ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It was a pivotal point in the game for Michigan football as it had to score some points to keep rival MSU at bay.
The Wolverine defense managed to hold the Spartans to just seven points in the first half, despite Aidan Chiles and Nate Carter managing to drive the field with regularity in the early going. Michigan scored nine unanswered points to end the first half and then scored another touchdown to open up the second half.
MSU scored a field goal near the end of the third quarter to cut the lead to six, so going into the fourth quarter, Michigan couldn’t afford to waste a possession, especially another one that started with a relatively short field.
Then it happened. Running back Donovan Edwards took a handoff and ran toward the right sideline, with Spartan defenders crashing in. Then, Edwards stopped in his tracks and tossed the ball up to a wide open Colston Loveland for a 23-yard touchdown to help put Michigan up by 14 with 13 minutes remaining in the game.
“That’s a play that we had in the microwave for quite some time now,” Edwards said. “And, I think, just like our coaches had the trust and the confidence just to call that play in reality too, that — the safeties, they trigger very hard and they’re tremendous athletes, tremendous players. Same thing with their whole entire defense. It’s just something that we were comfortable calling in that situation. And I’m glad that we got that off the call sheet.”
With that touchdown pass, Edwards is 4-for-4 as a passer, with 131 yards and two touchdowns. It’s an incredible streak even with small numbers, especially considering that Edwards isn’t a quarterback. Edwards was gleeful after the game, joking about his standing in terms of being the greatest ever when it comes to being a Michigan ‘quarterback.’
“I ain’t the next Tom Brady but I’m an athlete,” Edwards said. “I don’t need to warm (up), just go and let it rip out there.”
But in seriousness, when did Edwards know that he could throw the ball in-game and have any modicum of success? He did play some wildcat quarterback at West Bloomfield (Mich.), but it wasn’t until he got his first opportunity in a key game when he hit Roman Wilson for a long touchdown to beat Iowa and advance to the College Football Playoff in his freshman year.
“Most specifically for me, it was the Big Ten Championship in 2021 just like the athletic ability and the trust that the coaches have in me, just to get those calls off the call sheet and have them dialed up,” Edwards said. “I think it’s a tremendous honor just for the coaches to be able to have confidence in you, just to do something like that.
“And Dono has a perfect QBR rate, too!”
We’ll see if Michigan has more of that type of play in store with Oregon coming to town on Saturday.