The members of the TV crew ran out of superlatives to describe Michigan’s Mike Hart, so they focused on the back of his jersey.
“Could he have a better name?” ABC/ESPN analyst Paul Maguire wondered.
“Nope,” play-by-play man Brad Nessler replied.
“Could he have a better name?” Maguire repeated emphatically. “Because that whole body is a heart.”
“Unless his last name was Guts,” Nessler responded, “I can’t think of anything.”
Michigan fans should simply call him a winner after his 153-yard rushing effort led the Wolverines to a 14-9 victory over Penn State and an early share of the Big Ten lead.
Michigan’s season changed the moment Hart guaranteed a victory over Notre Dame. The 5-foot-9-inch tailback later explained that he had said it as much to pump himself up as his teammates, and the effect has been a dramatic turnaround for the Wolverines.
Yes, it helps that they haven’t faced a mobile quarterback in two weeks, but Hart is the focus here.
He finally tired Saturday after the 43rd of his career-high 44 carries. Hart remained on the turf, resting on his elbows, until an offensive lineman lifted him to his feet.
Quarterback Ryan Mallett also supplied a huge lift, completing 10 of 12 passes on third down. His best came on a third-and-11 during Michigan’s final drive.
Mallett didn’t panic after he noticed all his receivers were covered. He scrambled to his right and fired a running strike to Greg Mathews that kept the drive alive.
Who knows whether Chad Henne can return from a leg injury next week to face Northwestern? As long as Hart remains upright, the Wolverines should be favored in their next six games before their grisly season-ending combo: at Wisconsin, vs. Ohio State.
While Michigan stretched its victory streak over Penn State to nine games, Illinois pancaked its run of 13 consecutive losses in Big Ten openers. Rashard Mendenhall rushed for an outrageous 214 yards in the Illini’s 27-14 victory over Indiana.
He’ll have a tough time matching that next weekend, though, when Penn State checks into Champaign. After falling to 0-1 in the Big Ten, the Nittany Lions will fight to breathe new life into their season. A H-A-R-T transplant, so to speak.
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tgreenstein@tribune.com
