Heading into Saturday's game, the usual suspects were expected to fire up the Michigan football team.

Embattled coach Lloyd Carr needed to pick up his team following an 0-2 start, running back Mike Hart needed to rally his teammates following his guarantee and defensive captain Shawn Crable needed to get his much-maligned defense back on track following two dismal performances.

But an unexpected source delivered perhaps the game's most rousing speech: Academy Award-winner Russell Crowe.

The Australian actor flew in from Washington, D.C., Saturday morning to meet with his friend Carr and the team prior to kickoff.

What did he say to get them so fired up?

"I think that's secret information, mate," Crowe joked.

Crowe later opened up a bit about the message of his pre-game speech.

"It's just a matter of being one voice," he said. "Everybody wanting to do the same thing for the same reason."

Crowe and Carr forged an unlikely friendship last year. Carr used clips from Crowe's "Cinderella Man" as motivation for his team. The film, about underdog boxer Jim Braddock overcoming odds to become a world champion during the 1930s, has been credited as one of the catalysts to Michigan's 11-0 start to last season.

Crowe found out about Carr's team screenings and decided he wanted to meet the coach.

"I was really touched that he was using it, but also, by seeing what he was using, I could really understand that Lloyd was a very, very smart individual," Crowe said.

Carr flew to Australia in May to speak with Crowe's rugby team, the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

Crowe figured he'd return the favor on Saturday. He saw the Wolverines struggling and decided he would give Carr a call.

"I could sense through what I was watching on TV that my friend was in a bit of pain, so I thought I'd just take his mind off things and gave him a call and started teasing him about it, and he said 'Get over here,' " Crowe said.

Following his speech on Saturday, Crowe joined the Wolverines on the sidelines and even got to grab the Go Blue banner during the team's entrance.

The largest crowd Crowe's Rabbitoh squad played in front of last season had 34,500 people. With that nearly tripled on Saturday, it's understandable that Crowe was slightly overwhelmed.

"I just want to say that it was an incredible privilege to be part of being here today and the atmosphere," said Crowe, who said he wanted to grab a couple beers with Carr before he left Ann Arbor.

Although Crowe admits he doesn't know everything about American football yet, he's pretty familiar with Michigan's roster.

When asked whether he'd have Mike Hart or Shawn Crable on his Rugby team, Crowe didn't hesitate before veering toward option C.

"I want Jake (Long)," he said, garnering laughs from the media.