HALL OF FAME BOWL : Michigan Goes Out in Style--Wheatley, Too?

Once again, Tyrone Wheatley placed the team before himself.

If the junior running back played his last game for Michigan on Saturday, he went out in style with two touchdowns and 124 yards rushing in a 42-7 rout of North Carolina State in the Hall of Fame Bowl at Tampa Stadium.

In helping the 23rd-ranked Wolverines (8-4) close strong with their fourth consecutive victory, Wheatley scored on runs of 26 and 18 yards. He has until Jan. 10 to decide if he’ll skip his final year of eligibility to make himself available for the NFL draft.

Last week, the 226-pound tailback said he hadn’t made up his mind. On Saturday, he didn’t answer questions about his future, preferring to focus on Michigan’s strong finish after a 4-4 start.

“The seniors and the captains gathered everybody up and said, ‘Hey, we have to play.’ . . . Coach (Gary) Moeller stressed that you just can’t lay down and expect everyone else to lay down with us.”

Wheatley was far from a one-man show against the Wolfpack as the Wolverine defense forced North Carolina State (7-5) into six turnovers before 52,649.

Clarence Thompson ran back one of Michigan’s four interceptions 43 yards for a third-quarter touchdown, while Derrick Alexander returned a punt 79 yards for a second-quarter score and Todd Collins combined with Amani Toomer on a 31-yard touchdown pass play.

Michigan outscored its last four opponents, 153-24, including a 28-0 victory over Ohio State. North Carolina State was looking to rebound from a 62-3 loss to Florida State in its last game.

“We’ll try to remember all the good things that happened this season,” said Wolfpack Coach Mike O’Cain, “but the back-to-back losses will stay with me for a long time.”

Michigan took control after a scoreless first quarter in which North Carolina State had the ball for more than 11 minutes in a light rain. The Wolverines led at halftime, 21-0.

“Since the middle of the season, we’ve been a little embarrassed with ourselves,” Collins said. “After winning the last four games, we wanted to show the country we’re the Michigan of old and we can dominate people like we used to and win any time we want.”

Wheatley was named the game’s most valuable player. He carried 18 times before leaving the game midway through the third quarter.