On a cold and snowy November afternoon, the Michigan Wolverines beat the injury-ridden Nebraska Cornhusks with minimal effort at the Big House in Ann Arbor. From start to finish, it was clear the Wolverines were the better team. The game wasn’t sexy, but Michigan racked up 412 yards of offense and ran past one of the bottom ten players in the Big Ten in a comfortable 34-3 win.
No team is perfect, including this Michigan team. Despite playing 10 games, the connection between JJ McCarthy and his receivers is still developing. Michigan opened it up and let McCarthy throw some shots, but they just didn’t connect. That’s why McCarthy’s efficiency was slightly lower in the first half, going 6-of-13 for 91 yards and a touchdown. These aren’t bad numbers, they’re just not as eye-popping as they could be. It could be the weather or the lights, or just not locking the route, but too many shots out of McCarthy’s hands and into the turf.
However, he did find Ronnie Bell in the second quarter, giving the Wolverines a two-point lead:
The run game dominated against a poor Nebraska defense. Michigan’s offensive line is putting pressure on the Huskers’ front line, and Corum is off to a good start. He passed the century mark in the first half and body-whacked the Huskers all night. At the end of the game, Heisman had 28 carries for 162 yards and a touchdown:
Nebraska’s game plan is like Michigan’s: slow and steady. However, Michigan’s defense is better. Despite having more than 13 minutes of possession, the Huskers totaled just 104 yards and five first-half turnovers. They combined for just 43 yards in the second half. Throughout the game, Nebraska and its staff lacked a sense of urgency.
It’s almost as if both sides just decided to run the ball and squeeze time. Nebraska’s third quarterback was downgraded after backup Chuba Purdy was injured. An injury to offensive coordinator Mark Whipple in the second quarter may have contributed to a vanilla game, but it felt like the Huskers threw in the towel before halftime and just wanted to go home.
At the end of the day, Michigan simply took care of business. The Wolverines had more than 10 minutes of possession in the third quarter, most of it on a 10-play, 65-yard drive with four different running backs. Donovan Edwards was limited in this game, so Blake Collum, CJ Stokes, Tavier Dunlap and Isaiah Gash all had the ball in the third quarter. JJ McCarthy ended the game, barely touching the pylons for a touchdown:
Nebraska’s defense limited any significant plays, as Michigan had only three plays of more than 20 yards. The problem is that in Michigan’s running game, 5.4 yards per carry are allowed. Unless the Wolverines are pitching every game, they’re almost never behind this team.
Michigan’s long third-quarter game ended rather oddly. Ronnie Bell made a routine catch and then worked some magic. He kept his feet in bounds, bowed to a defender, and fumbled for the ball as he reached the end zone. Luckily, Andre Anthony was there to recover an odd touchdown drive to give the Wolverines a 31-3 lead.
Mike Morris was spooked by the injury when he was hit in the leg by a teammate. Thankfully, he jogged off the field and then walked up and down the sidelines. That inspired Jim Harbaugh to bring a bunch of backups on the ensuing trip to Michigan. Davis Warren played quarterback. Leon Franklin, Dunlap and Gash had some assists. Real newcomer Taylor Morris has a reception. Jake Moody finished the game with a 43-yard field goal.
In the end, the Wolverines stayed healthy and did the job of beating the Cornhuskers. Now, they’re turning their attention to Illinois fighting the Illini, who lost their second straight loss to Purdue on their résumé.