No. 4 MI beats No. 8 Wisconsin 14-7, stays undefeated

MI was able to move the ball a bit against Wisconsin’s stout front seven, but failed to add on to its lead because of two Kenny Allen missed field goals – one from 31 yards and another from 43 on back-to-back drives. Kenneth Allen, who had already missed field-goal attempts of 31 and 43 yards, thwarted UW’s hopes.

Did it matter that the Wolverines got that big win with the help of a fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Wilton Speight to Amara Darboh?

We always have to explore the mind of MI coach Jim Harbaugh first. Now the Badgers (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) get to go after another tough opponent on Saturday at No. 4 MI. This game really doesn’t define our season, so going in 4-1 (before) a bye, I’d take that rather than not having any wins.

Wisconsin (4-1, 1-1) had the ball at its 8 with 2:59 and no timeouts left with a chance to beat a third team ranked in the top 10.

Lewis stayed stride for stride with Badgers receiver George Rushing on a deep route, jumped forward, reached high, snatched the ball with his right hand, came down with it against his thigh, gathered it into his midsection and popped up with the ball. What makes the MI defense so dominate is the fact that they have playmakers at all three levels, and with emergence of Stribling and the depth of the defensive line, MI should continue to improve. The second of those drives ended when Wisconsin quarterback Alex Hornibrook, making his second career start, was intercepted by Channing Stribling.

The Badgers evened the score in the 3rd quarter when quarterback Alex Hornibrook hit Dare Ogunbowale with a 17-yard touchdown pass.

The No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers just didn’t have enough firepower to avoid be extinguished by the No. 4 Michigan Wolverines.

With the Badgers having a bye this weekend, head coach Paul Chryst and his team will be able to focus in on problem areas from this Saturday’s loss and give a roster riddled with injuries a chance to recuperate before they play Ohio State on October 15. He’s going to run strong and they get in position to make a block for him. And Michigan missed another field goal, this time by walk on Ryan Tice.

Michigan’s 14 points represented the second-lowest output under Harbaugh (trailing only last season’s 42-13 loss to Ohio State), but the Wolverines were able to win because the defense suffocated the Badgers for 60 minutes. The Badgers beat LSU and overwhelmed Michigan State, the latter on the road.

Three linebackers-Jack Cichy, T.J. Watt and T.J. Edwards-all recorded double-digits tackles, and they held an offense averaging about 230 yards per game on the ground and 240 through the air to 130 and 219, respectively. The Spartans’ running game, which had looked so good in a win over Notre Dame behind the running of backs LJ Scott and Gerald Holmes, was stifled against Wisconsin, gaining just 75 yards.

“I appreciate the style of football today”, Harbaugh said.

The Wolverines have talent across the board, and Jabrill Peppers is a special player, but you know what MI doesn’t have? Allen is now 4-of-8 on the season. The Wolverines were also plagued by penalties on punts. Boston College, the former home of MI defensive coordinator Don Brown, is first in the nation in total defense at 202.0 yards per game, Florida is second (230.4), Ohio State third (237.8) and Kansas State fourth (239.8). With only three drives in attempt to tie, the Badgers only gained a mere of 14 yards against the MI defense. It does not have a single ranked game until it plays No. 2 Ohio State in “The Game” at Ohio Stadium on November 26.