Michigan
Spring Game
Maize Team Prevails in Spring Game after Goal-Line Stand
4/1/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
» After each team scored a touchdown on its opening possession, the defenses locked down and sent the teams into the halftime break tied, 7-7.
» The Maize team took a 14-7 lead on the first possession of the second half and then forced a failed two-point conversion as time expired to hang on to a 14-13 win.
» Wilton Speight led the Maize team with 46 yards and a touchdown, while John O'Korn led the Blue team with 93 yards and a rushing touchdown in his first action in a Michigan uniform.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Michigan Stadium)
Event: Michigan Football Spring Game presented by PNC Bank
Score: Maize 14, Blue 13
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Sept. 3 -- vs. Hawaii (Michigan Stadium), Time TBA
• Boxscore (PDF) | Photo Gallery
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan football team held its annual Spring Game presented by PNC Bank on Friday evening (April 1) inside Michigan Stadium. The Maize team -- which donned white jerseys -- defeated the Blue team, 14-13, after a thrilling goal-line stand on the final play of the game. Junior quarterback Wilton Speight completed 5-of-6 passes for 46 yards and a touchdown and added 19 yards and a touchdown on two carries to lead the Maize team.
With the win, the Maize team earned a steak dinner, and the Blue team will settle for hot dogs, carrying on a tradition first established by legendary coach Bo Schembechler.
The Blue team found itself on its own 15-yard line and trailing by a touchdown, 14-7, with 2:26 to play in the contest. After sitting out much of the second half, senior quarterback John O'Korn reentered the game and found senior wide receiver Jack Wangler for 26 yards on first down. Five plays later, O'Korn converted a fourth-and-5 play to Wangler to keep the drive alive. O'Korn then found senior quarterback Shane Morris, who had lined up at wide receiver, down the right sideline for 25 yards to get down to the Maize 13-yard line.
After a roughing penalty moved the ball to the Maize six-yard line, O'Korn capped the drive with a touchdown scramble, diving for the goal line as the defense collapsed on him. The Blue team went for two and the win on the ensuing play, and the Maize team held strong to stuff junior fullback Henry Poggi at the one yard-line to preserve the victory.
Five different Wolverines saw time at quarterback, with O'Korn, Morris and sophomore Alex Malzone taking snaps for the Blue team. Speight and true freshman Brandon Peters had reps for the Maize team. O'Korn finished the game 6-of-14 for 93 yards and added a touchdown on the ground. Senior running back Ty Isaac led all rushers with 78 yards on 10 carries for the Maize team. In spite of the losing score line, the Blue team outgained the Maize team, 250-186. Maize finished with an edge in rushing yards, 104-73.
The Blue team opened the game with a 15-play scoring drive that covered 70 yards in 7:12, running down all but 48 seconds of the first quarter clock. After picking up a pair of first downs with his feet, O'Korn found junior wide receiver Drake Harris for 29 yards down the right side to get to the Maize 11-yard line. Three plays later, O'Korn tossed a screen pass to Morris, who then threw across the field to senior running back Drake Johnson for the first score of the game.
The Maize team answered with a touchdown of its own on the next possession. After being forced into an early third down, Speight found sophomore wide receiver Grant Perry on a comeback route for 14 yards, and then Isaac busted a 29-yard run down the right sideline to get to the Blue 13. Speight capped the eight-play, 65-yard scoring drive with a touchdown strike to senior tight end Jake Butt to tie the score at 7-7 with 5:27 to play in the second quarter.
Both defenses held strong for the remainder of the half, highlighted by an interception from senior safety Dymonte Thomas in the back of the end zone for the Maize team.
The Maize team broke the deadlock on its first possession of the second half, capping an 11-play, 70-yard scoring drive with a six-yard bootleg scramble on fourth-and-1 by Speight.
Today's spring game served as the concluding event of the Wolverines' 2016 spring practices. Michigan will open the 2016 season against Hawaii on Sept. 3 inside Michigan Stadium.
Postgame Notes
• Senior quarterback John O'Korn started for the Blue team. This is his first game action as a Wolverine since transferring from Houston. He had to sit out last season due to NCAA transfer regulations. He completed for 6-of-14 passes for 93 yards and rushed for a six-yard touchdown.
• Quarterback Shane Morris played quarterback and wide receiver.
• Sophomore quarterback Alex Malzone completed a 49-yard pass.
• Junior quarterback Wilton Speight started for the Maize team; he played in two games last season against Minnesota and Ohio State (Oct. 31, 2015, Nov. 26, 2015). Speight had five completions and 40 passing yards to go with one passing touchdown.
• Five of the seven of the early enrollees saw game action (Brandon Peters, Carlo Kemp, Kareem Walker, Ahmir Mitchell and Kingston Davis).
• Senior safety Dymonte Thomas recorded an interception.
• Junior tight end Ian Bunting had a game high of 53 receiving yards.
• Junior corner back Brandon Watson and senior linebacker Mike McCray each recorded seven tackles; both were game high.
• Senior running back Ty Isaac had a game-high 83 all-purpose yards. His longest rush of the game was 30 yards.
• Sophomore Zach Gentry, who made the transition from quarterback to tight end, hauled in his first career reception (19 yards).
• Across the two teams, 14 different players caught at least one pass.
