ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Michigan's offensive surge just before and right after halftime gave the Wolverines enough of an edge Saturday to survive a late rally by the University of Massachusetts football team.
The Minutemen's improbable upset came up just short. They fell 42-37 Saturday at Michigan Stadium before 110,187 fans, the most ever to see a UMass game in any sport.
"We lost to a good Michigan team," Minuteman coach Kevin Morris said. "I thought the UMass kids played extremely hard and tough. But in the end we weren't able to come away with a win. The effort is one thing, but we want to come out with a win in every game we play - even against a good team like Michigan."
• Related story: In tribute to Parks, marching band plays on [1]
Trailing 42-24, the Minutemen dodged a knockout blow when Cam Gordon intercepted quarterback Kyle Havens' pass, but then fumbled it. Julian Talley recovered the fumble at the Wolverines' 35-yard-line. Eight plays later Talley caught a 5-yard TD pass from Havens to cut the UMass deficit to 42-30 with 5 minutes, 15 seconds left in the game after the failed two-point conversion.
The Minuteman defense forced a punt, and senior Scott Duggan - who grew up a Michigan fan - blocked the kick to give UMass the ball at the Wolverine 25. Havens found tight end Andrew Krevis for a 7-yard TD pass with 2:05 remaining and the Minutemen drew within 42-37.
But UMass (2-1), No. 16 in the Football Championship Subdivision, could not execute an onside kick and Michigan (3-0), No. 20 in the AP Football Bowl Subdivision poll, avoided the upset.
Wolverine quarterback Denard Robinson delivered his third game of at least 300 yards of total offense. He completed 10 of 14 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 17 times for 104 yards and a TD.
Michael Shaw carried the ball 12 times for 126 yards and three touchdowns for Michigan.
Junior tailback Jonathan Hernandez led the Minuteman offense with 114 yards and two touchdowns. Havens completed 22 of 29 passes for 222 yards and two TDs.
"It's always disappointing to lose," said UMass senior tailback John Griffin who carried the ball 17 times for 96 yards. "I think we established ourselves, what kind of program we are, but when we have teams up against the ropes like that, we have to capitalize no matter who it is."
UMass moved the ball effectively early and took a 3-0 lead on a 29-yard field goal by Caleb Violette with 10 minutes to play in the first half.
The Minutemen's good fortune continued two plays later as sophomore safety Darren Thellen deflected Robinson's first pass attempt into the hands of teammate Kumar Davis. UMass failed to get a first down, but Violette's punt forced the Wolverines to start on their own 7-yard line.
But Michigan quickly found a rhythm. Robinson did most of the work running and passing before Shaw punched it in from a yard out to put the Wolverines ahead 7-3 with 3:35 left in the first.
UMass regained the lead on the first of two touchdowns by Hernandez, a 10-yard run that made the score 10-7. After the teams traded punts and Michigan missed a field goal, Hernandez added a 9-yard TD scoring run that put the Minutemen up 17-7 with 1:17 left in the first half, leaving college football's biggest venue unusually quiet.
But the Wolverines brought their crowd back to life in one play. Robinson, who entered the game leading the nation in total offense, tossed a short pass to Darryl Stonum out to his right. The receiver slipped two defenders and sprinted for a 66-yard touchdown to bring Michigan within 17-14 with 1:01 left in the half.
With no time-outs, UMass chose to try to regain momentum and attempt a drive instead of letting time run out and going to the locker room with a lead. It proved costly as Wolverine Jordan Kovacs stripped Griffin at the end of a long run and recovered the ball at the Michigan 45.
Sensing the kill, the Wolverines attacked again. Robinson led a five-play, 55- yard drive in 29 seconds. He hit Stonum for another TD from nine yards out with 16 seconds left in the half to give the home team a 21-17 lead and the momentum.
After the kickoff, UMass took a knee with "Hail to the Victors" blaring from the Michigan band.
"That was a big swing in the game, obviously," Morris said. "It certainly affected the game. We had our shots in the second half, but we weren't able to overcome it."
It got worse before it got better for the Minutemen. The Wolverines scored on their first two second-half drives to extend their edge to 35-17. The teams traded touchdowns before Havens' final two TD passes narrowed the deficit.
UMass will travel to Stony Brook, for a 6 p.m. game Sept. 25.
In tribute to Parks, marching band plays on
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Before Saturday's game, there was a moment of silence at Michigan Stadium to honor University of Massachusetts band director George N. Parks, who died at age 57 Thursday following a heart attack he suffered in Ohio.
The public address announcer paid tribute to Parks, whose picture was displayed on both of Michigan's mammoth end-zone scoreboards. Parks, who had directed the Minuteman Marching Band for 33 years, died en route to Michigan after a performance at a high school game in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
• Related story: Paying tribute to leader of UMass 'bandos' [1]
• Obituary: George Parks, UMass band director [2]
The UMass band members chose to continue their trip and play at Michigan Stadium in Parks' honor.
The band received a warm ovation from the Michigan crowd after its one-song pregame show, and again after its halftime and postgame shows.
Thomas P. Hannum, the associate director of the band who led it on Saturday, praised the way the members handled themselves in the wake of the tragedy.
"The whole trip, our ability to continue forward is a tribute to George. There's no doubt in my mind he'd want us here," Hannum said, then paused, smiled and looked toward the sky. "I think he is here."
The bands from both schools dedicated their halftime shows to the memory of Parks.
"We'll go home, try to get some rest and try to plot our course from there," Hannum said. "There are a number of decisions to be made, but we're going to be at all those football games and complete our schedule as planned. There's no question about that."
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