4B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - October 3, 2005
Michigan 34, Michigan State 31 (OT)
Hart's return
carries Blue
to rivalry win
By Gabe Edelson
Daily Sports Writer
EAST LANSING - Days before Garrett Rivas kicked the
game-winning field goal in overtime on Saturday, Michigan run-
ning backs coach Fred Jackson had good reason to believe in a
Wolverine victory over Michigan State. It was the middle of last
week, and sophomore Mike Hart - who had missed the previous
three games with a hamstring injury - uttered something Jack-
son won't soon forget.
"He told me, 'Coach, don't baby me. Let me go,' " Jackson said.
Despite the coaching staff's caution in holding Hart out of last
weekend's loss to Wisconsin, the star tailback convinced head
coach Lloyd Carr, Jackson and the team's medical personnel that
he was ready. By the time Michigan State had been removed from
the ranks of the unbeaten, it would've been hard to convince any-
body at Spartan Stadium otherwise.
Hart churned out 218 rushing yards on 36 carries in his first
action since the opening minutes of Michigan's game against
Notre Dame on Sept. 10. It was the third-highest ground-yardage
total in Hart's young career, and it came on the second-most car-
ries he had ever received in a single game.
"He's a difference-maker," Jackson said. "Whenever we have
him, we're a different football team. When he doesn't play, it
hurts us. ... He played a lot of snaps today. I wouldn't intend on
playing him that much, but he's a warrior. And that's something
that warriors do."
It took all of three plays for Hart to make his presence felt.
After Michigan gained nine yards on its first two plays from
scrimmage in the first quarter, Hart took a handoff from quar-
terback Chad Henne, burst through a hole in the middle of the
line, and broke an arm tackle. The Syracuse, N.Y., native ran left
in open space, and by the time he was finally dragged down by
Michigan State's Sir Darean Adams, he had picked up a career-
high 45 yards. Despite his record-breaking 1,455-yard freshman
output, Hart never topped 34 yards on a single carry in 2004,
and he made sure the Spartans knew he was excited about his
new mark.
"I was just ready to play," Hart said. "When I broke that run, I
just wanted to tell them, you know, 'We're coming. We're playing
today. It's not last week, it's not the week before that. We came to
play, and we came to win.' "
He made his point. It was clear that Hart was back. And he was
everywhere.
The runner's nine-yard gain on the Wolverines' next series set
up Henne's 43-yard touchdown pass to freshman receiver Mario
Manningham. On the scoring play, a play-action fake to Hart
confused some Michigan State defenders and created more room
GAME STATISTICS
Team Stats
First Downs
Rush/Yds
Passing Yards
Offensive Plays
Total Offense
Return Yards
Comp/Att/lnt
Punts/Avg
Fumbles/Lost
Penalties/Yards
Time of Poss
M
PASSING
Player
Henna 26-
Totals 26
RUSHING
Player Att
Hart 36
Bass 1
Grady 3
Henna 3
Totals 43
RECEIVING
Player No.
Avant 10
Tabb S
Manningham 4
Ecker 2
Massaquoi 2
Hart 2
Thompson 1
Totals 26
MSU
21
37/173
282
68
455
48
20/31/2
3/144.0
1/1
5/27
29:28
MICH
21
43/232
256
79
488
105
26/36/1
4/1 50.0
3/1
2/7
30:32
ICHIGAN
3-:
6-:
t
r
L
t
i
C-A
35
-35
Yds
218
9
6
-1
232
Yds
96
35
66
37
11
6
5
256
No.
4
4
Yds
1 23
? 57
1 8S
Yds TO
256 3
256 3
Avg
6.1.
9.0
2.0
-0.3
5.4
Avg
9.6
7.0
16.5
18.5
6.5
3.0
5.0
9.8
Lg
64
9
5
3
64
Lg
23
9
43
29
6
6
5
43
Int
1
1
TD
1
0
0
O
~1
TD
1
0
0
3
gYAN WINR/aily
Michigan tailback Mike Hart ran for 218 yards on 36 carries in his return from injury on Saturday. Hart broke runs of 45 and 64 yards in the game.
downfield for the catch-and-run. The sophomore converted eight
first downs, including two on third-and-one and two on fourth-
and-one.
"(Hart) has a great instinct, and he is just such a fighter," Carr
said. "I did not expect him to play, or certainly to run the football
as many times as he did. He is a great football player."
Hart was even prominently involved on a defensive play.
When Michigan State defensive tackle Domata Peko recov-
ered a Henne fumble and rumbled 74 yards down the field for
a game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter, it was Hart who
chased the 320-pounder to the other end of the turf, fighting
off Spartan safety Otis Wiley and linebacker Kaleb Thornhill
before attempting to trip up Peko with a dive across the goal
line. Though the 5-foot-9, 193-pound Hart was hurdled by the
lumbering lineman, it wasn't for lack of effort that Michigan
State picked up six points.
"He brings a different dimension to the team," fifth-year senior
Pierre Woods said. "He can do everything. Mike Hart is like
Superman. He runs with heart, and that's what he's all about."
Hart amazed onlookers by surpassing his new career-long run
in the fourth quarter. On the Wolverines' first offensive play of
the frame, Hart burned the Spartans with a 64-yard carry. Five
plays later, he kept his balance with a hand on the ground, main-
taining his momentum and willing himself to dive forward. Hart
put Michigan ahead by stretching the ball over the goal line for
a one-yard score. On the Wolverines' final drive in regulation,
Hart carried the ball 11 times in 13 Michigan plays before Rivas
missed a 27-yard field goal. Regardless of the drive's outcome, it
was obvious whom the Wolverines were looking to with the game
on the line.
"I want the ball in my hands at the end of the game," Hart said.
"The coaches knew I wanted it, (and) they did a great job giving it
to me. The line did a great job, and we just pushed it downfield."
Said offensive coordinator Terry Malone: "He adds more than
just yards to our team. He adds a confidence and a spirit. He's
really special, (and) it rubs off on everybody else."
PUNTING
Player
Ryan
Totals
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player No.
Tabb 1
Mason 2
Totals 3
PUNT RETURNS
Player No.
Hall 2
Totals 2
DEFENSE
Player
Englemon
Burgess
Harris
Barringer
Watson
Branch
Mason
Woods
Hall
Woodley
Harrison
Massey
Graham
Jam ison
Biggs
Trent
Adams
Thompson
Stewart
Totals
Avg
23.0
28.5
26.7
Yds Avg Lg
150 37.5 43
150 37.5 43
Lg
23
32
32
TD
0
TD
O
0
Yds Avg Lg
25 12.5 13
25 12.5 13
Solo
10
4
5
5
3
3
3
2
2
2
1
41
Asst
3
3
1
3
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Tot
13
7
6
6
4
4
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
1
1
_0
16 64
Defense stops Stanton from
running all over the field
BIG TEN STANDINGS
Team
Big Ten Overall
By Ian Herbert
Daily Sports Editor
EAST LANSING - There was no question whose shoulders
- literally - Saturday's game was going to rest upon. Michigan
State quarterback Drew Stanton came into the intrastate show-
down having thrown for 1,184 yards in four games while complet-
ing nearly 75 percent of his passes. The H-word had surfaced, and
there was talk of Stanton joining Reggie Bush,
Matt Leinart and Vince Young in New York for
the Heisman presentation.
That's a long way off, and, by throwing for 11P
282 yards and a touchdown, Stanton didn't 8p
exactly hurt his chances. But, unlike last year,
Stanton didn't run, skip and jump his team to a
big lead. Last year, Stanton rushed for 84 yards
before leaving the game at halftime with an injured shoulder. In
Saturday's game, he had eight carries for just 20 yards.
"Stanton makes them go," Michigan defensive line coach Steve
Stripling said. "He's a tremendous player, and we just didn't want
him to be able to set up where he normally sets up. We just talked
to our defensive line about being relentless."
On the Spartans' first drive of the game, Michigan came out
rushing just three defensive linemen. But even with just three guys,
it was able to pressure Stanton. They hurried him on the first play
of the game and Stanton was able to complete a two-yard pass.
Then, later in the first drive, defensive lineman Rondell Biggs and
Pat Massey hurried Stanton again and sacked him for a 13-yard
loss. That play put the Spartans in a third-and-23 situation and led
to the first punt of the game.
Biggs said it seemed that a lot of the Spartans' opponents this
year were getting frustrated by not getting to Stanton early in the
game and allowing him to run wild. The focus of the Michigan
defensive line was on getting to Stanton early in the game.
"It's a very good offense, and I feel like we're the best defen-
sive front that they've played this year," rush end LaMarr Wood-
ley said. "We put a lot of pressure on Stanton early, and he was
doing a lot of scrambling. That was something that we wanted
him to do."
The defense stopped Stanton for the first two drives while the
offense built up a 14-0 lead. Even when the Spartans came back
and tied the game, the front seven looked strong, forcing Michigan
State into a lot of third-and-long situations. But the Spartans com-
pleted a third-and-ll, a third-and-15 and a couple more third-and-
long situations to keep drives alive.
In the third quarter, a Michigan turnover gave the Spartans'
offense the ball on the Wolverines' 17-yard line. The defense
stopped Stanton on three straight plays and left the field having
given up just one field goal, something that Stripling said he
was particularly proud of. Because of lack of production offen-
sively, the defense was on the field for more than 12 minutes in
the third quarter.
"We just left them out there too long," Michigan coach Lloyd
Carr said. "I think you give Michigan State credit for what they
did in the third quarter. It was certainly not the way we wanted to
play the third quarter."
INJURY UPDATE: Redshirt junior Steve Breaston did not play on
Saturday because of an injury that Carr said he sustained during
the Wisconsin game. Redshirt junior Carl Tabb started in his place
and had five catches for 35 yards, both career highs. Breaston is in
the middle of a sub-par year in which he has caught just six passes
for 43 yards. Last week in Madison, he made one catch for nega-
tive-one yard. Linebacker Scott McClintock also did not dress on
Saturday. Carr said that the fifth-year senior has been struggling
with back problems all season. McClintock recorded nine tack-
les against Northern Illinois in the first game of the year - the
only game he started. Biggs injured himself in the third quarter of
Saturday's game and left Spartan Stadium on crutches.
"I can't tell you right now, but I think it is going to take a while
(for him to return),"'Carr said about Biggs's injury. Biggs said he
was just banged up.
NoTEs: Michigan has played in just four overtime games and has
won all four of them ... All three of placekicker Garrett Rivas's
game-winning field goals have come on the road ... Quarterback
Chad Henne has thrown a touchdown pass in every game at Mich-
igan for a school-record 17 straight games with a touchdown.
Penn State
Wisconsin
Ohio State
Minnesota
Michigan State
Michigan
Iowa
Indiana
Purdue
Northwestern
Illinois
2 0, 5
2 0 5
1 1 4
1 1 4
1 1 3
1 1 3
0 Z 3
0 2 2
0 1 2
0 2 2
0
0
1
1
2
2
1
2
2
3
THIS WEEKEND'S RESULTS
Michigan 34, MICHIGAN STATE 31
IOWA 35, Illinois 7
Notre Dame 49, PURDUE 28
WISCONSIN 41, Indiana 24
PENN STATE 44, Minnesota 14
'M' SCHEDULE
Date
Sept. 3
Sept. 10
Sept. 17
Sept. 24
Oct. 1
Oct. 8
Oct. 15
Oct. 22
Oct. 29
Nov. 12
Nov. 29
Oonent Time/Result
Northern Illinois W, 33-17
Notre Dame L, 10-17
Eastern Michigan W, 55-0
at Wisconsin L, 20-23
at Michigan State W, 34-31
Minnesota 1 p.m.
Penn State TBA
at Iowa TBA
at Northwestern TBA
Indiana TBA
Ohio State Noon
RYAN WEINER/Daily
Michigan rush end LaMarr Woodley tries to get around Michigan State right tackle Mike
Gyetvai in the Wolverines' overtime win. Woodley recorded three tackles in the game.
I
WEEKEND'S BEST
USC COMEBACK: Just like last
week's game against Oregon, the top-
ranked Trojans were losing at halftime.
This time they were playing against
the No. 14 Arizona State Sun Devils
in Tempe, Ariz. Coming out of half-
time down 21-3, the Trojans' dynamic
offense decided to show up. Led by
tailbacks Reggie Bush and Lendale
White, who each had two touchdowns,
Southern Cal scored 35 second-half
points and ran away with the game.
Heisman trophy-winning quarterback
Matt Leinart got the decisive score on
a quarterback sneak late in the fourth
quarter as the Trojans won, 38-28.
'BAMA BLOWOUT: It was supposed
HOW THE AP TOP 25 FARED
NEW AP
TOP 25
Associated Press Poll for the week of Sept. 25
Games updated through Oct. 1
(first-place votes in parentheses)
Team:
1. Southern Cal
2. Texas
3. Virginia Tech
4. Louisiana State
5. Florida
6. Florida State
7. Georgia
8. Ohio State
9. Miami
10. Tennessee
11. Michigan State
12. California
13. Notre Dame
Last week:
beat Arizona State 38-28
beat Missouri 51-20
beat West Virginia 34-17
beat Mississippi State 37-7
lost to Alabama 31-3
beat Syracuse 38-14
DNP
DNP
beat South Florida 27-7
beat Mississippi 27-10
lost to Michigan 34-31 (OT)
beat Arizona 28-0
beat Purdue 49-28
This week:
Arizona
Oklahoma
Marshall
at Vanderbilt
Mississippi State
Wake Forest
at Tennessee
at Penn State
Duke
Georgia
DNP
at UCLA
DNP
TEAM
1. Southern Cal (59)
2. Texas (6)
3. Virginia Tech
4. Florida State
5. Georgia
6. Ohio State
7. Alabama
8. Tennessee
9. Miami
10. California
11. Louisiana State
12. Notre Dame
13. Florida
14. Wisconsin
15. Texas Tech
16. Penn State
REC
4-0
4-0
5-0
4-0
4-0
3-1
5-0
3-1
3-1
5-0
2-1
4-1
4-1
5-0
4-0
5-0
PTS
1,619
1,564
1,494
1,391
1,318
1,279
1,150
1,143
1,118
988
978
966,
792
773
588
493
PVS
1
2
3
6
7
8
15
10
9
12
4
13
.5
17
16
NR
t
I