More Fodder from the NCAA site:
Michigan at Nebraska
Time: 08:00 P.M. EST Venue: Alamodome
Just a few years ago, a Michigan-Nebraska matchup in January would almost certainly have had national title implications.
Not this season.
The No. 20 Wolverines and unranked Cornhuskers will meet for the first time in over 20 years at the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio on Dec. 28.
Though they haven't met on the field in two decades, Michigan (7-4) and Nebraska (7-4) did split a national championship in 1997. The Wolverines are the country's winningest program with 848 all-time victories, while the Huskers rank fourth with 793 wins.
The prestigious programs have met five times previously, but only twice since 1917. The most recent matchup came in the Fiesta Bowl following the 1985 season, when Michigan came away with a 27-23 victory.
For Nebraska, this is a return to postseason play after the Huskers missed out on a bowl bid last year for the first time since 1968.
For Michigan, which started the year 3-3 after being ranked as high as No. 3, a trip to the Alamo Bowl snaps a string of nine straight January appearances.
"I thought our team, despite some of the things we were challenged with, fought back and played through some adversity, and I'm proud of this football team," Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr said.
"I think the thing I've been impressed with is how we've competed."
The Wolverines, who lost to Texas in the Rose Bowl last year, were competitive in each of their four losses this season. Michigan lost to Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ohio State by a total of 17 points, a margin of 4.25 per defeat.
The Wolverines' weakness all season has been an inability to establish a consistent running game because of injuries to sophomore running back Mike Hart.
Hart, who is expected to play against Nebraska, suffered an ankle injury early in Michigan's second game of the season against the Fighting Irish on Sept. 10. He has 588 yards and four touchdowns in seven games this year after rushing for 1,455 yards and nine TDs as a freshman.
Hart returned briefly against Ohio State before aggravating his ankle injury early in the second half of the Wolverines' 25-21 loss to the Buckeyes in Ann Arbor on Nov. 19. Hart was held to 15 yards rushing and his replacement, Kevin Grady, ran for just 11 yards.
Quarterback Chad Henne finished 25-of-36 for 223 yards and a TD against the Buckeyes. He has thrown for 2,256 yards, 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season.
Michigan will try to get the ground game going to keep the ball out of Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor's hands. Taylor is coming off the best two games of his career, throwing for 612 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in wins over Kansas State and Colorado, respectively.
Taylor threw for 392 yards and two scores and running back Cory Ross accounted for 142 yards and a touchdown in the Huskers' 30-3 win over the Buffaloes on Nov. 25.
Nebraska put together, by far, the best game of coach Bill Callahan's two seasons in Lincoln.
"It shows we have the program going on the right track," Taylor said.
:horns2 :horns2 :horns2
[SIZE=21pt]BEAT MICHIGAN!![/SIZE]
