Michigan Puts Fourth Its Best Effort

Michigan didn’t let this fourth-quarter lead slip away.

Drew Henson passed for three touchdowns and ran for a clinching score as No. 19 Michigan made a 19-point lead stand up in a 38-26 victory over No. 12 Ohio State on Saturday, giving the Wolverines a share of the Big Ten title.

“We never get comfortable,” tailback Anthony Thomas said. “We’ve seen things happen.”

Michigan, 8-3 overall and 6-2 in the Big Ten, lost three times this season after taking a lead into the final quarter. Each of the losses was by seven or fewer points.

“Coach [Lloyd] Carr told us all week that we had to win this game, that it would come down to a play in the fourth quarter and we’d have to make a stop,” linebacker Larry Foote said.

The Buckeyes (8-3, 5-3), who could have tied for the league title with a victory, scored the first 14 points of the fourth quarter to make the game interesting. But Michigan stopped Ohio State tailback Jonathan Wells at the Buckeye 18 on a fourth-and-one run up the middle with a little more than three minutes to play, securing the victory.

Michigan had a 31-12 lead entering the fourth quarter after a 17-point flurry in the third quarter.

John Cooper fell to 2-10-1 against Michigan as Ohio State’s coach. It was the eighth time as coach of the Buckeyes that his team lost an outright title or a share of the Big Ten title with a loss to Michigan.

“My record against Michigan speaks for itself. Obviously, it’s awful,” Cooper said. “To play here at home and to have a chance to beat Michigan one time, obviously I’m disappointed.”