Oregon State Is No Patsy for Michigan : Wilhelm’s Passing Keeps Beavers Close for Three Quarters

Michigan quarterback Jim Harbaugh, like the rest of the Wolverines, responded to a halftime chewing out by Coach Bo Schembechler and turned in a solid second half to defeat Oregon State, 31-12, in a nonconference game Saturday.

Harbaugh passed for two touchdowns and ran for another as the No. 3-ranked Wolverines escaped an underdog’s ambush for the second successive week. Michigan held off Notre Dame last week, 24-23.

“He (Schembechler) is the best coach in America,” said Harbaugh, whose father, Jack, coaches Western Michigan University. “When you’re not playing, he lets you know.”

Tailback Jamie Morris put Schembechler’s halftime tirade in perspective this way: “It’s not 100,000 people that you’re worried about. It’s that one man coming at you at halftime.”

Michigan led, 14-12, at halftime. Harbaugh ran 22 yards to score out of the wishbone formation 2:41 into the fourth quarter to give the Wolverines a 24-12 lead. The Wolverines had gained possession when they sacked Oregon State quarterback Erik Wilhelm on third down and recovered his fumble at their 43.

Wilhelm set school records for pass attempts and completions in a game, and just missed the record for yardage. He completed 39 of 64 attempts for 339 yards and 1 touchdown with 1 interception.

The Beavers controlled the ball 30 minutes 52 seconds.

“I didn’t like the possession time,” Schembechler said. “I’m not accustomed to standing on the sidelines and watching the other team with the ball. Our offense didn’t play well.”

Harbaugh completed 14 of 18 passes for 171 yards with 1 interception, breaking a string of 149 tosses without being picked off.

The victory, before a crowd of 104,748 at Michigan Stadium, improved the Wolverines’ record to 2-0, while the Beavers fell to 0-2.

But Oregon State Coach Dave Kragthorpe saw plenty to be happy about. “I was surprised we moved the ball so well on Michigan, but that’s our nickel-and-dime game,” he said. “Today, we feel good about our kids.”