Oct. 11--Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh needed just 19 words to sum up the vibe at Michigan, which throttled Northwestern and suddenly looks like the Big Ten's best team.
"No turnovers, very few penalties, every phase you look at was humming today," he said. "Congratulations, it was impressive. Next. Onward."
Michigan didn't revel much in a 38-0 victory that was all but decided after Jehu Chesson took the game's opening kickoff 96 yards to the house, untouched.
The Wolverines weren't trying to dis a Northwestern team that came in undefeated and had to leave wondering what hit 'em.
The "onward" mentality is a function of what's ahead -- a home date with Michigan State, which has owned the Wolverines since 2008, winning six of seven.
"We'll move on from this even more quickly than usual," Harbaugh said, "because it's such a worthy opponent next week."
Can Northwestern, which is host to Iowa, do the same?
The Wildcats also had a burn-the-tape game last season, in Iowa City. Like Saturday, the opposing quarterback was Jake Rudock, who transferred to Michigan as a grad student.
The Wildcats kinda sorta rallied after their 48-7 humiliation. The next week, they were a two-point conversion away from beating Michigan. Then they stunned Notre Dame and blew out Purdue.
So if Northwestern can pick up the pieces next Saturday, it will remain contenders in the Big Ten West. Get to Indianapolis for the league title game, and they might earn a rematch with Michigan. Of course at this point, that sounds as appetizing as mud on stick.
Michigan has been bludgeoning the opposition, outscoring foes 157-7 over the last 19 quarters.
The Wolverines posted their third consecutive shutout Saturday, something no FBS team has done in 20 years. (If you're curious, Kansas State blanked Akron, Northern Illinois and Missouri in succession.)
Michigan hadn't pitched three straight shutouts since 1980. (The victims: Indiana, Wisconsin, Purdue.)
With the Michigan Stadium crowd chanting "DE-FENSE!" in the final minutes, Harbaugh left most of his starters in and said getting the shutout was "very meaningful."
The Wolverines, though, were not overly impressed.
"There's still room for improvement," defensive back Jabrill Peppers said. "We have a group of 11 guys that are all hungry to do their jobs, and we don't want to give (other teams) anything. If the shutout is the byproduct of that, so be it. We're concentrating on three-and-outs."
Peppers wanted to return the opening kickoff but said he noticed that Matt Micucci was angled toward Chesson.
"A big mistake," Peppers said. "Jehu is our top speed guy. I told Jehu: It's coming to you. Follow me. I've got your block."
The 96-yard return set the tone for a game of pure domination. Michigan outrushed Northwestern 201-38. The Wolverines lived in the Wildcats backfield, making life miserable for quarterback Clayton Thorson, who completed just 13 of 27 passes for 106 yards.
Even when Thorson fired a strike, he went unrewarded. Mike McHugh appeared to catch a 28-yard pass in the second quarter only to have cornerback Jourdan Lewis say: Not so fast, my friend.
"I took it from him," Lewis said. "He had the ball, and I guess he was trying to brace his fall."
Peppers called Lewis "the best corner in the country" and Harbaugh, not one to overhype his own team, said the Michigan secondary is "playing lights-out football right now."
Harbaugh's best line, though, came after mentioning his team came out of the game healthy.
"We're building a good callus," he said. "The callus is hardening, like a callus on the foot. It's not soft."
There's nothing soft about this group.
tgreenstein@tribpub.com
