ANN ARBOR, MICH.— With the Wolverines' superior talent and athleticism, momentum was a key in UW's chances to upset No. 6 Michigan on the road Saturday.
The dark clouds above Michigan Stadium possibly added to the worries of Wolverine fans about a letdown at home, but Lloyd Carr's squad overcame a slow start to beat Wisconsin 27-13.
Sophomore Allen Langford gave the Badgers some early momentum playing close to his hometown of Detroit. The cornerback made an acrobatic interception after Michigan quarterback Chad Henne's third pass of the game bounced off sophomore receiver Mario Manningham.
The offense converted the interception into seven points when senior quarterback John Stocco connected with freshman running back P.J. Hill on a 29-yard touchdown pass to give Wisconsin an early 7-0 lead.
""We made the pick and that rejuvenated our offense to come out with that much more and they converted it into a score,"" head coach Bret Bielema said after the game.
The quick start, something Bielema has been emphasizing, was the first of its kind this season as the Badgers fell behind early in each of its first two games and failed to score until the third quarter against San Diego State.
Wisconsin kept the early momentum on Michigan's second drive as sophomore linebacker DeAndre Levy sacked Henne on third down. Michigan had gained four first downs on two drives, but were 0 for 2 on third downs with a sack and an interception.
Michigan's defense tightened up, but the UW defense and special teams continued to show intensity throughout the first quarter when Zach Hampton and Ben Strickland combined for a big hit on Wolverine punt returner Steve Breaston and the defense stopped Henne on a fourth and one quarterback sneak.
As it often goes for underdogs on the road, one play can often change things for the worse. With the Badgers clinging to a 10-7 lead in the second quarter and the offense set to go back on the field, Hampton dropped a punt return and failed to fall on the ball, setting Michigan up with a chance to tie the game.
""I probably should have fell on it,"" Hampton admitted after the game. ""I just took my eye off the ball at the wrong time. It was a great punt and I just need to get back and square up on the ball.""
A 10-10 tie at halftime was something the Badgers could have hoped for before the game, but after a solid first quarter Wisconsin seemed to be deflated after giving up the lead.
From there, Wisconsin never seemed to be in the game, and their last chance at gaining some momentum may have come early in the third quarter when a deflected pass bounced right into the arms of senior defensive back Roderick Rogers but was dropped.
""If we had made that pick you never know how our offense would have reacted off of that,"" Bielema said. ""Turnovers change the course of the game and we unfortunately weren't able to do that in the second half.""
The 27-13 final score really doesn't give testament to how Wisconsin played against the No. 6 team in the nation.
In their first real test of the season, the defense continued to show signs of dominance. Despite being beaten twice for touchdowns, Langford held Manningham in check for most of the game. If he can do that against Manningham, he should be able to do it against anyone left on the Badgers' schedule this season.
Wisconsin knew they had to play mistake-free football in order to win, and in the end they knew they hadn't accomplished their goal.
""You definitely can't make mistakes,"" Hampton said. ""Playing a big team like this we have to be on point and on our assignments.""
Putting things in perspective, the Badgers knew beating Michigan was possible but not likely. While Bielema's ""1-0"" motto has turned into an 0-1 start in the Big Ten, things aren't that bad for UW.
Hampton summed it up after the game: ""There are a lot of positives. We know we made a lot of mistakes and we know we should have been in this game. If you can run with the No. 6 team in the country, that's saying a lot.""
