Michigan
No. 2 Michigan beats No. 18 Iowa for Big Ten title
![No. 2 Michigan beats No. 18 Iowa for Big Ten title No. 2 Michigan beats No. 18 Iowa for Big Ten title](https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/AP23337072831932.jpg?w=1024&h=682)
By MICHAEL MAROT (AP Sports Writer)
INDIANAPOLIS — Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh celebrated his return to the sideline Saturday by hugging players and evasively running to avoid a Gatorade bath.
Blake Corum and J.J. McCarthy were already reflecting on bigger goals.
And when the confetti came streaming down over the Wolverines, they made sure everyone knew they were no longer the nation’s second-best team.
Corum scored twice and the defense pitched a rare shutout as No. 2 Michigan routed No. 18 Iowa 26-0 for its third straight Big Ten title game, a third straight playoff berth and likely the top seed in the College Football Playoff.
“We set our goals earlier this year and this is another one we checked off,” Corum said after rushing for 52 yards on 16 carries and tying Anthony Thomas’ career record for TD runs with 55.
And with No. 1 Georgia falling to No. 8 Alabama in the Southeastern Conference title game, Michigan (13-0, No. 2 CFP) is finally poised to reach No. 1 after spending 13 of 14 weeks at No. 2. Michigan lost each of its previous two semifinal appearances and hasn’t won a national title since 1997.
Iowa (10-3, No. 16) never had a chance.
Harbaugh’s return meant he could finally savor a milestone moment on the sideline with his players after serving three-game suspension for an alleged sign-stealing scheme. He missed the 1,000th victory in program history and last week’s 30-24 division-clinching victory over archrival Ohio State.
Michigan fans booed loudly as first-year Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti presented the championship trophy and appeared not to even look at Harbaugh after he became the first coach in league history to win three straight outright conference championships. It’s also a school first.
Harbaugh didn’t seem to care about Petitti’s reaction, though.
“It made me feel super great,” Harbaugh said of the feat. “I’ve got one question for the Michigan Nation, who’s got a better team than us?”
The Wolverines extended their school record of consecutive wins over Big Ten foes to 25 as J.J. McCarthy went 22 of 30 for 147 yards.
For the Hawkeyes, it was more of the same.
While the defense held stout — allowing the TDs on drives of 5 and 6 yards and four field goals — the offense produced just 155 yards and became only the second team in conference title game history to be shut out in the final season of the East-West division format. Ohio State opened that era with a 59-0 rout over Wisconsin 59-0 in 2014.
Deacon Hill was 18 of 32 with 120 yards and the Hawkeyes rushed for 35 yards on 24 carries. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak and marked the second in three years Iowa lost the title game to Michigan by more than 25 points.
The difference Saturday was simple.
The Wolverines capitalized on Iowa’s errors; the Hawkeyes never did.
“Tonight certainly wasn’t our night,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “We knew we came in here needing to play pretty much a flawless game. Obviously, we didn’t do that, didn’t do a great job protecting the football, and a couple of other situations. It was a disappointing tonight.”
Michigan took a 10-0 lead with a 35-yard field goal on its first possession and Corum’s 3-yard run on its next, two plays after Semaj Morgan broke free for an 87-yard punt return to set a Big Ten title game record.
Corum is the only FBS offensive or defensive player who has scored in every game this season.
He scored again early in the second half when a replay review overturned an incompletion and ruled it was a fumble. Michigan recovered and outgoing Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz compounded the problem by drawing a penalty for unsportsmanlike penalty, moving the ball to the 6. following. That made it 17-0.
“I’ve made it the last two months without getting fined, so I’ll try again,” Ferentz said. “I’m really struggling with our replay system. Tonight what I was told, the arm was going forward, but the hand wasn’t, which I’m not sure if that’s possible mechanically.”
Michigan closed it out with three field goals, the final one being a 50-yarder from James Turner to set a title-game record.
Iowa’s best scoring chance came after a 25-yard punt put it at the Michigan 38. Three plays later, though Jaziun Patterson lost a fumble at the 30.
THE TAKEAWAY
Iowa: Two streaks continued. The Big Ten West closes out the league’s division era going 0-10 in title games and the Hawkeyes still have not won a conference crown since 2004. Few gave Iowa and its low-scoring offense any chance Saturday night. Neither did the Wolverines.
Michigan: Harbaugh missed six games this season because of suspension and yet Michigan heads into the postseason undefeated for the second straight year. Getting the No. 1 seed could lead to a matchup with SEC champ Alabama, Big 12 champ Texas, two-time defending national champ Georgia or perhaps even archrival Ohio State.
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Michigan
Michigan dies in motorcycle crash involving SUV
![Michigan dies in motorcycle crash involving SUV Michigan dies in motorcycle crash involving SUV](https://assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/07/27/90f99277-dbdc-4ebc-8a9a-4a897857570f/thumbnail/1200x630/394d77df9020939e096a707f3bdc47e1/2d21415abae0b93672cb0f00d2146a53.jpg?v=5501038cbc281520ff9fdc308faab7dc)
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Michigan
Michigan Football: How Semaj Morgan earned the number zero
![Michigan Football: How Semaj Morgan earned the number zero Michigan Football: How Semaj Morgan earned the number zero](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4227,h_2377,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/wolverine_digest/01j3rqnjg205m11ddj20.jpg)
One of the most intriguing players for the Wolverines heading into the 2024 season is sophomore wideout Semaj Morgan. During his freshman season, Morgan proved he could be a dangerous weapon with the ball in his hands. He was third among all wideouts in receptions (22) and receiving yards (204), and second in touchdown receptions (2). He added two more rushing touchdowns on the ground, and led the team in both kick return yards (186) and punt return yards (101),
Heading into his sophomore season, Morgan will have a bit of a different look when he takes the field this fall. Earlier this off-season, he announced that he was switching his number from 82 to number zero – a number that carries a ton of weight after U-M legend Mike Sainristil made it famous over the last two seasons. But making that switch wasn’t as easy as asking for it, it was something that had to be earned. Head coach Sherrone Moore elaborated on the number switch this week during Big Ten Media Days.
“He’s done an outstanding job of changing his body in a good way to maintain the speed,” Moore said. “Got a 4.0 this semester. So that was a big change to allow him to get the number zero, which he wouldn’t stop bugging me about. He’s done an outstanding job and excited about what he’s going to do this year.”
Along with putting in the work in the classroom, Morgan has also established himself as one of the hardest working players on the team. At 5-10, 176 pounds, he certainly isn’t the biggest target on the field. But as his head coach explains, Morgan plays much bigger than his physical size.
“Semaj is probably one of the best-practice players on the team,” Moore said. “I mean, he practices so hard that he probably loses about five to six pounds every practice and he’s got to gain it back. But the guy runs hard. And for being a guy that’s so little in stature, he plays like he’s 200 pounds… and he’ll tell you that too.”
After losing their two top receivers to the NFL Draft during the off-season, there’s no doubt that the Wolverines will need several of their younger wideouts to take a big step forward this fall. While there’s no shortage of candidates who could rise to the top, it seems like Morgan is best positioned to have an extremely productive year in 2024.
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Michigan
Investigators say undercover Michigan State Police detective shot at in Detroit
![Investigators say undercover Michigan State Police detective shot at in Detroit Investigators say undercover Michigan State Police detective shot at in Detroit](https://assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2022/10/31/7b246647-3cab-4b63-9aac-e494ece4a0e7/thumbnail/1200x630/36c98ad8ff2832db7b5336783e54ed51/thumbnail-msp-1.png?v=5501038cbc281520ff9fdc308faab7dc)
(CBS DETROIT) – Michigan State Police is investigating after they say an undercover detective was shot at while driving in Detroit.
The agency says the detective was driving on Curt Street, east of Van Dyke Avenue, at 7:50 a.m. Friday when the incident happened.
State police say neither the detective nor his vehicle were struck. No one was injured.
Detectives are conducting on-scene investigations and interviews. No other information will be released at this time, according to state police.
This comes just under a week after a Melvindale officer was fatally shot on Sunday. Officer Mohamed Said was responding to a call about suspicious activity when Michael Lopez shot him near a car wash.
Lopez was taken into custody on Monday and arraigned on Thursday.
An Oakland County Sheriff’s deputy was also killed in the line of duty last month during a stolen vehicle investigation in Detroit. That same week, a Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Office deputy was shot and killed after a traffic stop.
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