Huskies secure well-deserved 27-17 home win versus Michigan

The Huskies show the Big-Ten what they’re capable of, as they beat the 10th-ranked Wolverines and improve to 4-2 on the season.

Let’s be clear right off the bat – this game was never about gaining revenge for the Huskies, after what happened at the end of last season. There’s just no significant correlation between a week six matchup and playing for a national championship.

At the same time, there would still be some respect deserving if the Huskies could overcome their status of underdogs, and beat a Michigan Wolverines team ranked number 10 in the nation. In fact there were those who firmly believed an upset was entirely feasible, especially with being backed by a passionate Husky Stadium crowd against what is now a Big Ten rival.

In the end, the Huskies pulled off an impressive and well-deserved 27-17 win over the Wolverines. This doubled as their first victory over a ranked opponent when they were unranked, since they beat USC back in 2009.

This also represented the Huskies’ 18th home win in a row. From a historical perspective, this is the most consecutive victories at Husky Stadium in the modern era, dating back to at least 1916.

Huskies start fast

The Huskies came out firing from the word go, as Will Rogers completed a 36-yard pass to Denzel Boston on the very first play of the game down to the Michigan 39. However this early momentum came to nothing, as Grady Gross subsequently missed from 41 yards out, his fifth miss in 12 attempts this season and — rather worryingly — his fourth straight.

Fortunately for Gross his defense was able to stop Michigan’s first drive of the game, after they had crossed midfield. Then the Huskies similarly started their second drive aggressively, with Rogers throwing deep down the middle of the field for a spectacular 39-yard catch by Giles Jackson to the Michigan 34-yard line.

This time though the Huskies’ drive ended more positively, as Boston snagged a Rogers dart in the right corner of the end zone on third and goal from the three, for his eighth touchdown of the season. Together with Gross’ extra point, it was first blood to the Huskies and they were up 7-0 with 2:38 remaining in the opening quarter.

The Huskies dominated the opening 15 minutes overall with a 142-33 advantage in yards and in reality, should have been leading by more than seven points. Regardless, it represented an excellent start versus a supposedly superior Michigan team.

On the Huskies’ first offensive play of the second quarter, Rogers threw a dump-off pass to Keleki Latu, which was turned into a 16-yard gain up to their 42-yard line. Then three plays later, the QB found Jackson with another 16-yard gain, this time for a touchdown to give the Huskies a dream 14-0 advantage after the extra point.

Michigan finally gets going

It was at this point that the Wolverines finally decided to wake up. Starting from their own 25 they stormed down the field, with a surprisingly large contingent of Michigan fans making themselves heard loud and clear.

Michigan finished the drive with a terrific Donovan Edwards 39-yard touchdown run, from a hand-off in the shotgun formation. Just like that the visitors were back in the game at 14-7 with 5:25 remaining in the second quarter, despite being badly outplayed for the majority of the first half.

After stopping the Huskies on their next drive, the re-energized Wolverines again found themselves surging down the field. They were helped in no small part by a 15-yard personal foul penalty against the home side, which moved the ball down inside the 34-yard line.

However, the Huskies defense came through with a crucial stop on third and two from their 26-yard line, stuffing the Wolverines for a one-yard loss. Still, the visitors did hit a 45-yard field goal to close to within 14-10 with 1:49 left in the first half.

Rogers and the offense were able to respond in fine style, after starting in the no-huddle from their own 25-yard line. Key plays on the drive included a 17-yard pass to Rashid Williams and a 16-yard dart to Boston.

More misfortune for Gross

Eventually, the Husky’s drive stalled at the Michigan 11-yard line, and Gross saw his bad run of form continue, as he had his 28-yard field goal attempt blocked. As a result, the Dawgs went into the locker room with a 14-10 lead, which really should have been at least seven, if not 10, points.

The Huskies did still have a strong advantage in yards at 283-163. However, with 122 rushing yards by the Wolverines at the half, there was a concern they were starting to wear the Huskies defense down.

The Wolverines received the ball to begin the second half, and right away, they immediately moved it down the field. A key third-and-10 completion of 22 yards from Jack Tuttle to Amorion Walker took the ball down to the Washington 40-yard line.

The drive ended with the Wolverines taking their first lead of the game, courtesy of an eight-yard touchdown throw from Tuttle to Colston Loveland. With a 17-14 advantage 8:38 into the third quarter, it felt as if the tide was turning, with the spectre of two missed field goals looming large over the home team.

The Husky’s offense desperately needed to react and seemed to do so, as Rogers completed a 17-yard pass to Jackson on second and 17 to their own 47-yard line. However, the drive fizzled out just inside the Michigan side of the field and the home team had to punt.

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The defense keeps the Huskies within striking distance

The defense did what it had to do, which was forced Michigan to a three-and-out. As a result, the Huskies took over possession in good field position at their own 44-yard line, with 4:38 remaining in the third quarter.

Washington efficiently moved the ball down the field, in a drive that continued into the fourth quarter. However, after a first-and-goal from the Michigan 10-yard line, the Huskies couldn’t punch the ball into the end zone.

On the positive side, however, Gross finally broke his streak of five misses by nailing a 28-yard field goal attempt to tie the game at 17-17. Still, in a game where the Huskies had a 355-244 yardage advantage with 13:38 remaining in the fourth, you had to wonder if the missed opportunities would come back to haunt them.

In fairness, the defense then stepped up and forced an important three-and-out on the Wolverines’ following possession. This gave the Huskies possession on their own 32-yard line, with 12:04 left in the fourth quarter.

The Huskies moved the ball into enemy territory, helped by the no-huddle offense and a 15-yard completion to Jeremiah Hunter. However, the dive was ruined after Rogers picked the worst possible time to throw his first interception of the season, at the Michigan 20-yard line with 10:11 left to play.

In theory, that could have been the moment that broke the Huskies. Instead, the defense forced their own first turnover of the game, with a Tuttle fumble giving the home team possession at the Michigan 32-yard line.

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Huskies deservedly get back on top

Now galvanized, Jonah Coleman broke off a 27-yard gain down to the five-yard line for first-and-goal. After having a touchdown overturned on second and goal from the four, Coleman subsequently leapt over the goal-line on third down from the one to regain the lead for the Huskies at 24-17 following the extra point, with 6:22 left to play.

Of course, when you’re only leading by seven points and with time remaining, it’s not necessarily a safe lead. However, the Huskies defense answered the call by picking off Tuttle on Michigan’s next drive.

With the Huskies taking over on the Wolverines’ 41-yard line with 3:24 left, it was all about moving the ball and taking time off the clock. And the home side did just this, as they wound the clock down to just 66 seconds to play and fourth-and-one at the Michigan 15-yard line.

Some might have made the case for the Huskies going for it, but head coach Jedd Fisch made the smart play in getting Gross to hit a 32-yard field goal for a 27-17 lead. Deflated, Michigan saw their chances and the game end at their own 35-yard line.

This time, the yards do count for something

At one point, there must have been flashbacks to last week for some Huskies fans. More specifically, outgaining Rutgers 521-299 in yards in a 21-18 loss.

In the end however, the Huskies were good value for their win, which included a commanding 429-287 advantage in yards. Rogers finished with 271 passing yards on 31 attempts, while Coleman added 80 of the team’s 114 yards on the ground.

Of course it’s still very early in the Fisch regimr and the Huskies’ time in the Big-Ten Conference. However, this is surely the type of win they can build on, offering optimism for the future both short and long-term.

What stood out for you as the main key to the Huskies pulling off their win over the Wolverines? Moving forward, how will this victory help them in dealing with a tough few weeks on the schedule? Let us know in the comments section below.