Michigan Fends Off UMass, 42-37

From WolverineHistorian, extensive highlights of Michigan's 42-37 victory against UMass on Saturday:

If you want to watch strictly the offense, below is a video of every offensive snap by Michigan from the game.

Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez was apparently as impressed with UMass' play as the rest of us were. The Wolverines' coach visited the Minutemen's locker room after the game and offered his personal congratulations, via Lisa Byington:

Rodriguez went into umass lockerroom afterward to congratulate them. "I don't do that very often"

UMass gashed his Michigan defense for 439 yards and 37 points, almost pulling another epic upset. But Michigan was able to hold on behind Michael Shaw's three touchdown day, 42-37.

Ann Arbor, MI (Sports Network) – Denard Robinson threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran for a score, as 20th-ranked Michigan shook off a sluggish start and eventually held on a 42-37 victory over Massachusetts at Michigan Stadium.

The Wolverines (3-0), coming off a dramatic last-minute win over Notre Dame last week, trailed by 10 late in the first half, but scored twice in the span of 61 seconds before the intermission then added two scores to start the second half before holding off a late UMass rally.

Robinson, who established himself as an early Heisman Trophy candidate following his school record of 502 yards of total offense last week, finished with 104 rushing yards on 17 carries and 241 passing yards on Saturday. He completed 10-of-14 throws and was intercepted once.

Michael Shaw ran for 126 yards and three touchdowns for the Wolverines, who will finish their non-conference schedule next week at home against Bowling Green before opening the Big Ten slate on October 2 at Indiana.

Kyle Havens threw for 222 yards with a pair of late scores and Jonathan Hernandez ran for 114 yards with two touchdowns for Massachusetts (2-1), which is ranked 16th in the Football Championship Subdivision. Havens also ran for a touchdown for the Minutemen, who scored 20 fourth-quarter points to make it interesting.

Michigan trailed 17-7 with just 1:17 left in the half after Hernandez scored for UMass on a nine-yard run, but the Wolverines answered with a pair of touchdowns to take a 21-17 lead to the break.

On the first play after the kickoff following the Hernandez score, Robinson threw a quick hitch to Darryl Stonum, who wove his way through the UMass defense for a 66-yard score. Jordan Kovacs then forced and recovered a fumble on the Minutemen’s second play from scrimmage, giving Michigan the ball back at its own 45 with 45 seconds left. Robinson quickly found Junior Hemingway with a 36-yard pass and again hit Stonum for a nine-yard touchdown with just 16 seconds to play before the intermission.

The Wolverines took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove 69 yards on six running plays for another score. Robinson had three carries during the series, which Shaw finished with a 34-yard run through a gaping hole in the middle of the UMass line.

Michigan got the ball back at its own six after a punt and Robinson engineered a 94-yard drive for another touchdown. Robinson and Stonum hooked up for 46 yards to key the eight-play march and the sophomore quarterback scored on an eight-yard run to give the Wolverines a 35-17 advantage.

UMass didn’t quit and drove 70 yards in 15 plays for a touchdown. Havens scored on a seven-yard run just over a minute into the fourth quarter to pull the Minutemen within 11, but Shaw ripped off a 50-yard run on the first play after the ensuing kickoff and capped a five-play, 72-yard drive with a four- yard scoring run to restore Michigan’s 18-point margin.

Havens was picked off on the next series by Cameron Gordon, but he fumbled on the return and the Minutemen recovered. Havens took advantage of the second chance and threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Julian Talley. The two-point try failed, but the Minutemen followed by blocking a Michigan punt and Havens threw a seven-yard scoring pass to Andrew Krevis to make it a five-point game with just 2:05 remaining.

The ensuing onside kickoff went out of bounds and Michigan was able to run out the clock.

UMass took the opening kickoff and drove 53 yards for a 29-yard field goal from Caleb Violette, then picked off Robinson on Michigan’s first offensive series and took over near midfield. A holding penalty quickly halted the momentum and the Minutemen were forced to punt.

The kick pinned the Wolverines at their own seven-yard line, but Robinson atoned for his early mistake with a 93-yard scoring drive. A 43-yard pass to Kelvin Grady set up a first down at the five and Shaw scored from the one just two plays later to give Michigan a 7-3 edge.

UMass responded with a nine-play, 67-yard drive for the go-ahead score. Havens completed each of his four passes during the march and Hernandez finished it with a 10-yard run for a touchdown in the first minute of the second quarter.

Michigan couldn’t take advantage of a kickoff out of bounds and a 20-yard run on the first play from scrimmage, as Robinson lost yardage on two of the next three plays to force a punt. The Minutemen then had to punt and nearly came up with a huge turnover when Jeremy Gallon fumbled on the return, but the Wolverines were able to recover at their own 16.

Robinson led the Michigan offense to the UMass 21, but Seth Broekhuizen missed a 38-yard field goal try and the Minutemen answered with a 79-yard drive that ended with Hernandez’s second scoring run of the half.

Michigan totaled 525 yards of offense a week after accumulating 532 offensive yards against Notre Dame…Stonum finished with just three catches for 121 yards…Havens completed 22-of-29 passes…This was the first-ever meeting between the schools.

The UMass Marching Band experienced a shocking loss on its way to Ann Arbor, as its director, 57-year-old George N. Parks, died on Thursday following a performance in Ohio. The band made a stop to perform before continuing its trip to Ann Arbor, and Parks suddenly died of what is being called an "apparent heart attack."

A nationally recognized band leader, Parks' charismatic persona inspired thousands of band members who devoted endless hours to drills, practices, road trips and public performances while also pursuing their academic studies.

"This is an extraordinary loss," wrote Chancellor Robert Holub and James Staros in an e-mail to the campus community. "George's devotion to excellence, his creativity and his passion for teaching inspired us all and shaped the lives of thousands of students during the three decades that he directed The Power and Class of New England. Truly, he represented the best of UMass."

Under Park's leadership, the band received the Louis C. Sudler Trophy, the nation's top marching band honor, from the John Philip Sousa Foundation in 1998. Last year, the band was named one of the best in the country by the website Bleacher Report.

Before UMass' band performs its pre-game show, a moment of silence will be held to honor Parks. Another moment of silence will be held to honor former Michigan great Ron Kramer, who died last week.

On the eve of UMass' game against the Michigan Wolverines, the Minutemen got a chance to check out Michigan Stadium. Many of the players on the team had their cameras out and appeared to be in awe as they took in the Big House, the largest stadium they will ever play a football game in. One player, however, wasn't all that impressed. Not only did he take a dig at the Big House, but he made a confident prediction about tomorrow's game (video at the end of the post).

"We're about to shock the world," said Bailey.

"We talk junk, we look pretty and we hit hard," said Bailey. "That's the motive for today and tomorrow. Get this victory."

Bailey saved his best zinger for the stadium itself, the 110,000-seater that's the biggest football stadium in the country, and one if the most iconic.

"It's actually not that big either. This should not be The Big House, this should be the Little House on the Prairie."

I don't have a problem with what Ke'Mon Bailey said, as you expect a football player to be confident no matter what the situation is. That said, it's probably not the best idea in the world to be making statements about shocking the world and how Michigan Stadium should be called the "Little House on the Prairie" the day before the game.

You can bet that Michigan coaches will make all of the players aware of Bailey's comments before Saturday's game, giving them an added motivation to blow UMass out of the stadium. Sometimes it can be tough to get up for games like this against so-called "cupcakes," but if Michigan was lacking any motivation, I think Bailey just gave them a big reason to be prepared to do battle just as if Notre Dame was the opposing team. That's not to say Michigan wasn't already prepared, but I think Bailey gave all of the Wolverines an added incentive to light up the scoreboard on Saturday.

(Preview from The Sports Network)

GAME NOTES: The Michigan Wolverines are starting to make believers out of everyone following two straight wins to begin the 2010 campaign. Rich Rodriguez's 20th-ranked Wolverines will put their new ranking on the line this weekend, as they welcome one of the nation's top FCS programs to Ann Arbor in the Massachusetts Minutemen.

Behind the explosive play of quarterback Denard Robinson, Michigan has opened the season with wins over UConn (30-10) and Notre Dame (28-24) and looks to close out its non-conference slate with wins over UMass this week and Bowling Green next week.

Kevin Morris' Minutemen are not your average FCS program, as the team comes into this contest ranked 16th in the country. UMass has also opened the season with a pair of victories, topping both William & Mary (27-23) and Holy Cross (31-7) in Amherst.

This marks the first time these two teams have met on the gridiron.

The Minutemen pose a challenge to any defense thanks to their balanced offensive attack. The team is averaging 481.5 yards per game, moving the chains with ease both on the ground (223.5 ypg) and through the air (258.0 ypg). Senior quarterback Kyle Havens couldn't have gotten off to a much better start, completing 64.5 percent of his passes, for 516 yards, with three TDs and no interceptions. Havens' top target in the passing game has been senior Anthony Nelson, who has already grabbed 13 balls, for 181 yards and one score.

The ground game is fueled by a two-headed monster of Jonathan Hernandez and John Griffin. Hernandez is averaging 101.5 yards per game on 5.1 yards per carry. Griffin is netting four yards a clip and is putting up 77.5 yards per game. The pair have combined for all five of the team's rushing scores to date.

Thus far, UMass has been strong against both the run (76.5 ypg) and the pass (195.5 ypg), but that has had a lot to do with the competition, or lack thereof. The Minutemen with certainly have their hands full with the Wolverines this weekend. Mike Mele is the team's top tackler through two games with 17 stops. However, All-American LB Tyler Holmes has been this team's biggest playmaker, posting 16 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, one sack, two INTs and one forced fumble.

The Wolverines are undefeated on the young season because of the super human play of Denard Robinson. The young QB is way out in front in terms of the Heisman race, as he leads the nation in rushing with 455 yards, averaging 227.5 yards per game. Robinson is averaging a gaudy 8.0 yards per carry single-handedly led the Wolverines to victory in South Bend last week, with an astounding 502 yards of total offense. When he isn't running all over the field, Robinson is completing nearly 70 percent of his passes, for 430 yards, with two TDs.

It was a late drive capped off by a short plunge by Robinson that gave the Wolverines the win in South Bend.

"After the ball was snapped I started making my reads: from the tackle to the guard to the center. I didn't really focus on anything else. I saw everyone flowing over top and when I cut back it was wide open. It was me and one guy and we had to see who was the better guy."

Although he has been a one-man wrecking machine thus far, Robinson will eventually need help from players like WRs Martavious Odoms (nine receptions, for 114 yards) and Roy Roundtree (nine receptions, for 81 yards).

The Wolverines have some playmakers on the defensive side of the ball as well, led by veteran linebacker Jonas Mouton. The 6-2, 240-pound fifth-year senior has racked up 21 tackles in the first two games, along with one interception. Strong safety Jordan Kovacs isn't far behind in tackles (16) and also has one INT to his credit. Middle linebacker Obi Ezeh (13 tackles, one fumble recovery) is another veteran off to a fast start.

Six FCS schools have knocked off FBS schools this season already. While UMass is a solid program, the Minutemen aren't likely to add to that total, especially with the way that Robinson is moving the chains.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Michigan 36, Massachusetts 10