Anyone afflicted with the notion that Big Ten road games should mirror home contests got a big gulp of medicine at Northwestern’s Ryan Field.
The 1-3 team residing there built a 17-0 lead, pushed Michigan (4-1, 2-0 Big Ten) to its absolute limit and came within one snap of sending the Wolverines home sickened with a devastating defeat.
Instead, Jim Harbaugh’s team rallied, hung a zero on the Wildcats in the second half and fought back to a 20-17 win. Harbaugh knew exactly what his team achieved, battling past 11 penalties (100 yards) to Northwestern’s two (25) in finding a way to triumph away from home.
“We talked about it at halftime,” Harbaugh said. “We were being tested. This is time to find out what we’re made of. Our guys really responded.”
Michigan’s 20-0 battle back to win would have been made of sawdust had the Wolverines not found a way to put the ball in the end zone with just 4:06 left to play. They did just that, and U-M’s defense — which registered six sacks — planted Northwestern’s upset hopes right along with quarterback Clayton Thorson on the final play of the game.
Junior linebacker Josh Uche — who administered the final takedown of Thorson (16-of-27 passing for 174 yards) to prevent a Hail Mary pass — insisted Michigan’s defense knew what needed to happen.
“The coaches just told me to go out there and rush, go after the quarterback,” Uche said. “He struggled with pressure a lot, and they just wanted us to go get him. That’s what we did — that’s what we were taught to do.”
Michigan junior quarterback Shea Patterson (15-of-24 passing for 196 yards, 31 rushing yards) was taught to win when it’s winning time. He directed the 67-yard touchdown drive that brought the Wolverines back from the brink.
The game-winning drive featured an array of improvisations and on-the-money throws by Patterson. Michigan took over at its own 33 with 10:05 remaining, down 17-13. He got the drive going in earnest with a 13-yard sideline toss to redshirt junior tight end Zach Gentry.
Patterson made a key scramble on third-and-six at the Northwestern 37, moving the chains on a nine-yard bolt. He then fired a 22-yard bullet to Gentry down the right seam, Gentry tearing the football away from a Wildcats defensive back.
“I just saw them dropping,” Patterson said. “Gentry is 6-8, and they gave up a lot of stuff over the middle. We adjusted in the second half. Just let your guy go make a play. Put it in the vicinity. That’s the type of guy Zach Gentry is, and he made a big play by coming up with that ball.”
Senior tailback Karan Higdon (30 carries for 115 yards, two touchdowns) finally crashed across the goal line with 4:05 remaining, racing through a massive hole from five yards out.
“Keep pushing,” Higdon stressed. “Keep pushing. There are four quarters for a reason. That first half, they were up, and we remembered a lot of adversity we faced in the summer during summer workouts. We dug deep and came out with a win.”
In the opening 25 minutes, a win seemed elusive as a balloon floating over the stadium wall and out toward Lake Michigan.
The Wildcats got out of the gate with a stunner, going 56 yards in six plays, Thorson scoring from a yard out on Northwestern’s first possession. Wideout J.J. Jefferson set up the touchdown, taking a quick toss from Thorson 36 yards one play prior to the score.
The home team wasn’t done serving up some early adversity, either. A 45-yard field goal — on a drive fueled by a personal foul against junior defensive end Rashan Gary — made it 10-0 with 3:58 remaining in the opening quarter. The Wolverines, handed three-and-outs on their first two offensive possessions, needed to find an offense that apparently got delayed in Chicago traffic.
Instead, Northwestern just kept motoring.
Set up near midfield following a failed fourth-down attempt by U-M, the Wildcats cashed in on the short field in a nine-play, 52-yard TD drive. The Wolverines put Northwestern into third-and-10 at its 22, but a pass interference call on junior cornerback David Long kept the drive alive.
John Moten IV scored the TD from three yards out 2:04 into the second quarter, and the Wildcats were demonstrating the killer instinct of Richard III.
“Dig down, continue to execute and execute better than what you did,” Harbaugh stressed. “They’ve got the mettle. They’ve got the gravel in the gut to win and win a game on the road under tough circumstances. I’m proud of our guys.”
Down 17-0, the Wolverines faced their biggest crisis of the still-young Big Ten season. They pushed back immediately, with head-knocking rushes and a little razzle-dazzle.
Higdon began their seven-play, 79-yard breakthrough drive with an 18-yard run. Patterson gunned a 21-yard sideline pass to redshirt sophomore tight end Nick Eubanks, and sophomore wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones took an end-around pitch 25 more, down to the Northwestern 5.
Higdon blasted in from there a play later, signaling the Wolverines were in Evanston for more than a nice view of the lake.
“You can’t get frustrated in those situations,” Higdon said. “It’s a four-quarter game. When you get frustrated and start fighting among each other, that’s when things only get worse.”
Although the Wolverines stopped the bleeding on defense, the half ended with them down 17-7. Michigan torpedoed two of its own drives in the final minutes with penalties, making for a tougher second-half rally.
U-M pulled within a touchdown on its initial second-half touch of the football. Patterson’s 12-yard third-down scramble, followed by his 36-yard heave to sophomore wideout Nico Collins (six catches, 73 yards), set up redshirt sophomore placekicker Quinn Nordin for a 23-yard field goal.
The Wolverines clawed back to that 17-10 deficit with 7:40 left in the third quarter, temperatures and remaining chances getting lower by the minute.
Michigan blew up Northwestern’s only two possessions of the third quarter with an eight-yard sack by fifth-year senior defensive end Chase Winovich and a seven-yarder by redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour. But neither time could the Wolverines stick the ball in the end zone after getting it back, despite getting inside the Wildcats’ 10 twice.
Patterson gunned a clutch, third-down throw to Gentry (three catches for 46 yards) then followed it with a 24-yard toss to Eubanks, taking Michigan from its own 38 to the Northwestern 6. But U-M settled for Nordin’s 24-yard field goal on the final play of the quarter, making it 17-13 with 15 minutes remaining to avoid disaster.
From there, the Wolverines found a way, putting it in the end zone late and finishing a defensive effort that — despite Northwestern’s quick start — surrendered just 202 total yards, 28 rushing yards and 17 points.
“We showed a lot of character,” Patterson said. “Go on the road, down 17-0 at one point. You can either lay down and take a beating or come together and play through adversity. All around, collectively, we did a tremendous job of doing that tonight.”
Top Five Players Of The Game
1. Fifth-year senior defensive end Chase Winovich: On a night when Michigan’s defense needed to dig in and get after it, Winovich got after everyone. His three tackles for loss, including a sack, among nine overall stops made him the most relentless in an effort that surrendered no points over the final 42:56 of play.
2. Junior quarterback Shea Patterson: Patterson didn’t throw for a touchdown and didn’t run for one. But if he hadn’t delivered the way he did down the stretch, with clutch throws and scrambles, the Wolverines head home with a loss.
3. Senior tailback Karan Higdon: Higdon scored Michigan’s only two touchdowns, rushed for 115 yards and carried the football 30 times when U-M’s tailbacks drew a combined 31 attempts. He kept the football secure, like the Wolverines did in a turnover-free game.
4. Sophomore defensive end Kwity Paye: Junior defensive end Rashan Gary went down with an injury, and somebody needed to step in and step up. Paye paid off in a big way, making a pair of sacks among his four stops, while adding a quarterback hurry.
5. Junior linebacker Josh Uche: Uche pitched in with a pair of sacks himself, including one on the final play of the game. The rush specialist has been growing in his role and capped off the defensive effort that allowed for Michigan’s comeback.
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