'Heroes' help No. 3 Michigan past Illinois to remain unbeaten

ANN Arbor, Mich. — Michigan found itself down 17-16 against Illinois in the fourth quarter with only nine seconds to go, when senior kicker Jake Moody ran onto the field for what would be the last kick of his college career at Michigan Stadium.

Moody had never kicked a game-winning field goal in his entire career, but he lined up for the 35-yard field goal from the right hash and put it straight through the uprights to keep Michigan's undefeated season alive with a 19-17 win. It was Moody's fourth field goal of the game, but he said there hasn't been another kick he's had that compares to this one against Illinois.

«For it to be in my final game at the Big House, it was pretty magical,» Moody said. «I'm just glad we could send out the seniors on a good note.»

Moody won the Lou Groza Award last season, awarded to the nation's best kicker, and had made 25 of 30 field goals prior to making all four against Illinois.

After his team gutted out a win in the final seconds, Jim Harbaugh said he has a locker room «full of heroes,» which included Moody and his heroics on the day. There had only been one other top-five College Football Playoff team to overcome a last-minute deficit coming into Saturday, when Alabama beat LSU in 2014, and Harbaugh's team had accomplished the same on the foot of his star kicker.

Harbaugh highlighted most of his players, but spent nearly three minutes discussing Moody and the performance he put on to keep the No. 3 Wolverines' playoff hopes in-tact.

«I don't know if any of us really quite comprehend what that feeling's like that he experienced today,» Harbaugh said. «When he came into the locker room, every guy was chanting his name. It was a tremendous celebration.»

Despite the fact that quarterback