ANN ARBOR, Mich. - ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Blake Corum ran for three touchdowns and J.J. McCarthy threw two more scoring passes to Roman Wilson to help No. 2 Michigan rout UNLV 35-7 Saturday.
The Wolverines (2-0) were without suspended coach Jim Harbaugh for the second game of his three-game, school-imposed suspension for breaking NCAA rules.
That didn’t slow them down.
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - SEPTEMBER 09: Roman Wilson #1 of the Michigan Wolverines scores a touchdown during the first half of a college football game against the UNLV Rebels at Michigan Stadium on September 09, 2023 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Aar …
The Rebels (0-1) were overmatched as expected, struggling to compete with a national championship contender on either side of the ball.
Corum had 80 yards rushing on 15 carries and caught two passes for 23 yards. McCarthy completed his first 13 passes and finished 22 of 25 for 278 yards and two touchdown passes to Wilson, who had four receptions for 89 yards and has five touchdown receptions through two games.
Doug Brumfield was 10 of 19 for 100 yards and Jayden Maiava completed 5 of 7 passes for 68 yards for the Rebels.
UNLV — like East Carolina last week — avoided a shutout with a late score. Jordan Younge-Humphrey had a 20-yard rushing touchdown with 2:43 left, capping a nine-play, 81-yard drive.
HARBAUGH WATCH
Harbaugh worked on the chain gang at his son’s youth football game before the Wolverines played and planned to watch his team on TV from home.
Jay Harbaugh, special teams coordinator and safeties coach, filled his father’s role in the first half. Running backs coach and former Michigan star Mike Hart led the team after halftime.
COMPLETION COMPANY
McCarthy has completed 87.3% of his passes through two games, matching Justin Fields’ completion percentage through two games at Ohio State in 2020. Corey Robinson (92.2% in 2013 at Troy) and Geno Smith (88% in 2012 at West Virginia) are the only two players with a higher completion percentage through two games with at least 55 attempts since 2000, according to Sportradar.
INJURY REPORT
Michigan standout defensive backs Will Johnson and Rod Moore missed a second straight game with injuries.
THE TAKEAWAY
UNLV: First-year coach Barry Odom was able to show his players what one of college football’s best looks like up close. The Rebels can potentially learn from the painful experience to help them compete in the Mountain West Conference.
Michigan: Corum’s recovery is a good sign for him, and the team. The All-America running back had a knee injury late last season against Illinois, played sparingly against Ohio State, missed the last two games and needed surgery. Corum ran for 73 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries in last week’s win over East Carolina.
UP NEXT
UNLV: Hosts Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Michigan: Hosts Bowling Green on Saturday night.