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PLAYER OF THE GAME The Wolverines could make an argument for a host of players on both sides of the ball, but running back De'Veon Smith gets the nod. His 12 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown helped pace Michigan of- fensively. PLAY OF THE GAMEJabrill Peppers was the name Penn State fans were afraid of before the Nittany Lions even got on the plane to Ann Arbor, and the Wolverines' redshirt sophomore lived up to the fears. His 53-yard punt return following a Penn State three-and-out gave the Wolverines first blood, which they wouldn't look back from. BEST PASSTrace McSorley's best ef- fort of a tough afternoon went unre- warded as a third-quarter toss to Chris Godwin was dropped. A reception would have been good for a Penn State touchdown. BEST RUNSmith swung into a gap in Penn State's defense, and true fresh- man linebacker Cam Brown was unable to bring down the veteran Michigan running back. He battled with Marcus Allen to pick up an extra 15 yards on the 39-yard carry. WORST DROPSaquon Barkley proba- bly should have had it. Eying up a floater from McSorley in the back of the end zone in the third quarter, the Nit- tany Lion sophomore running back simply couldn't come down with the touchdown reception. BEST SACKMichigan evoked memo- ries of Temple in the 2015 season opener on Saturday. The Wolverines were re- lentless against Penn State's pass pro- tection, racking up six sacks and 11 tackles for a loss. Routinely putting Penn State in third-and-long situations, Michigan attacked without mercy. BEST HITPenn State kicker Joey Julius did it again. Following a Nittany Lion touchdown early in the fourth quarter, the kickoff specialist put an abrupt end to the return of Michigan's Jourdan Lewis. BEST RETURNPeppers wasted little time in getting his day started. The red- shirt sophomore muffed Blake Gillikin's offering in Michigan territory, then juked his way upfield for a 53-yard re- turn. He eventually lost his balance, but that was the only thing preventing him from reaching the end zone. BEST DECISIONJoe Moorhead's tunnel screen to Godwin, securing Penn State's first touchdown of the day in the fourth quarter, was executed to perfection. WORST DECISIONThat Penn State linebacker Brandon Smith got tagged with targeting when he collided with Michigan receiver Grant Perry at the goal line – and then was forced out of the game on the call – was borderline absurd. JUDGMENT CALLS S E P T E M B E R 2 4 , 2 0 1 6 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 4 N A T E B A U E R | N B A U E R @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M

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