Wolverines’ Extra Effort Stops Tide

Michigan came from behind twice, then held on in overtime to win.

Ryan Pflugner missed an extra-point attempt by inches on the final play to give the No. 8 Wolverines a 35-34 victory over No. 5 Alabama on Saturday night in the Orange Bowl.

“Everyone is going to blame me,” said Pflugner, a senior. “I missed the last kick. It came down to an extra point I should have made. But it’s a team game. Everyone probably could have done something to make it better.”

Michigan’s Tom Brady threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns, including three to David Terrell, and the Wolverines twice overcame 14-point deficits.

After Michigan’s Shawn Thompson caught a 25-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime, Alabama scored on Andrew Zow’s 21-yard pass to Antonio Carter. But Pflugner’s extra-point attempt was just wide to the right.

“This is the greatest ending to a game ever,” Michigan linebacker Ian Gold said.

His coach, Lloyd Carr, was less exuberant.

“It was a great football game,” Carr said. “It was a shame somebody had to lose. As much I enjoy winning, I hate to see it end the way it did.”

The Wolverines won even though they lost a fumble at the Alabama one in the fourth quarter and had a 36-yard field-goal attempt blocked to force the overtime.

Shaun Alexander, the Southeastern Conference player of the year, rushed for 161 yards and three touchdowns in his final game for Alabama. His scores came on runs of five, six and 50 yards, and teammate Freddie Milons scored on a 62-yard punt return.

The Wolverines (10-2) managed just one first down in the opening 28 minutes but completed their third consecutive 10-win season.

“Everybody said we weren’t good enough, but we showed them,” said Terrell, who caught 10 passes for 150 yards.

The Crimson Tide (10-3) lost in its 50th bowl game, an NCAA record.

“It hurts,” Milons said. “It really, really hurts, especially when you’ve played as hard as you can.”

The Wolverines’ first six possessions produced just one first down, which came on a 5-yard gain on a fake punt. The offense finally mustered a first down with 1:18 left in the opening half, then scored two plays later on a 27-yard pass from Brady to Terrell.

The Wolverines erased deficits of 14-0 and 28-14 thanks to Terrell, who tied Orange Bowl and Michigan bowl records with three touchdown receptions.

Brady, who was 34 for 46, led Michigan to three touchdowns in a 12-minute span in the third quarter.

The comeback wasn’t the first by the Wolverines, who rallied from fourth-quarter deficits to win three times during the regular season.