The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field proved to be just that—for most of Saturday’s game between the Northwestern Wildcats and the Michigan Wolverines. The Wildcats held a 22-21 lead with only two seconds remaining. But on the final play, Michigan’s Dominic Zvada kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired, securing a thrilling 24-22 victory for the visitors from Ann Arbor.
The predominantly maize-and-blue crowd erupted in cheers and a collective sigh of relief. Despite the victory, Michigan made the game much closer than expected by committing five turnovers—including three fumbles and two interceptions. Kicker Dominic Zvada, one of the nation’s top specialists, also missed two earlier field goal attempts, one being an impressive 60-yard try. On the other side, Northwestern’s Jack Olsen was perfect, going three-for-three on field goals.
Michigan’s freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, who has had his ups and downs this season, threw for 280 yards and scored a rushing touchdown. Northwestern’s transfer quarterback Preston Stone contributed 184 passing yards and a rushing touchdown of his own, but unlike Underwood, he avoided interceptions.
With the win, Michigan improves to 8-2 and keeps its College Football Playoff hopes alive. The Wolverines still need to beat Maryland (a game they are favored to win) and Ohio State—a tougher challenge, despite Michigan’s recent success against the Buckeyes over the past four years.
Northwestern falls to 5-5 and needs one more victory to become bowl eligible. The Wildcats will next face Minnesota at Wrigley Field on Saturday before closing the season on the road against Illinois. Although Northwestern has played several games at Wrigley Field, a win there has so far eluded them.
https://evanstonnow.com/cats-lose-heartbreaker-to-michigan-on-last-play-at-wrigley/
