Michigan
9-1 , 7-0
Northwestern
5-5 , 4-3
Big Second Half Propels Wolverines Past Northwestern
11/13/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 9-ranked Michigan football team put the final touches on its perfect home record (6-0) for the 2004 season with a 42-20 rout over Northwestern on Saturday (Nov. 13) in front of 111,347 fans at Michigan Stadium. The Wolverines scored 35 points in the second half, including 28 straight, to push their Big Ten record to 7-0 (9-1 overall).
| | Breaston had one receiving touchdown, scored a TD on a punt return, and racked up 272 all-purpose yards. |
Freshman Michael Hart (Syracuse, N.Y./Onondaga Central HS) set a career high with three touchdown scores on 151 yards rushing, and Steve Breaston (North Braddock, Pa./Woodland Hills HS) had five catches for 49 yards and one touchdown while also returning a punt for a touchdown.
Quarterback Chad Henne (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson HS) completed 19 of his 26 pass attempts for 187 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Senior Braylon Edwards (Detroit, Mich./Bishop Gallagher HS) made seven catches for 54 yards to become the ninth player in NCAA history -- and first from the Big Ten -- to reach 1,000 yards receiving (1,049) in three consecutive seasons.
Northwestern gained a 3-0 lead at 5:34 of the first quarter as Joel Howells connected on his first career field goal, from 23 yards out. The Wildcats drove 65 yards in 12 plays, highlighted by a Noah Herron 29-yard run on third down from the U-M 43-yard line. Herron ran for 44 yard on five carries during the drive, while quarterback Brett Basanez added four completions for 31 yards passing.
The Wolverines answered at the beginning of the second quarter as running back Hart scored on a 34-yard touchdown run. Hart waited for a hole to clear at the right side of the line before bursting through to the end zone. The run marked Michigan's longest rushing touchdown of the season. The five-play, 57-yard scoring drive covered 2:30 and gave Michigan its first lead of the game, 7-3, with 13:24 remaining in the first half.
Northwestern threatened to score midway through the second quarter, but Pat Massey (Brecksville, Ohio/St. Ignatius HS) blocked a 36-yard field goal attempt by Howells. The block was the second of the season for Massey and stopped a 60-yard drive. The drive featured a 47-yard screen pass from Basanez to tight end Taylor Jones.
The Wildcat defense responded, forcing the Wolverines to punt on their next series. With 2:24 left in the half, the Wildcats' offense picked up where it left off, completing an 11-play, 57-yard drive that was capped off by a Howells 32-yard field goal, bringing the score to 7-6 entering halftime.
In the first 30 minutes of play, the Northwestern offense compiled 196 yards to Michigan's 126. Basanez led the way with 116 passing yards, in addition to Herron's 77 yards rushing. The Northwestern defense did its part by sacking Henne three times.
Michigan came out of the locker room powered by the legs of Hart. The Wolverines took the Northwestern kickoff at their own 18 and drove 82 yards on nine plays in 3:43, ending the drive with a powerful four-yard touchdown run by Hart. The touchdown plunge carried Hart over the century mark, making it his fifth straight game rushing for over 100 yards. It also marked a career high with his second TD of the day. On the drive, Hart amassed 49 yards on seven carries, including a 16-yard run at midfield.
Northwestern responded quickly on the first play of its next drive, a 68-yard touchdown run by Herron. Herron took the ball, cut wide left and out-raced the entire Wolverine defense for the Wildcats' first touchdown of the day. The run set a new season high for Herron.
The Wolverines got the ball back in good field position after a 39-yard Breaston kick return that put the ball at the U-M 40-yard line. Breaston answered the bell again, with two catches for 18 yards on the ensuing drive. With 6:48 remaining in the third quarter, Henne dropped back and connected with Jason Avant (Chicago, Ill./Carver HS) on a corner-fade for a 14-yard touchdown, extending the Michigan lead to 21-13.
On the following drive, Michigan was able to apply pressure to Basanez, forcing a three-and-out. The Wolverine offense took full advantage of good field position by producing another Hart touchdown run. On second-and-six from the NU 15-yard line, Hart took a carry up the middle, followed a crushing block by Jermaine Gonzales (Pontiac, Mich./Orchard Lake St. Mary's HS), shook a linebacker, and barreled his way into the end zone. The 15-yard touchdown scamper gave Hart his third touchdown of the day. With 4:13 left in the third quarter, Michigan led Northwestern 28-13.
After a fake punt that ended in a turnover on downs for Northwestern, the Wolverines offense took over at their own 45-yard line. U-M marched down the field with a 20-yard screen to Hart, followed by a nine-yard run in which Hart spun away from Wildcat defenders and drove his way for a first down. The drive ended on a shallow out-route to Breaston, who beat his defender and extended the ball over the goal line. With 9:49 remaining in the second half, the Wolverines went up 35-14.
Northwestern could not get much going on its following drive and was forced to punt to Breaston. Breaston caught the ball at the U-M 33-yard line, cut up the middle, veered to the right, and sprinted past punter Ryan Pederson 67 yards for the touchdown. Breaston's punt-return touchdown was the third of his career and first of the season, extending Michigan's lead to 42-13.
With 4:48 remaining in the game, Basanez connected on a nine-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Horn. The touchdown capped off a 73-yard, 15-play drive, that lasted 4:26.
In the final minutes of play, a number of Michigan reserves entered the lineup, including senior running backs David Underwood (Madisonville, Texas/Madisonville HS) and Tim Bracken (White Castle, La./St. John HS), and sixth-year senior quarterback Spencer Brinton (Hemet, Calif./Temecula Valley HS/San Diego State). Underwood set a career high with a 46-yard run late in the game.
U-M closes the regular season with the 101st renewal of college football's greatest rivalry, the Michigan-Ohio State game, on Saturday, Nov. 20, at Ohio Stadium. The game between the Wolverines and Buckeyes will be televised by ABC Sports starting at 1 p.m. EST.
Media Contacts: David Ablauf, Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423
Team Stats
NU 3, MICH 0
NU - Howells, Joel 23 yd field goal 12 plays, 64 yards, TOP 5:05
NU 3, MICH 7
MICH - Hart, Michael 34 yd run (Rivas, Garrett kick), 5 plays, 57 yards, TOP 2:38
NU 6, MICH 7
NU - Howells, Joel 32 yd field goal 11 plays, 57 yards, TOP 2:02
NU 6, MICH 14
MICH - Hart, Michael 4 yd run (Rivas, Garrett kick), 9 plays, 82 yards, TOP 3:43
NU 13, MICH 14
NU - Herron, Noah 68 yd run (Howells, Joel kick), 1 plays, 68 yards, TOP 0:18
NU 13, MICH 21
MICH - Avant, Jason 14 yd pass from Henne, Chad (Rivas, Garrett kick) 9 plays, 60 yards, TOP 4:11
NU 13, MICH 28
MICH - Hart, Michael 15 yd run (Rivas, Garrett kick), 5 plays, 47 yards, TOP 1:38
NU 13, MICH 35
MICH - Breaston, Steve 10 yd pass from Henne, Chad (Rivas, Garrett kick) 8 plays, 54 yards, TOP 4:08
NU 13, MICH 42
MICH - Breaston, Steve 67 yd punt return (Rivas, Garrett kick)
NU 20, MICH 42
NU - Horn, Brandon 9 yd pass from Basanez, Brett (Howells, Joel kick) 15 plays, 73 yards, TOP 4:26
