The first pass toward Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson, the self-proclaimed best football player in the country, sailed high over both Woodson and Joe Jurevicius, a remarkable occurrence since Jurevicius is tall enough to wash an elephant’s back and Woodson, as stated, is the best football player in the country.
“I should have intercepted it,” Woodson said.
The second pass toward Woodson was as poorly thrown as the first by Penn State quarterback Mike McQueary, missing both Woodson and McQueary’s teammate, Chafie Fields.
Not even the best football player in the country could get to it.
There would be no more passes toward Woodson this day, not counting a game-breaking little number thrown by Woodson’s own quarterback, Brian Griese.
“Well, McQueary tried me twice,” Woodson said. “He said he would.”
McQueary had the crust not to trust that Woodson is the best football player in the country. It must be pointed out that there are others who believe this, not just Woodson himself.
McQueary’s opinion is stronger than his arm, and just as inaccurate. He said that he and Penn State would challenge Woodson, that Woodson was just another player, that hype is not truth. McQueary made the honest mistake of indulging in the sort of happy blather that precedes games that mean as much as this one did.
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“Basically, he called me out,” Woodson said. “That was a brave thing to do. Maybe he should have kept things to himself.”
Wise advice in the debris of a 34-8 dismissal of Penn State by Michigan, except that ignoring Woodson does not work, either. Penn State safety Derek Fox did just that and Woodson caught a 37-yard pass from Griese for a touchdown.
“I’ve never been that wide open in my whole life,” Woodson said.
The Woodson-for-Heisman movement was hurt not at all by what happened Saturday in Beaver Stadium. Woodson has become the anti-Peyton Manning candidate, the feeling being that the Tennessee quarterback has not defended well enough a Heisman he has never won.
A defensive player for the Heisman? A cornerback for the Heisman? No chance. Except that Woodson is much more than that. He has so many slashes after his name, he must be concealing a sword somewhere.
Pass defender, pass receiver, ball carrier, open-field tackler, substantial offensive weapon, first-rate kick returner, and one of several off-key baritones in a tortured rendition of “Hail to the Victors” after the game.
“I believe I proved I can play in big games,” Woodson conceded.
This game, according no less than Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, was “without exception the best Michigan performance in a long time.”
That would be in Carr’s time, of course, not an altogether happy time for the Michigan faithful. Too many four-loss seasons, three straight losses to Penn State, too many early dismissals from the Rose Bowl race, not to mention Carr’s natural and persistent gloom.
“You’ve got to fight self-satisfaction,” Carr said.
This is a hard fight when you have just survived the most difficult challenge left on the way to all your goals, broken the longest winning streak in college football, handed Joe Paterno his worst home loss ever, when you just may be, like it or not, elevated into the top place in all the polls, considering Nebraska’s narrow escape against Missouri.
“We dominated the No. 2 team in the nation,” Woodson said. “Are we the best? One of the best.”
A pretty good day’s work. Not fancy, just basic football done well, as Michigan has always done when Michigan is at its best.
“Nobody respected this team,” Michigan strong safety Marcus Ray said. “And now look. Here we are controlling our own destiny.”
It is all in front of Michigan now, the Big Ten title, the Rose Bowl, a national championship, maybe even a Heisman for Woodson.
“Charles is the best player in the country,” Ray said. “He said it. He feeds off it.”
Winners get to say whatever they like.