Michigan Wolverines players celebrates in the student section after the game against the Brigham Young Cougars at Michigan Stadium.
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When asked post-game whether he would play next week, he answered with an unequivocal, “yes”.
The score at halftime was 31-0 and that proved to be all Michigan needed on this day.
Jim Harbaugh will not tell you specifically if he still watches the 49ers games on television this season. Except, Mangum wouldn’t get an opportunity to throw any sort of Hail Mary pass in this game.
And most of the credit for that, they say, goes to Durkin and his defensive coaching staff.
It was maize and blue pandemonium.
If Michigan can blow out the Terrapins and pick up a road win next week, it’ll crawl even closer to becoming the team Harbaugh wants to build. He wasn’t always making the right reads, they said. Glasgow, Hurst, Henry, and Ojemudia led the way again as Michigan made Tanner Magnum look unsure and uncomfortable throughout.
Many figured Harbaugh would find a way to lead his alma mater to greatness over time, but after watching Michigan have its way with a quality team like BYU, the bar has suddenly been set higher for the current campaign.
Big plays generate points and swing momentum.
Mangum looked like a freshman for the first time this season, connecting on just 12 of 28 passes for 55 yards. “Can you improve on a shutout?” Wonder all you want, but wishing it so won’t bring Hill back.
“It feels good to finally beat a ranked team”, said Smith, whose team was 1-9 against ranked teams since the start of 2012.
“We’ve got a long way to go”. That’s on me … In their 35-7 blowout of Oregon State Michigan defense only allowed 138 yards from scrimmage. They did a great job.
While Mendenhall was glad to see guys step forward after they were challenged, he said it can’t come to that when things get tough.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Senior quarterback Connor Cook had a quiet afternoon, completing 11 of 19 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown.
Not on Saturday, though.
Rudock threw five interceptions and lost a fumble in his first three games for Michigan after graduating and transferring from Iowa.
Smith had 125 rushing yards at that juncture, which was just one yard off his career high, but he did not return to the contest with Michigan in such firm control.
Were the Wolverines done?
“I don’t think we have to do that in college football“, Harbaugh said. “As the quarterback, I take that on me”. Against the Cornhuskers, BYU’s offense had eight plays of 20 yards or more.
It wasn’t originally planned this way, but Saturday’s home game against No. 22 BYU (noon, ABC) should give the Wolverines a pretty clear picture of how far they’ve come since a season-opening loss at now No. 18 Utah.
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Additionally, running back De’Veon Smith (who left the game in the second half with a foot injury) broke through the line somehow when it looked like he was stopped for no gain and fought off a defender all the way downfield for a 60 yard score. In any case, the bloodletting ended after the half and BYU escaped with a 31-point loss.
