ANN ARBOR, Mich. — James Franklin took his seat at the front of the media room and grew agitated, as he had yet to see the final stats after No. 10 Penn StateHe was bullied in trenches during a crushing defeat at No. 5 Michigan.
Franklin may have had to look at the numbers printed to realize how lopsided this game was. The Penn State’s run defense was destroyed for 418 yards. That is 19 yards more than the opponent had given up during the previous five games. MichiganThe fourth team to rush for more than 400 yards against Penn State was the ‘fourth’.
Maybe Franklin needed to see the stats to be reminded that Mike Yurcich’s offense had just one first down during the entire first half? The Wolverines held the clock for almost 42 minutes, while Penn State lost the game in time of possession.
There was even a line left blank on the box score for Michigan’s punter, who had the cushiest gig of all on this crisp fall afternoon. For the first-time since 2007, against Ohio State, a Penn State opponent didn’t even punt.
No matter what your box score may be, Penn State was brutalized in the trenches. For elite teams like Michigan, there is no quick fix. That’s part of the year-round recruiting, developing and schematic battle that Penn State lost yet again in the Big House, which has often been a house of horrors for the Nittany Lions.
“We did not do well on either front,” Franklin said. “That’s tight ends and O-line.
