[dropcap]S[/dropcap]ince his hiring, Big Blue fans have been craving to see Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh step on the field in the Big House.
Not only did they get to watch him, they saw a team that Harbaugh has been looking to establish his trademark with.
The Wolverines looked like a steamroller on both sides of the ball, cruising past Oregon State with a power running game and lowdown defense, dominating for a 35-7 win at Michigan Stadium.
The Wolverines (1-1) weren’t facing a powerhouse, with the Beavers (1-1) one of the nation’s youngest teams and physically unprepared for a battle on the lines.
And Michigan running back De’Veon Smith TKO’d the Oregon State defense, running for 126 yards and three touchdowns.
The Wolverines defense did its best to establish the old-school tone that Jim Harbaugh seeks.
After allowing a 79-yard, seven-play touchdown drive on the first possession by Oregon State, defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin’s unit showed dominance by holding the Beavers to just 138 yards for the rest of the game and just 4 in the second half.
Defensive lineman Chris Wormley led the way with three tackles for loss to help the U-M defense force a turnover, record two sacks and seven tackles for loss in holding the Beavers scoreless for the final 58 minutes.
The passing game took a step back though, as quarterback Jake Rudock completed 18-of-26 passes for 180 yards and an interception.
Rudock was strong in the crunch time, going 7-for-14 third- and fourth-down conversions. However, his turnover problems continued with a sack-fumble and an interception.
The offense finished with 405 yards of total offense, with 244 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns as the offensive line flexed its muscles against a unproven Oregon State defense.
After a big eight-catch performance last week, Jake Butt was quite with the Wolverines run-first approach, finishing with four catches for 25 yards. Amara Darboh led all receivers with four receptions for 50 yards.
Quarterback Seth Collins led the way for the Beavers, finishing 9-of-16 for 79 yards and a touchdown.
The key play in the game came after Oregon State punter Nick Porebski’s near perfect punt buried Michigan back within the 3-yard line.
An illegal formation penalty brought the punt back and on the reattempt, the Beavers’ longsnapper sailed the ball well over Porebski’s head for a 48-yard loss. Michigan took over on downs, and Smith powered in a touchdown to end the first half.
Up next for Michigan, they host UNLV next week at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. Kickoff is set for noon.
