Michigan’s defense and a second-half offensive spark carried the Wolverines past Penn State, 21-18, in front of a massive crowd of 110,731 at Michigan Stadium on Saturday.
The win pushed Michigan to 4-2 on the season and gave the Wolverines their first Big Ten victory of the year. It also extended Michigan’s run in the matchup, as the Wolverines have now won four straight against Penn State and are 8-3 over the last 11 meetings. Michigan now leads the all-time series 18-10, including a 10-4 edge in Ann Arbor.
The game turned after halftime, when Michigan’s offense found another gear. The Wolverines finished with 301 net yards, including 211 on the ground, and piled up 21 points and 221 yards after the break. That second-half surge included 174 rushing yards and a 7.4 yards-per-play average.
Tommy Carr handled his first meaningful action at quarterback, taking over to start the second half. The true freshman completed 5 of 7 passes for 47 yards and added a 12-yard touchdown run for his first rushing score as a Wolverine.
Michigan’s first big strike on the ground came from Bryson Kuzdzal, who broke free for a 43-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. It was the longest run by a Wolverine this season, a career long for Kuzdzal, and his first touchdown of the year.
Later, on his third possession directing the offense, Carr led a touchdown drive finished by a one-yard Jordan Marshall run. Marshall now has four touchdowns this season.
Savion Hiter also turned in a notable day, setting career highs with 78 rushing yards and a career-long 41-yard run.
The ground game produced an eye-catching milestone as well: Kuzdzal, Marshall and Carr all scored rushing touchdowns, the first time three Michigan players found the end zone on the ground in the same game since Justice Haynes, Bryce Underwood and Marshall combined for four rushing scores against Michigan State on Oct. 25, 2025.
Michigan’s defense did plenty of heavy lifting, too. Penn State was held to 65 rushing yards, its second-lowest total of the season. Through six games, the Wolverines have limited three opponents to fewer than 100 rushing yards and are giving up 94.6 yards per game on the ground, which ranks 17th nationally.
The overall defensive numbers continue to stack up. Michigan has forced eight turnovers in six games, including six interceptions, and two of those picks have been returned for touchdowns.
The Wolverines have allowed just 10 touchdowns this season and rank 20th nationally in scoring defense at 15.8 points per game. No opponent has scored more than 14 points in a half against Michigan this year.
Rod Moore Jr. grabbed his eighth career interception and first of the season in the third quarter, giving Michigan its sixth interception of the year by six different players and helping set up the first touchdown. Chris Bracy added his first interception of the season and later forced a strip sack in the fourth quarter that Enow Etta recovered. That takeaway set up the game-clinching touchdown.
Michigan also posted its third game this season with multiple takeaways, joining the Oklahoma and Minnesota games.
The day was played before another packed house, continuing Michigan Stadium’s remarkable streak of 334 consecutive crowds of 100,000-plus fans.
In Other News...
Michigan Just Took A Tough Backcourt Recruiting Hit
Michigan had been in the mix for a major backcourt addition in Devin Cleveland, but the four-star guard chose Missouri instead, closing the door on what had looked like one of the Wolverines better recruiting battles. For a program that has already dealt with recent coaching turnover, with Mike Boynton Jr. taking over for Dusty May, losing out on a guard of Clevelands caliber stings a little more because of what he represented for the next wave of roster building.
The miss also leaves Michigan without an immediate impact backcourt piece in the 2027 class, which puts a little extra pressure on the staff as it keeps chasing perimeter help. There is still time for the Wolverines to reshape that group, but this was the kind of recruiting swing that can change the feel of a class, and for now it is Missouri that gets the benefit. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Just Got Called Out Before A Season Defining Penn State Game
Michigans uneven start has now drawn some pointed national attention, with Nick Saban singling out the Wolverines as the Big Tens biggest disappointment because of an offense that has not matched the caliber of their defense. A team that entered the year with real expectations is sitting 3-2 overall and still searching for its first conference win, which has turned an already important stretch into a far more urgent one.
Now comes a home date with Penn State, another team still winless in the Big Ten, in a matchup that suddenly feels like a reset point for both sides. Michigan needs more from Bryce Underwood and a more reliable attack to keep the season from drifting further off course, while Penn State arrives with its own offensive issues under first-year coach Matt Campbell, leaving both programs to sort out the same problem under a brighter spotlight. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Already Faces A Tough Kyle Whittingham Reality
Michigans coaching search ended with a big-name hire in Kyle Whittingham, a move that instantly shifted the conversation in Ann Arbor from crisis management to expectation. After firing Sherrone Moore amid misconduct allegations, Michigan landed a veteran with a long track record of stability and success, the kind of presence that can calm a program that has been thrown into disarray. It is the sort of reset that usually comes with optimism, but it also comes with a familiar warning attached to any coach arriving from a proven stop: the rsum travels, the context does not.
Penn States decision to move on from James Franklin and turn to Matt Campbell only sharpens that reality, because it shows how quickly even established coaches can be judged by the latest stretch of results. Both Whittingham and Campbell bring respect from their previous programs, but midway through the season their new teams are already living with the same blunt truth - reputation alone does not fix immediate problems. For Michigan, the early returns will matter fast, because the patience that comes with a fresh hire can disappear just as quickly if the transition does not take hold. [Read more 🡒]