BYU vs. Michigan: Score, Highlights and Twitter Reaction

The University of Michigan scored its most impressive win of the Jim Harbaugh coaching era thus far Saturday as the Wolverines bulldozed No. 22 BYU 31-0 at the Big House in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The Maize and Blue dominated in all facets of the game from the opening kickoff, as the Cougars were outgained by a 448-105 yardage margin. Michigan's defense was especially stout, forcing 10 punts and seven three-and-outs, which resulted in BYU's first shutout loss since 2003, according to ESPN's Brett McMurphy.

Cougars freshman quarterback Tanner Mangum completed just 12 of 28 passes for 55 yards, as the offense was never able to get going.

BYU fell to 2-2 with the loss, while the Wolverines improved to 3-1 and made their case for a spot in the Top 25.

Michigan may have had some good karma on its side, as Harbaugh presented New York Yankees legend and Kalamazoo, Michigan, native Derek Jeter with a special jersey prior to the contest, per Michigan Athletics on Twitter:

After punting on its first drive of the game, Michigan went on to score on five consecutive drives during the first half. The Wolverines' first touchdown was part of a 10-play, 80-yard drive.

While senior quarterback Jake Rudock finished it off with a three-yard touchdown run, senior wide receiver Amara Darboh's one-handed grab for 21 yards was the true highlight, as seen in this video courtesy of ESPN:

Rudock found Darboh once again on the ensuing drive, but this time it was for a four-yard touchdown that extended the Wolverines' lead to 14-0.

As difficult as it was to top what Darboh did when he offered up his best impression of New York Giants wideout Odell Beckham Jr., Michigan junior running back De'Veon Smith may very well have overshadowed it with an incredible 60-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Smith somehow managed to make his way through a pileup at the line of scrimmage and broke multiple tackles en route to the end zone, as SportsCenter captured:

After watching Smith victimize the Cougars defense, Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports gushed over his tough running style:

Rudock continued to show off his dual-threat abilities on Michigan's next drive with a 17-yard touchdown run, which marked his second score on the ground and third overall for the day.

That gave Michigan a 28-point advantage, which is something Harbaugh's team has grown quite accustomed to in recent weeks, as ESPN Stats & Info noted:

The Wolverines drove for yet another score with just over one minute remaining in the half, as Kenny Allen's 40-yard field goal made it 31-0 entering the locker room.

Per Greg Wrubell of ESPN 960, the Cougars hadn't faced that type of deficit at halftime in 15 years:

As Nick Baumgardner of MLive.com tweeted, Michigan's lead was born largely from BYU's complete futility on both sides of the ball in the second quarter:

The Cougars' hopes of pulling off an upset were dashed after just one half of play, which had to be a massive disappointment for the players and coaches considering their outlook ahead of the game.

Per Jay Drew of the Salt Lake Tribune, BYU senior wide receiver Terenn Houk relished the chance to make up for last week's heartbreaking loss to UCLA.

"It is a big chance to show that we have some resiliency and can bounce back and make a statement after a tough loss," Houk said. "It is a chance to move on and show that we are ready to execute anywhere and make the best of our season."

Instead, the Cougars were systematically picked apart and run right out of Michigan Stadium in one of Saturday's most one-sided results.

The Wolverines used a more deliberate pace offensively in the second half as they attempted to run out the clock. A heavy dose of Smith on the ground was expected, but he was tackled awkwardly in the third quarter and left the game with an apparent ankle injury, according to Larry Lage of the Associated Press.

Smith had 125 rushing yards at that juncture, which was just one yard off his career high, but he did not return to the contest with Michigan in such firm control. He was taken to the locker room and later returned to the sidelines in a walking boot.

Neither team scored in the second half, but the Wolverines did more than enough damage in the first half to be thrilled with their performance.

Saturday's contest featured two teams that are moving in different directions. Harbaugh's Wolverines have gotten better with each passing week since losing to Utah in Week 1, while BYU has struggled to get over the loss of starting quarterback Taysom Hill for the season.

Few knew what to expect out of Michigan in 2015, but as pointed out by NFL Network's Albert Breer, it turns out that Harbaugh inherited a pretty talented team:

The Wolverines have tricky games coming up over the next couple of weeks against Maryland and No. 17 Northwestern, but if they win those contests, they would play No. 2 Michigan State on Oct. 17 with a chance to jump ahead of the Spartans in the Big Ten East race. 

Many figured Harbaugh would find a way to lead his alma mater to greatness over time, but after watching Michigan have its way with a quality team like BYU, the bar has suddenly been set higher for the current campaign. 

Postgame Reaction

There tend to be two very different perspectives when it comes to blowouts, and that was certainly the case when Michigan and BYU coaches and players addressed the media following the Wolverines' 31-0 romp.

Just one week after barely losing to a UCLA team that is currently ranked No. 9 in the nation, Cougars head coach Bronco Mendenhall paid Michigan a huge compliment, according to Aaron McMann of MLive.com:

BYU offensive coordinator Robert Anae was impressed with the Wolverines as well and acknowledged that they were the better team in every way:

While almost everything went perfectly for Michigan on Saturday, one area of concern was the health of its starting running back.

Smith has no doubts that he will play next week against the Terrapins, per Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press:

Harbaugh was positive regarding Smith as well and acknowledged that X-rays were negative, according to Snyder. 

In addition to that, Harbaugh praised his team and was especially impressed by its toughness and work ethic, per Angelique Chengelis of the Detroit News:

Michigan thrived defensively Saturday despite Harbaugh's status as an offensive coach, but he doesn't want to get overly excited about one game:

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