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Michigan rallies to beat Minnesota without Henne, Hart

Oct 28, 2007 - 12:40 AM ANN ARBOR, Michigan (Ticker) -- No Chad Henne and no Mike Hart meant no problem for Michigan.

Freshman quarterback Ryan Mallett shook off a shaky start and wide receiver Mario Manningham posted his fifth straight 100-yard game to lead the Wolverines to a 34-10 Big Ten Conference victory over Minnesota.

Michigan spotted the Golden Gophers a 10-0 lead before running off 34 unanswered points in the 89th rendition of the "Little Brown Jug" - the oldest trophy game in college football history.

Despite having quarterback Henne and career leading rusher Hart sidelined with injuries, the Wolverines (7-2, 5-0 Big Ten) notched their seventh consecutive victory while sending reeling Minnesota (1-8, 0-5) to its seventh straight defeat.

Manningham was a big reason why, hauling in five receptions for 163 yards and a touchdown - including a 40-yard scoring pass from Mallett that put Michigan in charge, 27-10, just 89 seconds into the final quarter.

Mallett finished 11-of-20 for 233 yards and the touchdown.

"That's all about the evolution of a young quarterback," Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr said of Mallett. "I think he hung in there. After you fumble the football and it goes for a touchdown, it's easy to pack it in and feel sorry for yourself. He fought back and did some great things. He made some great deep throws."

Brandon Minor rushed for 159 yards and one touchdown and Carlos Brown added 137 yards and two TDs as Michigan extended its domination in the Little Brown Jug to 65-22-2.

It was the first time Michigan had two backs gainst 100 yards since Hart and Minor turned the trick against Ball State on November 4, 2006.

"We've known all along there were two quality backs behind Mike Hart," Carr said. "They both showed more signs of progress. We're real pleased. Their confidence is going to grow by leaps and bounds."

The Wolverines had trouble moving the ball in the first half without Henne and Hart.

Their replacements, Mallett and Brown, each committed a turnover early as the Golden Gophers jumped out to a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter.

On the first play of the second quarter, strong safety Dominique Barber scooped up a fumble by Mallett and returned it 46 yards for a touchdown and a 10-0 lead. Mallett was not touched on the play and simply lost control of the snap as he started to roll left.

"We were ecstatic," Minnesota junior linebacker Deon Hightower said. "Guys were making plays. The best thing on the road is silence and they (Michigan fans) were quiet in the first half."

Mallett rebounded from the miscue on the next series, hitting Adrian Arrington with a 24-yard pass to set up a 42-yard field goal by K.C. Lopata that cut the deficit to 10-3 with 10:15 left in the half.

A momentum-changing turnover on the next possession showed why Minnesota entered on a six-game losing streak.

Freshman quarterback Adam Weber coughed the ball up - the Gophers' 24th turnover of the season - and defensive end Brandon Graham recovered at Michigan's 37.

Mallett then hooked up with Manningham on a 44-yard pass to set up Lopata's second field goal, from 26 yards, to pull the Wolverines with 10-6 with 6:16 to go.

After forcing a three-and-out, Michigan went ahead for good as Mallett directed a nine-play, 70-yard drive that was capped by Minor's one-yard run with 2:49 left for a 13-10 lead.

Minor had two rushes for 28 yards and Mallett hit Manningham with a 23-yard pass down the left sideline to set up the score.

Mallett almost gave it back in the final minutes when he was sacked and fumbled on his own 26 but Minor pounced on the loose ball.

"If we had another guy there and we could have scooped and scored, it would have changed things a lot," Golden Gophers coach Tim Brewster said. "I felt great at halftime the way we were playing. We had confidence that we could stop them."

Minor had two rushes for 28 yards and Mallett hit Manningham with a 23-yard pass down the left sideline to set up the score.

Following Weber's fumble, Minnesota punted on its next five possessions - none lasting more than six plays - as Michigan built a 27-10 lead.

Brown capped off the scoring for the Wolverines with an 85-yard TD run with 9 1/2 minutes left in the game.