In the nick of time Manningham's touchdown catch on last play puts Michigan Stadium in a frenzy
BY JOHN HEUSER
Ann Arbor News Sports Reporter
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Mario Manningham lined up on the right side of the formation, the outside receiver and the second option for University of Michigan quarterback Chad Henne.
There was 1 second left and 10 yards to go to victory for the Wolverines, who trailed No. 8 Penn State by four points. Henne took the snap, looked at receiver Steve Breaston, then to the freshman Manningham.
Cutting toward the middle, Manningham leapt for Henne's pass, cradled the ball into his chest and landed for the touchdown.
Time was gone and Michigan had beaten the previously undefeated Nittany Lions, 27-25. The freshman raced out of the end zone, with his teammates in pursuit as the Michigan Stadium crowd roared and the flashbulbs on their cameras popped in the early Saturday darkness.
"I tried to chase him down, but that boy's fast,'' Michigan tailback Mike Hart said.
A mass of Michigan players, sprinting from their sideline, did catch up to Manningham and hoisted him in the air. The coaches joined in the hugs, the laughter. Then the Wolverines and the band ran toward their student section, celebrating the way they'd watched Notre Dame and Minnesota enjoy their victories in Ann Arbor this season.
"We wanted to win at home and come out here and show our fans that we're not disrespecting the stadium, that we'd play our butts off,'' Hart said.
A week after losing on a last-second field goal to Minnesota, the Wolverines (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) needed every available moment Saturday to beat Penn State (6-1, 3-1). The 3-0 halftime score was all but forgotten during the topsy turvy fourth quarter in which both teams' offenses sparkled.
Michigan took a 10-0 lead on the Nittany Lions - whom they have now defeated seven straight times - when they drove 70 yards on the opening third-quarter possession. After missing two first-half field goals, Penn State's Kevin Kelly then put his team on the board.
Early in the fourth, Nittany Lions tailback Tony Hunt raced 61 yards down the sideline to position his team for another score. Quarterback Michael Robinson - who made trouble for the Wolverines all afternoon - scored the tying touchdown on a four-yard run.
A Penn State lead followed quickly, on the next Michigan possession, when Henne took off running and took on cornerback Alan Zemaitis.
"It was a stupid mistake,'' Henne said of the play, which ended when Zemaitis ripped the ball from the quarterback, then ran untouched into the end zone from 28 yards out with 11 minutes, 36 seconds remaining. Penn State went up 18-10 when Kelly picked up a fumbled snap on the extra point and ran in for the two-point conversion.
"Before we knew it, we were behind by eight points,'' Michigan linebacker Dave Harris said.
And almost as quickly, the Wolverines re-tied the game. A long Steve Breaston kickoff return led to a brief drive that ended when Henne connected beautifully with a diving Manningham for a 33-yard touchdown.
Henne - who completed fewer than half his passes in each of Michigan's losses this season - finished 21-of-36 for 212 yards. Eight of his completions went to senior Jason Avant. Three - including both touchdown throws - went to Manningham.
"I'm just glad he's on our side,'' Henne said of the freshman. "He works hard, he's speedy guy.''
The two-point conversion by Hart, who ran for 108 yards, was followed by a 47-yard field goal by Garrett Rivas. That field goal put the Wolverines up 21-18 with 3:45 left to play.
Plenty of time, as it turned out, for both teams to score again.
After throwing an interception, then watching his team's defense hold Michigan without a first down, Robinson and the offense re-took the field with 2:46 on the clock.
Directing a spread offense that had 420 total yards in the game, Robinson took his team 81 yards down the field. On a fourth-and-7 play, he broke free for a 9-yard gain. When the Nittany Lions needed the touchdown, he provided that, too.
Michigan linebacker Prescott Burgess dove for Robinson, but couldn't trip him up as the quarterback got into the end zone on a 3-yard keeper. For the afternoon, the senior completed 19 of 34 passes for 239 yards, and also ran 17 times for 67 yards.
"He's a heck of an athlete,'' Harris said. "He can run better than most tailbacks. He can also throw the deep ball very well. We just had to try to contain him.''
While Michigan couldn't keep Robinson under wraps, neither could the Nittany Lions hold back Breaston, who gave his team the downfield push it needed to begin its final drive.
Breaston fielded the last Penn State kickoff at his 6, cut up the left sideline and sliced back to the right before eventually being dragged down.
"You could see that everyone was believing,'' Breaston said. "Even though there was just 50-some seconds left, everybody was just into the game. They kept telling me, Steve, make a play.''
Breaston's return, which covered 41 yards, gave the Wolverines the ball at their own 47 with 42 seconds left.
After devoting extra practice time last week to late-game drives, the Wolverines efficiently went to work. A 17-yard completion to Avant, and an 11-yard run by Hart were the longest plays of the drive, but not the most important.
That was the Henne pass to Manningham, the throw and catch put the Wolverines a game out of first place in the Big Ten, and the touchdown that set off the revelry inside Michigan Stadium.
"I think it was a great football game played by two teams who fought their hearts out,'' Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "I'm awfully proud of our guys, because they've not been in the easiest of circumstance.
"But I think they displayed everything you want in terms of character, perseverance, will to win, never-say-die - all those things.''
John Heuser can be reached at jheuser@annarbornews.com or (734) 994-6816. |
