With Jim Harbaugh banned by the Big Ten Conference, J.J. McCarthy, Blake Corum and No. 2 Michigan played unfazed by a scandal that has hounded the program for weeks—and their toughest opponent yet—grinding past No. 9 Penn State 24–15 Saturday.
Corum ran for 145 yards and two touchdowns, McCarthy made a few key plays with his arm and legs and the Wolverines (10–0, 7–0, No. 3 CFP) improved to 3–0 since it was revealed the program was under NCAA investigation for a sign-stealing scheme.
“We’re one. It made us stronger,” said Corum, who carried 26 times and left the game with a bloodied bridge of his nose. “Obviously, we wanted Coach Harbaugh to be here, but we did it for him today. We’ve been going through a lot lately, but it’s only brought us closer together.”
The struggles in big games continued for coach James Franklin and Penn State (8–2, 5–3, No. 10 CFP), which scored a combined 27 points in losses to Big Ten East rivals Ohio State and Michigan this season.
In a game Harbaugh no doubt loved from afar, on what turned into a chilly and gray day in Happy Valley, the Wolverines ran the ball on 32 straight plays that counted, starting with the final two of the first half and ending with a couple of kneeldowns.
McCarthy bounded off the field after doing a couple of postgame interviews, pumping his fists and flexing while being cheered by the Michigan fans in the stands.
He said the team FaceTimed with Harbaugh after the win.
“He was a jolly good fellow,” McCarthy said, referring to the jingle Harbaugh likes to have the team sing to celebrate the star of a game.
The 27th of the 32 straight runs was Corum’s 30-yard touchdown to seal it with 4:15 left.
McCarthy’s lone throw during the streak drew a Penn State pass interference flag. He finished 7 for 8 for 60 yards for the game—officially 0 for 0 in the second half.
It was a matter-of-fact victory for the best scoring defense in the country on a day that began anything but normal.
The Wolverines left the hotel without their head coach Saturday morning but did not know for sure he would not be with them until after they arrived at Beaver Stadium.
About 90 minutes before kickoff, the school confirmed that a judge had not made a ruling on its request for a temporary restraining order against the Big Ten and Commissioner Tony Petitti.
Petitti and the conference handed down what amounted to a three-game suspension of Harbaugh on Friday as punishment for Michigan for an in-person scouting and sign-stealing operation the Big Ten determined violated its sportsmanship policy.
Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore served as acting head coach and led the Wolverines onto the field to start the game.
Moore was in tears doing a postgame TV interview that turned out to be very much PG-13 as he dropped a few naughty words.
“Did this for you. For this university, the president, our AD. We got the best players, best university, best alumni in the country. Love you guys,” said Moore, who was serving in Harbaugh’s role for the second time this season.
Fans who didn’t know Michigan was playing without its head coach probably would not have noticed a difference in the Wolverines.
Penn State, Michigan’s first ranked opponent this season, got on the board first and became the first team to produce a first-and-goal situation against Michigan. The Wolverines were ready for it, forcing the Nittany Lions to kick a 21-yard field goal with 2:17 left in the first quarter.
It was rare deficit for the Wolverines and it did not last long. Corum capped a 75-yard drive with a 3-yard TD run less than four minutes into the second quarter to make it 7–3 Michigan.
After Michigan forced another punt, with Penn State facing fourth-and-foot from its own 35, the Wolverines went on the march again. They beat the Penn State blitz on third-and-long with a run by Donovan Edwards that went for a 22-yard touchdown.
The Nittany Lions responded with a touchdown drive, converting twice on fourth down along the way before Allar went 11 yards on a draw for a TD. The 2-point play failed and it was 14–9 Michigan at the half, the closest game at the break of the season for the Wolverines.
Michigan turned Allar’s lost fumble at midfield into a 45-yard drive—all runs—that only resulted in a field goal but took 8:04 off the clock in the third quarter and put the Wolverines up eight.
The Takeaway
Michigan: The Wolverines improved to 4–0 in games without Harbaugh this season. He served a school-imposed suspension for the team’s first three games as a penalty for an unrelated NCAA recruiting violations case.Up Next
Michigan: The Wolverines go to Maryland, with or without Harbaugh.Penn State: The Nittany Lions play their final home game of the season against Rutgers.
Michigan Without Coach Jim Harbaugh Against Penn State After No Court Ruling to Lift His Ban
STATE COLLEGE, Pa.—No. 2 Michigan played without coach Jim Harbaugh on Saturday against No. 9 Penn State after a judge did not issue a ruling on the school’s attempt to at least temporarily lift the Big Ten’s penalty against the Wolverines for a sign-stealing scheme.About 90 minutes before kickoff, Michigan confirmed Harbaugh would not be at Beaver Stadium with the team and that a hearing in the school’s lawsuit challenging the Big Ten’s punishment was scheduled for Nov. 17.
“We look forward to presenting our case next week where we intend to demonstrate that the Big Ten has not acted legally or fairly,” Michigan said in a statement.
Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel issued a statement about 50 minutes before kickoff saying the Big Ten and Commissioner Tony Petitti acted “unethically” on Friday when they banned Harbaugh from the team’s final three regular-season games.
He called it “an assault on the rights of everyone (especially in the Big Ten) to be judged by a fair and complete investigation.”
“Not liking someone or another university or believing without any evidence that they knew or saying someone should have known without an investigation is not grounds to remove someone from their position before the NCAA process has reached a conclusion through a full NCAA investigative process,” Manuel said.
Michigan offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore will serve as acting head coach against Penn State.
On Friday, hours after the Big Ten banned Harbaugh from coaching the rest of the Wolverines’ final regular-season games as punishment for an in-person-scouting and sign-stealing operation, the coach and his alma mater filed a request for a temporary restraining order against the Big Ten and Petitti.
Their attorneys asked for a speedy decision from a judge in Washtenaw County, Michigan, that would allow Harbaugh to coach against the Nittany Lions in the top-10 matchup.
“The harm to the university’s student-athletes would be irreversible,” attorneys for Michigan and Harbaugh said in the filing.
But it was to no avail.
“All of the Head Coaches in the Big Ten (some who have been accused of actively participating in the trading of signals of opponents) and my Big Ten AD colleagues can rejoice today that someone was ‘held accountable,’ but they should be worried about the new standard of judgment (without complete investigation) that has been unleashed in this conference,” Manuel said.
Michigan already has played three games this season without Harbaugh on the sideline. He served a school-imposed suspension for the team’s first three games as penalty for an unrelated NCAA recruiting violations case.
Michigan let a different assistant assume the role of head coach each week, with Moore getting one game, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter getting another and special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh and running backs coach Mike Hart splitting the third.
The Wolverines easily won all three against East Carolina, Bowling Green and UNLV.
Harbaugh returned in time for the conference schedule.
About 2 hours and 45 minutes before kickoff Saturday, four buses carrying Michigan players, coaches, Manuel and other staff were greeted by a few dozen Michigan fans lined up behind steel barriers.
Some cheered and yelled “Go Blue!” as the buses emptied. There was no sign of Harbaugh.
One fan yelled out to Manuel: “Let’s join the SEC!”
Manuel raised a hand to acknowledge the fans, but otherwise Michigan entered the stadium with little fanfare.
The Wolverines went through the normal warmup routine before the game, with some players coming out to the field for some light stretching in sweatsuits.
All-American running back Blake Corum wore a ski cap with the slogan “Michigan vs. Everybody” on it.
The conference disciplined the school Friday for an elaborate, in-person scouting scheme that is also being investigated by the NCAA. Michigan leadership insists conference bylaws require the NCAA investigation to play out and that Petitti overstepped his power by doling out punishment.
The Big Ten noted that Michigan is only arguing procedure and process and had conceded the impermissible conduct went on.
Conference rivals have been angry and frustrated as evidence mounted that a former low-level staffer was buying tickets to the games of Michigan’s opponents and sending people to record video of sideline signals.
The rare punishment of a national championship contender in the final stretch of its season and one of college football’s most successful coaches by its own conference has become one of the biggest stories in sports.
On the field, Michigan has been the most dominant team in the country, beating its opponents by average of 36 points per game and not allowing more than one touchdown in any game.
The Wolverines’ competition so far has been the only argument against its excellence. Penn State will be the first ranked team Michigan has faced.
Harbaugh’s team is vying for a third straight Big Ten championship and appearance in the College Football Playoff.
After Penn State, the Wolverines play at Maryland before the traditional regular-season finale against heated rival Ohio State. The third-ranked Buckeyes visit Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Nov. 25.
The Big Ten’s penalty would allow Harbaugh to return for the Big Ten championship game and the playoff, if Michigan makes it.
“You may have removed him from our sidelines today, but Jim Harbaugh is our head football coach,“ Manuel said. ”We look forward to defending Jim’s right to coach our football team at the hearing on Friday. He has instilled his pride, passion and the team’s belief in themselves to achieve greatness. I will continue to support Jim throughout this process, my coaches and staff, and especially our student-athletes as we continue to play this game and fight to win for Michigan and all who love us.”
