Last Week at The Wolverine Den
Tailgate Attendance: 85
Pennsylvania State 35 - Michigan 10
Michigan Stadium
October 24, 2009 - 3:30 p.m.
Game Summary
The game started with Michigan taking the opening kickoff and driving right down the field for a touchdown. But that was about only thing that went right for the overmatched Wolverines. Penn State dominated most of the rest of the game and, aided by 4 Wolverine turnovers, defeated the Wolverines 35-10. It was the first victory at Michigan Stadium for the Nittany Lions in 13 years and only the 2nd PSU win over Michigan since 1996.
Penn State still has Ohio State and Michigan State on their schedule, but the Lions are poised to get a BCS Bowl game if they can run the table. For Michigan, the offense will need to regroup after a dismal performance. Tate was just 13-30 passing for yards. David Molk returned at center and then blew out his knee during the game and is now lost for the season. The pass protection was weak and Tate was flushed out of the pocket on virtually every passing down. Only Brandon Minor performed with hard running and the team’s only TD. On defense, Brandon Graham continued to be a force with 3.5 tackles-for-loss and a blocked punt. But the inability to cover the tight end was again an Achilles heel for the defense. It was good to see some improvement overall on the defense but some big plays and poor field position were more than they could handle against the balanced Penn State offense.
The Wolverine Den Trivia
Q: Michigan set an all-time school record for most total yards in a game with 727 against Delaware State. When was the previous record?
A: The previous record for most yards in a game by a Michigan team was in the 1991 Gator Bowl against Mississippi. Michigan had 715 yards of offense on their way to a 35-3 victory. Desmond Howard caught TD passes of 63 and 50 yards from Elvis Grbac while Jon Vaughn and Ricky Powers each went over 100 yards rushing. But the MVP of the game? It was the Michigan offensive line of Dean Dingman, Tom Dohring, Greg Skepenak, Matt Elliott and Steve Everitt. In attendance for his first bowl game was Staff member Tim Knowlton.
Craig's Prediction
24-21
Steve's Prediction
27-24
Tim's Prediction
21-14