Shaking hands, Michigan’s dominant ground attack, and Rutgers’ fourth win of the season captured headlines in Week 10.
By Adam Hensley
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Michigan State’s win over Penn State was … interesting to say the least.
The Spartans won on a field goal as time expired, handing the Nittany Lions their second loss of the season. Before that occurred, there was a rain/lightening delay that lasted for hours — something Penn State head coach James Franklin had never experienced in his 23 years in the business.
One of the most bizarre moments came after the final whistle, however.
Right as the Spartans’ kick went through the uprights, Nittany Lion Koa Farmer and some of his teammates walked off the field upset with what just happened.
Franklin sprinted — yes, sprinted — down the field and grabbed Farmer, telling him to get back on the field and shake hands with the Michigan State players.
“I don’t want anybody to think that Koa is not one of the best kids that we have in our program; he really is,” Franklin said. “But there were a few guys that would handle the situation different than we would like.”
Franklin said Farmer is “an awesome, awesome young man” and that the two met on Sunday to discuss what happened.
Michigan’s rushing attack
In Michigan’s 33-10 win over Minnesota, the Wolverines torched the Gophers on the ground, running for 371 yards (281 yards more than their opponent).
Center Cesar Ruiz believed this uptick in the runnng game stems from the offensive line, and he thinks his unit took the big loss to Penn State earlier this season to heart.
“After the Penn State game, I just noticed everybody going a lot harder,” he said. “I mean, we always went hard in practice, but I noticed guys going a lot harder, and everybody’s starting to get used to everything now, the young guys are starting to get used to everything; me, too. And just a lot more full-speed things, a lot less thinking. More everybody just knows where they’re going now and it’s just a lot of full speed.”
The bulk of Michigan’s yards came from running backs Karan Higdon (16 carries, 200 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Chris Evans (13 carries, 191 yards, 2 touchdowns).
Head coach Jim Harbaugh was happy with his team’s dominance in the ground game, but just like Ruiz, he attributes the strength to the line.
“Everybody on the offensive line, it was a memorable game for offensive linemen in this game,” Harbaugh said.
Rutgers keeps winning
The Scarlet Knights are up to something.
Rutgers scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to topple Maryland, 31-24.
The Scarlet Knights are now 4-5 on the season, their most wins in a season since 2015 (4-8), and there are still three games remaining (four if Rutgers reaches bowl eligibility).
This season is a step in the right direction for a program that won six games over the past two seasons, and games such as this one prove that the Scarlet Knights are slowly, but surely, stepping in the right direction, leaving head coach Chris Ash with plenty of optimism.
“I don’t know how many [fans] were there,” he said. “Doesn’t really matter. But I know they made a difference when we needed them to and just really is exciting about what we can build here in this area. It’s loaded with recruits and an outstanding fan base, and I think we can create an outstanding environment that’s loud and makes a difference and makes an outstanding home-field advantage in the future.”