Kornacki: Big Plays Help Wolverines Make Big Statement
9/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 26, 2015
Left: Amara Darboh stretches out for a one-handed catch // Right: De'Veon Smith finishes off his touchdown run
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- This game was about making a statement -- a big statement.
It also was about big plays -- really big plays.
The one-handed snare by Amara Darboh and the no-quit touchdown run by De'Veon Smith were inspirational efforts that set the tone in Michigan's 31-0 win over Brigham Young on Saturday (Sept. 26).
The Cougars were ranked No. 22 and averaging 432.2 yards and 30.3 points per game. But the Wolverines punished them on defense with a relentless pass rush and tight coverage that resulted in only 105 yards total offense for the visitors.
That was half of the big statement made in the Big House.
The other half came on offense, where quarterback Jake Rudock ran for two touchdowns and passed for another in a game where everything finally came together for him and the offense.
The highlight-reel plays by Smith and Darboh will live on in the days, weeks, months and even years to come.
Darboh streaked down the left sideline in tight, one-on-one coverage from cornerback Micah Hannemann. Darboh turned around and looked up to locate the incoming pass that was a tad high. Then he adjusted, jumped and grabbed the ball with his right hand before bringing it to his mid-section and cradling it as he hit the ground on his back.
The 21-yard pickup on third-and-five moved the chains and moved the crowd. Many of the 108,940 in attendance groaned in harmony: "Ohhhhhhhhhhh!"
And in the radio broadcast booth, Dan Dierdorf spoke in exclamation points: "That is one of the great catches in Michigan football history! And I am not falling victim to hyperbole!"
When told of Dierdorf's comment, Harbaugh smiled and said, "Wow. The one-handed catch on the sideline was a great catch. I don't know if you can compare it to all the great catches, but it was a great catch. I can think of some other great ones, but that was a great one.
"That got us going, too. It was a timely, timely play he made."
It led to the first score of the game on a three-yard run by Rudock, and Michigan was off to the races.
"It was man-to-man coverage, and I thought I'd give him a shot," said Rudock. "The ball got a little more outside than I wanted to, but he made a great play, and that jump-started guys. It was a third-down play."
The play hearkened back memories of Odell Beckham Jr.'s one-handed grab for the New York Giants.
When asked about comparing it to the Beckham catch, Darboh smiled and said, "I don't know about that. That was a touchdown for him."
Darboh, born in the Western Africa country of Sierra Leone, took the U.S. Oath of Allegiance on Thursday (Sept. 24) at a district courthouse in Detroit to become a citizen.
"It was an incredible week for him," said Harbaugh. "He spoke to the team on Wednesday night before his swearing-in on Thursday. The team was so supportive of him. We had some hamburgers and a little party for him. There were some 'U.S.A.' chants in the locker room today because he got a game ball. It's been a nice four days."
Darboh said, "That was very special. I have great teammates. It felt good."
Darboh finished with four catches for 57 yards and a four-yard touchdown catch that made it 14-0.
Smith's 60-yard touchdown run made it 21-0, and was about turning nothing into something very quickly, and then refusing to be denied.
Smith slithered through the line of scrimmage after a second or two when nothing was opening up. There was a hole just big enough between tackle Mason Cole and tight end Henry Poggi, though. Smith burst through it like there was gold on the other side of the scrum.
"To be honest," said Smith, "I thought I was down for a second. But I put my hand down, and once I got to the second level, I knew for a fact that I was not letting No. 15 tackle me. He kind of made me want to score even more. I was just really determined not to go down because I was so close to the end zone."
Cougars cornerback Michael Davis, No. 15, had a clear shot at him downfield, but Smith stiff-armed him away for an instant. Then Davis persisted and grabbed Smith around both shoulder pads. This was not textbook tackling, and Smith administered a lesson. He shrugged and flung Davis away with the kind of hand motions used in shooing mosquitoes or bees, and spun out of his grasp.
Their awkward dance lasted about 30 yards, but Smith finally broke free to cover the last five yards alone.
Harbaugh said that the run coming one week after Ty Isaac's 76-yard run was special.
Harbaugh said: "To see the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth effort -- spinning, just churning and a heck of a job. So, it's nice to see our backs hungry to do that -- not wanting to go down. All of our running backs have that mindset right now. They are not looking to go down; they're looking to stay up and break tackles and get more yards. And they're protecting the football really good."
Smith ran to the back of the end zone, turned around and flipped the ball up into the air underhanded. His teammates engulfed him, and tight end Jake Butt was particularly euphoric. Then Smith jogged to the sideline with Rudock shouting in his ear and slapping him on the back.
"I thought he was down," Rudock said. "Then he broke out of that. You probably saw me jumping. I was pretty excited about that. I don't know what he did then, but whatever he did (against Davis) I was just extremely hyped and really happy for him."
It was maize and blue pandemonium.
The jaunt was one yard off his career-high 61-yarder against Appalachian State in 2014, and Smith finished with 125 yards on 16 carries (also one yard off his career high for a game set earlier this month against Oregon State). He came out with an ankle injury, but he said it was only "a little bit sore" and he would play next Saturday (Oct. 3) at Maryland in the Big Ten opener.
About the only thing left to debate was which play was better -- Smith's or Darboh's?
"I'd say Amara's catch," said tight end Khalid Hill. "I mean, I thought Odell Beckham had put on the uniform. It's crazy the way he reached back and snagged it. It was like, 'Wow.' De'Veon was great effort, but Darboh was super-human. That catch right there was something else."
Wolverines defensive lineman Mario Ojemudia voted for Smith.
"De'Veon scored, and so I've got to give it to him," said Ojemudia. "De'Veon, I was expecting him to go down. But he has such big legs that you can't even hit him down low."
Smith leads the Wolverines (3-1) with 336 yards rushing, and Michigan has a huge 809-328 rushing yardage advantage on opponents.
"We have to keep the momentum going and keep making statements to other teams -- ranked teams," said Smith.
The Wolverines are playing hungry -- making big plays and statements, for sure.
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