Wolverines hand Penn State first loss this season
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- Penn State might be back, but it still can't beat Michigan.
Chad Henne threw his second touchdown pass to Mario Manningham with no time left to lift the Wolverines to a thrilling 27-25 victory over the eighth-ranked Nittany Lions on Saturday.
The Wolverines (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) avoided their worst record in mid-October since 1967. Penn State (6-1, 3-1) fell out of sole possession of first place in the conference with its seventh straight loss in the series.
Michael Robinson scored his second touchdown with 53 seconds left to give the Nittany Lions a 25-21 lead, but Steve Breaston returned the ensuing kickoff to midfield to set up the game-winning score.
A second was left on the clock when Henne took the last snap and connected with Manningham in the middle of the end zone.
The crowd of 111,249 went wild and it seemed like Michigan's entire team piled on Manningham at Penn State's 25 to celebrate.
It couldn't have been a more exciting second half -- with both teams taking what appeared to be commanding leads -- after Michigan led 3-0 at halftime.
Penn State scored 15 points in 17 seconds -- on Robinson's run and a fumble return for a score -- to take an 18-10 lead early in the fourth quarter. But Michigan quickly responded with Henne's 33-yard TD pass to Manningham and Mike Hart's 2-point conversion run.
After forcing Penn State to punt, the Wolverines got the ball back at their 42.
Garrett Rivas easily made a 47-yard kick with 3:45 left to put Michigan ahead 21-18 one week after missing two field goals in the second half in a 23-20 loss to Minnesota.
Two plays later, Leon Hall stepped in front of Robinson's pass -- his first interception in 104 attempts -- and the Wolverines had the ball at Penn State's 40.
Michigan lined up for a 51-yard kick, but had Rivas punt and it went just 16 yards to Penn State's 19.
With no timeouts left, the Nittany Lions drove down the field -- with Robinson running for a first down on a fourth-and-7 from Michigan's 39 -- and their elusive quarterback scored on his second draw for a go-ahead score.
The Wolverines then made just enough plays and had just enough time to earn the victory they desperately needed.
Hart ran for 108 yards and a score while Henne was 21-of-36 for 212 yards with two TDs and a fumble.
Robinson completed 19 of 34 for 239 yards with an interception and ran for 67 yards with two scores and a fumble, Penn State's first turnover after 11 quarters without one. Tony Hunt ran for 102 yards.
