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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight took a beating last week against Colorado. This week, he spent most of the day standing back and watching his teammates do all the work.DeVeon Smith led an overwhelming ground game with 107 yards rushing and a touchdown and Karan Higdon ran for two scores and No. 4 Michigan routed Penn State 49-10 on Saturday in both teams Big Ten opener.We were looking for a way to be more careful out there so I wasnt getting hit as much as I did last week, Speight said. Luckily, our offensive line and our running backs were great. I think there was one time where we called the same play eight straight times, just flipping the sides, and we were picking up nine or 10 yards a pop. I was just laughing every time I got the same signal.Michigan (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) finished with 326 yards rushing and scored six of its seven touchdowns on the ground. Five different backs scored on the ground.I was really impressed by all of our running backs, coach Jim Harbaugh said. We were moving the chains and breaking off big runs.The Nittany Lions (2-2, 0-1) were simply running out of bodies on defense. They came into the game missing three starting linebackers, lost Brandon Smith to a second-quarter targeting penalty then lost Jan Johnson to injury.I dont know if Ive ever been through or seen anything like this, Penn State coach James Franklin said. Weve got three guys out, and then Brandon gets thrown out going for an interception. Then Jan Johnson comes in, and we lose him, too.Penn State was overmatched on the other side of the ball as well. Saquon Barkley rushed for 59 yards and caught five passes for 77 more, but no one stepped up to help.They are just physical on both fronts, Franklin said. The offensive line is big and strong, and their defensive line is more of the same. Plus theyve got one of the most talented secondaries in the country.Jabrill Peppers gave the fans an early thrill by returning Penn States first punt to the 9, although a bench-interference penalty moved the ball to the Nittany Lions 24. Seven plays later, Khalid Hill dove in on 4th-and-goal from the 1.The Wolverines also scored touchdowns on their next two drives. Penn State finally got a couple stops, but the Wolverines took a 28-0 halftime lead on Higdons 2-yard run.The Nittany Lions got on the board with a field goal early in the third, but Chris Evans made it 35-3 with a 3-yard run and the Wolverines cruised to the win.THE TAKEAWAYPENN STATE : The Nittany Lions couldnt compete on either side of the ball. Depth is becoming a serious issue at linebacker, with four players injured, so the defensive staff is going to have to find a new way to stop teams on the ground and on short passes.MICHIGAN : The Wolverines dominated in the trenches, with their defensive line continuously overrunning Penn States offensive line. They registered five sacks while building their first-half lead. Speight, meanwhile, had all the time he needed. I thought we blocked things well, and I thought the defensive line was really good, Harbaugh said. I was very pleased tonight.POLL IMPLICATIONSMICHIGAN: The Wolverines came in at No. 4 and there seems little chance that will change much with No. 1 Alabama winning earlier in the day in a blowout and No. 2 Ohio State on a bye. No. 3 Louisville was at Marshall.ANTHEM PROTESTSeveral players held up a fist on the Michigan sideline during the national anthem.Theres a freedom of expression, and people can speak their mind, said Harbaugh. I can tell you what I believe, but Ive thought about this for a few weeks, and just because Im the football coach, I cant dictate what other people believe. I support them speaking their mind.INJURY REPORTMichigan: WR Jeremy Clark suffered what the Wolverines believe was a torn ACL. This would have been an A-plus-plus-plus day if we werent saddened about Jeremy, Harbaugh said.UP NEXTPENN STATE: Returns to Happy Valley for the first of three straight home games. The Nittany Lions face Minnesota next Saturday in the Golden Gophers first trip to Penn State since 2009.MICHIGAN: Plays its fifth straight game at the Big House, but will have a tougher test against Wisconsin. The 11th-ranked Badgers routed No. 8 Michigan State 30-6 in East Lansing. White Air VaporMax 2018 . PAUL, Minn. Buy Air VaporMax 2018 . The Lightning are 2-0 so far on a four-game road trip, giving the club five straight wins as the guest and improving Tampas away record this season to 11-8-2. http://www.cheapairvapormaxstore.com/ . Oaklands loss to Seattle clinched the ALs best record for the Red Sox with one day to spare in the regular season. "I think everybody was kind of watching," catcher David Ross said. "Demp (Ryan Dempster) came out before he went to the bullpen and was just yelling that they lost. Youth Air VaporMax 2018 . Giroud, who wasnt in the starting lineup for two matches after allegations about his private life and a decline in form, scored twice in the first half. Tomas Rosickys chip made it 3-0 before half time at Emirates Stadium, while defender Laurent Koscielny scored an unmarked header in the second half. Grey 2018 Air VaporMax Shoes . Louis Blues teammates who would also be participating in the Olympics, Alex Pietrangelo felt right at home, no different in some ways to the travel experience of any old road trip – save for the length of the journey, that is. PHOENIX -- With another decisive sequence, the Minnesota Lynx have put themselves in position to repeat as WNBA champions.Maya Moore scored 20 points and Natasha Howard added 17 to help the Lynx beat the Phoenix Mercury 82-67 on Sunday, completing a three-game sweep of the semifinal series.Defensively we feel like we got better from the first game to the third game but it was still a hard game, said Seimone Augustus, who had 12 points and three steals for Minnesota. Today just felt like a day when we were playing great basketball on both ends of the floor.The Lynx dominated the Mercury for three games, averaging 97 points a game and a double-digit victory each time. Phoenix hadnt played a home game in the playoffs until Sunday and has been on the road a majority of the last month.These players have a lot of mileage on their tires, so to speak, said Phoenix coach Sandy Brondello. But they certainly competed. Minnesota has too much chemistry I would probably say. Just different people stepping up, they play very well together.Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve acknowledged that the Lynx may have caught a bit of a break with a road-weary Mercury squad, even at home.We have a team that is fairly deep, we can throw some different things at them, she said. So hopefully we got to that point where we get some separation.The top-seeded Lynx, who also eliminated the Mercury in the penultimate round a year ago, await the winner of Los Angeles-Chicago in their return trip to the WNBA finals.Diana Taurasi had 12 points, after averaging 26.5 in her first four playoff games this year, as the eighth-seeded Mercury again had trouble with turnovers (15) and shot just 41 percent from the field. Taurasi was held to just one point in the second half, missing her three attempts from the field, all from 3-point range.Howard had six points during a key third quarter run that saw the Lynx pull away as they did against Phoenix in the second quarter of Game 1 and the third quarter of Game 2. Minnesota started the second half on an 8-1 run and built a 55-43 advantage after six minutes and held on.(Howard) is such an active screener, she creates offense for the team, Reeve said.dddddddddddd She creates flow, any time shes on the floor. Shes such a timely screener. Shes gets out of her screens very quickly.Reeve added, She had some plays in that third quarter that really gave us that separation. Just being persistent.Lindsay Whalen added 11 points, all in the first half, for the Lynx, who have appeared in the WNBA Finals in five of the last six years, winning the title three times.DeWanna Bonner added 12 points and six rebounds for the Mercury.I think we definitely lost to a better team, said Phoenixs Penny Taylor. We didnt play obviously our best, but credit to them and what they were able to do. They have played well all year.Taylor, who has won three WNBA titles with Phoenix and two silver medals for Australian, finished with four points but ended her career third in franchise history in points and games, and second in steals, assists and 3-pointers. She announced her retirement after 13 seasons during the Rio Olympics break.TIP-INS:Minnesota is now 10-2 against the Mercury in the postseason. The Lynx swept the Mercury in the conference finals, which was a best-of-3 series last season, eliminating Phoenix in the same arena on a late free throw by Moore. Phoenix won the 2014 conference series against Minnesota 2-1 on its way to the third WNBA title. Coming off a WNBA playoff-record 63 free throws, the teams combined for 28 foul shots on Sunday.HOME AWAY FROM HOME, PART 2: While the two teams played at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, as opposed to the Lynx usual home at the Target Center, the Mercury would have faced a similar situation for Game 4 of the semifinals. With a Sia concert scheduled for Tuesday, the teams would have played at Grand Canyon University, where former Phoenix Suns star Dan Majerle coaches basketball.ELIMINATION TIME: Taurasi is now 13-4 in elimination games in her WNBA career. The Lynx have beaten Phoenix in the playoffs four times in the last six years. Minnesota has won nine straight against Phoenix, including 6-0 this season. ' ' '