Great catch lifts Michigan to OT win over Northwestern

If games were between 45 and 55 minutes long, Northwestern would be on the road to Pasadena. Instead, the Wildcats' inability to close games late during Big Ten play will doom Pat Fitzgerald's team to no better than a third-place finish in the Big Ten Legends Division.

On Saturday, Michigan followed in Nebraska and Penn State's footsteps in breaking Northwestern's heart in the fourth quarter. This one, since the Wildcats knew they needed a win in Ann Arbor to maintain a spot in the Big Ten hunt, might have hurt worst of all.

The two went back and forth over the game's first 50 minutes: 7-0, 7-7, 14-14, 24-14, 28-24. With 4:40 left, Northwestern's Trevor Siemian's 15-yard pass to Tony Jones gave the Wildcats a 31-28 lead.

And here we go again.

After Michigan failed to get points on its next possession, all Northwestern needed was a first down to seal the win. Even after stopping the Wildcats short, Michigan knew it needed a miracle.

Here's your miracle: With 27 seconds left, quarterback Devin Gardner – starting in place of an injured Denard Robinson – threw downfield for wide receiver Roy Roundtree, who made a juggling, acrobatic, Lynn-Swann-style 53-yard catch.

One play later, Michigan hit a 26-yard field goal to force overtime. After Gardner scored in the first extra frame, Michigan stopped Northwestern to seal a 38-31 win.

The victory moved Michigan to 7-3, 5-1 in the Big Ten, while Northwestern dropped to 7-3, 3-3 in the Big Ten.