ANN ARBOR, MI - A miracle field goal by Alex Steigerwald and a missed field goal by Michigan with four seconds left gave the University of Toledo one of the greatest victories in school history, a 13-10 win before 107,267 stunned fans at the Big House on Saturday.
Steigerwald's career-long 48-yard field goal bounced off the crossbar and through to put the Rockets ahead early in the fourth quarter, 13-10. It looked like Toledo (2-4, 1-1 MAC) had the game in hand when freshman free safety Mark Singer made an interception with 3:44 to play. But Michigan turned Toledo over on downs and made a last-ditch attempt to send the game into overtime, driving to Toledo's nine-yard line with eight seconds left. But K.C. Lopata's 26-yard field goal attempt missed just left, handing Michigan (2-4, 1-1 Big Ten) its first loss to a school from the Mid-American Conference in 25 tries.
“It was a great win," said Toledo Head Coach Tom Amstutz. "I was especially proud of our players after not winning our last three games. Besides the win today, the biggest thing the players learned was that when things aren't going great you have to battle. We've been looking at film of ourselves and seeing how important execution is to win a game. We've had little execution problems that have made big differences in games. Today we executed and that ended up being the difference.”
Toledo outgained Michigan in total yardage, 327-290, and did not turn the ball over. On defense, the Rockets had three interceptions, two by senior free safety Tyrrell Herbert. Herbert returned his first interception 100 yards for a touchdown to give Toledo a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. It was the longest interception return in school history and in the storied history of Michigan Stadium.
Senior wide receiver Nick Moore caught 20 passes for 162 yards, breaking the school record for receptions set by his older brother and current New Orleans Saint Lance Moore, as well as setting a personal best for yardage. The 20 receptions was also a Michigan Stadium record and a record for a Michigan opponent. Fellow WR Stephen Williams added six catches, including at least two acrobatic grabs of errant throws. Junior quarterback Aaron Opelt set a career high with 33 completions in 50 attempts for 257 yards, while DaJuane Collins led the ground attack with 65 yards.
Following Herbert's touchdown, Michigan tied the score at 7-7 on its ensuing possession when QB Steven Threet connected with Brandon Minor for a 27-yard TD. The Wolverines then converted a fourth-and-1 by the nose of the football on their next drive, stalled at the 9 and settled on a Lopata field goal, their last score of the game.
Steigerwald missed a 21-yard kick late in the second quarter, letting Michigan cling to its 10-7 lead at halftime. The Rockets opened the second half by converting three third downs to set up Steigerwald's game-tying kick, a 29-yarder. Toledo went ahead to stay in the fourth quarter on Steigerwald's second field goal.
