The Wolverine Now

SEPT. 9, 2012 SURVIVING THE DOGFIGHT Michigan Hangs On To Down Air Force, 31-25 By John Borton Ghosts of last-possession heartbreak past swirled around Michigan Stadium, threatening a disastrous 0-2 start for the Wolverines. Another spirit just might have overcome them all, saving U-M’s nerve-jangling 31-25 win against Air Force. The Falcons stood 58 yards away from the touchdown that could have sent shockwaves through The Big House. They never got there, in no small part because Jake Ryan — wearing the newly donned No. 47 for former three-time All-American Bennie Oosterbaan — made certain Air Force couldn’t fly down the field once more. Ryan slammed down two pass attempts by Falcons quarterback Connor Dietz in the final series, including an emphatic rejection on fourth down. One final drive — by a seldom-encountered offense that riddled the Wolverines for 417 total yards, 290 of them on the ground —never took off. “We all came together and decided we needed to get this done,” Ryan said. “We just needed to stop them.” They did, but only after a harrowing back-and-forth air and ground show. And only because Denard Robinson rushed for 218 yards and a pair of touchdowns, threw for 208 yards and two more TDs (14-of-25), and showed he could fly higher than anyone on the field. “I see a lot of it in practice,” U-M head coach Brady Hoke acknowledged. “I don’t know if you ever get used to it. When he sticks his foot in the ground, he’s got an ability.” It took Robinson all of two plays from scrimmage to go supersonic. He picked his way through the Air Force line, cut left, sped past the safety like a jet screaming by a blimp and sprinted 79 yards for the first touchdown of the game. That gave U-M a 7-0 lead at the 8:39 mark of the first quarter on a day the Wolverines intended to fly past the visitors. “Not to be cocky or anything, but once I get out in front of everybody and I see the end zone, I don’t think I’m being caught from behind,” Robinson offered. On this afternoon, though, Air Force found other ways to catch up. The Falcons chewed up clock and yardage throughout the first quarter, but could only cash in a 22-yard field goal by Parker Herrington with 3:44 left in the period. Herrington missed a 36-yarder after an opening-game drive from the Air Force 25 to the Michigan 19, but nailed the chip shot to make it 7-3. The Wolverines then unveiled the newest weapon in its own air force, freshman Devin Funchess (four catches, 106 yards). The lanky tight end took center stage amid an 88-yard touchdown flight. Robinson found Funchess for a 29-yard gain down the eastern sideline. Robinson then dropped back on a play-action look, lofted a floater high into the north end zone

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