2006 Week 4

Michigan CB Morgan Trent knows that, given the choice, opposing offenses will target him rather than All-American Leon Hall. If he continues to play this well, his opponents might have to reconsider.

The redshirt sophomore's first interception and subsequent touchdown return gave Michigan its first lead, and his second stopped Wisconsin's final drive, helping the Wolverines to a 31-30 win over the Badgers in the Big Ten opener for both squads.

"On that first pick, I looked up and the whole field was wide open in front of me," Trent said. "All I had to do was run. The second one, honestly, I was just looking to knock the ball down when I first saw it, but I got safety help over the top and that gave me a little more freedom to go for the pick."

The game featured two very different halves, with two of the nation's top scoring offenses combining for 45 points before halftime. The defenses took over in the second, with Wisconsin scoring the half's only touchdown in the third quarter and the teams combining for only 16 points.

"From our standpoint, we really wanted to use a lot of clock in the second half," said Michigan coach Mike Geiger. "We took an 11-point lead to halftime and we had the running game going well, so we were looking for long scoring drives to keep the ball out of their hands. We got the long drives; we just couldn't score."

Both teams entered the game with stellar rushing defenses--Wisconsin led the nation, allowing just over 35 yards per game--but each team's feature back ran for over 100 yards. Michigan junior Mike Hart had 140, including 2 first half touchdowns, while Wisconsin freshman P.J. Hill ran for 133 with one score. The offensive similarities extended to the passing game--Wisconsin had 242 passing yards, Michigan 213, and both quarterbacks suffered five sacks and committed two turnovers. Wisconsin's John Stocco knows his turnovers were ultimately more costly.

"If I don't throw those picks, we win, simple as that," said Stocco after the game. "We had a good drive going at the end there ... I just forced one into double coverage."

Stocco finished 14-18 for 232 yards and two touchdowns, both to TE Travis Beckum. Michigan junior Chad Henne went 15-21 for 213 yards, throwing one score to sophomore WR Mario Manningham in the second quarter. The touchdown was Manningham's team-leading sixth of the year.