It may be somewhat of a cliché, but Saturday’s game between Michigan and Penn State truly was a tale of two halves. And the first half was not a good one for the home team.
Michigan couldn’t get much of anything going in the game’s opening 30 minutes. The Wolverines’ five first-half possessions produced little more than frustration, ending in three punts and two turnovers.
But even that doesn’t tell the whole story.
Michigan managed just 80 yards of total offense in the first half and looked as incoherent and inept as it has all season. For a team coming off a bye week, it was a rather disheartening performance.
Credit Michigan's defense for keeping the Wolverines in the game. Penn State scored a field goal on its opening possession, but the Nittany Lions were stymied on each of their next five drives by a Michigan defense that continues to perform at an elite level.
But such was the state of the Michigan offense that Penn State’s modest 3-0 halftime lead felt all but insurmountable. For Michigan, a bad season seemed to be getting worse.
That was about to change, however.
Michigan received the second-half kickoff, and when the Wolverines took the field, true freshman Tommy Carr was under center in place of Bryce Underwood.
It was a change that Michigan fans had been clamoring for for weeks - and one that provided a much-needed spark for the home team.
Carr didn’t exactly set the world on fire, completing five of seven passes for 47 yards while adding 36 yards and a touchdown on the ground. But with the true freshman under center, Michigan’s offense looked very different.
It had a pulse.
“We were looking for a spark for the offense, and he provided it,” Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham said of Carr after the game. “He came in and the players rallied around him.”
That they did. And it wasn't just the passing game that improved. The running game came alive, too. After mustering a mere 37 yards on 2.7 yards per carry in the first half, Michigan exploded for 174 yards in the second half on 7.6 yards a carry.
Michigan’s defense continued its strong play, forcing three second-half turnovers, each of which led to a Wolverine touchdown. With an opportunistic defense, a rushing attack (finally) finding its stride and Carr providing a spark at quarterback, Michigan tallied 21 second-half points to take control of a game that had seemed destined to slip away.
Despite the lift Carr gave the Wolverines, Michigan’s defense deserves much of the credit. The Wolverines forced three second-half turnovers, each of which led to a touchdown, giving Carr and the offense opportunities they hadn’t enjoyed in the first half.
Not that Penn State would go down without a fight. After falling behind 14-3, the Nittany Lions scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to keep the pressure on Michigan until the game’s final minutes.
Quarterback Rocco Becht had a rough day, but a career day from senior receiver Chase Sowell (11 receptions for 151 yards and a touchdown) kept the Nittany Lions in the game.
But it wouldn’t be enough, as Michigan held on for a 21-18 victory to notch its first conference win of the season.
For Penn State, a miserable season gets even more miserable. “We’re not where we want to be,” Penn State head coach Matt Campbell said after the game. “I thought we were a lot closer tonight, which only added to the frustration.”
For Michigan, its problems are far from solved. But a change at quarterback has given the Wolverines - and their fans - something that had been in short supply in Ann Arbor: Hope.
