EAST LANSING - OK, quiz. Are there more Michigan fans who suspected that the Wolverines defense would betray the Wolverines' national title hopes, or more who thought that Dawan Moss would drive the final stake through their hearts?
Down by 17 points in the fourth quarter, Tom Brady's three touchdown drives couldn't save the Wolverines, who fell, 34-31, to No. 11 Michigan State for the first time in five years on Saturday.
"The feeling sucks, but they were a better team," said senior linebacker Ian Gold, a Belleville native who lost to the Spartans for the first time. "We thought we had a chance to win. They just made more plays than we did."
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| DANA LINNANE/Daily Michigan cornerbacks Todd Howard and James Whitley attempt to stop Spartan wide receiver Plaxico Burress from catching a pass in Satruday's 34-31 loss to Michigan State. |
"In the Big Ten, no one is out of the race yet," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "There is no quit in these kids."
Carr went with his usual quarterback rotation in the first half Saturday, and when Drew Henson threw an 81-yard scoring strike to senior wide receiver Marcus Knight, he got the nod for the second half. When Henson threw an interception to senior cornerback Aric Morris, fifth-year senior Tom Brady came back in and led three jaw-dropping, but ultimately heartbreaking touchdown drives.
Neither quarterback drove the Wolverines inside the Spartans' 33-yard line until senior fullback Aaron Shea - the only current Wolverine who played the last time Michigan lost to Michigan State - took a Brady pass down to the two. Anthony Thomas scored on the next play to cut the Spartans lead to 27-17.
Brady took over again. After starting the drive with a pass and a handoff to junior tailback Anthony Thomas, Brady completed eight of his next eight passes - capped by a 19-yarder to Terrell for a touchdown.
On his three drives, Brady completed 24 of his 30 passes, including a stretch in which he completed 14 in a row.
It wasn't enough. Michigan's defense came back on the field with a chance at redemption after allowing Spartans split end Plaxico Burress to walk all over them all day.
But Burress's soft hands had two more big catches in them. His crucial 15-yard catch on third and nine allowed the Spartans to run out the clock. His recovery of Hayden Epstein's onside kick with 2:47 remaining wouldn't have been necessary had it not been for Moss.
Michigan's defenders, which all year had inexplicably found ways to shut offenses down when they needed to, suddenly seemed to be wearing roller skates.
They surrendered 66 yards on a drive in which each yard Michigan State gained was like compounding interest. And then, on first and 10 from Michigan's 14, Spartans quarterback Bill Burke handed off to Moss, who broke tackles left and right on his way to breaking Michigan's heart. The drive went 76 yards in 1:55 at point in the game in which field position and time were crucial.
"They beat us up front - that's where the game was won," Carr said.
Despite comparisons some made this week to Michigan's defensive until of 1997, that unit didn't give up a fourth-quarter touchdown until it held a 34-0 lead over then-No.2 Penn State - it's ninth game of the season. Moss' score was the third this year's group of "Suspects" allowed. It was enough to make Saturday's game likely to be the closest the Wolverines will get to the one national championship trophy that has always eluded them.
The coaches' poll trophy was the one of the four national championship trophies that Nebraska won in 1997. It was on display on the sidelines of Saturday's loss.
Fitting, because that's the same place the Wolverines will be to watch the figurative national title chase play out.
10-11-99
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