MINNEAPOLIS – The defense of the No. 2 ranked Michigan Wolverines accumulated two pick-6s to route the Minnesota Golden Gophers 52-10 to retain The Little Brown Jug.
With the road victory, Michigan has now won 26-28 games against the Golden Gophers while also advancing to 6-0 on the season under the lights at Huntington Bank Stadium thanks to a plethora of dynamic plays.
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Pick-sixes
The men in maize opened the game with the first of two pick-6s by cornerback Will Johnson, who returned the interception for 35 yards on the second play of the game. The early score, which came in the first 12 seconds of the game, allowed Michigan to hunt all night.
“They all played really well, especially our defense, as we got two pick-sixes thanks to Will Johnson and Keon Sabb,” said head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Sabb decided to join the party in the third quarter when he returned the second interception for a 28-yard score.
“It felt really good to get my first pick-six, and it felt really good to be out there,” said Sabb. “I tight end blocked and just stayed in the window, and it (the ball) just came to me.”
The Wolverines coaching staff had players like Sabb and Johnson ready to perform under the lights as the team showed dominance early and often.
“It was the way we prepared and the way our coaches set us up before the game, like our picks, coaches put us in the best positions and we capitalized on it,” said Johnson.
The two returned interceptions for scores were a first for the men in maize since 2017.
Johnson and Sabb weren’t the only two defensive players who made plays against Minnesota, as the defense held the Golden Gophers to 169 total yards, with 52 coming through the air and 117 from the ground.
Mason Graham led the team in total tackles as he acquired six of the 54, which included five solos, two tackles for loss, and one sack. Josaiah Stewart added the team’s second sack of the night alongside his three total tackles to help seal the victory.
Offense
Running back Blake Corum led the team in rushing as he carried the ball nine times for 69 yards and one touchdown. The score on the ground was his 10th of the season, and he tied running backs coach and Wolverines legend Mike Hart (41 career touchdowns) for fourth all-time.
“It feels good to take a picture with The Little Brown Jug,” said Corum. “My first game was here (Minnesota) when we got The Little Brown Jug, and we are here again taking it back with us, and it feels great to get the victory.”
Corum, who was all smiles after the game, leads the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in touchdowns with 10.
“The two pick-sixes just gets us going,” Corum said. “When the defense scores, it’s just amazing. I was talking to coach CP (Chris Partridge), and I was like, ‘Y’all don’t even need us today as y’all put up 14 points and held them to 10, so y’all would’ve got the dub.’ Again, it was a great team win, and it got our juices going.”
J.J. McCarthy
Quarterback J.J. McCarthy was a man among boys Saturday night as he showed how dynamic his skillset could be moving forward.
The second-year starter finished the day completing 14-20 passes for 219 yards and one passing touchdown, which was a beautiful dime down the sideline to a wide-open Colston Loveland to put the game out of reach ultimately.
On the ground, McCarthy toted the rock four times for 17 yards and two touchdowns, which was the first two-rushing score game of his career.
“I love this team so much because we play for each other,” said McCarthy. “We don’t play for individual accolades. We don’t worry about the NFL or anything in the future as we keep it moment to moment, and we strive to get better every single day. It’s a beautiful thing.”
McCarthy was in complete command all night, and his game flashed in front of a national audience who watched the game on NBC.
“I thought my performance was great, but it makes it easy when our defense gets two pick-sixes and guys like Blake toting the rock, plus the offensive line playing as well as they did. It just was really fun tonight.”
The victory extends the Wolverines Big Ten streak to 16 consecutive in the conference, and the 42-point win was the largest by Michigan this season. The 42-point route was also the Wolverines largest road margin of victory since 2016.
The men in maize will head home Saturday (Oct. 14) to host the Indiana Hoosiers at The Big House. Kickoff is at 12 p.m.
