U-M survives Nebraska with late takeaway
LINCOLN, Neb. — Seven days after Michigan reveled in the Wisconsin tradition of dancing to “Jump Around” between the third and fourth quarter, the Wolverines again rocked and rolled to an opponent’s theme song. Lights flashed, cell phones glowed and music blared as coach Jim Harbaugh’s team soaked in the energy of “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC and beckoned Nebraska toward the middle of the field, with both sets of players taunting each other.
Had Michigan wilted during the ensuing 15 minutes as its double-digit lead eroded, the between-quarter antics would have looked sophomoric. But this Michigan team is less fallible than the groups Harbaugh has trotted onto the field in recent years. These Wolverines believe in themselves as much as they believe in Harbaugh’s new crop of coaches.
“This team has decided to be different this year,” quarterback Cade McNamara said. “And I think it’s not as much what you see footballwise, it’s the atmosphere that we’ve created, and really the mindset that we’ve rebuilt this offseason. It showed today.”
Faced with their first deficit of the season late in the third quarter, these Wolverines looked within themselves to summon an incredible fourth quarter. With Nebraska’s offense churning to life, Michigan scored on three consecutive drives in the final 11 minutes and generated a game-clinching takeaway on defense as Harbaugh’s club refused to yield. A resurgent rushing attack chewed up 101 rushing yards in the fourth quarter to snatch momentum from the Cornhuskers, whose hearts were slashed for good when safety Brad Hawkins forced a fumble in the final minutes.
The Wolverines kept their perfect season alive with a 32-29 victory.
“It’s going to be a happy flight,” Harbaugh said. “I can tell you that.”
McNamara tosses first INT
So much of Michigan’s success prior to Saturday was the byproduct of excellent ball security. Through five weeks and five wins, the starting offense never lost a fumble and never tossed an interception. The lone blemish on the stat sheet came late in the win over Wisconsin — long after the game had been decided — when fourth-string quarterback Alan Bowman turned it over on a meaningless pass.
The starting offense saw its streak snapped late in the third quarter Saturday when McNamara, who had yet to throw an interception in his Michigan career, attempted to rifle the ball to tight end Erick All over the middle of the field. The throw was inaccurate, the coverage was sound and safety Deontai Williams snatched it out of the air as Memorial Stadium roared.
With the ball on U-M’s 13 following the turnover, Nebraska needed just a single play to double Michigan’s misery: The ensuing pass from Martinez to wide receiver Levi Falck, who leaked out of the formation for an easy score, gave the Wolverines their first deficit of the season. Nebraska stormed in front, 22-19, in the waning seconds of the third.
“I’ve always thought that was one of the huge tests for any quarterback after they throw an interception,” Harbaugh said. “Do they have the ability on the next possession to drive the offense for points? Right there, in a nutshell, you can tell so much about any quarterback. What happens on the next possession after they throw an interception? The really good ones can drive their team for points, a field goal or a touchdown, on the very next possession. Some guys can’t. They go in the tank or they get ultra conservative, cautious. But that’s a huge indicator in a quarterback.”
McNamara provided an immediate answer that surely captured even more of his coach’s respect. From his own 25, McNamara orchestrated a near-flawless 10-play, 75-yard drive that quieted a stadium of more than 87,000 fans. He completed two of his three pass attempts amid a handful of punishing runs by tailbacks Blake Corum (13 carries, 89 yards, 1
TD) and Hassan Haskins (21 carries, 123 yards, 2 TDs), including a vital third-and-8 in which McNamara found All for 14 yards.
And as Corum raced 29 yards around the left side of the line, slicing back inside and into the end zone as a sea of Cornhuskers over-pursued, the Wolverines reclaimed the lead fewer than five minutes after they lost it.
“I think overall when it came to the second half, we felt like they couldn’t stop us,” McNamara said. “We felt like the only reason that we didn’t score at times was really because of ourselves. This team doesn’t flinch. And I think on both sides of the ball we did a great job of responding.”
Defense carries Michigan early and late
Perhaps the most impressive narrative from Michigan’s dream-like start to the season is the seismic defensive improvement under first-time coordinator Mike Macdonald, who was plucked by coach Jim Harbaugh from the Baltimore Ravens to replace Don Brown.
Buoyed by a fresh voice and some youthful exuberance following the dismissal of former coordinator Don Brown, the Wolverines have said they feel reinvigorated as stars Aidan Hutchinson and Daxton Hill anchor a unit exceeding even the most optimistic expectations — especially considering the large carryover in personnel from last season.
“I love this team, I love this defense and I know that we’re fighters,” Hawkins said.
Yet things began inauspiciously for Macdonald’s unit Saturday when Nebraska gained 43 yards on a screen pass and 24 more on a fade down the right sideline to claw inside the 10. But just as they have all season, the Wolverines bent without breaking. Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins stuffed mobile quarterback Adrian Martinez (8 carries, 41 yards, 1 TD) on a third-down keeper up the middle before inside linebacker Josh Ross strung out another carry by Martinez on fourth down to give the ball back to U-M’s offense.
One of the few criticisms of Macdonald’s defense early this season was its inability to create takeaways, a critique the Wolverines have upended against Wisconsin and Nebraska. Hill notched his second interception in as many weeks when he made a leaping deflection on a pass intended for tight end Austin Allen over the middle. The ball seemed to float in mid-air after caroming off Hill’s hands, begging for anyone on the U-M defense to snare it. Hill obliged when it fell softly into his arms as he lay on his back.
“That was amazing,” Hawkins said. “He caught it at first, dropped it, then re-caught it. That was an amazing catch. He’s an amazing player.”
Hill’s interception gave a sputtering Michigan offense excellent field position at the Nebraska 35. The Wolverines gained 18 yards before stalling and settling for a field goal from Jake Moody to open the scoring. For the sixth time in six games, the Wolverines scored first.
Complementary football was critical for U-M on a night when its offense moved in fits and starts during the first half. Following Moody’s first field goal, Macdonald’s defense forced Nebraska into a three-and-out that
kept momentum tilted in Michigan’s favor and led to McNamara’s best drive of the half. McNamara connected on an array of short passes that chipped away at the Cornhuskers for gains of 9, 5, 5, and 6 yards, lulling them to sleep before a 48-yard heave to wide receiver Mike Sainristil, whose diving catch gave the Wolverines a first-and-goal.
Michigan settled for another field goal after center Andrew Vastardis stepped on McNamara’s foot and felled him on third down.
Even Michigan’s only touchdown of the first half was the result of a defensive surge. Outside linebacker David Ojabo sacked Martinez as the quarterback stepped up in the pocket on third-and-10 to give the U-M offense one more chance with 1:40 remaining in the second quarter. A 26-yard run by Corum and a questionable pass interference penalty against Nebraska moved the Wolverines into range for a short touchdown run by Haskins as Michigan took a 13-0 lead into the break.
“Defense stepped up huge,” McNamara said. “It was about time, I think, that the offense was able to back the defense up. I think throughout the season, at times, our defense has put us in great positions and we haven’t capitalized on it. And I think us playing complementary football tonight was huge to our victory.”
McNamara’s group shouldered that burden in the third and fourth quarters as Nebraska’s offense jolted to life. The Cornhuskers scored touchdowns on four of their first five possessions of the second half behind some electric plays from Martinez, whose running created new throwing lanes that frustrated the Wolverines.
Macdonald’s group had allowed just one play of 40-plus yards entering Saturday, and Nebraska ripped off two such plays in the third quarter alone: A 46-yard touchdown pass from Martinez to Allen after Michigan’s defense bit on a play fake; then, a 41-yard touchdown to tailback Rahmir Johnson on a wheel route down the right sideline.
“Every team goes in and makes halftime adjustments, you know?” nose tackle Mazi Smith said when asked how the Cornhuskers chugged to life. The two offenses produced points on eight of the first 12 possessions in the second half as a sloppy, disjointed game whipped into a frenzy.
With the score knotted at 29-29 and three minutes on the clock, Nebraska began what it hoped would be a winning drive. The Cornhuskers gained 9 yards on their first two plays to create a manageable third down. Martinez surged forward on another quarterback keeper only to be slammed by a wall of bodies as his momentum stalled.
Before the referees could blow the play dead, Hawkins reached into Martinez’s midsection and gouged the ball free. He pounced on the fumble with 1:45 remaining to preserve Michigan’s heart-stopping win.
“Making the plays when they had to,” Harbaugh said. “We saw the same thing when we played Rutgers. Not to flinch. That’s what I’m talking about, that kind of grit, that kind of determination to not be denied. Just staying after it until you make one more better, sensational, incredible play than they do.”