The fifth-ranked Spartans held on for a 31-28 win in East Lansing over the No. 7 Ducks. There was no lack of emotion on the sideline, as Jim Harbaugh could be seen actively jumping around and yelling for most of the game.
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Both went with first-time starters in their programs – Michigan with Jake Rudock and Oregon State with Seth Collins.
[Early Lead: Watch Jim Harbaugh lose his mind on the sideline] .
When Michigan lost its first football game of the season last week at Utah, the Wolverines played like Brady Hoke is still coach.
By midnight, Michigan State had very real College Football Playoff hopes. Oregon State had just 118 yards in total offense – minus 18 after the first quarter.
Oregon State linebacker Rommel Mageo, top, sacks Michigan…
[College football rewind: The best and worst from Week 2].
“I think it’s great”, University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel said Thursday night.
Gary Andersen decided to punt and it looked to be a good choice when punter Nick Porebski pinned the Wolverines at their own 2. In the nighttime match of the Nos.
Oregon State had the 100,000 or so Michigan fans quieted through much of the first half Saturday with an impressive early touchdown drive and some tough defense. A slow start won’t cut it against teams like Ohio State and Michigan State, two squads that ramp things up early and don’t ever turn the pressure gauge down a notch. The next snap sailed over Porebski’s head, and Michigan took over on the Oregon State three yard line. “He said you just have to be more patient”.
It was slow and methodical – what radio announcer and former U-M All-American Dan Dierdorf called “Bo 101”, the basic brand of football he and Harbaugh once learned as players under the late Bo Schembechler. The success running the ball opened up an array of play-action throws, and an efficient Jake Rudock made the Beavers pay. He extolled the apparently robust scout team. Harbaugh said the graduate transfer from Iowa beat out Morris, who started in Michigan’s bowl game past year, because he was consistently accurate throughout preseason practices.
“On the defensive side of the ball, they say ‘This is who we are”. He confessed to no particular feelings in the pre-game tunnel. Oregon is just off a runner-up role in the first such game.
The Wolverines (1-1) weren’t facing a powerhouse, with the Beavers (1-1) one of the nation’s youngest teams and physically unprepared for a battle on the lines. It ran 53 plays, which averages out to 2.6 yards per play. It showed a strong nerve on two fourth-down conversions, including a fourth-and-6 on the go-ahead drive in the third quarter.
“We want the ball more”, Smith said.
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The Spartans coolly would make marches of 75, 59 and 65 yards. The Beavers gave up 225 yards rushing to the Wolverines. On defense, they’re going to say we’re going play some man coverage and blitz a little bit, play some cover 3 and some quarters and get after you.
