DALLAS (FWAA) Its dramatic rally · make that two rallies · in the final 75 seconds to win earned the Michigan Wolverines (2-0) the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week for games of the weekend of Sept. 10.
Quarterback Denard Robinson threw a 16-yard pass to Roy Roundtree with two seconds left, lifting the Wolverines to a 35-31 win over Notre Dame in front of 104,814 fans in the first night game ever played at Michigan Stadium. Robinson also threw a 21-yard touchdown to Vincent Smith with 1:12 left, giving Michigan its first lead.
But Notre Dame rallied to retake the lead with a touchdown pass with 30 seconds left. Robinson's 64-yard completion on the final drive put Michigan in position for the winning play.
"I really didn't do anything. I can tell you our kids fought together, they stayed together and they played 60 minutes of football," Michigan coach Brady Hoke said after the game. "It's great to win. It's great to win this rivalry game."
Other Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Sept. 10 included:
FIU (2-0): T.Y. Hilton caught seven passes for a school-record 201 yards and two touchdowns to help lead the Panthers to a 24-17 win at Louisville, its first win over a foe from a BCS automatic-qualifying conference.
New Mexico State (1-1): Quarterback Andrew Manley passed for 288 yards and three touchdowns as the Aggies recorded a win over Big Ten team for the first time in school history, 28-21 at Minnesota.
The Football Writers Association of America has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. This is the seventh season that the award has been sponsored by the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
Members of the FWAA All-America Committee decide the weekly honor. Each remaining Monday during the 2011 college football regular season, the FWAA will name the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week.
Founded in 1971, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl has hosted seven games that have decided the college football national championship, including four Bowl Championship Series title games. This season, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl will be played on Jan. 2, 2012, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., and the Insight Bowl will be played on Dec. 30, 2011, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.
For more information on the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week, go to footballwriters.com or fiestabowl.org.