Penn State Nittany Lions vs Michigan Wolverines Match Player Stats On Oct 11, 2014

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 11, 2014

Michigan 18, Penn State 13: Devin Gardner passed for 192 yards and a touchdown to lift the host Wolverines past their Big Ten rivals in a razor-close finish.

Matt Wile netted three field goals and Devin Funchess snared seven passes for 69 yards and a score for Michigan (3-4, 1-2 Big Ten), which captured its first conference win of the season and snapped a three-game skid. Gardner, who was injured in the third quarter and left the game, returned in the fourth to lead the Wolverines on a late drive that set up the go-ahead field goal by Wile with 11:24 remaining in the game.

Christian Hackenberg threw for 160 yards and a score for Penn State (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten) but was sacked six times by an aggressive Michigan defense. DaeSean Hamilton had seven catches for 58 yards and a touchdown while Bill Belton totaled 69 yards rushing.

Sam Ficken sailed through a pair of field goals and Hamilton hauled in a 10-yard touchdown to make it a 13-7 advantage for the Nittany Lions early in the second stanza. Wile's 45-yard field goal before intermission trimmed the deficit to three and his 42-yarder toward the end of third quarter knotted things up at 13.

Gardner left the game in the third quarter with an ankle injury but came back on in the fourth to lead the Wolverines on a six-play, 29-yard drive that set up Wile's 37-yard kick to go ahead 16-13. Penn State was forced to punt on the ensuing drive, surrendered a safety on its next series after that and Michigan was able to run out the clock to end its four-game losing streak in the all-time series.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Backup QB Shane Morris (concussion, ankle) was cleared to play for Michigan prior to Saturday but was passed on to replace Gardner by Russell Bellomy, who hadn't thrown a pass in a game since 2012. ... In their first game without leading rusher Derrick Green, the Wolverines ran for a season-low 64 yards. ... Penn State recovered an onside kick attempt in the final two minutes but it was negated by an offside penalty, and the ensuing attempt was recovered by Michigan.