Tag: reaction

Who started the altercation in the tunnel at halftime during the Michigan vs. Penn State game?

Michigan finished it on the field, for sure! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. —   Michigan dominated Penn State on Saturday in every facet. The Wolverines remained unbeaten and sent Penn State packing after a 41-17 win.

But, the outcome looked shaky, in the score column, after the first half. The Wolverines entered halftime with a 16-14 lead after Michigan scored three field goals in the red zone. If you looked at the stats, you would assume Michigan was dominating the scoreboard after having 18 first downs compared to just one for Penn State.

It seemed that, even though the Nittany Lions were getting demolished on the field, Penn State entered halftime with some swagger. Wolverines Wire writer Isaiah Hole captured a video of both teams exchanging heated words in the tunnel entering the locker rooms. So who started it?

J.J. McCarthy said he was late seeing what happened, but he believes Penn State started the altercation with how emotional it was all game. McCarthy bluntly said Penn State may have started that, but Michigan finished it on the field.

“I was late to it I didn’t really see what went on,” said McCarthy. “But just from how they were acting emotionally out there and going into the half and how they were emotionally all game. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was them starting that. We just finished it.”

Edge rusher Mike Morris said its been an issue with Penn State all week. He said that the Nittany Lions have been talking on Twitter and saying how they would win on Saturday, but Morris said Michigan did its talking on the field.

“Man, they started talking, the whole week, they’ve been Twitter fingers, talking to us on social media,” said Morris. “one of our guys went live and they told him OK, we’re gonna see you there. And we all told each other, they want to have their Twitter fingers. They want to talk on social media. OK. And then they didn’t talk on the field. So they want to talk at halftime because they got lucky. But, yeah, that’s it.”

If Penn State was the side who started the altercation in the tunnel, it’s clear it did all of its talking in the tunnel or even through the week — instead of on the field. Other than two big plays, one being a fluky pick six, the Nittany Lions couldn’t stop Michigan on offense or defense.

McCarthy said coach Harbaugh told the team after the game it was a butt kicking. McCarthy said Michigan protects its house, and it was awesome to see the Wolverines win the way they did.

“Sure,” said McCarthy. “I feel like coach Harbaugh said in the locker room is ‘it’s a butt kicking every which way butt can be kicked.’ And this was in our house and we take pride in that. We protect our house so just being able to do it in the fashion that we did was just awesome to see. Obviously, the first half we wish it went a little different way scoreboard wise but they only had one first down we had 18 So we’ll take that.”

Michigan will host Michigan State in two weeks in the Big House.

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Everything Jim Harbaugh said after Michigan football beat Penn State

It was pure domination on Saturday! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Billed as a top 10 matchup where both Michigan football and Penn State would figure out what each team is, we learned that the Wolverines are for real, while the Nittany Lions have some work to do.

PSU had just one first down in the first half, a long run by QB Sean Clifford on a quarterback-read play that set up its first touchdown, but aside from that and a pick-six on a fluky play, the maize and blue beat Penn State in all phases of the game.

Afterward, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh shared his thoughts on the game, including the 412 yards rushing against what was the nation’s No. 5 rushing defense, Mike Hart’s return, and his team’s demeanor after the game.

Here is everything he had to say.

‘It was a butt kicking’ J.J. McCarthy talks the run game and O-line against Penn State

The Michigan run game is the best in the nation!

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — What was supposed to happen against Penn State on Saturday was far from what happened.

The Nittany Lions entered the game with the No. 5 run defense in the country, allowing an average of 79.8 yards per game. No team had been able to run on the Nittany Lions, and it appeared Michigan would need to lean on its passing attack against the 102nd-ranked pass defense that had allowed an average 262 yards per game.

But it was the exact opposite.

Michigan ran down Penn State’s throat on Saturday. The Wolverines gained 418 yards on the ground and J.J. McCarthy threw for 145 yards, but he wasn’t asked to lead the team to victory.

Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, along with both the offensive and defensive lines shined. Edwards had a career day rushing for 173 yards and two scores, and Corum ran for 166 yards and two scores.

Not only did the Michigan offense dominate, but the Wolverines’ defense  also held the Nittany Lions to 268 yards and a meager 111 yards on the ground.

“I feel like coach (Jim) Harbaugh said in the locker room: It’s a butt kicking every which way butt can be kicked,” McCarthy said. “And this was in our house and we take pride in that. We protect our house so just being able to do it in the fashion that we did was just awesome to see. Obviously, the first half we wish it went a little different way scoreboard wise, but they only had one first down, and we had 18. So we’ll take that.”

J.J. McCarthy said it was because the offensive line kept blowing the Penn State D-line off the ball.

“It was pretty much blowing them off the ball,” said McCarthy. “As simple as that, our offensive line, say a couple of weeks ago — I’ll say it today, we have the best offensive line in the country. That showed today, and they’re gonna keep showing that. There hasn’t really been a team that’s stopped us completely with the run. And I don’t think there will be.”

McCarthy knew early that Michigan would be able to control the line of scrimmage.

“From the jump,” McCarthy said. “First drive — from the jump the way they are moving them off the ball and today they weren’t showing us something we haven’t seen before. Showing us anything we haven’t seen before and just the way these guys are running the ball. The way the offensive line is blocking, I knew it was gonna be a dogfight to the end in the trenches, and yeah our guys pulled out in front for sure.”

Penn State hadn’t allowed a team to run for more than 119 yards this season. In three of its games, the Nittany Lions held the opposition to fewer than 100 yards. The former five-star quarterback is happy he has Corum and Edwards on his team and that he has those type of playmakers surrounding him. With those two having fantastic days, McCarthy didn’t throw the ball like has been recently. But he is okay with taking a backseat in a game like Saturday.

“That’s the beauty about our offense,” said McCarthy. “We’re multi-dimensional. And when you’re rushing for 400 yards, the game against the No. 10 team in the country. I’ll sit back and be a part of that ride and every single game.”

One thing McCarthy did on Saturday was use his legs. He ran the ball seven times for 57 yards. There were a few third-down plays where he pulled down the ball and picked up the first down instead of forcing a throw. McCarthy views him using his legs the way Joe Burrow did in 2019, but McCarthy says — and is — faster than Burrow, so there should be more opportunities.

“I mean, I keep saying like week to week that I need to use my legs more,” said McCarthy. “And it’s in situations like that, where we go back to the 2019 season with Joe Burrow and everything he was able to do with that. And I’m faster than Joe Burrow, so I should be able to do it more. But yeah, just being able to capitalize on those opportunities when they’re not having eyes on me and they’re covering downfield well and just being able to add that to the offense and contribute.”

The Wolverines enter a bye week before hosting Michigan State in two weeks.

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Twitter reactions from Michigan football defeating Penn State

Great win!

ANN ARBOR, Mich. —  The only word to describe Michigan defeating Penn State on Saturday: dominance. The Wolverines remained unbeaten after beating the Nittany Lions, 41-17.

Michigan outgained Penn State, 563-268. The Wolverines rushed for 418 yards against the nation’s No. 5 run defense that had been allowing an average of 79.8 yards per game.

Donovan Edwards had his career-high on Saturday. He ran the ball 16 times for 173 yards and two scores. Blake Corum continued his Heisman campaign season, finishing with 166 yards on 28 carries and two scores.

J.J. McCarthy completed 71% of his throws for 145 yards. Michigan didn’t ask McCarthy to do too much through the air with the run game working so well. But the sophomore used his legs, rushing for 57 yards on seven carries.

After the win, Twitter reacted and here is what everyone had to say.

Instant reaction: Michigan overpowers Penn State from start to finish, 41-17

Michigan let Penn State hang around in the first half but buried them after halftime.

In a matchup between two undefeated top-10 teams, there was no question which team was superior in Ann Arbor on Saturday afternoon. Michigan moved the ball all day long on the Penn State defense and the Nittany Lions offense managed just 10 points in a 41-17 loss to the Wolverines.

Michigan’s first couple of drives stalled in the red zone and netted just two field goals before Michigan finally punched in a touchdown in the second quarter to go up 13-0. Penn State had a quick rally highlighted by a long run by [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] to setup a short touchdown. The Penn State defense gave the Nittany Lions a short-lived lead at 14-13 when [autotag]Curtis Jacobs[/autotag] returned a tipped pass for a touchdown.

But the Wolverines answered right back and took advantage of a kickoff out of bounds and took a 16-14 lead into halftime. Penn State opened the second half with a go-ahead field goal inside the red zone, but it was all Michigan from there.

Michigan scored on touchdown runs of 67 yards by Donovan Edwards and 61 yards by Blake Corum on consecutive possessions to put the Nittany Lions in the rearview mirror for good. Edwards and Corum each rushed for over 160 yards against the Nittany Lions. If Penn State’s mission on defense was to make quarterback J.J. McCarthy have to beat them with his arm, they failed in massive fashion.

Penn State was thoroughly dominated on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football all game long with Michigan using their strength on the offensive line to rack up over 400 yards of rushing offense. And the Michigan defensive line never allowed the Penn State running game to get going outside of the long run by Clifford. It was the kind of game that reminds those watching Penn State has plenty of room for improvement on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football if it is going to be a legitimate Big Ten contender once again, let alone a College Football Playoff contender.

Clifford was pulled from the game early in the fourth quarter as [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] took over at quarterback. Clifford completed seven of 19 pass attempts for 120 yards with no touchdowns.

Penn State will return home next weekend to host Minnesota. It will be the annual whiteout game for the Nittany Lions and it will be played under the lights in primetime on ABC.

Michigan will have next week off. The next game for the Wolverines will be in two weeks at home against in-state rival Michigan State.

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Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Steve Nash ribbed Ben Simmons over foul troubles

How Brooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash reacted to Ben Simmons’ preseason foul trouble.

The Brooklyn Nets competed in their final NBA preseason game on Friday, and while the team has greatly improved. coach Steve Nash had a joke for Ben Simmons after he fouled out in just 13 minutes.

Basketball journalist Nick Friedell of ESPN reports that Nash chuckled following Simmons’ exit. Nash said, “I said ‘you might as well go straight to the bike and get some conditioning. I don’t think he was ready for the joke.”

Nash continued:

“Just talking to the refs, obviously adjusting to — one night you’re playing against the [Milwaukee] Bucks and playing a physical game and then you’re playing the Wolves and it’s not that physical. So you’re not able to get away with a lot of things but overall as a team I think we played great, we moved the ball. We’re finding our identity.”

Simmons himself also found it semi-amusing, as he responded, “”Obviously, I probably wouldn’t be laughing if it was the regular season but it’s the preseason.”

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Warriors vs. Nuggets: Klay Thompson, Jonathan Kuminga, James Wiseman impress in preseason finale

Despite the Warriors’ loss in the preseason finale to the Nuggets, Klay Thompson, Jonathan Kuminga and James Wiseman impressed on Friday night.

Before unveiling their 2022 championship banner and receiving their rings on the opening night of the NBA season, the Golden State Warriors had one final tune-up game in the preseason on Friday night at Chase Center.

Although Klay Thompson and Draymond Green returned to the lineup, the Warriors couldn’t end the preseason with a victory against the Nuggets. Bones Hyland, Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr. and three other members of the Nuggets all registered double-figure scoring efforts to outlast the Warriors, 119-112.

Despite the loss, a trio of players shined on Friday for the Warriors, including the veteran Splash Brother. In his preseason debut, Thompson looked ready for opening night, scoring 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. Thompson buried a flurry of triples, hitting 5-of-9 jumpers from beyond the arc. Thompson added three boards, an assist and a block in 16 minutes against the Nuggets.

Jonathan Kuminga stuffed the boxscore in 30 minutes off the bench, tallying 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field with a team-high seven assists, six boards and two steals on Friday night.

After an impressive start to the preseason, James Wiseman showed no signs of slowing down against the Nuggets. The former No. 2 overall pick recorded 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor with six rebounds and three assists in 17 minutes off the bench.

With the preseason in the books, the Warriors will prepare for the season opener at San Francisco’s Chase Center on Oct. 18 against LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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5 things to watch for when Florida takes on LSU in Week 7

After picking up the first conference win of the Billy Napier era against Mizzou, Florida is looking to handle LSU in the Swamp on Saturday.

The Florida Gators are looking to string together a third-straight win against the LSU Tigers on Saturday, but the rivalry game hasn’t gone UF’s way in a few years.

Both programs are under new leadership and came into the year with lowered expectations as the rebuilds ensue. Florida has Billy Napier at the helm and Brian Kelly is the new man in charge at LSU. With both teams at 4-2, this matchup is an important one that was likely marked on the calendar by most as a toss-up. It should be a fierce battle that’s only decided by a handful of plays, but whichever team wins will have bragging rights for at least another year.

Beating LSU won’t be easy, but Florida has the offense to do it. [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] finished with over 500 total yards against Tennessee and had the Gators fighting to the very end against the Volunteers. LSU lost 40-13 to that same Tennessee team last week, so that could be a sign that Florida is the superior squad.

However, the Gators have been an up-and-down team so far this season, so anything could happen on Saturday. Here’s what to look for when the two teams face off.

EXCLUSIVE: What Matt Leinart has seen from Michigan football, J.J. McCarthy through Week 6

He gave an honest evaluation of J.J. McCarthy thus far in a sit-down with WolverinesWire. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Matt Leinart knows a little something about the quarterback position. As a former Heisman Trophy winner at USC, the Fox Sports analyst is well-versed in the art of passing the football.

The past three weeks, Leinart has gotten to see first-year starter J.J. McCarthy, the former five-star who’s now in his sophomore season, up close and personal, and while Michigan hasn’t had to open up the playbook just yet, he’s like what he’s seen.

On Friday, we sat down with Leinart for an exclusive interview, where he discussed Michigan football as a whole, the rise of the defense, as well as how he evaluates McCarthy and the offense with six games in the books. Here is everything he said.

Former Michigan football players predict Penn State final score

Love this! #GoBlue

Finally, after half a season of play in the 2022 season, Michigan football will take on a ranked opponent. No. 10 Penn State comes to town with the Nittany Lions also undefeated at 5-0, although PSU has not faced a ranked opponent either.

The Wolverines have been tested by Maryland’s offense and Iowa’s defense. Penn State has faced Purdue and Auburn on the road, but had closer than expected games against Northwestern and Central Michigan. There’s no telling what will happen in Week 7 when these two teams match up.

But some former Wolverines have an idea.

As we did for bigger games last year, we polled some former Michigan football players about what they expect when the maize and blue take the field on Saturday. Here are their predictions.