ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- They walked off the field with stone faces and glassy eyes, making their way slowly through the tunnel. Michigan players jogged past and slapped their backs and said "good game, man."
This group lingered in the cold, white corridor, unable to change what the scoreboard read: Michigan 14, Penn State 9. The winning team's marching band was already wailing its fight song, "The Victors," and so all the Penn State Nittany Lions could do was walk quietly up to their small locker room.
"It's that wall we gotta overcome. We gotta beat Michigan," Penn State defensive end Josh
Gaines said. "It hurts a lot. It's real slow. Everything's in real slow motion."
The Lions (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) had once again failed to exorcise the troubles that have plagued them for so long against Michigan. The losing streak against Michigan will now span nine games and 12 years. And another class of Penn State seniors will go winless against the Wolverines.
"That's a tough way to go out," senior linebacker Dan Connor said, "having never beaten Michigan."
So the Lions will remain dogged by questions: When will the Lions break through? Is it in their heads? Why can't Joe Paterno out-coach Lloyd Carr?
Penn State failed to find consistency in its rushing game and in play of quarterback Anthony Morelli, employing a conservative offensive scheme Saturday before 111,310 at Michigan Stadium. And Michigan running back Mike Hart pounded the Lions' defense, which came into the game ranked first nationally in rush defense.
"You just gotta get it done on the field," Morelli said. "We have the talent, we have the guys. We just don't execute right."
Penn State, ranked No. 10 before Saturday's loss, is left with questions as it continues into the Big Ten schedule. The validity of the Lions wins against three walkover non-conference opponents is suspect.
After starting the season with two embarrassing losses, Michigan has legs now. The Wolverines are coming off a blowout win against Notre Dame and can realistically win a conference title.
"This team has come a long way since those first two losses," said Hart, who rushed for 153 yards and a touchdown on 44 carries. "We still have to improve on some things, but we've come a long way and I'm proud of the team."
Hart helped engineer a 15-play, 77-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, which eventually sealed the Wolverines win by sapping 6 minutes, 31 seconds from the clock. The 5-foot-9 senior, who broke Anthony Thomas' Michigan record for career 100-yard games (23), carried the ball nine times in the drive. He scored on a 1-yard run, putting Michigan up, 14-6, with 8:52 left.
Penn State's running backs, Austin Scott and Rodney Kinlaw, mustered only a combined 104 yards.
Scott fumbled on the other trip into the red zone, spoiling a long Penn State drive in the third quarter. The Lions stalled each of the four times they made it into the red zone, a problem that persisted last season. They settled for three Kevin Kelly field goals.
Morelli also fumbled, and the turnover allowed Michigan to take an early lead in the first quarter.
"Turnovers always change the flow of a game," Michigan strong safety Jamar Adams said. "That's one thing we always talk and preach. We want to cause turnovers."
Michigan's Ryan Mallett, a true freshman quarterback who started in place of injured senior Chad Henne, scored on a 10-yard touchdown run after the Morelli fumble. Mallett was 16 of 29 for 170 yards with one interception in his second collegiate start.
Morelli was 15 of 31 for 169 yards, and he couldn't rouse production when Penn State got the ball at the end of the fourth quarter. The Lions failed to organize a late drive the way Michigan did against the Lions here in 2005 to spoil Penn State's perfect season as time expired.
With 1 minute and 28 seconds remaining in the game, Penn State still couldn't get in sync offensively. Morelli threw away the ball on first and second down, then threw two incomplete, turning the ball over on downs.
Michigan then ran out the clock for the win.
"I can't say much about it, man," defensive end Gaines said. "It hurts. It hurts a lot, knowing I gotta hear the same thing I heard this year, going into it next year. Instead of hearing eight, it will be nine [seasons]. Next year, going into this, we gotta hear we didn't beat Michigan for nine [seasons] now."
