ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Blake Corum sprinted for a 67-yard touchdown to give Michigan a double-digit lead in the second quarter, one play after Jim Harbaugh called for a fake punt and the Wolverines pulled away to beat Washington 31-10 Saturday night.
Michigan (2-0) relied on a tandem of running backs, swarming defense and special teams to take and keep control of the game.
The Huskies (0-2) have lost their first two games — including the opener to Montana — for the first time since 2008 when they finished 0-12.
Corum ran for 171 yards and three touchdowns, a week after he had 111 yards rushing and scored twice in the season-opening rout over Western Michigan.
Hassan Haskins had 155 yards rushing and a score for the Wolverines, whose passing game was limited without injured receiver Ronnie Bell.
The Wolverines were not moving the ball much and led just 3-0 early in the second quarter when Harbaugh made a gamble that paid off.
With the punt team on the field facing a fourth-and-1 from the Michigan 30, a short snap went to Michael Barrett and he ran 3 yards for a first down. Corum ran through a huge hole on the next play and he ran past the secondary to give the Wolverines a 10-0 lead.
Washington was scoreless until Peyton Henry made a 28-yard field goal with 5:54 left in the third quarter. By the time Dylan Morris threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Bynum early in the fourth quarter, the Huskies were down by two touchdowns.
Morris completed 20 of 37 passes for 293 yards and a touchdown. Bynum had five receptions for 115 yards and a score.
Michigan’s Cade McNamara was 7 of 15 for just 44 yards passing.
THE TAKEAWAY
Washington: A season that started with high expectations with a team ranked 20th has turned into one with a lot of questions and concerns. A week after the Huskies became the first ranked FBS team to lose to a FCS team in five years, they were penalized for delay of game before the first snap of the game.
Michigan: Without Bell, the Wolverines struggled to throw the ball and made up for it with two running backs and a powerful offensive line. Harbaugh can potentially be conservative on offense with a defense that seems to be improved under first-year coordinator Mike Macdonald.
UP NEXT
Washington: Hosts Arkansas State (1-1) on Saturday.
Michigan: Hosts Northern Illinois (1-1) on Saturday.