Each Saturday, the receivers have treated the Michigan football game like their own personal contest.

Who’s going to have the most catches? The most yards? The most touchdown receptions?

Essentially, it’s a question of who gets to have the big game and the headlines.

Against Wisconsin, it wasn’t the receiver with the most catches or yards who stood out. It was junior Darryl Stonum, who made the two biggest catches of the game.

After Michigan’s offense limped through a scoreless first half on Saturday, it was in need of a spark entering the second half.

So the Wolverines opened the third quarter with a methodical march through Wisconsin territory, and then, on second down with seven yards to go, sophomore quarterback Denard Robinson floated a ball toward the right side of the endzone. Stonum snatched it for Michigan’s first touchdown of the game.

And 24-7 felt much more surmountable than 24-0.

Three plays later, senior Jonas Mouton recovered a fumble and the Wolverines got the ball back.

On the offense’s first play, Robinson tossed a 34-yard pass to Stonum, who shielded the defender from the underthrown ball and caught it over his shoulder.

In less than two minutes, Stonum had given the Wolverine offense exactly what it needed — a spark.

“It helped to see him make plays,” offensive coordinator Calvin Magee said after the game. “We were trying to get the ball to Junior (Hemingway) also, but Stonum got the coverage that was favorable. Denard did a good job finding him.”

Teammates said they appreciated what Stonum added to the offense — big plays from a player who loves to make them.

“He definitely brings the big-play ability for our offense,” junior tight end Kevin Koger said. “He's a big threat at any time in the game.”

Stonum’s playmaking opportunities increased as he played a larger role on special teams on Saturday. He returned four kickoffs for 103 yards. After Michigan’s recent struggles in the return game, Stonum’s sure hands were a welcome sight for Wolverine fans.

“He does it all,” Koger said, smiling. “He's versatile and he can do a lot of things on the field to help our team.”

On his final kick return, though, he got hit hard while trying to twist away from a Wisconsin defender. His right ankle received the brunt of the hit, and he crumpled over in pain, clutching his right leg.

The injury, if serious, would be a big blow to the Wolverine passing game. It would also be just another injury on what is turning into quite a long list of wounded players on Michigan’s roster.

“He's not banged up too bad I don't think,” running backs coach Fred Jackson said. “He'll be ready to go this week to try to give us a chance next Saturday.”

Stonum tweeted a few hours after the game: “Hopefully I'm ok (I think I am) but its gonna take a whole lot to keep me out of this next game.”