No. 12 Michigan comes from behind to put down Michigan St.
Michigan trailed Michigan State by 10 points midway through the fourth quarter Saturday, making it deafening in Spartan Stadium.
Mike Hart insisted he started laughing.
"Sometimes, you get your little brother excited when you're playing basketball -- let them get the lead," he said. "And then you come back."
The 12th-ranked Wolverines (No. 15 AP) did just that.
Chad Henne's 31-yard touchdown pass to Mario Manningham with 2:28 left lifted Michigan to a 28-24 win over the Spartans, its sixth straight against the Wolverines' in-state rivals for the first time since the 1970s.
"We were saying all game that they couldn't stop Mario," Henne said. "He was beating their corner every play."
The Spartans, who overcame an 11-point deficit at halftime to make it 24-14 with 7:40 left, drove to the Michigan 34 on the final drive before turning the ball over on downs.
"I thought we had the game, but it slipped away," Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said.
Michigan (8-2, 6-0) has won eight straight since opening the season with a stunning loss to Appalachian State and a rout by Oregon.
Michigan State (5-5, 1-5) has lost five of six after starting the season strong in Dantonio's first season.
"This hurts the most because I felt like we had it," running back Javon Ringer said.
Henne tied a school record with four TDs, the last two in the final 6:47.
"Chad won the game for us," Mike Hart said. "It should quiet the naysayers because no other quarterback could've led a comeback like that."
Henne was 18-of-33 for 211 yards with one interception after missing the previous game with a shoulder injury. Manningham caught eight passes for 129 yards.
Before Henne boarded the bus with his right shoulder wrapped with ice, a reporter asked if the win made him feel any better.
"No," he said. "It really hurts."
Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said Henne didn't throw the ball in practice, but threw some to the trainer Thursday.
"If you want to define courage, one way to do it is mention Chad Henne," Carr said.
Ringer and Jehuu Caulcrick combined for 200-plus yards rushing and three scores, but their efforts went against a trend in the 100th matchup of the rivals separated by about 60 miles.
For just the third time in 38 games, the team that ran for fewer yards won the game.
Michigan State ran for 191 yards, almost doubling Michigan's total.
Mike Hart ran for 110 yards and was limited to 15 carries after missing 2½ games with a sprained right ankle.
Brian Hoyer missed wide-open receivers early in the game, wasting Michigan State's chances to score touchdowns.
"We had missed opportunities we needed to cash in on," offensive coordinator Don Treadwell said.
Hoyer finished 19 of 35 for 161 yards with one TD and an interception.
Ringer ran for 128 yards, including a spectacular 72-yard run to end the third quarter.
He ran to the left and after being spun around by Shawn Crable near the sideline, reversed field and sprinted up the other sideline before being brought down inside the 10 by Crable.
"People who saw this game saw a lot of great plays by a lot of great players," Carr said.
On the next snap, Hoyer threw a 5-yard TD pass to Kellen Davis for a 17-14 lead.
Caulcrick had 84 yards rushing and two scores.
The Wolverines had a scare midway through the fourth quarter when Henne appeared to turn his right ankle, stepping on a teammate's foot, but he only missed one play.
Freshman Ryan Mallett fumbled after his only snap, but Mike Hart helped him out by picking up the ball and running for a first down.
"The turning point was when the ball came out when we blitzed Mallett, and Mike Hart scooped it up," Dantonio said.
Henne ended that drive with a perfectly lofted pass to Greg Mathews to pull Michigan within three points just 48 seconds after the Spartans scored.
Henne drove the Wolverines down the field on their next possession and on third-and-11 connected with a leaping Manningham for the game-winning score.
The Wolverines seemed to be in control in the first half with a 14-3 lead that was closer than the game appeared to be. But they missed Hart's constant presence while the Spartans suddenly started to run the ball effectively after halftime.
Michigan State ran for just 15 yards in the first half, then ran for 137 in the third quarter alone. The Wolverines had 7 yards rushing after halftime.
Caulcrick's 1-yard run in the third and Hoyer's TD pass put the Spartans ahead. Caulcrick's second score gave them a 24-14 lead with 7:40.
After he was hired a year ago, Dantonio had clocks installed that counted down the time left before the Michigan game. Earlier in the week, he challenged his team not to be intimated by the Wolverines.
"I don't think we bowed down," Dantonio said. "We just didn't get it done at the end of the game.
"I give credit to Henne. He went up top and hit it."
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