WAY'S HAT TRICK BEATS NORTHWESTERN, PAGE 6B D The Michigan Daily michigandailycom i September 29, 2008 SECOND CHANCE MICHIGAN 27, WISCONSIN 25 (ABOVE) Junior running back Brandon Minor races for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of Michigan's upset of Wisconsin. (BELOW) Junior defensive end Brandon Graham had three sacks against the Badgers. Attitude key to victory Taylor sparks comeback win At halftime, there were few signs Michigan could beat Wisconsin. Five turnovers - one fewer than in two halves against Notre Dame. One first down - it came on a broken play. Minus-seven passing yards - it would have been better if all IAN the passes were ROBINSON incomplete. But defensive coordinator Scott Shafer didn't see it that way. He looked at how his defense handled "sudden-change situations," when the defense unexpectedly has to go on the field in poor field posi- tion. In four of five first-half sudden- change situations, the Wolverines heldWisconsin'sphysicalpower-run- ning offense to field-goal attempts. Stopping the Badgers on the short field required focus and intensity. And senior nose tackle Terrance Taylor carried that over to the rest of the team at halftime. He went around the locker room motivating both offense and defense to play hard for 30 more minutes. The details of Taylor's speech weren't important. It's that he brought the team together. As well as the defense had played and as anemic as the offense had been, there was no divide in that locker room.. It wasn't about changing schemes, it was sticking together in the face of adversity - the same way stuck together during work- outs with strength and condition- ing coach Mike Barwis. They trained together all summer, lifted together after games and spent long hours together in the weight room. After the game, most credited Barwis for infusing resilience into. the team. He talks about pushing his play- ers' bodies to places they have never been before. Players say they are in the best condition of their lives. But that's just part of it. His training creates a diehard mentality. "In the time of battle, you don't rise to the occasion. You resort to your level of training," reads a sign in the Schembechler Hall weight room. Junior wide receiver Greg Mathews recalled that phrase word- for-word outside the locker room after the game. It goes back to trainingall summer, See ROBINSON, Page 4B Wolverines overcome 19-point deficit in upset By DAN FELDMAN Daily Sports Editor Terrance Taylor was worried he might be right. Last Monday, the senior nose tackle said the Michigan football team's game against then-No. 9 Wisconsin on Saturday would define its sea- son. But when the Wolver- ines trailed 19-0 at half- time, there wasn't any definition - only ques- tions. What will a bowl-less winter be like? What was the team doing during its bye week? Will Michigan coach Rich Rodri- guez's spread offense always look this bad against Big Ten teams? Unlike his team on the field, Taylor made a statement. At halftime, he ran through the tunnel, and his frustration boiled over. He started yelling, trying to motivate his teammates. Once the Wol- verines reached the locker room, he con- tinued until the coaches arrived. "Thereis no G-rated version, so he pret- ty much just gave it to us, and we knew," junior wide receiver Greg Mathews said. Taylor's impromptu pep talk apparent- ly worked, as Michigan rallied to beat the Badgers, 27-25, in the Wolverines' larg- est-ever comeback at Michigan Stadium. Thevictorygives students who weren't around in 2005 for Mario Manningham's last-second, game-winning touchdown catch against Penn State a signature win at the Big House to treasure. "ESPN was talking about this is a war- mup for the Big Ten for Wisconsin, so we take that personally," Mathews said. "Michigan is nobody's doormat, especial- ly in the Big Ten." With a renewed swagger in the sec- ond half, play after play, Michigan (1-0 Big Ten, 2-2 overall) chased the result it wanted - all the way until three players tracked Rodriguez down at midfield after the game. and dumped a cooler of water on him. Michigan scored two touchdowns in less than seven minutes over the late third and early fourth quarters. Fresh- man tight end Kevin Koger caught a 26-yard pass over the middle and junior running back Brandon Minor streaked 34 yards past a blitzing Wisconsin defense. The touchdowns cut the deficit to 19-14 with 10:27 left and awakened the 109,833 in attendance. On the kickoff after Minor's touch- down, fifth-year senior Jason Gingell boomed the ball into the endzone, firing up the defense as it took the field. Fifth- year senior strongside linebacker John Thompson intercepted a pass on the next See BADGERS, Page 4B j .19 Wisconsin's halftime lead 27 Unanswered points Michigan scored ilt the second hirf 47 Yards Michigan gained in the 'second half 14 YNers since Wisconsin has won n IAn Arbr £