Paul Chryst’s group rebounded with a 31-17 win over Rutgers, led by Jonathan Taylor’s 208 rushing yards and three scores.
But without a staunch defense, Wisconsin isn’t the same team that played on Dec. 3, 2016 in Indianapolis. And neither are the Nittany Lions, for that matter.