Even with an injured knee, quarterback Chad Henne has still been getting in plenty of throws.

Against doctors' wishes, Henne tossed his crutches into the back of his car as soon as he was out of sight of Schembechler Hall.

And after Saturday's game, the senior discarded any talk of quarterback controversy in a similar manner.

"It doesn't really make sense," Henne said of the contrived quarterback controversy. "I came back (this year) for a reason, and they realize that. As long as I keep progressing, I deserve the spot. (The coaches) won't take it away."

He elaborated Monday, commenting both on the "We want Mallett!" chants he heard during the Oregon game and the idea that he would be benched in favor of the freshman.

"It's all a bunch of B.S.," Henne said. "It's not going to happen. I have too much pride to let that happen, and I'm not going to let myself slip. (Mallett) is a great person and I have a lot of respect for him. But it's my team, it's my senior year and I'm going to go out and play my best football these next couple games."

Henne's lucky to speak so confidently this soon after his injury.

The senior was hurt on a play late in the first half against Oregon. He rolled right out of the pocket and was hit from behind as he released the pass. The defender drove Henne's knee into the ground. Henne said his knee wasn't in too much initial pain, and he thought that if he could walk on it, he might as well stay in.

The pain didn't really kick in until several series later. On one of the final plays of the half, Henne rolled left to escape pressure and tried to get out-of-bounds without getting hit.

"(I) kind of looked like a wounded deer," Henne said. "I was just trying to make my way out of bounds so I wouldn't do anything worse to it. Luckily, (Michigan) coach (Lloyd) Carr was in front of me. He was kind of holding on, and I shoved him and he (fell) down and then I fell down."

Following the series, Henne told the trainers on the sideline that his kneecap felt like it was dislocating on every step. His knee was examined at halftime, and Henne was given the bad news. He had partially torn the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

Henne spent multiple hours every day rehabilitating his knee, working with weights to keep his quads strong and icing the knee. But when it came to crutches, Henne disobeyed the doctor's orders.

"I kind of stayed away from them because I've never used crutches before in my life, and they're just a hassle for me," Henne said. "I was on them for two or three days. They would complain and say, 'Use the crutches more!' but I didn't want to. I could walk. It was a straight-legged walk, but if I could put pressure on it, I was fine.

Henne has classes just two times per week this semester - he is on pace to graduate in December - and his limited class load eased the difficulty of getting to campus on the injured knee.

The rehab and strength training helped Henne come back sooner than most expected. And after he played the opening drive of the first half against Northwestern effectively and relatively pain-free, Carr looked to his four-year starter to lead a comeback in the second half.

After the game, Henne said he felt pretty good even without taking any pain medication. He woke up Sunday morning with limited swelling and without any pain, and he hopes to progress to about 95 percent by the end of this week.

The offensive line took special care to protect Henne against the Wildcats and was successful, not allowing one sack in the second half. But Henne knows that getting hit is unavoidable and he doesn't plan to let a fear of re-injury affect his play.

"You're going to get hit, that's the name of the game," Henne said. "If it happens, it happens. I'm not going to shy away from a rush or somebody in my face. I'm going to still try and make those plays. If I (hold back), then I'm just going away from what I've done in the past and . then it creates new habits and my play will slowly decline. I've just got to keep positive and be confident in knowing that I can make those plays."

If he does, the Mallett cheers will have to wait until next year.