No. 2 Michigan takes Big Ten in rout, makes playoff pitch

Associated PressDec 5, 2021, 12:59 AM EST

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INDIANAPOLIS — Hassan Haskins ran for two second-half touchdowns and broke a school record while running back Donavan Edwards threw a 75-yard TD pass to help No. 2 Michigan capture its first Big Ten title in 17 years and a probable playoff berth with a 42-3 rout Saturday over No. 15 Iowa.

Resurgent Michigan (12-1, No. 2 CFP) has won five straight and if it reaches the playoff, as expected, would need one more win to return to Indianapolis to play for its first national championship since 1997.

“Nobody else believed in us,” star end Aidan Hutchinson said before learning he’d been selected as the first defensive MVP. “We all knew, we all knew we were going to put these T-shirts on.”

It’s been an improbable run since coach Jim Harbaugh took a pay cut following a dismal 2020. The Wolverines started this season unranked and picked to finish in the middle of the Big Ten East, whose champion has won the last nine conference crowns. And it came on an emotional night when Michigan paid tribute to the victims from Tuesday’s school shooting, which resulted in the deaths of four students at Oxford (Michigan) High School.

They handed the Hawkeyes (10-3, No. 13) their second straight title game loss and prevented coach Kirk Ferentz from capturing his first conference crown since 2004. Iowa lost to Michigan State in the 2015 title game and this one came on a night both quarterbacks, Spencer Petras and Alex Padilla, struggled against the Wolverines.

“We knew we would have to play our best and have things go our way,” Ferentz said. “Obviously, that didn’t materialize.”

Blake Corum made two cuts to the right and sprinted 67 yards to make it 7-0. On Michigan’s next offensive play, Cade McNamara lateraled to Edwards and the freshman threw a perfect 75-yard TD pass to a wide open Roman Wilson for a 75-yard score and a 14-0 lead.

Iowa finally answered with a 22-yard field goal but the Hawkeyes just couldn’t stay on the field.

Hawkins broke open the game with a 4-yard TD run midway through the third quarter then sealed the victory by becoming the first Michigan running back to score 20 TDs in a single season on a 1-yard run early in the fourth. Ron Johnson set the previous mark, 19, in 1968.

THE TAKEAWAY

Michigan: After ending a losing streak to rival Ohio State and a 17-year title drought over the past eight days, the Wolverines are waiting to see where the CFP selection committee puts it in the four-team playoff bracket.

Iowa: It was a bitter end for a team that reached No. 2 in October. Yes, Iowa won four straight and got the help it needed from Minnesota to make it to Indy. But the offense struggled mightily and the defense finally wore down.

IN MEMORIAM

Michigan honored the Oxford victims with a patch on the right shoulder of their jerseys.

The patch featured the initials of Tate Myre, a football player and wrestler, and his jersey No. 42 along with four hearts – one for each of the students who died in the shooting – inside the school’s block `O’. Myre’s family also joined Michigan’s captains for the pregame toss and wore T-shirts that read Oxford Strong.

The high school is about one hour north of Michigan’s campus.

STAT PACK

Michigan: Corum’s 67-yard run matched the longest of his career and Edwards’ TD pass came on the first throw of his career. … The Wolverines improved to 3-0 all-time in Indy after beating DePauw in 1892 and Wabash in 1907. … Hutchinson added another sack to his single-season school record, giving him 14.

Iowa: Ended the first half with its second interception of the game and No. 24 this season, breaking a school record set in 1986 and matched in 1987 and 2008. … The Hawkeyes beat three ranked teams this season but a streak of six straight wins over Top 25 foes ended. It was the second-longest active streak in the FBS (Alabama, 11). …

UP NEXT

Michigan: Will find out Sunday where the CFP selection committee has it seeded.

Iowa: Waits to see who and where will play in its bowl game.

Alabama suspends freshman defensive back after drug arrest

Associated PressMar 20, 2023, 10:32 PM EDT

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama freshman defensive back Tony Mitchell has been suspended from the team following his arrest on a drug charge.

Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said Monday after the first practice of spring that Mitchell was suspended from the team “and all team activities until we gather more information about the situation and what his legal circumstance is.”

The Holmes County Sheriff’s Office arrested Mitchell and another man, Christophere Lewis, last week on a charge of possession of marijuana with the intent to sell or deliver, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page. Lewis also was charged with carrying a concealed gun without a permit.

“Everybody’s got an opportunity to make choices and decisions,” Saban said. “There’s no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You’ve gotta be responsible for who you’re with, who you’re around and what you do, who you associate yourself with and the situations that you put yourself in. It is what it is, but there is cause and effect when you make choices and decisions that put you in bad situations.”

Mitchell, who is from Alabaster, Alabama, was a five-star prospect rated the 34th-best player and No. 3 safety in the 247Composite rankings.

Mitchell was driving the vehicle during a traffic stop. After deputies smelled marijuana, Mitchell picked up a baggie of marijuana from the passenger floorboard, according to the department’s Facebook post.

Sheriff’s deputies found “an additional significant amount of marijuana, a set of scales, a loaded handgun between the passenger seat and center console, and a large amount of cash,” according to the department’s Facebook post.

Missouri linebacker Chad Bailey suspended after arrest

Associated PressMar 20, 2023, 12:05 PM EDT

Saul Young/News Sentinel/USA TODAY NETWORK

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri linebacker Chad Bailey was suspended from the team after he was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, the team said.

The 23-year-old, who was a team captain last season, was booked at about 2:45 a.m. and released after posting $500 bond, according to online records from the Boone County Sheriff’s Office.

“We are aware of the situation involving Chad Bailey,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said in a statement to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “He’s been suspended according to Department of Athletics policy. We have high expectations for all of our student-athletes, on and off the field, and we will follow all departmental and campus policies.”

Bailey was Mizzou’s third-leading tackler with 57 stops last season. He started all 11 games he played, missing two with an injury. He’ll be a sixth-year senior this fall after opting to return for his final year of eligibility, the Post-Dispatch reported.

The Missouri student-athlete handbook says any athlete who is arrested must serve a minimum one-week suspension.

Bailey was pulled over at about 1 a.m. not far from the Columbia campus for an expired license plate and lane violation, a police statement said. Bailey told the officer he had consumed alcohol and then performed poorly on a field sobriety test, the Post-Dispatch reported.