0 SYR Howard gets all kinds of attention By Josh Kleinbaum Daly Sports Editor SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- For a defensive back, attention is sometimes good, sometimes bad, and sometimes, it's best just to not have any. Saturday, Todd H loward saw a St Gf everythng. For the first twenty minutes of the game, Howard was spectacular. The least-heralded memeber of *ichigan's starting secondary - and the only one who didn't start last season - Howard was assigned to cover Syracuse's explosive Quinton Spotwood. And for a quarter and a half, he covered Spotwood better than the Carrier Dome's roof. Howard dominated the highly-touted receiver, lay- ng into Spotwood with battering-ram hits, twice knocking the ball out of Spotwood's hands and turn- Ziug apparent catches into incompletions. -Everyone thinks, with my size, that I'm a cover corner," I loward said. "But I like to hit, too." But after a little bit of good attention, I loward sud- Only got plenty of bad, too. With the ball on his own 42-yard line, Syracuse quarterback Madei Willaims unleashed a bomb to Pat -Woodcock. I loward, who was covering Woodcock on I-1 play, thought he had the interception. Both play- ers went up for the ball, inside the five yard line. Woodcock came down with it on the three. "I don't want to make any excuses," Howard said, " but I lost it in the lights." Tlhen, two plays later, Williams found Spotwood, ward's man, wide open in the end zone. 'I read run and it was a pass," Howard explained. Suddenly, Michigan was trailing, 7-6. in the second half, howard and his defensive back- mates got virtually no attention, and that's just the way lie likes it, thank you very much. With the exception of one more long pass, the Michigan secondary, which had been under scrutiny of late, clamped down on the Orangmen's explosive receivers, letting the offense eke out the victory. "We showed today that we're a tough secondary," oward said. "We. can play with these types of' eivers." STATUs Quo: Michigan coach Lloyd Carr revealed that Tom Brady will start against Wisconsin next week. After loss, Bad, are what they Penn State stays alive in Miam r siaffand wire reports After Fielc CINCINNATI - That cupcake-filled and raced in diet finally caught up with the Badgers players ran c on Saturday. Ron Dayne fumbled into thrusting the *'Cincinnati end zone in the fourth rain-soaked quArter and his new Big Ten rushing stunned. Ju record meant next to nothing in the were cheer wake of No. 9 Wisconsin's 17-12 loss would be M to the Bearcats. coach Butc Cincinnati's Robert Cooper ran for years ago. 143 yards and a touchdown, and "We had Deontey Kenner scored on a 5-yard Miami corn run. said, "and th Dayne rushed for 231 yards on 28 Penn St c-rries to pass Archie Griffin and Arrington, w tome the Big Ten's career rushing incident with leader with 5,615 yards, including his team coul bowl games. turned, "it w Dayne also moved into sixth place the world. I on the NCAA career rushing lst, This was which does not include bowl games. hoped would :He has 5,087 regular-season yards, lege football . 193 shy of breaking Ricky Williams' after Miami NCAA career mark. deficit and I don't care about the numbers. I'm Jackson's 39 looking for the win. That's all I was left. ng for," Dayne said. MICHIGAN ayne fumbled into the Cincinnati DAME 13: N end :zone midway through the final one in the la period and the Bearcats recovered. got the chan Later in the period, Wisconsin's Bill Burke Nick Davis fumbled a punt and yard, touchd Carlton Sykes recovered for Cincinnati to run away at the Wisconsin 25, setting up a 41- dropped the yard field goal by Jonathan Ruffin that 1-3 start in t put the Bearcats ahead 17-12 with 5:01 gave Michig left. start in the pa #It was just a lack of concentra- "It just to tion," Davis said. "It was completely right there be my fault. We just have to put this game have some in behind us and prepare for Michigan." coach Bob D Dayne was held out of several series was going to in the first half because of a sprained play of the g ankle, and his absence was felt most Jarious Jac on the drive that ended with Pisetsky's for 245 yard second field oal. tions on the SYRACUSE Decisions costly to Syracuse in the end BERKA Continued from Page 1B Imagine what a Syracuse defender must have been feeling. The Orangemen held the Wolverines to 298 yards - including only 66 in the second half- but had to watch help- lessly as the offense and coaching staff fumbled around as if they had spent the afternoon stumbling around at one of the local bars. But Michigan did its best to give Syracuse all the opportunities it need- ed to pull the game out. Yes, the Wolverines scored when they had to, but once again, they settled for Jeff Del Verne field goals more often then not. Michigan got into Syracuse territo- ry nine times -- including on all seven possessions in the first half. But all the Wolverines had to show for it were Jeff Del Verne's three field goals and an Aaron Shea touchdown. When the Wolverines had a chance to put the game away, bad things would happen. A false-start penalty on third-and-short. A dropped pass by Evan Coleman inside the Syracuse 10. A running play for a loss. Michigan was the better team. It could move the ball between its 30 and the Syracuse 30 with the best of them. But the Wolverines, like Felix Trinidad, just couldn't find that knockout punch that Syracuse would ofder up to them. Finally, the Wolverines avoided the last-gasp Syracuse swing and escaped from the Carrier Dome 3-0. But Michigan could have easily hit the deck on Saturday night. They didn't need to. Pasqualoni and the Orangemen did a fine job of slug- ging themselves. T.J. HeruA can be ,ctached via entail wt berkat(owniclixedu. LOUIS BROWN/Daily Michigan coach Uoyd Carr insists that he'll stick with his two-quarterback system, despite allowing sophomore. Drew Henson to take the lion's share of the snaps against Syracuse. When asked why, Carr elaborated by saying, "I like them both." Does that mean he'll stick with his two-quarter- back system? "Sure," Carr said. Brady started, but played just one quarter. Sophomore Drew Ilenson played the final three. Henson engineered an 88-yard touchdown drive in the final minutes of the first half that likely won him the second-half job, but, along with the rest of the Michigan offense, was flaccid in the second half. "'T'om played well in the first quarter, but Drew played his best quarter of football at Michigan in the second quarter," Carr said. I lenson completed 16 of' 28 passes for 151 yards and one touchdown, but also threw an interception, Michigan's first turnover of the season. Brady was five-of-10 for 26 yards. SAV WIHAT?: Marquise Walker tried to warn his teammates, but apparently, they didn't believe him. Now they know - the Carrier Dome is loud. "When they scream, it just comes back down,' Michigan receiver David Terrell said, pointing to the Dome's roof, trying to say the sound reverberated around the dome. But he had some trouble getting it out. "I got a headache, I can't even talk straight." Walker, a Syracuse native who grew up watching the Orange, said he told his teammates how loud it was, but some didn't understand until they experi- enced it. It wasn't a major problem for Michigan. The Wolverines suffered just five penalties for 30 yards, and not all were a result ofthe noise. "There comes a point where you just can't hear," Carr said. "But it affected both teams. Syracuse had some motion penalties, too." In fact, the Orangemen appeared to be more affect- ed by the noise. Throughout the game, the Syracuse offense signalled to the crowd to quiet down, so the players could hear each other. On their final drive, with the game on the line, the Orangemen drew an illegal procedure penalty on third-and-eight on the Michigan 13-yard line. Syracuse players again sig- naled the crowd to quiet down, which it did, but the damage was already done. Now 13 yards shy of the first down and 18 shy of the end zone, Williams threw two incomplete passes on third and fourth downs. GAME RECAP FIRST QUARTER: After the firs't play of the grnno' I d,u mrunby Anthony ThosMicia niWM1; u whis'tledi for off'>ttnq per onail loaf', Hayden Epstein comes on totiv t 5yrd fiekj goa, bit has iS kik Blocked o syri tikes over on Michigan's 45 yard line, it l , sz 0 yards on the ensuing dive, and punt. SECOND QUARTER: James Whitley ntercepts troy Nunes' pas at the Michigan 42, endnthe ionranerens third dve out of the past four on whi h the mo votYarae Their one drive that went li iposvitie yanrdage netted one yard Jeff [)eIVerne makes the lknJest fi'd yol of Iris career, a 41 -yarder Michigan 3, Syracuse 0 Nunes throw, his s'cOnd intweption, this one to safety DeWayne Patmon, who returiir, it oihit yards to tin' Syrc use 21. Michigan (gain 20 yards, but the Wlvrln=, drive sputters when Henson fires innomplete o Aaron Shea. Del Verne kirks 24 yadei to put Michigan up 6-0. Michigan 6, Syracuse 0 Madei Wi lliam 'ives a pas toward the Corw r Dome roof. Michlanornerhark and s PS < am eras hothi lose 'sight of the hall Syiiacusi'e 'rec'eir Pat Wooducok doesn't, and hauls in a 54yard recepticn After a detay of gaie all, William,find'>Quinton, spotwoodi n the e'r zone for a 51/.yrd scoriig pa'>s, Despite a hisl>thalf in whichlthe O,iiieiiii' literally went hac kward for mo't of te' ine, they lead 7-6 over Miian'toothlss''offeii'>- Michigan 6, Syracuse 7 M''i(higan striru4'>togethier six firs clowsir'>ciu hd- Irn one handed to them hv av sya(urn'cof 'ie" penally. With es than a miiute left i tre half, rthree syraui'e defenders brak into tin' Mchiigan h ac kfie(ld. Henson duisisa' ,',fe(tyv lv(pas'>t fulback Aaron Shea, who ann mer' 22 y.rd'>for a toucihrdown. Michigan 13, Syracuse 7 tAfter the kxckof, :h'e ' rangeqerien mhu t the rest 1of the first-half (ctock, drawingmo£osfo~,lne thr Carrier Dome crowd. THIRD QUARTER: syraUseP narn he', down the feld to stir t tie al 1Aided by a 40 -yard ornrpk troi to Spotwood, Nunes ind ames Mun pin tie end zone Nte front', point after attemrpt i'> deflected y Jam"> Hall, breaking hi streak at /2 consecutive pinis- ,aftr made Michigan 13, Syracuse 13 AfterHenson throws an interception to a wide- open an Macintosh (Michican's first tirno'ver this season), the stage is set for the werdest piav of the game, f not the season so far. Taking over at the Syracuse 22, Nunes drops back to pass on second-and-10 Under pressure from Michigan's front sever he drops back, way back. After scrambing back-and-forth, he finally throws the ball harmlessly out of bounds. Only problem, he was in his own end zone. Mchigan gets a safety. They get the bal back with excellent field position, but punt. Michigan 15, Syracuse 13 FOURTH QUARTER: The Wclverines get only one first down in the quarter. They get just 28 yards of offense. And they get an insurance feld goal - by Del Verne from 31 yards out - to seal their third victory of the season Michigan 18, Syracuse 13 After the k ckoff, Williams takes the Orrgernen 62 yards to the Michigan nne. On fourth-and- four, Williams fires incomplete. and Henson comes on to run out the clock. FINAL: Michigan 18, Syracuse 13 BIG TEN STANDINGS BIG TEN Igers ate ii, 27-23 ds shook off two tacklers to the end zone, Penn State cnto the field, jumping and 'ir helmets into the air. The crowd of 74,427 was st seconds earlier, they ing what they thought liami's biggest win since h Davis took over five the taste in our mouths," nerback Leonard Myers en it was gone." ate linebacker LaVar who had another shoving h a punter, said he thought ld lose but when the game was the greatest feeling in love Miami!" a game the Hurricanes d mark their return to col- 's elite. It looked that way roared back from a 17-3 led 23-20 on James 9-yard TD run with 7:42 STATE 23, No.24 NOTRE otre Dame didn't lose this st minute. The Irish never ce. e hit Gari Scott for an 80- own in the fourth quarter with the victory. The loss host Irish to their second he last three seasons, and gan State its second 3-0 ast three. ook the wind out of you because you felt like you nomentum," Notre Dame avie said. "You felt like it o come down to the last ame." ickson, who was 15-of-26 Is, now has six intercep- vear, matching his total of Team Penn State Illinois Michigan Michigan State Minnesota Purdue Northwestern Ohio State Wisconsin Indiana Iowa Big 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ten 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Overall 4 0 3 0 3 0 3 0 3 0 3 0 2 1 2 1 2 1 1 2 1 2 AP PHOTO Although the Nittany Lions didn't quite decapitate Miami, as Penn State's David Macklin is doing to Santana Moss here. But down 23-20 in the fourth quarter, the Lions kept their heads and rallied to beat the Hurricanes. yardage in a game. Sutherland fin- ished with 142 on five returns. The record of 138 was set by Ken Gorgal on seven returns against Pittsburgh in 1948. "I ran fast. Coach (Scott) Downing made some adjustments on the punt return team in practice this week," said Drew Brees was 25-of-39 for 320 yards and two TDs before getting the rest of the day off. IOwA 24, NORTHERN ILLINOIS 0: First-year Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz wanted quarterback Randy Reiners to give his team an offensive spark, but for a while Reiners and the Hawkeyes barely flickered. Reiners finally got on track in the second half and led host Iowa on a long touchdown drive, scoring on a 2- yard keeper, while Ladell Betts ran for a career-best 174 yards and a TD. 13th-ranked Buckeyes stormed back in the second half. "I was shocked at halftime. I really couldn't believe it," said Buckeyes linebacker Na'il Diggs after the game. It was shocking, considering that Ohio State hasn't lost to an in-state opponent since 1921. But the host Buckeyes took over in the third quarter as Michael Wiley ran for two touchdowns and Steve Bellisari threw a 68-yard TD pass to Ken-Yon Rambo. "The longer you let a team live like we did in the first half, the tougher job you've got," said Ohio State coach John Cooper. KENTUCKY 44, INDIANA 35: Dusty Bonner made Indiana forget about Tim Couch in a hurry. Bonner, who became Kentucky's starter when Couch left early for the over host Duke. Duke (0-2) had taken a 12-9 lead in the extra period on Sims Lenhardt's fourth field goal of the game when Kreiink pump-faked the Duke defense and connected with Simmons on the Wildcats' second play of overtime. The Blue Devils tied it on a 37- yarder by Lenhardt with 1:14 left after fumbling at the Northwestern 20 a series earlier. MINNESOTA 55, ILLINOIs STATE 7: One week after getting benched for his miserable passing, Billy Cockerham threw for a career-high 218 yards, ran for career-best 156 and accounted for four touchdowns. Cockerham, replaced by backup Andy Persby last week after a 4-for-15 performance against Louisiana- Monroe, completed 18-of-22 against Illinois State in the Metrodome. He THIS WEEKEND'S RESULTS Iliois 41, Locsv e36 Northwestern 15, Duke 12 OT) Kentucky 44, Indiana 35 Iowa 24, Northern Ilnois 0 Michigan 18, Syracuse 13 Michigan St. 23, Notre Dame 13 Minnesota 55, Iilinois State 7 Ohio St. 40, Ohio 16 Penn St. 27, Miami 23 Purdue 58, Central M chgan 16 C incinnati 17, Wsconsn 12 NEXT WEEKEND'S GAMES Michigan State at Illinois Northwestern at Purdue ESPN2 Indiana at Penn State 12:10 ESPN Michigan at Wisconsin 3:30 ABC Cincinnati at Ohio State 12:10 ESPN+ WHO'S NEXT: