Touchdown on opening kickoff sets tone in No. 18 Michigan’s shutout victory

Jehu Chesson returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown and No. 18 Michigan built a a four-touchdown lead by halftime on the way to a 38-0 victory over No. 13 Northwestern on Saturday.

Michigan (5-1, 2-0 in Big Ten Conference play) has won five consecutive games and has shut out three opponents in a row for the first time since 1980.

“Yeah, it’s very meaningful,” said Coach Jim Harbaugh, in his first season with the Wolverines.

The Wolverines scored touchdowns on a kickoff return, interception and offense for the first time since 1991 at Boston College.

The Wildcats (5-1, 1-1) were giving up a nation-low seven points per game and gave that up in the first 13 seconds. They gave up a season-high 21 points in the first quarter.

Jabrill Peppers said it was a “big mistake” to kick away from him and toward Chesson to open the game.

“That definitely sparked everything,” Peppers said.

Michigan ran for touchdowns on its first two possessions on Drake Johnson’s one-yard plunge and Jake Rudock’s two-yard scramble to make it 21-0. Jourdan Lewis picked off a pass, snatching the ball away from the intended target late in the second quarter and returning it 37 yards for a touchdown.

Kenny Allen kicked a career-long 47-yard field goal to cap the Wolverines’ opening drive in the second half, giving them a 31-0 lead. Michigan padded the lead with Derrick Green’s four-yard touchdown run that ended a 12-play possession that took seven-plus minutes off the clock.

Rudock completed 17 of 23 passes for 179 yards without a turnover.

“He’s playing his best football,” Harbaugh said. “He’s playing really confident, really good.”

Michigan’s De’Veon Smith had eight carries for 59 yards, after sitting out a game because of an injured right ankle.

“We didn’t want to put too much on him,” Harbaugh said.

A.J. Williams had four receptions, doubling his previous career high, for 48 yards and six other Wolverines also caught passes.

Northwestern’s Clayton Thorson was 13 of 27 for 106 yards with an interception. Justin Jackson was held to a career-low 25 yards rushing in 12 carries for the Wildcats, who were averaging a Big Ten-best 248.8 yards on the ground and were held to 38.

“That was one of the statements we wanted to make,” Peppers said.