Without Jim Harbaugh, No. 2 Michigan grinds past No. 9 Penn State in 24-15 win

Before the game, Blake Corum warmed up wearing a ski hat that summed up Michigan’s attitude right now: “Michigan vs. Everybody.”

After the second-ranked Wolverines were done pummeling No. 9 Penn State, Corum wore a bloodied bridge of his nose and the satisfaction of knowing everybody is still winless against Michigan this season.

With Jim Harbaugh banned by the Big Ten, Corum, J.J. McCarthy and the Wolverines played unfazed by a scandal that has hounded the program for weeks — and their toughest opponent yet — grinding past the Nittany Lions, 24-15, on Saturday.

“We’re one. It made us stronger,” said Corum, who carried 26 times. “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.”

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.

The timeline of the accusations cover the last three seasons of Michigan’s surge to the top of the Big Ten and two straight College Football Playoff appearances.

Coincidence? Plenty of fans think not.

“People can say whatever they want,” fifth-year offensive lineman Trevor Keegan said. “We know what’s true. We know what’s in this locker room. We trust each other. We’re brothers, we’re in this thing together. That’s the way it’s going to be.”

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. Under Franklin, the Nittany Lions are 3-17 vs. top-10 teams, including 1-14 vs. Ohio State and Michigan teams ranked in the top 10.

“We’ve lost to the No. 1 and the No. 3 team in the country. That’s not good enough,” Franklin said. “We have to find ways to win those games.”

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.

“As we got in the game, obviously, the running game became a priority, and I think our guys up front really asserted themselves to be dominant and those backs ran super hard,” said offensive coordinator and line coach Sherrone Moore, who took over as acting head coach with Harbaugh out.

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, 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 their hotel just outside of State College without their 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.

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 quarterback Drew 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 resulted in only a field goal but took 8:04 off the clock in the third quarter and put the Wolverines up eight.