J.J. McCarthy has a hand in 3 touchdowns in No. 2 Wolverines' 45-7 rout of Nebraska
J.J. McCarthy passed for two touchdowns to Roman Wilson and ran for another, and second-ranked Michigan rolled past Nebraska 45-7 in record heat Saturday.
Michigan (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) made fast work of the Cornhuskers, scoring on its first three possessions and leading 28-0 at half.
The Wolverines came in having allowed a nation-low 5.8 points per game, and they held the Huskers (2-3, 0-2) scoreless until the final five minutes.
On a sunny afternoon when the temperature reached a record high of 96 degrees shortly after kickoff, Michigan went 75 yards in 11 plays on the first series. The Wolverines converted a fourth-and-1 two plays before McCarthy threw a dart to Wilson in the back of the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown.
Safety Omar Brown just missed getting a hand on the ball as he ran in front of Wilson in coverage. Wilson somehow pulled the ball in with safety Isaac Gifford hanging all over him.
The Wolverines got the ball right back when defensive lineman Kenneth Grant intercepted a tipped ball, and Blake Corum scored on a 20-yard burst up the middle three plays later.
McCarthy broke off a 21-yard TD run and found Wilson in the left corner of the end zone for a 16-yard TD just before half.
McCarthy led a long touchdown drive on Michigan's first series of the second half and then turned the game over to his backups, Indiana transfer Jack Tuttle and Jayden Denegal. McCarthy finished 12 of 16 for 156 yards.
Corum had 74 yards on 16 carries to lead a Michigan rushing attack that produced a season-high 249 yards. The Huskers entered the game second nationally in rushing defense, having allowed none of their first four opponents to run for more than 58 yards.
Wilson's two touchdown receptions gave him a Big Ten-leading eight for the season.
Nebraska, which has scored in 344 straight games since 1996, ended Michigan's shutout bid when Joshua Fleeks ran 74 yards for a touchdown with 4:17 left.
The Huskers, who came in as the top rushing team in the Big Ten, was held to a season-low 106 yards on the ground.
THE TAKEAWAY
Michigan: The Wolverines extended their conference win streak to 17 games, longest in the nation.
Nebraska: The Huskers have lost 23 in a row against Top 25 opponents since 2016.
UP NEXT
Michigan: visits Minnesota next Saturday.
Nebraska: visits Illinois on Friday.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll
