The No. 4-ranked University of Michigan football team closed out its non-conference schedule with an emphatic 59-0 victory over Connecticut on Saturday (Sept. 17) at Michigan Stadium.

Michigan's shutout is its first since defeating Rutgers 52-0 in the 2019 campaign. It marked another dominant performance from the defense, which allowed just 110 total yards after coming into this week ranked 13th in the country in total defense (236 yards per game).

The Wolverines thoroughly controlled all facets of the contest on the afternoon, as the offense totaled 467 yards overall -- 273 in the air and 192 on the ground. In addition to the defense's dominance, the special teams unit scored its first touchdown of the season thanks to a 61-yard first half punt return by A.J. Henning.

It took just 2:01 for the Wolverines to open the game's scoring, as a 20-yard rushing touchdown from Blake Corum capped a four-play, 72-yard opening drive. Corum's run served as a harbinger of things to come, as the junior went on to score a career-high five touchdowns, adding three scores from a yard out and a second-half scamper from the 11-yard line.

U-M had 10 receivers haul in catches in the game, with senior Ronnie Bell leading the way with seven receptions and 96 yards. In addition to his punt return touchdown, Henning tied a career best with three catches and set a career-high with 37 yards. Roman Wilson once again proved to be the Wolverines' deep threat, recording 64 yards on three receptions.

Seven quarterbacks saw action against the Huskies, with J.J. McCarthy leading the Wolverines with 214 yards and completing 15 of 18 attempts. Alan Bowman completed his only pass attempt for a 20-yard touchdown, registering his first touchdown pass in a Michigan uniform.

The defense was once again a total-unit effort, as Junior Colson and Kris Jenkins led 10 Wolverines with multi-tackle performances, both finishing with five. Sophomore lineman George Rooks secured the Maize and Blue's fumble recovery in the first half, falling on the ball at the UConn 25-yard line and setting up Jake Moody's lone field goal of the day.

Senior Leon Franklin gave the Wolverines a 59-0 lead with a 20-yard touchdown reception from Bowman for the first score of his career. Freshman quarterback Alex Orji scored the second touchdown of the season on a run from 10 yards out.

Corum became just the second Wolverine to score four first-half rushing touchdowns (Ed Shuttlesworth vs. Minnesota, 1972) and the third to score five times in a game (Ron Johnson vs. Wisconsin, 1968 and Hassan Haskins vs. Ohio State, 2021). The junior has scored a rushing touchdown in each game this season and leads Michigan with seven touchdowns.

U-M will begin Big Ten play next Saturday (Sept. 24) against Maryland at Michigan Stadium. The game is scheduled for a noon kickoff and will be broadcast live on either Fox or FS1.