Quarterback Tommy Carr came off the bench to lead a listless Michigan offense to three second-half touchdowns and the Wolverines held off Penn State late to win 21-18 in a Big Ten battle in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday.
Trailing 3-0 at halftime, Michigan (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten) benched starter Bryce Underwood (5 of 11 passing, 43 yards in the first half) in favor of the backup Carr to start the second half. Carr completed 5 of 7 passes for 47 yards and scored on a touchdown run.
Running backs Bryson Kuzdzal and Jordan Marshall also scored and freshman Savion Hiter led the way with 78 yards on 11 carries for the Wolverines.
Rocco Becht went 28 of 44 passing for 267 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions for Penn State (3-4, 0-4), which has lost four straight.
With the Nittany Lions holding the ball and down three with less than six minutes to play, Michigan safety Chris Bracy sacked Becht to force a fumble, which Wolverines tackle Enow Etta recovered and returned three yards to the Penn State 13.
Three plays later, Carr scored from 12 yards out to give Michigan a 21-11 lead with 2:04 remaining in the game. Penn State responded, cutting Michigan’s lead to 21-18 with 1:11 left on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Becht to Chase Sowell.
But after recovering the onside kick, Michigan ran out the clock with a pair of Marshall runs for 12 yards followed by a kneel-down.
Aided by a resurgent running game, Carr guided Michigan to a pair of third-quarter touchdown drives created by Michigan interceptions.
Two plays after an interception by Rod Moore, Michigan took a 7-3 lead on a 43-yard touchdown run by Kuzdzal with 11:58 left in the third quarter.
Following an interception by Bracy at the Michigan 26-yard line on the following drive, the Wolverines drove 74 yards in 11 plays and grabbed a 14-3 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by Marshall with 2:14 to go in the third.
Penn State cut Michigan’s lead to 14-11 with 11:40 remaining in the game on a 2-yard touchdown run by Carson Hansen and a 2-point conversion pass from Becht to Benjamin Brahmer.
