ANN ARBOR, Mich. — If a game could ever be summed up as “total domination,” this was it.
Behind a passing game that included the third-longest touchdown completion in school history and another 300-yard day on the ground, Michigan’s football team cruised to a 63-10 victory over Northern Illinois on Saturday at Michigan Stadium.
The win improved the 25th-ranked Wolverines to 3-0 on the season and served as an exclamation point to a non-conference slate defined by an aggressive ground attack and series of 20-point plus wins. This one was the most impressive.
Sophomore running back Blake Corum had another big day, turning in his third straight 100-yard rushing day with 125 yards on the ground and three touchdowns, highlighted by a 49-yard carry on the third play of the second half. By then, the game was already out of reach and it only got out of hand from there.
After hearing criticism over its non-existent passing game last week, Michigan came out of the gate Saturday and made it a point to throw the ball more. Quarterback Cade McNamara was 8 of 11 for 191 yards and a touchdown in the first half before being spelled by backup J.J. McCarthy in the second half, but not before connecting with junior receiver Cornelius Johnson on an 89-yard touchdown throw in the second quarter.
Live updates: Drive-by-drive updates from Michigan’s big win
Not only was it Michigan’s biggest offensive play of the season, but it was the third-longest touchdown touchdown pass in school history. And Johnson wasn’t the only receiver to get in on the action.
Sophomore A.J. Henning added a 26-yard carry on a first-quarter reverse, leading to Michigan’s second touchdown of the game, and a 24-yard catch on the next drive. The Wolverines scored touchdowns on their first nine drives of the game, totaling 606 yards of offense and blowing past an NIU defense that allowed 50 points in a loss to Wyoming last week.
Meanwhile, Michigan’s defense nearly pitched a shutout against quarterback Rocky Lombardi, the former Michigan State quarterback who transferred to NIU. Lombardi was a meager 9 of 17 for 51 yards and had trouble finding open receivers all game.
It was the Huskies’ run game, comprised of 36 carries for 162 yards, that led to their only score of the game — a 21-yard field goal in the first quarter. At that point, Michigan’s lead was 7-3. The Wolverines responded with 56 straight points.
Michigan also recorded its first interception of the season, with cornerback Gemon Green catching a deflected Lombardi pass in the third quarter and returning it to the NIU 3-yard line. The turnover set up a touchdown run by Donovan Edwards, the first of two touchdowns for the freshman running back from West Bloomfield. Edwards had eight carries for 86 yards.
The win was Michigan’s largest margin of victory since it beat Maryland, 59-3, on Nov. 5, 2016. The Wolverines will begin Big Ten play next Saturday, Sept. 25, against the Scarlet Knights in Ann Arbor.
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