Michigan 21, Penn State 18: Tommy Carr's late run holds off a Nittany Lions rally

Michigan beat Penn State 21-18 at Michigan Stadium on Saturday. The deciding play was Tommy Carr's 12-yard touchdown run with 2:58 left. It pushed the lead to 10 points, and that margin absorbed a late Penn State touchdown.

The Wolverines threw for only 90 yards and won anyway. They ran for 211 against Penn State's 65 and turned the ball over once fewer, two to three. The win ends a two-game Michigan losing streak and moves the Wolverines to 4-2. Penn State has now lost four straight and falls to 3-4.

How it was won

The first half produced three points. R. Barker kicked a 24-yard field goal with 5:58 left in the first quarter, and Penn State took a 3-0 lead into the break.

Michigan scored on the second play of note after halftime. B. Kuzdzal broke a 43-yard touchdown run at 11:58 of the third quarter, and T. Butkowski's kick made it 7-3. Jordan Marshall added a 1-yard run at 2:14, and Michigan led 14-3 after three.

Penn State answered early in the fourth. Carson Hansen scored from 2 yards at 11:40, and Rocco Becht hit B. Brahmer for the two-point conversion to cut it to 14-11.

Carr's 12-yard run came next. Penn State replied with Becht's 24-yard touchdown pass to Chase Sowell at 1:11, and Barker's kick made it 21-18. That was the final.

Penn State won most of the volume categories. It outgained Michigan 332 to 301, had 22 first downs to 15 and held the ball for 32:02. Becht completed 28 of 44 passes for 267 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Sowell caught 11 passes for 151 yards, and Andrew Rappleyea added seven for 34. Hansen ran 15 times for 51 yards, and James Peoples had 14 yards on five carries.

The Nittany Lions converted 4 of 12 on third down, and the three turnovers cost them. Michigan was 5 of 12.

For Michigan, Savion Hiter led the ground game with 78 yards on 11 carries. Marshall had 49 yards on 14 carries. Carr was 5 of 7 passing for 47 yards with no touchdowns. JJ Buchanan caught three passes for 36 yards, and Hogan Hansen caught two for 31.

Against the number

Michigan closed as a 6-point favorite. The three-point margin means Penn State covered, and the Sowell touchdown with 1:11 left settled that.

The total closed at 43.5. The teams combined for 39, so the game went under. The scoreless second quarter and a 3-0 halftime score did most of that work.

On the moneyline, Michigan at -230 paid out. Penn State at +190 came up three points short.

Prices and the full market history are on the game page.

What's next

Michigan is 4-2. Its earlier losses came by six at Minnesota and by one against Iowa. It has also beaten Oklahoma, 17-10. The Wolverines' next opponent was not listed in the schedule data available at publication.

Penn State is 3-4. Its four-game slide includes losses to Wisconsin, Northwestern, USC and now Michigan, after a 3-0 start. Its next game was also not listed at publication.

Odds for both teams' next games will be on their team pages once the market opens.