Michigan Wolverines Football: Top Five Players Of The Game

Michigan survived the wildest sight in Lincoln since the invention of the corn crib. Somehow the Wolverines weathered the storm, and here were the top contestants in the craziness …

1. Junior placekicker Jake Moody: It’s not every day the top spot goes to someone who isn’t an every-down player. But when tying and winning the game come down to your field goals in the final three minutes, it’s do or your team dies. Moody proved perfect on all four of his kicks, including the 31-yard game-tying boot and the 39-yard game-winner.

2. Senior safety Brad Hawkins: Hawkins almost single-handedly turned the tide in the waning moments. With Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez bottled up on a potential game-winning drive, Hawkins ripped the ball out of his hands and then scooped it up, setting up the game-winning score. He finished with five tackles and one monumental forced and recovered fumble.

3. Redshirt sophomore tailback Hassan Haskins: Haskins pounded away all night long, rushing for 123 yards on 21 carries (5.9 average). His two touchdowns and multiple chain-movers on tough-yardage situations helped lift the Wolverines to a hard-earned win.

4. Freshman running back Blake Corum: Corum topped 100 yards himself with 89 on the ground in 13 tries (6.8 average) and five catches for 37 yards. His biggest contribution might have been wiping out the Wolverines’ first deficit of the year. When Nebraska took a 22-19 lead with 52 seconds left in the third quarter, the teams went into the fourth with the home crew leading. But Corum’s 29-yard TD bolt gave Michigan back the advantage, the first of many fourth-quarter fireworks.

5. Redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara: The winning quarterback earned this slot. Yes, Martinez posted bigger numbers (291 yards passing, three TDs, plus another on the ground). But he also made bigger mistakes, throwing an interception to set up Michigan’s first score and fumbling to provide the game-winning field goal in the fourth. McNamara threw the first pickoff of his career, but also delivered 255 yards passing and a win in an incredibly hostile environment.

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