STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Michigan's defense, which had been one of the nation's best this season, bent Saturday, just as it had the previous week in an overtime win at Indiana.

But the No. 12 Wolverines held when it counted, keeping Penn State out of the end zone on three trips inside the 10-yard line during Michigan's 28-16 win at Beaver Stadium.

Michigan (9-2, 6-1 Big Ten), which won on the road for the second straight week, dropped Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg five times and paid frequent visits to the backfield to freshman running back Saquon Barkley, holding him to 68 yards on 15 carries.

"They got pressure, they got sacks, got hits on the QB," Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. "We really felt that took its toll."

Penn State, which has struggled on offense all season, got a 56-yard run by Barkley inside the 10 on the game's first possession but had to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Tyler Davis. The Nittany Lions were stymied after a first-and-goal from the 3-yard line and a first-and-goal from the 6 on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter, both resulting in short field goals by Davis.

"When it comes down to it, we've got to execute -- backs, line, receivers," said Hackenberg, who completed 13 of 31 passes for 137 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. "We've all got to figure it out."

Michigan was mistake-prone, committing 13 penalties for 117 yards and turning the ball over twice, but was excellent at keeping the chains moving, converting 7 of 14 third-down tries.

"The thing that hurt us defensively was third down," Penn State coach James Franklin said. "We got them in third-and-long a couple of times and weren't able to get off the field consistently."

The Nittany Lions (7-4, 4-3), who have lost three of their last four games, couldn't stay on the field consistently, either. They converted just 3 of 14 third downs and gained just 207 yards on 54 plays.

After the 23-yard field goal by Davis to open the scoring, the Wolverines responded with a seven-play, 89-yard drive that ended in a 26-yard touchdown pass from Jake Rudock to tight end Jake Butt with 7:43 left in the first quarter.

A blocked punt by linebacker Von Walker set up a 25-yard touchdown pass from Hackenberg to wide receiver Saeed Blacknall with 2:01 left in the half.

However, the Wolverines went 70 yards in seven plays and regained the lead on Rudock's 11-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Amara Darboh with 51 seconds left.

Penn State return man DeAndre Thompkins muffed a punt to put Michigan in great position, and the Wolverines capitalized with a 1-yard touchdown run by fullback Sione Douma to push the lead to 21-10 with 6:07 left in the third quarter.

Penn State cut it to 21-13 on a 24-yard field goal by Davis in the first minute of the fourth quarter after Hackenberg hooked up with Chris Godwin for 38 yards on fourth-and-9.

Later, the Nittany Lions cut it to 21-16 when Davis' 18-yard field goal went through despite being tipped at the line of scrimmage.

But cornerback/return man Jourdan Lewis -- after telling Harbaugh he planned to "break (Penn State's) back," -- took a short kickoff back 55 yards to the Penn State 40-yard line, and a pass interference call against cornerback Trevor Williams gave the Wolverines a first-and-goal from the 6. De'Veon Lewis took it in from a yard out two plays later to put the game away.

NOTES: Michigan has held seven of its 11 opponents under 100 rushing yards. The Nittany Lions gained 70 yards on 22 carries Saturday. ... Penn State QB Christian Hackenberg threw his 46th career touchdown pass, tying the 3-year-old school record held by Matt McGloin. ... Penn State played before only its second crowd of 107,000-plus in two seasons under coach James Franklin. The first occasion was an overtime loss to Ohio State last October.