No. 4 Michigan wins defensive battle over No. 8 Wisconsin

The No. 4 Michigan Wolverines welcomed a tough test to The Big House in the No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers. The superb defense led the Wolverines to a 14-7 victory, which marks Michigan’s first win over a Top 10 opponent since 2008.

Michigan jumped on the board first as Khalid Hill pounded the ball into the end zone. The one-yard touchdown with 14:56 left in the first quarter gave the Wolverines a 7-0 lead.

The run game for Michigan was led by De’Veon Smith early in the contest. He ran 17 times for 66 yards, while Ty Isaac took over late with eight carries for 48 yards. True freshman Chris Evans chipped in 43 yards of total offense for the Wolverines.

Kenny Allen, with 9:47 left in the second quarter, missed a field goal from 31 yards out. Believe it or not, Allen missed his second field goal of the game four minutes later and the score remained 7-0. The 43-yard miss was Allen’s fourth missed field goal this season.

The Badgers finally got past the Michigan defense with 8:03 left in the third quarter to tie the game, 7-7. Alex Hornibrook found Dare Ogunbowale streaking in the end zone for the touchdown. The score was set up by Derrick Tindal’s interception, as he took the ball for 46 yards after swiping the ball away.

Even though he did not score a touchdown, the most influential player on the offense end was Corey Clement. The Badgers running back took off 17 times for 68 yards.

Just when it could not get any worse, backup kicker Ryan Trice missed a 40-yard field goal with 2:25 left in the third quarter. The score remained knotted between Michigan and Wisconsin.

Wilton Speight brought his offense to the field and finally made something happen with 7:56 left in the game. Speight threw a 46-yard completion to Amara Darboh in the end zone to give Michigan a 14-7 lead over Wisconsin.

While Speight struggled at times, he ended the game 20-for-32 for 219 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He found Darboh six times for 87 yards and a touchdown. Jehu Chesson, Jake Butt and Grant Perry were other big receivers for Michigan.

As Wisconsin was attempting to drive down the field, Channing Stribling made his second interception of the game. With 2:15 left, Jourdan Lewis made a ridiculous interception to earn Michigan the ball back on offense.

Hornibrook finished the game 9-for-25 through the air for 88 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. His top receiver was Robert Wheelwright, who picked up 46 yards on three catches. Believe it or not, Wisconsin only managed 159 yards of offense against the stellar Michigan defense.

Ultimately, the interception allowed the Wolverines to secure a 14-7 win.