All signs are pointing toward the Big Ten East title being on the line once again when Ohio State and Michigan meet in this year’s edition of The Game.
The Wolverines and Buckeyes are the last two unbeaten teams in the Big Ten this year after Michigan blew out Penn State, 41-17, handing the Nittany Lions their first loss of the season. Michigan outgained Penn State by nearly 300 yards, 563-268, as it rushed for a whopping 418 yards on 55 carries.
Michigan led by only two points at halftime, 16-14, after settling for three field goals in the red zone and a 47-yard interception return by Penn State linebacker Curtis Jacobs. The Wolverines pulled away in the third quarter, however, with a 67-yard touchdown run by Donovan Edwards and a 61-yard touchdown run by Blake Corum.
Jim Harbaugh’s squad outscored James Franklin’s side 25-3 in the second half as Edwards finished the game with 173 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries and Corum completed the day with 166 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries.
The Wolverines are now 7-0 this season while Penn State dropped to 5-1. The Nittany Lions will host Minnesota in primetime next week before hosting Ohio State on Oct. 29, while Michigan will play Michigan State, Rutgers, Nebraska and Illinois leading up to the highly anticipated clash between the Buckeyes and Wolverines on Nov. 26 in Columbus.
On the other side of the Big Ten, Illinois improved to 6-1 on Saturday with a 26-14 win over Minnesota. The Fighting Illini and the Nittany Lions are the only two one-loss teams in the Big Ten, though Illinois is tied for the Big Ten West lead with Purdue after the Boilermakers’ win over Nebraska on Saturday night.
