ANN ARBOR -- Cable Zero Train.
Three words that don't make much sense together, but which saved Michigan from what might have been the worst loss in program history. Appalachian State? They were the FCS national champs the year they won at the Big House. Toledo? They were pretty bad, but they were coming off two straight 5-7 seasons.
There's nothing good you can say about Akron. They came into the Big House off three straight 1-11 seasons, and they only had a victory this year because James Madison ran out of time before kicking the game-winning field goal. They haven't won a road game in this decade and their last winning season was in 2005.
Even though Michigan ended up with a win, they knew how close they came to national humiliation.
"This was embarrassing," said Taylor Lewan, the team's offensive captain. "Yes, we're 3-0, but there's nothing to celebrate about this game. We weren't prepared, and that's on the seniors and the leadership of this team. On offense, that means it is on me.
"If we come out and play like this again, we won't win another game this season."
With time for one final play, there were only four yards separating Akron from the biggest win in school history.
Defensive coordinator Greg Mattison had to make a play call, and he picked exactly what Brady Hoke expected -- the now-famous "Cable Zero Train". It worked to perfection, as Brennan Beyer broke through the middle of the line and hurried Kyle Pohl's pass. The ball bounced off Zach D'Orazio's fingertips, and the Wolverines held on for an ugly 28-24 victory.
"I knew he got the ball in the air, and we fell down after I hit him," Beyer said. "All I could do is look at the bench and watch my teammates react. It was an awesome feeling to see them celebrating."
After a few moments of relief, though, reality set in for the Wolverines.
"We have five goals each week, and the first one is to win the game," Hoke said. "That's the only one we achieved. They beat us in time of possession. We were horrible when it came to turnovers. Our kickoff coverage was good, but our punt game needs to go under the microscope in a lot of ways. We didn't win the fourth quarter, either."
Michigan's turnovers were Hoke's biggest concern.
"I don't care if you are playing Saline High School or the Super Bowl champs, you can't turn the ball over," he said. "I'm going to be thinking all night about some of the decisions (Gardner) made. We've got to get that cleaned up."
In some ways, the Wolverines were lucky just to get a shot at a goal-line stand. The Zips missed two field goals in the first half, and Pohl threw a fourth-quarter interception from the Michigan 2. They got to the 1 on the final drive, but a third-down running play lost three yards, and Beyer's blitz sealed the game.
"I'm sick for our players," said Akron coach Terry Bowden. "I've been fortunate to have some big wins in my career, but this would have been the biggest. They played the game of a lifetime, and I'm sure that down the road, they will look back and cherish what they did today, but right now it is misery."
Michigan came into the game favored by more than five touchdowns, but they played like a completely different team than the one that had knocked off Notre Dame a week earlier. Devin Gardner turned the ball over four times, including a pick-6 for the second straight week.
"Tom Brady told me that my job is to be the best quarterback for my team, whatever that takes," he said. "I didn't do that today. I probably played the worst game of my life today, but it won't happen again."
Gardner threw three interceptions and fumbled twice, but was able to fall on one of those. He did rush for 103 yards, including a 36-yard touchdown run quickly after the Zips had taken a 10-7 lead and a 35-yard run in the drive that led to Fitz Toussaint's winning touchdown with 2:49 to play.
"We almost lost to Akron," he said. "No disrespect to Akron, but we shouldn't have our backs against the wall like that. I would have been sick if my performance had ruined our chances to play for a national championship or a Big Ten championship."
Instead, the Wolverines will take a perfect record to East Hartford for their first road game of the season. It shouldn't be tough -- Connecticut has already lost to Towson State, but a furious Lewan wasn't planning to let his teammates take anything for granted.
"This was embarrassing for the University of Michigan football team," he said. "We will not come out like this again."
