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The Michigan Daily I michigandailycom I November12, 2012
catch resurrects
Michigan comeback
in overtime victory
By STEPHEN J. NESBITT
Daily Sports Editor
Thescriptwas written,proofed
and printed, but the Michigan
football teamtrashed it.
Brady Hoke waltzed into his
post-game-press conference after
the Wolverines' dramatic 38-31
overtime victory over No. 24
Northwestern at Michigan Sta-
dium.
Hoke smiled and scanned the
room. He wanted to ask the first
question.
"Who started writing the arti-
cle before the game was over?"
Hoke asked.
Several hands shot up meekly.
Michigan had no business beat-
ing the Wildcats, not the way this
one played out. The game was
all but over, but Devin Gardner
needed just eight seconds to turn
it around.
With 18 ticks left on the clock,
Gardner and the offense were on,
their own 38-yard line trailing by
three points and with no time-
outs.
Gardner, Michigan's junior.
receiver-turned-quarterback
making just his second career
start in place of injured senior
quarterback Denard Robinson,
launched a downfield strike to
fifth-year senior receiver Roy
Roundtree at the Wildcat nine-
yard line. Roundtree was beaten,
cloaked by cornerback Daniel
Jones, but Roundtree's despera-
tion attempt at the ball tipped it
away from Jones and into his own
hands as he fell to the turf.
Eight seconds changed the
entire complexion of the after-
noon.
"There was time on the clock
and the defense gave us a place to
stand," Gardner said.
The Wolverines killed the
clock with seven seconds left,
and redshirt junior kicker Bren-
dan Gibbons trotted on the field
for a game-tying 26-yard field
goal. The snap was low, but junior
receiver Drew Dileo picked it off
the carpet and Gibbons boomed it
through the uprights.
The Wolverines entered the
contest at 3-0 in home overtime
games. Hoke came in riding a
12-0 home record since arriving
at Michigan. Both streaks held, as
Gardner scampered in from one
yard out in overtime and fifth-
year senior linebacker Kenny
Demens made consecutive stops
on third and fourth down to sty-
mie the Wildcats' overtime try.
The Wolverines swarmed
straight to the student section to
celebrate the improbable victory,
one that keeps them, if only for
the time being, in line for a shot at
See COMEBACK, Page 3B
FOOTBALL
Roundtree bails out
Michigan once again
By ZACH HELFAND
Daily Sports Editor
The Michigan football team
had practiced this play. Thurs-
day, actually, they ran the play
they would call if they trailed
late in the game and needed a
miracle.
Junior quarterback Devin
Gardner would drop in the
pocket for as long as he could,
step up and, if it was there, heave
to fifth-year senior wide receiver
Roy Roundtree running a deep
post route. Roundtree would be
the deep man. The target.
He'd just need to go up and
get it.
They practiced that play for
the same situation Michigan
faced Saturday, Gardner said,
trailingby three points to North-
western with just 18 seconds to
go. Michigan needed a miracle.
Before the play, Roundtree
found his quarterback.
"I told (Gardner), like, 'Just
put it up there. I'm gonna get it,'
" Roundtree said.
It wasn't a demand. But for
Roundtree, that's about as close
as it gets.e
Roundtree has plodded
through much of this season
with little to show for it. He
entered Saturday's game with
just 15 receptions for 239 yards
- hardly the numbers of a No. 1
receiver.
For a while, there hadn't been
See ROUNDTREE, Page 3B
PAUL SHERMAN/Daily
Frehman forward Boo Nieves chipped in two goals against Michigan State over the weekend, his first career goals.
Michigan splits series,
with Michigan State
By MATT SLOVIN
Daily Sports Editor
EAST LANSING - Friday
night, the Michigan hockey team
embarrassed Michigan State,
5-1, in the two teams' first meet-
ing of the season.
But
when the MICH.STATE 1
Wolver- MICHIGAN 5
ines found MICHIGAN 2
themselves MICH. STATE 7
trailing 3-0
just 6:49 into the opening frame
of Saturday's series finale, it was
evident that they'd be the ones
getting outworked, and they
eventually fell, 7-2.
"You knew they would come
out harder and play better, but I
didn't know that we would come
out so poorly," said Michigan
coach Red Berenson.
Unlike the series opener,
when the Wolverines built an
early lead, the Spartans wasted
no time showing Saturday would
have a different feel to it. Just
34 seconds into the game, Spar-
tan forward Matt Berry found
himself with the puck all alone
in front of Michigan goaltender
Jared Rutledge. Berry managed
a couple dekes to keep Rutledge
guessing, before roofing the puck
for the openingtally.
It was a swift opening state-
ment, a crowd-igniting tally that
sent a message to Rutledge, who
started both games of the series,
and the Michigan defense that
they weren't leaving with a win.
But it wasn't enough for Mich-
igan State - the Spartans contin-
ued to set the pace, playing most
of the first period in the Michi-
gan zone.
The deficit doubled to 2-0
when Spartan forward Brent
Darnell tapped in a puck right
after a 5-on-3 power play expired
that Rutledge couldn't quite
reach across the crease.
Before the PA announcer at
Munn Ice Arena could announce
the second tally, Michigan State
scored again on a late-arriving
Michigan defense, this time off
See SPLIT, Page 3B
Gardner shines again
in replacement B role
By LUKE PASCH
Daily SportsEditor
Junior quarterback Devin
Gardner, who filled in for an
injured Denard Robinson for
the second straight game, was
all smiles for his post game
press conference. He finished
the game with 286 passing
yards and two
touchdowns, NOTEBOOK
with 47 more
yards on the ground and two
rushing touchdowns. ERIN KIRKLAND/Daily
"I knew my time would Junior quarterback Devin Gardner accounted for four touchdowns.
come eventually," Gardner expected. So it's not like a, proved that I was the quarter-
said. "Whether this year or 'Haha, in your face,' type thing. back that I felt that I was and
next year, it just happened You guys saw what I've done that my teammates knew I was,
to come a little earlier than in previous years, and I hadn't See GARDNER, Page 3B
MICHIGAN'S MAGIC
S Brady Hoke is a perfect 13-0 at Michi-
gan Stadium since taking over as head
coach of the Wolverines. Page 2B
GETTING CHIPPY
Michigan squeaked by the Chippewas
in a hard-fought game, scoring in the final
minute and winning in OT. Page 2B