Michigan football nearly hits 50 points, thumps Minnesota for win

MINNEAPOLIS — This probably wasn’t how any of us drew it up.

But amid a pandemic, a lengthened offseason that nearly extended into the winter and uncertainties with the Michigan offense, Jim Harbaugh will take it.

His 18th-ranked Wolverines stormed TCF Bank Stadium on Saturday night and capitalized on Minnesota’s mistakes, rushed for more than 250 yards and bulldozed the Golden Gophers, 49-24.

Hassan Haskins led the way with 82 yards on six carries while Zach Charbonnet (4 carries, 70 yards) added a 70-yard touchdown run for Michigan, which moved to 1-0 on the season ahead of a showdown next Saturday against in-state rival Michigan State.

The Wolverines compiled 256 yards on the ground while averaging an impressive 8.6 yards per carry, while totaling 481 yards of offense.

Harbaugh’s team emerged from a wild and wacky first half with a 35-17 lead, one that saw Michigan fall behind 7-0 after a mistake-filled first possession only to capitalize on a pair of Minnesota mistakes.

Linebacker Michael Barrett turned a first-quarter sack on quarterback Tanner Morgan (18-31, 197 yards, TD) into a turnover when the star quarterback tried throwing the ball away, only for Michigan’s 6-foot-3, 318-pound Donovan Jeter, a defensive tackle, to return an interception 15 yards for a touchdown.

A possession later, Barrett returned a Minnesota kickoff 65 yards to help set up an easy two-play, nine-yard touchdown drive.

While effective, Milton (15-22, 225 yards, TD) never had to do too much all night. He seemed at ease from the beginning, connecting with running back Blake Corum on a 26-yard screen pass on the very first play of the game, and made a point to tuck the football and run when he could. Milton rushed eight times for 52 yards, adding a touchdown with 5:20 to play in the third quarter that helped bloom Michigan’s lead from 11 to 18 points.

Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis made a point of getting the receivers involved too, with Milton connecting with nine different pass catchers. Ronnie Bell led the way with four catches for 74 yards, while true freshman Roman Wilson had two catches for 34 yards.

Defensively, Michigan held its own against star receiver Rashod Bateman (9 catches, 101 yards), the Big Ten’s reining receiver of the year, who was limited to 11.2 yards per catch. The Golden Gophers leaned on running back Mohamed Ibrahim, who turned 26 carries into 140 yards and two touchdowns.

Coordinator Don Brown’s group turned in a much better second half, holding Minnesota’s high-powered offense to just 7 second-half points. They compiled five sacks and had eight tackles for loss, led by linebacker Josh Ross (nine tackles, INT). Safety Brad Hawkins added seven tackles, while defensive end Kwity Paye added four tackles (three for a loss) and two sacks.

Running back Chris Evans, in his first game in a Michigan uniform since 2018, added a fourth-quarter touchdown run.

———

©2020 MLive.com, Walker, Mich.

Visit MLive.com, Walker, Mich. at www.mlive.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.