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

