Michigan took a 16-14 lead over Penn State to halftime, but despite the break in play, the tension remained in the air. As both teams headed into the tunnel for halftime, the two teams came together to talk even more trash instead of heading their separate ways.
The Wolverines dominated the half in every stat but the score, as Penn State’s two first half touchdowns came on an interception returned for a score and after a Sean Clifford 62-yard run set up a goal-line touchdown. At one point, Michigan had 17 more first downs than Penn State.
Therefore, it’s likely that Michigan was upset over not being up by more points at the break, while Penn State was keeping up the intensity for the second half.
Penn State and Michigan have a history of playing each other dating back to 1993, but there have not been many times when both teams entered the game ranked in the top 10. Odds are, the loser of this game won’t have a chance to make the College Football Playoff, which makes this level of tension understandable.