Mich. suffers another unexpected loss
MADISON, Wis. -- Once again, the Michigan Wolverines are reeling from an unexpected defeat.
And Wisconsin has the fleet feet of Tyler Donovan to thank for it.
Wisconsin's fifth-year senior quarterback frustrated Michigan's defense with his scrambling ability on Saturday, throwing for a touchdown and running for another in the Badgers' 37-21 upset of the 13th-ranked Wolverines.
Donovan finished the game on the sideline with a nasty welt and twin streaks of blue paint on his throwing hand.
"I got Michigan helmet paint right there," Donovan said. "You should take a picture of that."
Michigan left another streak in Madison, too.
The Badgers (8-3, 4-3 Big Ten) snapped the Wolverines' eight-game winning streak and robbed them of momentum going into their annual matchup with Ohio State.
The loss doesn't eliminate Michigan (8-3, 6-1) from the Big Ten title race or a Rose Bowl appearance, but the Wolverines have to beat the Buckeyes next week -- something they haven't done since 2003.
"The disappointment in this game is that you play to win," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "Any time you don't win, you're disappointed. We still have some things to play for."
Wisconsin finally played up to its potential, but the performance came too late for the Badgers to meet any of the high expectations they carried into the season.
"This is what we're capable of," Badgers cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu said. "We really beat them pretty good today. That's the way we should have been playing all year."
Michigan played without injured running back Mike Hart, and freshman Ryan Mallett relieved ailing quarterback Chad Henne in the first quarter.
Carr said it was his decision to hold Hart out, even though his lingering ankle injury felt better Saturday morning than it did in the middle of the week.
"Mike would've played, but I just didn't feel like putting him out there," Carr said.
After Henne threw an interception on the Wolverines' third possession, Mallett took over.
It was not immediately clear whether Carr removed Henne for his performance or because of a nagging shoulder injury. Carr initially declined comment on Henne before saying he "just didn't feel right."
Coming into Saturday's game, Michigan was well on its way to wiping away memories of its stint as a national laughingstock after losing its first two games -- one of them to Appalachian State of the Football Championship Subdivision. Now, the Wolverines once again must recover from a tough loss going into their biggest game of the year.
"We've been in this position before," offensive tackle Jake Long said. "We're still able to win the Big Ten. We have to have a good week of practice, correct our mistakes, and get ready to play."