No. 5 Michigan grounds, pounds No. 10 Penn St.
ANN ARBOR, Mich.— Michigan's massive offensive line opened huge holes and its speedy running backs took full advantage.
Donovan Edwards ran for a go-ahead, 67-yard touchdown and Blake Corum had a 61-yard run for a score on consecutive snaps in the third quarter as the fifth-ranked Wolverines pulled away and beat No. 10 Penn State 41-17 on Saturday.
“I can't remember back-toback touchdown runs like that," coach Jim Harbaugh said.
The Wolverines (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) finished with 418 yards rushing, gaining 7.6 yards per carry, against a team that was giving up fewer than 80 yards rushing per game to rank among college football's leaders.
Penn State coach James Franklin lamented that his undersized defensive line did not disrupt the running game.
“Everyone thinks they're Aaron Donald now and they're not," Franklin said.
Michigan was dominant for much of the first half, but led by just two points because it settled for field goals after stalling at the 5 twice and at the 11 once.
Despite having only one first down, the Nittany Lions (5-1, 2-1) took a 14-13 lead late in the first half after scoring two touchdowns in a 1-minute, 44-second span.
Penn State went ahead again after the opening drive of the third quarter, but Edwards answered with a 67-yard run on the next play. Edwards darted to the right behind excellent blocking to get to the sideline and used his speed on a cutback that gave the Wolverines a 24-17 lead with a 2-point conversion.
“Seeing the gap open up like it did, I knew it was going to be his big gain, but his cut at the end was just crazy," Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy said.
On the ensuing drive, Franklin went for it on fourth-and-6 from the Michigan 39 and asked Sean Clifford to attempt a difficult pass to Parker Washington downfield and toward the sideline that fell incomplete.
On the next play, Corum sprinted through a huge hole and broke away on a 61-yard run that gave the Wolverines a two-touchdown lead midway through the third.
NO. 1 GEORGIA 55, VANDERBILT 0
Stetson Bennett threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns — his first scoring passes in nearly a month — and the host Bulldogs (7-0, 4-0 SEC) stamped their return to No. 1.
Georgia led 28-0 at halftime and blew out the Commodores after three straight weeks of rather lackluster performances.
The Commodores (3-4, 0-3) dropped their 24th straight game in the SEC. They last won a conference game on Oct 19, 2019, beating Missouri 21-14.
NO. 9 MISSISSIPPI 48 AUBURN 34
Quinshon Judkins, Zach Evans and Jaxson Dart all ran for more than 100 yards, and the host Rebels (7-0, 3-0 SEC) rolled up 448 on the ground.
The Rebels had three 100yard rushers in a single game for the first time since 1976, and are 7-0 for just the second time since 1962 and first time since 2014.
Tank Bigsby led Auburn
(3-4, 1-3) with 179 yards on 20 carries with touchdown runs of 2 and 50 yards. The Tigers had 301 yards rushing, but three turnovers.
NO. 18 SYRACUSE 24 NO. 15 N.C. STATE 9
Garrett Shrader threw two touchdown passes to Oronde Gadsden II, Sean Tucker scored on a 25-yard run late and the host Orange (6-0, 3-0 ACC) became eligible for the postseason.
North Carolina State (5-2, 1-2), with Charleston Southern graduate transfer Jack Chambers making his first start at quarterback in place of injured quarterback Devin Leary, struggled on offense.
OKLAHOMA 52, NO. 19 KANSAS 42
Dillon Gabriel passed for 403 yards in his first game back after a concussion, and the host Sooners (4-3, 1-3 Big 12) amassed 701 yards and ended a three-game losing streak.
Eric Gray ran for 176 yards, Marvin Mims had a careerhigh nine catches for 106 yards and Brayden Willis had five catches for a career-best 102 yards for the Sooners.
Backup quarterback Jason Bean passed for 265 yards and four touchdowns for Kansas (5-2, 2-2).
NO. 24 ILLINOIS 26 MINNESOTA 14
Chase Brown rushed for 180 yards on a career-high 41 carries and caught a 40-yard touchdown pass for the host Illini (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten), who won their fifth straight game to become bowl eligible.
Mohamed Ibrahim rushed for 127 yards, his nation-leading 14th straight 100-yard game, but the Gophers (4-2, 1-2) were limited to 180 yards, their fewest yards in five years.
Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan, held to just 21 yards on 4-for-12 passing, left early in the fourth quarter after taking a hit to the head.
GEORGIA SOUTHERN 45 NO. 25 JAMES MADISON 38
Kyle Vantrease threw for a school-record 578 yards and four touchdown passes, including a 22-yarder to Derwin Burgess Jr. with 1:10 remaining, and the host Eagles (4-3, 1-2 Sun Belt) spoiled the Dukes' first appearance in the Associated Press Top 25.
James Madison (5-1, 3-1) led 14-0 early and 24-14 early in the second half.
The Dukes' defense held the Eagles to 12 rushing yards.