The Michigan football team departed Ann Arbor, Michigan for their game against Penn State football in State College, Pennsylvania on Friday afternoon. There had been talks all week of the Big Ten giving Jim Harbaugh a suspension because of the NCAA investigation surrounding the Wolverines, and while their plane to Penn State was in the air, it was announced that Harbaugh was suspended for the rest of the regular season. Michigan tried to get a temporary restraining order to avoid the suspension, but the hearing for that won't be until Friday.

So, Michigan football went into Beaver Stadium to take on #10 Penn State football without their head coach. This was a huge game for the Nittany Lions as they needed a win to keep their Big Ten and College Football Playoff hopes alive, but the Wolverines went in with something to prove. Michigan ended up winning the game 24-15.

James Franklin has had some successful years with Penn State football, but he cannot get over the Michigan and Ohio State hump. Another big game, another big loss for his Nittany Lions. After the game, Franklin broke down what made it so difficult to succeed against this Michigan team.

“The same thing that they (Michigan) have done against everybody all year long,” James Franklin said after the game, according to Basic Blues Nation. “That’s one of the best defenses in college football. We (Penn State) have (also) got one of the best defenses in college football. (Michigan) makes it challenging up front; their front seven is able to get pressure and to get sacks, but not a whole lot against us today. But about their coverage — we made a couple of throws that if the ball is not delivered right, one ended up being a pass interference on them and one we were fortunate that it wasn’t an interception. Your ball location is critical in these types of games. We had a couple of shots called, but we were waiting for a specific look at a specific defense and weren’t able to do that, so we weren’t able to loosen them up from a coverage standpoint to help with the more consistent higher percentage throws.”

The Michigan defense was smothering against Penn State all day long. The Nittany Lions couldn't get anything going on offense, especially in the second half, and quarterback Drew Allar finished the game 10-22 for 70 yards and one touchdown and one fumble lost.

With the loss, Penn State is now 8-2 on the season, and their hopes of winning the Big Ten and making the CFP are gone. The Nittany Lions will likely finish 10-2 and go to a very good bowl game, but Penn State fans are ready to take the next step.