I The Michigan Daily - Special Graduation Section - Tuesday, April 19, 2005 - 9B Triple play: Edwards spurs Blue to OT victory By Gennaro Rilice November 1, 2004 With just under nine minutes left on Saturday, the Big House was as quiet as it has been in years. DeAndra Cobb's 64-yard touchdown run gave Michigan State a seemingly insurmountable 27-10 lead. But the Wolverines weren't quite ready to fold in the 97th meeting with their in-state rival. "One of the things that we always talk about around here (is) the things that it takes to be a cham- pionship team," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "There's a lot of things you have to be able to do: You have to continue to believe in yourself when things look bleak." True freshman quarterback Chad Henne, who finished 24-of-35 for 273 yards and a career-high four touchdowns, adhered to Carr's demands for optimism: "We were sitting on the sideline and everybody was down, and I was thinking in my head, 'There's still a chance."' And following an unbelievable finish to regula- tion, three Braylon Edwards touchdowns and three overtime periods, the Wolverines had completed one of the most improbable wins in school history, prevailing 45-37. "This is the greatest game I've ever played in," senior cornerback Marlin Jackson said. "The feel- ing is unexplainable. It's one of the greatest victories I've ever been a part of, and maybe one of the great- est ever at the University of Michigan." Michigan moved from 12th to 10th in the Asso- ciated Press rankings and remained unbeaten in the Big Ten. Michigan (6-0 Big Ten, 8-1 overall) began on the comeback trail in its drive following Cobb's touch- down. The Wolverines put together a nine-play, 86-yard drive that ended with a 24-yard Garrett Rivas field goal with 6:27 left to bring Michigan within 14. The drive was fueled by a 46-yard bomb to Edwards, who had struggled in the game's first three quarters. On the ensuing kickoff, sophomore fullback Brian Thompson recovered Rivas's onside kick. "It was not meant for us to lose," Edwards said. "If you get an onside kick, it's like maybe we're sup- posed to win. It's divine intervention - it comes from above. I got down on my knees and thanked God. I said, 'God, you put us in a situation to make it happen.' " Henne got the Wolverines in the endzone in just 15 seconds, completing an 11-yard pass to Mike Hart - which was coupled with a 15-yard face- mask penalty against Michigan State - and then airing it out to Edwards for a 36-yard touchdown. On the reception, Michigan State cornerback Jaren Hayes had positioning, but Edwards just reached over Hayes's head and ripped the ball away before coming down in the endzone. After two penalties on Michigan State's next drive - a problem that marred coach John L. Smith's team all day as it accumulated 14 penalties for 123 yards - the Spartans punted to Michigan with 3:24 left. Hart started the drive with a 26-yard run up the Michigan sideline. Immediately following the run, RYAN WEIN/il"Udy Michigan wide receiver Braylon Edwards had 11 catches and 189 yards in the Wolverines' late-game comeback win over Michigan State on Oct. 30, 2004. Edwards reflected the mounting excitement with a shimmy at the Michigan State 20-yard line. And on the very next play, Edwards sent Michigan Stadium into absolute pandemonium, as he once again beat Hayes in single coverage for a 21-yard touchdown, tying the game at 27. "(Edwards) made some unbelievable catches, and if he doesn't make those plays, we're not standing here," Carr said. "He was an All-American today, and he's been an All-American all year long." Michigan State (3-2, 4-4) tried to end the game with a 51-yard field goal into a strong wind as time expired, but kicker Dave Rayner missed short and left. In overtime, Michigan State won the coin toss and elected to play defense first. The Wolverines failed to get a first down in their drive and took a 30-27 lead on a 34-yard field goal by Rivas. Michigan State drove the ball effectively in its possession and faced a third-and-one from the four-yard line. The Spartans sent Cobb, who finished with a career-high 205 yards rushing, straight up the gut. But Michigan's defen- sive line got a great push, and senior Roy Manning tackled Cobb for a two-yard loss. Rayner converted a 23-yard field goal to send the game into a second overtime. Michigan State had the initial drive that time around. After a 15-yard completion from Damon Dowdell - who played the entire second half after Spartan starter Drew Stanton dislocated his right shoulder on a second-quarter hit by LaMarr Wood- ley - to Agim Shabaj, Michigan State rode Jason Teague into the endzone, giving the junior the ball three straight times. The Wolverines tied the game at 37 with a five- play drive that ended in the corner of the endzone on a third-and-goal touchdown grab by an outstretched Jason Avant, who had dislocated his finger earlier in the game. In the third overtime, Michigan had the first pos- session. On third-and-nine, Henne found Edwards wide open over the middle, and the senior scam- pered into the endzone for a 24-yard touchdown. "They were trying to decide who was going to take me," Edwards said "Toward the end of the game, they were manning Roderick Maples up, so whenever Hayes was on me, they would switch and put Maples back on me. So I think Hayes was expecting Maples to come over and he didn't, so they were probably a little off guard." Following two sub-par games, Edwards put his name back in the Heisman Trophy race with 11 catches and 189 yards for three touchdowns. Most of Edwards's production came in the fourth quarter and overtime. "I knew what number they were going to dial, and I knew I had to answer the call," Edwards said,. After a spectacular two-point conversion catch by Tim Massaquoi (by NCAA rules, teams must go for two after the second overtime period), Michigan held a 45-37 lead. Michigan State couldn't do much on what would be its final drive, and again shot itself in the foot with a big offensive pass interference penalty on tight end Eric Knott. On fourth down, Dowdell made one last heave to the endzone, but senior Markus Curry broke up the pass intended for wide receiver Aaron Alexander and the celebration began. "We just kept fighting," junior safety Ernest Shazor said. "Coach Carr kept telling us we could do it, and we believe in coach Carr 100 percent." The Wolverines received another stellar perfor- mance from Mike Hart. The true freshman rushed for 224 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries, becoming the first Wolverine ever to rush for 200 ards inthreeensecutve aimes. Stickers bring home natty for 'M' By Bob Hunt November 19, 2001 KENT, Ohio - Years from now, people won't remember that yesterday the Michigan field hockey team played the consensus No. 1 team in the country. They won't remember that its opponent had six senior starters. But they will remember that these women were the leaders and the best. Led by the incredible play of senior goaltender Maureen Tasch and a great all-around defensive effort, the Michigan field hockey team knocked off top-ranked Maryland 2-0 to capture the NCAA Division I National Championship and Michigan's first national title in a women's sport. "I'm happy to bring another one home for the Wolverines," said Michigan coach Marcia Pankratz. "Men's programs, wom- en's programs, revenue, non-revenue, it doesn't matter. We're just really proud to be a part of the University." r This completes a resurgence to a program that had never made the NCAA tournament until 1999, when the Terrapins defeated the Wolverines in the title game. "It's pretty darn exciting," Michigan Athletic Director Martin said last night. "Being the first of anything is pretty historic." Tasch pulled out the first shutout in a championship game since 1996. She stopped 13 shots against the nation's No. 1 scor- ing offense, giving the first field hockey title to a school west of Virginia since Iowa won in 1986. Oviously nothing could be better than this and it still hasn't quite all processed in my mind," Tasch said. "I haven't cried like everyone else yet." Maryland controlled the play early, but with two minutes remaining in the first half, Kristi Gannon sent a crossing pass from the far right side through the Maryland defense, and Maryland keeper Ashley Hohnstine somehow found Big Ten freshman of the year Adrienne Hortillosa in front of a wide-open net to put the ball home, giving Michigan the lead. "The first five minutes, they really kind of came at us, and I think then we kind of got our jitters out and sold ourselves and got back in it," said Michigan midfielder Jessica Rose. Just after intermission, Michigan stunned the crowd of 984 again as Gannon found Rose at the top of the circle off a penalty corner. Rose blasted it into the net to give the underdog Wolver- ines a two-goal advantage. Maryland dominated play for the rest of the game, but the Michigan defense, led by Tasch, Stephanie Johnson and Cath- erine Foreman, staved off the Terrapins. "The last 20 minutes they really had us on our heels, but we held on," Rose said. Maryland fired 11 shots in the second half, but Tasch made one incredible save after another. Even after Mich- . ; Forward April Fronzoni helped lead Michigan to a national title. igan forward April Fronzoni was called off the field with about 12 minutes remaining after receiving a yellow card for tackling a player from behind, the constant adversity only made Michigan stronger. "I felt like with each little new challenge they were put with, I just knew that we would get even stronger," Tasch said. Said Johnson: "I felt like the No. 1 team today maybe didn't have the ups and downs and the adversity to relish what we had been in. So we knew what sort of great opportunity we had been presented with today." i xf 24RR D D VT~ 6.1 HEY SENIORS WE