ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- A wild celebration broke out on the Wolverines' sideline as Penn State began its final offensive drive, but Mike Hart remained glued to the team's bench, staring down at his tightly clutched, gloved hands.
Michigan's senior running back remained there until Anthony Morelli had thrown his last incomplete pass of the day -- a fourth-down shot at Chris Bell -- that effectively ended the Nittany Lions' hopes for a comeback.
Hart then walked toward the field, his right fist raised high in the air. In Hart's eyes, this was more than just a win for the Wolverines -- it was another step toward proving that he and the rest of the offense is better than their 0-2 start indicated.
"This team has come a long way since the first two losses," Hart said.
As the long, hot afternoon wore on, Hart got more carries and Penn State's defense spent more time on the field trying to stop him.
Michigan's offense held the ball for more than 19 of the final 30 minutes of Saturday's game. When Hart looked across the line of scrimmage at the Nittany Lions' defense, he said he saw players who were beginning to wither.
"There's nothing like looking into your opponents' eyes and seeing that they're worn down," Hart said. "When you see that, you just want to keep running at them and running at them."
Asked after the game if he spent too much time on the field, sophomore defensive tackle Jared Odrick replied "a little bit."
"But that's why we're here," Odrick said. "We're here to play football. In a game like this, where it's a little warm out, anybody would get tired. You got Dan [Connor] out there for every single play, Sean [Lee] out there for every single play."
Hart, however, insisted that he wasn't worn out, despite all his carries. His strength and speed drew praise from the Lions after the game.
But the discussion of Hart also turned to his 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter -- a play that was questioned by some Lions players and coaches. Joe Paterno heard from some of his staff that Hart was stopped one yard short of the goal line, he said.
Cornerback Justin King agreed.
"I thought he was down," King said.
"The refs saw what they saw. And that's that."
When the game ended, the senior was only seven carries shy from tying Chris Perry's single-game school record of 51, set in 2003 -- a record Hart had wanted to break Saturday.
"I want to be the best at everything," he said.
"You can't settle for second in anything -- whether it's in school, whether it's playing video games, whether it's playing cards [or] on the football field. I try to bring an attitude to whatever I do in life."
So far this season, trying 'to be the best at everything' has included rushing for a total of 655 yards and six touchdowns -- playing an instrumental role in the Wolverines' return to a .500 record after beginning the season with losses to Appalachian State and Oregon.
Hart was asked after Saturday's game if he's the best college football player in the country.
"Ask me at the end of the year," Hart said. "I'll have an answer."
