The Michigan Wolverines flew to Happy Valley with their head coach but took on No. 10 Penn State without him on the sidelines.
Without the services of Jim Harbaugh, Michigan leaves Beaver Stadium still undefeated after beating the Nittany Lions 24-15 in Week 11.
Michigan acting head coach and offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore coaches on the side line during the Michigan Wolverines versus Penn State Nittany Lions game on November 11, 2023 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, PA. (Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
In a matchup between the two best defenses in the country, the Wolverines stifled Penn State for most of the day, allowing 238 total yards.
Michigan running backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards combined for 197 yards and three touchdowns as the Wolverines passed their first true test of the season.
MICHIGAN STARS, ALUM TOM BRADY HAVE ONE-WORD RESPONSE TO JIM HARBAUGH’S PUNISHMENT
Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore filled in for Harbaugh, who the Big Ten suspended Friday for the remainder of the 2023 college football regular season.
News of the suspension came less than 24 hours before the kickoff of Michigan’s biggest game of the season against its first-ranked opponent.
Hours before the 12:00 p.m. kickoff, it was reported that Harbaugh would in fact miss the game as the court system was not ready to rule on an emergency temporary restraining order filed Friday night.
Harbaugh filed an emergency motion against the Big Ten Conference and commissioner Tony Petitti after the conference banned Harbaugh from the sidelines for the final three games of the regular season.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines talks to J.J. McCarthy #9 during a time out while playing the Indiana Hoosiers at Michigan Stadium on October 14, 2023 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
The motion seeks an emergency temporary restraining order along with a preliminary injunction. There will be an in-person hearing on November 17th at 9:00 a.m., according to ESPN.
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The sign-stealing saga in Ann Arbor has been swirling for the past few weeks as the NCAA began investigating Michigan over alleged off-campus scouting and sign-stealing.
In the past weeks, Big Ten coaches and athletic directors reportedly urged Petitti to take action against Michigan as the NCAA investigation will likely take time.
The conference did act on Friday, announcing Harbaugh’s suspension from games after it said that Michigan “has been found in violation of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy for conducting an impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years, resulting in an unfair competitive advantage that compromised the integrity of competition.”
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Blake Corum #2 of the Michigan Wolverines carries the ball against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the first half at Beaver Stadium on November 11, 2023 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
In a 13-page letter to Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, Petitti said the conference “has not yet received any information indicating that Head Football Coach Harbaugh was aware of the impermissible nature of the sign-stealing scheme,” and that the action was not a sanction of Harbaugh but a sanction against the university.
Wolverines staff member Connor Stalions, who is at the center of the controversy, resigned on Nov. 3 after being initially suspended with pay during the NCAA investigation.
Michigan heads to Maryland in Week 12 before the game of the year against No. 1 Ohio State on November 25th.
Joe Morgan is a Sports Reporter for Fox News.
