Jim Harbaugh Witnessed 'Maybe One Of The Best Plays Ever' By A Michigan D-Lineman
Penn State was down 14-3 in the second quarter after Donovan Edwards just got done running in a touchdown for Michigan. On the second play of the drive for the Nittany Lions, running back Kaytron Allen took a handoff from Drew Allar, made a man miss, and appeared like he might be off to the races.
But a 6-foot-3, 339-pound defensive tackle ran Allen down from behind to prevent a touchdown. Instead of a 75-yard gain, it was a 34-yard run from Allen.
Sophomore Kenneth Grant was a social media star after that play. Grant, who says he ran a 4.95-second 40-yard dash last season, didn't think it was anything special. He said he's been preparing for this, thanks to coach Jesse Minter. It was just nice to display the speed on game day.
To the big sophomore lineman, it was just another play and all Grant was thinking about was to make the tackle and line up for the next play.
"It's definitely something I've been preparing for," said Grant. "Coach Minter does a great job. One of our pillars is effort and angles. So that's just displaying my daily preparation and just displaying it on game day, really."
"It was kind of hard to check social media after the game. At Penn State, really no connection. But yeah, a lot of my teammates were telling me that I was moving fast, but I was just like, ‘Okay.’ I didn't actually know how fast I was moving, really. I was just chasing him down."
"From my POV, I was just tackling him and then had to get up and line up again."
Kenneth Grant
Photo: Christopher Breiler
Grant, who finished the day with four tackles, made some significant plays against the Nittany Lions. On the very first play on defense, Grant tackled Nicholas Singleton at the line for a one-yard gain. After making the tackle, Grant stood up and showed emotion during a big-time game.
He told reporters on Monday it meant a lot to him when teammates and coaches expressed gratitude for his play on the field. He said it was a big win and it was nice to prove the doubters wrong and prove the supporters right.
"It definitely meant a lot to me, just knowing that it meant a lot to my teammates and my coaches," said Grant. "It added an extra fire to me. But I mean, just a big win in a big, tough environment going out there and trying to prove everyone wrong. And prove everyone that supports us -- prove them right."
While coach Jim Harbaugh wasn't on the sidelines on Saturday, Harbaugh watched the entire game from the hotel. After Grant's touchdown-saving play, Harbaugh said it might be one of the best plays he had ever seen.
"Kenneth Grant running down the running back in that game, I was up off my feet," said Harbaugh. "One of the best plays of the season, that play by Kenneth Grant. Maybe one of the best plays ever. Compare it to the play Justin Smith made against the Eagles my first year coaching at the 49ers. It was a guardian of victory type of play. Kenneth was dominant in the game. He was the real tone-setter right from the first series. He's playing great. Only a sophomore. Tremendous."
