ANN ARBOR, Mich (AP) — Blake Corum rushed for 123 yards and three touchdowns as No. 25 Michigan routed Northern Illinois, 63-10 on Saturday.
The Wolverines (3-0) scored touchdowns on their first nine drives, eight of them on the ground. The 10th drive also included a touchdown run, but it was called back for a holding penalty and Michigan turned the ball over on downs. The Wolverines never punted.
Northern Illinois responded with its touchdown with 8:28 to play.
The Huskies (1-2) kicked a field goal on their second possession of the game, but it was already clear they were in major trouble.
Michigan scored short rushing touchdowns on its first four possessions, two by Hassan Haskins, to take a 28-3 lead in the second quarter.
The Wolverines changed up a bit on the fifth possession, scoring on an 87-yard pass from Cade McNamara to Cornelius Johnson - the third-longest passing play in school history - to lead 35-3 at the half.
The Wolverines switched quarterbacks at halftime, putting in J.J. McCarthy, but he hadn’t thrown a pass when Corum scored on a 49-yard run to increase the margin to 42-3. Michigan used six quarterbacks in the game.
While Michigan hadn’t played Northern Illinois since a 33-17 victory in 2005, there was still an element of revenge for the Wolverines. Huskies quarterback Rocky Lombardi led Michigan State to a 27-23 win in Ann Arbor last season.
THE TAKEAWAY
Michigan’s a lot better than a Mid-American Conference team that just gave up 50 points to Wyoming. That shouldn’t be a surprise, but the Wolverines have had some tough times against the MAC in recent years.
The Huskies won their opener at Georgia Tech and led Wyoming in the last two minutes, but the Big House was a step too far. Even on a sleepy Saturday - the late-arriving Michigan student section didn’t show up at all - Northern Illinois was overmatched in every part of the game.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Wolverines are likely to move into the top 20 after taking apart a team that does have a road win against a Power Five opponent. However, the game was so lopsided, voters might have a hard time taking it seriously.
UP NEXT
Huskies: host Maine next Saturday.
Wolverines: host Rutgers next Saturday to begin Big Ten play.
