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Minus Hart, Michigan gets big road win over Illinois

Oct 21, 2007 - 5:27 AM CHAMPAIGN, Illinois (Ticker) -- Already without the nation's leading rusher, Michigan survived the entire third quarter without starting quarterback Chad Henne to get a big road win.

Carlos Brown ran for 113 yards on 25 carries and Henne fought through shoulder problems to throw for 201 yards and two touchdowns, as 24th-ranked Michigan posted a 27-17 victory over Illinois in a Big Ten conference matchup on Saturday.

Mario Manningham caught nine passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns for the Wolverines (6-2, 4-0 Big Ten), who won their sixth game in a row following an 0-2 start.

Michigan running back Mike Hart, who has rushed for 1,078 yards in seven games, did not play after spraining his right ankle in last week's victory over Purdue.

Henne missed an offensive possession midway through the first quarter after injuring his throwing shoulder but returned to finish the first half. The senior quarterback then did not play for the entire third quarter but came back onto the field when the final quarter began.

"At the half, we were just hoping he would be able to return at some point," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "He played with a lot of discomfort. ... The only word to describe Henne is courageous. He did something (nobody) on this team will (ever) forget."

With the score tied at 17-17 midway through the fourth quarter, a fumbled punt return gave Michigan the ball on the Illinois 13-yard line, and the Wolverines took advantage on a trick play.

Wide receiver Adrian Arrington took a reverse running to the right and threw a perfect pass to lead Manningham in the right side of the end zone, giving Michigan a 24-17 lead with 8:12 remaining.

"I was thinking I was going to run it the whole time but then I saw Mario and I knew I had to throw it to him," Arrington said.

K.C. Lopata added a 39-yard field goal with 3:49 left to give the Wolverines some breathing room.

Illinois (5-3, 3-2) managed just 116 yards through the air and lost to Michigan for the sixth straight time.

The Illini started the game quickly, taking a 7-0 lead just 56 seconds into the contest.

After a 63-yard kickoff return to the Michigan 33, Juice Williams hit Jacob Willis for a 26-yard touchdown on just the second play of the game.

Lopata kicked a 25-yard field goal for Michigan, cutting the deficit to 7-3 with 1:21 left in the first quarter.

Illinois added to their lead when Daniel Dufrene capped a 13 play, 90-yard drive with an eight-yard touchdown run. The score gave the Illini a 14-3 lead with 9:58 left in the second quarter.

"We had opportunities to win the game," Illinois coach Ron Zook said. "We let it slip away from us."

The Wolverines answered less than two minutes later when Henne hit Manningham for an eight-yard touchdown, trimming the deficit to 14-10.

Henne threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Arrington with 45 seconds remaining in the first half to give the Wolverines a 17-14 lead at the break.