Thomas Carries Wolverines to Victory Over Nittany Lions

Saturday, November 11

Ann Arbor, Mich.

12:10 PM

Michigan

7-3 , 5-2

Penn State

4-7 , 3-4

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Penn State	3	0	0	8	11
Michigan	0	17	3	13	33

Thomas Carries Wolverines to Victory Over Nittany Lions

11/11/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 20-ranked Michigan football team displayed a balanced offensive attack combined with a strong defensive performance in defeating Penn State 33-11 Saturday (Nov. 11) in front of 110,803 fans at Michigan Stadium.

The win, coupled with road losses by Purdue (30-10 at Michigan State) and Northwestern (27-17 at Iowa), helped Michigan (7-3, 5-2 Big Ten) move back into a tie for first place in the Big Ten Conference standings with one week remaining in the league's regular-season schedule.

Anthony Thomas (Winnfield, La./Winnfield HS) led the way for Michigan, carrying the ball 35 times for 171 yards. The game marked the 21st time in his career that Thomas has topped the 100-yard rushing plateau as a Wolverine, eclipsing the record set by Tyrone Wheatley (1991-94). In addition, Thomas passed Wheatley for second place on the all-time rushing list with 4,228 yards and now trails only Jamie Morris, who holds the all-time record with 4,393 yards.

Penn State opened the scoring with 2:55 left in the first quarter on a 35-yard field goal by Ryan Primanti. The Nittany Lions began the drive at their own 20-yard line and moved down the field on an 11-play drive covering 62 yards in 3:53. The key play of the drive came on a 31-yard pass from Rashard Casey to Tony Johnson, which put the ball on the U-M 16-yard line.

After Primanti missed a 39-yard field goal attempt, the Wolverines took possession at their own 22-yard line and put together an 11-play, 78-yard drive capped off by a seven-yard touchdown run from Thomas, giving him 17 rushing TDs this season. Hayden Epstein's (Cardiff, Calif./Torrey Pines HS) extra point put Michigan ahead 7-3 with 9:30 remaining in the half and began a streak of 27 unanswered points by the Wolverines.

Michigan extended its lead to 14-3 late in the second quarter. Following the third missed field goal attempt in the first half by Penn State, Michigan marched 78 yards in 11 plays. Drew Henson (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS) found Bill Seymour (Granger, Ind./Penn HS) across the middle from 15 yards out for the touchdown. Henson finished the day completing 14 of 29 passes for 212 yard and two TDs.

On Penn State's ensuing possession, James Whitley (Norfolk, Va./Norview HS) intercepted Rashard Casey at the 30-yard line and returned the ball 13 yards to the Nittany Lion 17-yard line. Epstein converted a 33-yard field goal attempt to give U-M a 17-3 halftime lead.

Penn State threatened to score early in the third period. The Nittany Lions took the kickoff to start the second half and drove from their 14 to the Michigan 23-yard line before Casey's pass intended for Johnson was picked off by Todd Howard (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook HS) at the Michigan six-yard line.

Michigan pushed its lead to 20-3 midway through the third quarter on a 31-yard field goal by Epstein. The Wolverine defense once again came up with a big play to spark the offense. Penn State was set to attempt a 39-yard field goal, but Whitley blocked the kick and set up the U-M offense at its own 26. From there, the offense drove 60 yards in nine plays to set up Epstein's field goal.

Penn State drove deep into Michigan territory late in the third period but again was turned away by the Wolverine defense. On fourth-and-two from the U-M 16, Casey rolled left and had his pass intercepted by Larry Foote (Detroit, Mich./Pershing HS) at the two-yard line, and Foote returned the ball to the U-M 23.

Michigan used the momentum from Foote's interception to drive 77 yards in just six plays and finished the drive with a 40-yard touchdown pass from Henson to B.J. Askew (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain HS). Henson found Askew alone in the left flat before he ran up the left sideline through the Penn State secondary for the score, giving Michigan a 27-3 lead.

Penn State cut the lead to 27-9 with 9:23 remaining in the game on a 50-yard pass from Matt Senneca to Bryant Johnson. Senneca hit Johnson down the left sideline and he outraced Howard to the end zone. On the two-point conversion, Senneca found Eddie Drummond in the back of the end zone to make the score 27-11.

Chris Perry (Advance, N.C./Fork Union Military, Va.) capped the scoring with a one-yard touchdown run with 0:01 left in the fourth quarter. Michigan's final scoring drive began at the U-M 46-yard line and covered 54 yards in 10 plays, taking 3:23 off the clock. Epstein's extra point was blocked to make the final score 33-11.

Michigan was led defensively by DeWayne Patmon (San Diego, Calif./Patrick Henry HS) and Carl Diggs (Warren, Ohio./Harding HS), who each finished with 11 tackles. Foote added eight tackles, while Howard finished with five tackles and two interceptions, giving him six picks for the season.

The contest marked the final home game for 14 Michigan seniors: Patmon, Jeff Backus (Norcross, Ga./Norcross HS), David Brandt (Jenison, Mich./Jenison HS), Jeff Del Verne (Sylvania, Ohio/Toledo - St. John's HS), Tommy Jones (Lansing, Mich./Sexton HS), Cory Sargent (South Lyon, Mich./South Lyon HS), Andy Sechler (Union City, Mich./Union City HS), Eric Warner (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS), Dan Williams (Temperance, Mich./Bedford HS), Maurice Williams (Detroit, Mich./Pershing HS) and co-captains Steve Hutchinson (Coral Springs, Fla./Coral Springs HS), Thomas, Whitley and Eric Wilson (Monroe, Mich./Monroe HS).

Michigan's seniors have compiled an overall record of 40-8, including a 24-2 record at Michigan Stadium. The senior class has also recorded wins in three New Year's Day bowls, including the Rose Bowl, Florida Citrus Bowl and Orange Bowl.

Michigan completes the regular season by battling Ohio State in the annual "Big Game" next Saturday (Nov. 18). The game will kick off at noon EST on ABC Sports.

Contact: David Ablauf, Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423