Jyaire Hill knew he messed up.
Late in the 3rd quarter, the Michigan football team had No. 11 Oklahoma pinned inside its own 2-yard line and held the Sooners to a one-yard rush on first down, setting up a second-and-long.
The senior cornerback was away from the play while his teammates were finishing the job of fighting down the ball carrier. As the play was wrapping up, however, Hill inexplicably launched his shoulder into Oklahoma wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III. Rightfully so, Hill was assessed a 15-yard personal foul, moving the Sooners out of the danger zone.
Rather than second-and-long, Oklahoma had first down from its own 17-yard line. And from there, the Sooners capitalized, as quarterback John Mateer marched his team down the field, and they eventually nailed a 34-yard field goal to knot the game at 10 apiece. If it weren’t for Hill’s baffling late hit, the Wolverines very well may have remained in the lead.
“I messed up a little bit on the penalty,” Hill said. “But we had a little thing with the (defensive backs and) the whole team, next play mentality.”
And luckily for Michigan, Hill moved on quickly. On third down on the following drive, Mateer attempted to find wide receiver Trell Harris streaking downfield on a crossing route, a completion that would’ve jumpstarted a potential game-winning drive after Hill’s earlier miscue kept Oklahoma in the game.
But Hill had other plans. After Harris tried to push Hill away from him and the pass was tipped by senior linebacker Troy Bowles, Hill jumped the route and intercepted Mateer, stifling the Sooners’ drive right then and there. Hill returned the interception 24 yards to Oklahoma’s 6-yard line, putting his team’s offense in prime position to take the lead.
“Thank goodness, and what a play,” senior defensive end John Henry Daley said. “I tried to catch up to him on the field to celebrate with him. He ran off. I couldn’t catch up to him. That’s the great thing about this defense and this team. We got playmakers up and down the board, and so I know that they’re going to hold it back on the back end.”
The Wolverines’ offense was able to capitalize. On the drive’s second play, junior running back Jordan Marshall pushed his way into the end zone from one yard out, putting Michigan ahead 17-10. Marshall’s score was all the cushion that the Wolverines’ defense — which had been dominant all day long — needed to finish the job.
Given the struggles of Michigan’s offense, it was the defense that would need to make a game-changing play. But Hill’s initial miscue placed a burden on the Wolverines’ offense it wasn’t equipped to bear.
Up to the point of the interception, Michigan had just 55 yards of total offense in the second half and had become one-dimensional, throwing the ball just four times the entire period. While they’d strung together scoring drives in the first half, relying on the run to produce points in the fourth quarter against one of the nation’s best front sevens isn’t exactly a recipe for success.
With the interception, Hill provided a lifeline to his team’s sputtering offense while redeeming himself in the process. And bringing the ball back to the 6-yard line, Hill made it very easy for his team to get in the end zone.
“(The penalty) was unnecessary,” Wolverines coach Kyle Whittingham said. “He’s a fierce competitor, and he understands it was a mistake. At least I hope he does. And for him to come back and make probably the play of the game with that interception … he atoned for it, pretty much, by making that interception and … a really good return getting us inside the 10-yard line to set up that score.”
In the past, Hill hasn’t always capitalized on opportunities to create turnovers. He’s talked about wanting to convert on those chances, and how he practices catching on the JUGS machine to prepare for moments like these. When asked after the game if those reps had paid off, Hill’s answer left no doubts.
“For sure,” Hill said.
By securing that crucial interception, Hill was able to simultaneously atone for his previous penalty and set Michigan up to earn a ranked win.
