ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A meeting was called by Michigan team leaders sensing the need for immediate damage control.

Two straight September Saturdays had produced a pair of shocking setbacks, sending the Wolverines into a free-fall from national championship contender to embarrassed also-ran.

Jake Long knew it. So did Shawn Crable and Mike Hart.

So the three Michigan captains assembled their teammates on a Sunday, less than 24 hours after the Wolverines had suffered a 39-7 home loss to Oregon, realizing things quickly had to change.

“We just wanted to make sure people weren’t going to buckle and just throw in the season,” Long said Monday, two days after Michigan beat Purdue 48-21 and claimed a share of the Big Ten lead with top-ranked Ohio State.

“We wanted to make sure that everybody still was buying in, still wanted to come to practice, wanted to play and making sure that everyone was still fired up and wasn’t going to let (a second straight loss) bother them and not let it affect our whole season.”

Five weeks later, the changes are clearly evident.

Michigan has won five straight games heading into Saturday’s road test at Illinois. The Wolverines have clawed their way back into the Associated Press Top 25, claiming the No. 24 spot after moving to 3-0 in the Big Ten with the Purdue win.

Michigan has regained the swagger that got them ranked No. 5 in the country before the humiliating season-opening loss to Appalachian State.

The turning point? The team meeting called by the captains the day after the humbling by Oregon.

After the three captains opened the session with fiery, heartfelt speeches, they opened the floor up and let their teammates speak, releasing two weeks’ worth of frustration. Almost immediately, the results spoke for themselves as practice again became fun leading up to Michigan’s 38-0 manhandling of Notre Dame the next week.

The players believe Michigan hasn’t been the same since.

Seniors have played a pivotal role in the Wolverines’ turnaround. Hart became Michigan’s all-time leading rusher in a victory over Eastern Michigan. He set another record against Purdue by rushing for at least 100 yards for the seventh straight game.

The defense, led by Crable at outside linebacker and Tim Jamison at defensive end, has defined itself as hard-nosed, aggressive and primed to force turnovers.

Michigan coach Lloyd Carr credited his leadership corps Monday, saying the true measure of a leader is found in handling adversity, something the Wolverines have had in abundance this season.

“After those two losses, the seniors and the leaders really stepped up and made sure the younger guys were following us,” Long said. “But now, everything is starting to click and we’re playing like we should have started the season off like.”