LINCOLN — On Saturday night, deep
into the third quarter and amidst a raucous
sea of red, the Michigan football team
found itself wading in unfamiliar territory.
As
Nebraska
receiver
Levi
Falck
waltzed down the sideline and into the
endzone
untouched,
the
Wolverines
looked up to see themselves on the wrong
side of the score. For the first time all year,
in the season’s sixth game, they trailed.
And yet, in the face of its first genuine
bout of adversity, Michigan flashed an
unshakable streak of resilience. Propelled
by a last-minute field goal by senior kicker
Jake Moody, the Wolverines (6-0 overall,
3-0 Big Ten) escaped the hostile confines
of Memorial Stadium with a victory,
edging Nebraska (3-4, 1-2), 32-29.
Moody’s kick, a 39-yard chip shot
that split the uprights with 1:24 minutes
to go, came off the heels of a pivotal
sequence from an embattled defense that
surrendered 29 second-half points yet
embodied that resiliency. Quarterback
Adrian Martinez coughed up the ball on
a 3rd-and-1 rushing attempt when fifth-
year safety Brad Hawkins punched it
free, setting up Michigan’s offense at the
Cornhuskers’ 18-yard line.
“The atmosphere, the environment, it
just showed a lot of poise and moxie by
our guys,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh
said after the game, a smile wrapping
his face. “No doubt (the fans) wanted to
storm the field, tear down the goalpost —
not on our guys’ watch tonight. I’m proud
of them.”
Through the first half, it seemed as if
the Wolverines wouldn’t need Moody’s
heroics to secure a victory; a 13-0 halftime
lead certainly had the makings of another
blowout, the likes of which Michigan
has certainly grown accustomed to.
The defense held strong, flummoxing
Martinez and the Cornhuskers’ patented
rushing attack and, after slogging through
the first quarter, the offense found its
groove before Nebraska did.
Yet across the third quarter, it looked
as if the two teams had spent halftime
swapping uniforms.
Michigan’s
defense,
which
has
established itself as a consistent, reliable
unit under first-year coordinator Mike
Macdonald, wilted in short order. On the
half’s opening possession, a coverage
breakdown left tight end Austin Allen
alone streaking down the middle of the
field; Martinez would find him for a
46-yard touchdown.
The Wolverines countered, with junior
quarterback Cade McNamara engineering
a 91-yard touchdown drive, putting
Michigan up 12 with 3:36 minutes left
in the third quarter. But, less than three
minutes later, they were staring down that
very first deficit.
Martinez found running back Rahmir
Johnson wide open on a wheel route
for a 41-yard touchdown pass to draw
Nebraska within five. After a McNamara
interception,
Martinez
capitalized
immediately, finding Falck to put the
Cornhuskers in front, 22-19.
More
than
87,000
upset-minded
fans erupted into a tsunami of red;
the imagination had been stirred a
step closer towards reality. A marquee
victory, absent from the first four years
of the underwhelming Scott Frost era,
was suddenly within Nebraska’s grasp.
Michigan, seemingly overwhelmed and
discombobulated, would be the casualty.
That narrative never came to fruition.
“We responded,” fifth-year senior Brad
Hawkins said. “We didn’t flinch, like I
said. We came prepared and we stayed
composed. You can’t look up at the score.
You’ve got to just keep playing football.
That’s what we did.”
No Power-5 team had lasted longer than
Michigan did without facing a deficit. And
yet, the Wolverines proved masterful at
handling the adversity confronting them;
undeterred by the buzz of the crowd and
a lightshow between the third and fourth
quarter, the players jumped and danced
along, spilling onto the field.
“When we get punched, we’ve still
got that plan,” junior defensive tackle
Mazi Smith said, explaining the team’s
relentless positivity.
Their off-field actions only resonate
because their on-field response spoke
volumes. Sophomore running back Blake
Corum punctuated a 10-play, 75-yard
drive with a 29-yard touchdown run,
an emphatic answer by a unit that spent
the first half sputtering. After Martinez
again found the endzone for his fourth
touchdown
of
the
game,
Michigan
remained composed, driving down the
field for a game-tying field goal with three
minutes to play, setting the stage for the
ensuing heroics.
Even after the Moody field goal,
Nebraska had a fighter’s chance; a
25-yard pass placed the ball at midfield
with a shade over a minute remaining.
Once again, though, the Wolverines
matched the occasion; when Martinez’s
desperation, 4th-and-10 heave fell to the
turf untouched, a hush fell over Memorial
Stadium.
Michigan had indeed survived, scars
and all.
“We’re
enjoying
the
incredible,”
Harbaugh
said,
his
eyes
lit
with
enthusiasm, that smile still unshakable.
“That was awesome. It’ll be a happy flight,
I can tell you that.”
Then, standing at the corner of a
cramped, makeshift media room deep
inside Memorial Stadium, Harbaugh
gestured to the back. He looked towards
Michigan
Athletic
Director
Warde
Manuel, sitting in a chair, dressed in khakis
and a blue Jordan-brand Michigan polo,
vociferously nodding along in accordance.
“It’ll be a happy flight, isn’t it?”
Harbaugh said.
JARED GREENSPAN
Daily Sports Editor
Becca Mahon/Daily | Tess Crowley/Daily | Design by Sophie Grand
SPORTSWEDNESDAY
SHUCK OFF
Michigan escapes with victory, outlasts Cornhuskers, 32-29