SB Nation Chicago - Northwestern vs. Michigan: Wildcats fall in OT to Wolverineshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48877/chicago-fave.png2012-11-11T09:40:38-06:00http://chicago.sbnation.com/rss/stream/33769072012-11-11T09:40:38-06:002012-11-11T09:40:38-06:00Tipped Hail Mary breaks Northwestern hearts
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<p>Michigan needed a Hail Mary and a heavy dose of luck Saturday to beat Northwestern and break the hearts of every Wildcats fan.</p> <p>Northwestern left Michigan with only the tiniest sliver of hope Saturday, and somehow, the Wolverines took advantage to defeat the Wildcats in overtime, 38-31.</p>
<p>With 18 seconds left, Northwestern punted to give Michigan the ball on their own 33-yard line, needing only to keep the Wolverines out of field goal range. On the first play of the drive, Michigan converted a tipped Hail Mary to move within the Northwestern 10-yard line. They converted the field goal, tied the game and won in overtime.</p>
<p>Rodger Sherman of SB Nation's Northwestern blog, <a href="http://www.sippinonpurple.com/northwestern-wildcats-football/2012/11/11/3629900/northwestern-michigan-recap-football/in/3381923">Sippin' on Purple</a>, put it best, saying, "Brutal. Just absolutely, positively brutal."</p>
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<p>Northwestern played Russian Roulette with a 1,000 barrel revolver and a single bullet, and yet here we are, sweeping their brains off the floor. We looked around and said "you can't be serious!", and whoever "you" is, he wanked aggressively and confirmed to us that he was. He was and remains completely serious, and every second we are closer to dying is his new favorite second.</p>
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<p>Northwestern played well enough to win on both sides of the football, as they outgained the Michigan offense and forced two turnovers compared to Michigan's one.</p>
<p>The loss drops Northwestern to 7-3 on the season, 3-3 in the Big Ten. They'll look to rebound from this heartbreaking loss on the road next Saturday against the Michigan State Spartans.</p>
https://chicago.sbnation.com/2012/11/11/3630760/michigan-northwestern-2012-reactionJack Cassidy2012-11-10T15:01:13-06:002012-11-10T15:01:13-06:00Northwestern loses heartbreaker in OT, 38-31
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<figcaption>US Presswire</figcaption>
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<p>The Michigan Wolverines pulled out an improbable 38-31 overtime victory over the No. 24 Northwestern Wildcats. </p> <p><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/113843/devin-gardner" class="sbn-auto-link">Devin Gardner's</a> 1-yard touchdown run gave the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/michigan-wolverines" class="sbn-auto-link">Michigan Wolverines</a> an improbable 38-31 overtime victory over the No. 24 <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/northwestern-wildcats" class="sbn-auto-link">Northwestern Wildcats</a> in a key Big Ten contest. The win put the Wolverines one-half game ahead of Nebraska in the Legends Division.</p>
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<p>Trailing by three with 18 seconds left, Gardner, playing for the second straight week in place of the injured <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/76856/denard-robinson" class="sbn-auto-link">Denard Robinson</a>, hit <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/36722/roy-roundtree" class="sbn-auto-link">Roy Roundtree</a> on a miracle 53-yard heave to keep Michigan alive. The Wolverines quickly spiked the ball, setting up a 26-yard field goal by <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/76867/brendan-gibbons" class="sbn-auto-link">Brendan Gibbons</a> to send the game to overtime.</p>
<p>With starting quarterback <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/114053/kain-colter" class="sbn-auto-link">Kain Colter</a> briefly on the sideline nursing an ankle injury, Northwestern backup <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/114052/trevor-siemian" class="sbn-auto-link">Trevor Siemian</a> threw a 15-yard touchdown strike to Tony Jones with 3:59 left. The Wildcats appeared to salt the game away with an interception of Gardner before the Hail Mary saved the day for the Wolverines.</p>
<p>Northwestern got on the board first, marching 78 yards in 10 plays on their opening possession to grab a 7-0 lead. Michigan (6-4, 4-2 Big Ten) responded quickly with an identical 10-play, 78-yard drive of their own. The Wolverines took a 14-7 lead midway through the second quarter off a Northwestern turnover, but the Wildcats tied the game up in the final minute of the half.</p>
<p>Northwestern started the second half like they started the first, going 75 yards in 10 plays to take a 21-14 lead. That lead would increase to 24-14 before Michigan scored 14 unanswered to momentarily take the lead.</p>
<p><b>Box Score Hero:</b> Gardner went 16-of-29 passing for 286 yards and two scores. He also rushed for 47 yards and two scores.</p>
<p><b>Rankings Ramifications: </b>Northwestern entered the game No. 24 in the BCS rankings and will likely fall out with the loss. Neither team was ranked in the AP Poll, but Michigan could enter the rankings with the win.</p>
<p><b>But Did They Cover? </b>Michigan was an 8-point favorite, so they did not cover.</p>
<p><b>For More On This Game: </b>For more on Michigan, head over to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.maizenbrew.com/">Maize n Brew</a>. For more on Northwestern, check out <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sippinonpurple.com/">Sippin' On Purple</a>.</p>
<p><b>Next Week's Schedule: </b>Michigan will host the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/iowa-hawkeyes" class="sbn-auto-link">Iowa Hawkeyes</a>. Northwestern will travel to East Lansing to take on the Michigan State Spartans.</p>
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https://chicago.sbnation.com/northwestern-wildcats/2012/11/10/3628096/northwestern-vs-michigan-final-score-recapJason Patt2012-11-10T13:24:10-06:002012-11-10T13:24:10-06:00Northwestern leads 24-21 after 3rd quarters
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<p>Since falling behind by a touchdown in the second quarter, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/northwestern-wildcats">Northwestern Wildcats</a> have battled back to take control of their game Saturday against Michigan, and now lead 24-21 heading into the fourth quarter.</p>
<p>For the Wildcats, it was a productive third quarter, thanks in large part to quarterback <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/114053/kain-colter">Kain Colter</a>. The junior quarterback threw his second touchdown of the game to open the second half, hitting <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/160024/dan-vitale">Dan Vitale</a> for a 23-yard score. Kicker Jeff Budzien added a field goal later in the third to give the Wildcats a 10-point lead.</p>
<p>But before Northwestern could get too comfortable, Michigan came back to cut their lead to the current three point margin. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/113843/devin-gardner">Devin Gardner</a> hit Fitzgerald Touissaint out of the backfield, and the running back did the rest, taking the ball 23 yards for the score. Toussaint's score cut the Northwestern lead to 24-21.</p>
<p>For Northwestern, Saturday is a must-win game if they hope to keep their Big Ten title hopes alive. The Wildcats trail both Nebraska and Michigan by one game in the Legends Division standings, and a loss would eliminate them from any chance of playing in the conference title game.</p>
https://chicago.sbnation.com/2012/11/10/3627942/northwestern-michigan-game-score-updateAaron Torres2012-11-10T12:24:04-06:002012-11-10T12:24:04-06:00Northwestern tied with Michigan at the half
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<p>A quick start and a quick finish to the first half have allowed Northwestern to go into halftime tied with Michigan at 14-14.</p>
<p>Things started off promising for the Wildcats, which entered Saturday at 4-1 in Big Ten play, and in need of a win to stay alive in the conference championship race. Northwestern got on the board early in the first quarter, thanks to a <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/114071/venric-mark" class="sbn-auto-link">Venric Mark</a> touchdown run. It capped a 10-play drive, that spanned 78 yards.</p>
<p>Maybe more impressive though was Northwestern's touchdown before the half to tie things up at 14. It came on a six-play, 56-yard drive, which spanned just 1:28. The drive ended with a beautiful Kain Culter touchdown pass to <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/114052/trevor-siemian" class="sbn-auto-link">Trevor Siemian</a>.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Michigan has had little trouble moving the ball on Northwestern as well. The Wolverines scored in the first quarter on an 8-yard touchdown run by <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/113843/devin-gardner" class="sbn-auto-link">Devin Gardner</a> and followed it up with a 1-yard run by <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/134813/thomas-rawls" class="sbn-auto-link">Thomas Rawls</a> for their second score of the game.</p>
<p>Gardner, who is starting the second straight game for the injured <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/76856/denard-robinson" class="sbn-auto-link">Denard Robinson</a> has been impressive, with 76 yards and another 48 rushing.</p>
https://chicago.sbnation.com/2012/11/10/3627706/northwestern-michigan-game-score-updateAaron Torres2012-11-10T11:37:30-06:002012-11-10T11:37:30-06:00Northwestern tied with Michigan after 1st quarter
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<p>After one quarter, Northwestern and Michigan are tied at 7-7 in a crucial Big Ten Legends Division showdown.</p>
<p>For Northwestern, the visitors got the scoring started early, thanks to the talented Venric Mark. The running back carried the ball five times on the Wildcats' opening drive for 20 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown score to put the Wildcats up 7-0.</p>
<p>Michigan wouldn't take long to respond though.</p>
<p>On their next drive, the Wolverines, who are without <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/76856/denard-robinson" class="sbn-auto-link">Denard Robinson</a> for the second straight week due to an elbow injury, were led down the field by backup quarterback <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/113843/devin-gardner" class="sbn-auto-link">Devin Gardner</a>. Gardner completed five of his seven passes on the drive for 57 yards, then used his feet for the final few. Gardner's 8-yard touchdown run tied things at 7-7.</p>
<p>This is a particularly important game for the Wildcats, who at 3-2 in the Big Ten, trail both Nebraska an Michigan (4-1 apiece) in the Legends Division standings.</p>
https://chicago.sbnation.com/2012/11/10/3627570/northwestern-michigan-game-score-updateAaron Torres2012-11-07T08:12:13-06:002012-11-07T08:12:13-06:00Wildcats need victory to keep division hopes alive
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<p>Northwestern will need to earn an important road win on Saturday if it hopes to remain in the Legends Division title picture.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/northwestern-wildcats">Northwestern Wildcats</a> travel to Ann Arbor on Saturday to face their Legends Division rival, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/michigan-wolverines">Michigan Wolverines</a>. Northwestern will need to win this game to keep realistic division title hopes alive.</p>
<p>Michigan Wolverines are currently tied with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/nebraska-cornhuskers">Nebraska Cornhuskers</a> for first place in the Legends Division, and the Northwestern Wildcats currently sit one game behind both teams. If Michigan defeats Northwestern on Saturday, the Wildcats would need the Wolverines to lose out in order to jump them in the division. Therefore, Saturday's game in Ann Arbor is essentially a must-win for Northwestern.</p>
<p>Michigan quarterback <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/76856/denard-robinson">Denard Robinson</a> sat out last week against Minnesota, but the Wolverines still won handily, defeating the Golden Gophers, 35-13. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/113843/devin-gardner">Devin Gardner</a> had a strong game filling in for Robinson, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another. Michigan coach Brady Hoke<a href="http://espn.go.com/ncf/preview?id=323150130" target="_blank"> is encouraged</a> by the progress the senior quarterback has made, and appears hopeful that Robinson will start for the Wolverines.</p>
<p>Northwestern will need to run the ball successfully to beat Michigan, and the game looks favorable for the Wildcats. The Northwestern offense is 13th in the nation in total yards, averaging 236.4 yards per game, while the Michigan rush defense has been suspect, surrendering 143.2 yards per game.</p>
<p><b>Game Time:</b> Noon ET</p>
<p><b>TV: </b>ESPN</p>
<p><b>Odds: </b>Michigan -13</p>
https://chicago.sbnation.com/2012/11/7/3612772/northwestern-vs-michigan-wildcats-need-road-victory-againstConnor Moylan