Substitute

Going against family traditions, Tommy Carr understands the importance of the quarterback run game.
(Rachel Leggett)

But I'm a substitute for another guy

I look pretty tall, but my heels are high

The simple things you see are all complicated

I look pretty young, but I'm just back-dated, yeah

--"Substitute" by The Who from the 1966 single of the same name. 

The stadium in game host asked people to stand up based on what number Michigan game they were attending, and I couldn't actually figure out the right number, beyond the fact that it was more than one.  In that time, it was hard to remember a half of football played by Michigan that was more frustrating, more emotionally draining that what Michigan put on the field on offense in the first half.  Penn State ran a long march drive for most of the first quarter that Michigan did well to hold to a field goal, and then Michigan had a 9 play, 32 yard drive that ended in a punt, a three and out, a four play drive that ended in an interception when the ball bounced off a falling Andrew Marsh and into the hands of Penn State's Tracy who was the trailing defender, a three and out that went backwards, and a drive with some promise (thanks to a DPI call on the Nittany Lions) only to see Penn State's Josiah Zayas make one of the more athletic picks you'll ever see, a second interception for Bryce Underwood.  The homecoming crwod could be described as restless as best, and somewhere closer to incandescent with rage.

And now you dare to look me in the eye
Those crocodile tears are what you cry
It's a genuine problem, you won't try
To work it out at all, just pass it by, pass it by   

When you looked at the overall tone and tenor of Jason Beck's press conference this week, there's a reading of it is that he was saying that he was that his system would be working if just the players would buy in.  Which, well, that might be true, but I am not sure that is what you should be saying publicly.  The conversations around me were largely "Will it be Tommy for the second half?" followed by "Would it make a difference?" "Could we play two quarterbacks in a rotation" (I kiboshed this immediately by citing 1999 Michigan State.) But something had to change, what would it be.

The crowd pop was remarkable.  It didn't hurt that Tommy's first pass was a nice toss to JJ Buchanan down the seam for a first down, but the next three downs were more of the same.  It's just that Rocco Becht bailed Michigan out by throwing a pick to Rod Moore (which was also athletic as hell), and Michigan solved it's problems by having Bryson Kuzdzal break one for 43 yards and a score, and suddenly, the sun broke through the clouds, all of Michigan's problems were solved, Tommy had changed everything. Except, he hadn't.  Michigan cashed in on a turnover, something Penn State failed to do on their two takeaways.  Michigan got an explosive run play, something that Penn State's defense has been giving up left and right all year.  Tommy did not solve everything, he just became a symbol of the changing vibes.  And maybe that was all that mattered...for now.

(Substitute) Your lies for fact
(Substitute) I see right through your plastic mac
(Substitute) I try going forward but my feet walk back
(Substitute) My fine-looking suit is really made out of sack

Becht's second pick, this one handled by Chris Bracy, who absolutely deserved a game ball for his day yesterday, set up a drive that could make the case that something was better because Tommy was at the helm, including a foreshadowing 22-yard scramble for a touchdown that was overturned as being down at the one-yard line.  Carr hit Hogan Hansen as Beck remembered he has tight ends on the roster.  Savion Hiter finally showed some of the flashes of who he was supposed to be coming out of high school. Was Beck just calling an offensive sequence that made more sense?  Perhaps, but Michigan was executing it and that matters.  Michigan up 14-3 and the vibes were immensely improved in the building.  

Penn State did long march for a touchdown (and a smart two-point conversion) to make it 14-11, and suddenly there was too much time on the clock and everyone wanted a response from the Michigan offense, only to see it go three-and-out again.  But the defense forced a three-and-out, only to return with a four-and-out which was disappointing, because the first play was a 41 yard run by Hiter to get Michigan out of the shadow of their end zone, but Michigan pinned Penn State inside their own ten.  Time for the defense to show up, and it did.  Penn State had moved it out to their own 25 when Chris Bracy, looking like a heat-seeking missile, locked on to Becht, stripped the ball as he was wrapping up, causing a fumble, recovered by Enow Etta.  Michigan was now set up in the red zone and was shooting itself in the foot, only to see Tommy Carr take a broken read option, cut back to the center, and run it in for the score, thrilling his grandfather up in the suites and bringing a sigh of relief to the Big House.  Penn State did move the ball well on a two minute drive, aided by a couple of speculative penalties that kept the drive alive, but Michigan recovered the ensuing onside kick, got the necessary first down, and it was over, Michigan wins, not necessarily saving the season, but definitely preventing it from sliding further into the abyss for at least one more week. 

I don't know what Whitt does this week against Indiana.  Does he send Bryce back out?  Does he say Tommy earned the right to start?  Does he find some weird third thing?  But in the strange new world of college football in the 2020s, Michigan welcomes...defending national chapion Indiana in an attempt to save Michigan's last longstanding streak, having not lost to the Hoosiers in Ann Arbor since 1967.  I feel better about Michigan's chances going into this week than I did before Saturday's result, but not by much.  But for now, Tommy Carr did his job and did it well, and that was enough for Saturday.

Tales from the Spreadsheet

• Win 1,025
• 21-18 IS a Scorigami!  21-11 would have also been, as 14-11.
• 110,731 attended the game, the 94th-largest crowd in Michigan Stadium history.  (Fall Break certainly did not help matters in the student section.)
• Michigan moves to 18-10-0 all-time against Pennsylvania State University.
• Michigan moves to 16-7-0 all-time on October 17, reversing the result of the most recent October 17 game in 2015 (IYKYK).
• Michigan moves to 43-14-2 when scoring exactly 21 points (the most recent 21-point effort was 2025 Purdue.  Last season was worse than you remember).
• Michigan moves to 9-3-0 all-time when allowing 18 points to the opposition (This is the first time Michigan has allowed 18 points in a game since...2024 Arkansas State).
• Michigan wins its 16th straight Homecoming game.  It is now 99-27 on Homecoming.
• Michigan has won 52 games all-time by exactly 3 points, most recently 2025 Nebraska with Biff at the helm.