Half and Half: Michigan 27, Wisconsin 13
/The Wolverines fell behind for the first time this season, and posted their first scoreless quarter of the season in the first quarter on Saturday. At the half it was a worrisome 10-10 tie. The inevitable let down game was upon us. The 111,000+ on hand to see the team that dominated the Irish were slowly coming down from the clouds to realize that all the games can't be easy. There was even a light spattering of boos as the team jogged to the tunnel.
But quite possibly the most dominating defense in all of college football came out in the second half and refused to let the offense lose. They were the motivating force, and made field position every bit as important as points. The Badgers went without a first down in the second half until the five minute mark of the 4th quarter. And because of field position gained through defense and Steve Breaston, Michigan's longest drive of the day occurred in the 3rd quarter and was a paltry 56 yards. It included a Henne-to-Manningham TD (the second of the day) of the 38 yard variety. After a 42-yard punt was negated by a 27-yard Breaston return, Michigan sealed it with 4-play, 33-yard drive into the maize-clad student section. Michigan wins 27-13.
The Good Numbers:
- Mario Manningham: 7 receptions for 113 yards and 2 touchdowns.
- Adrian Arrington: 4 receptions for 79 yards.
- Wisconsin rushing yards: 12
- PJ Hill, formerly the Big Ten's leading rusher: 20 carries for 54 yards
The Bad Numbers:
- Michigan was 2 of 13 on 3rd down
- Chad Henne had 3 interceptions
- Michigan gave up 236 passing yards to John Stocco, his highest total this season
- Steve Breaston, 2 receptions for 5 yards
The Tex Mex tailgate went very well, with breakfast burritos, barbeque beef brisket, chili dogs, a plethora of chips and dips, and countless other Tex-Mex favorites. Yucca also made its yearly appearence.
