.. _ _ _ 0 4C - The Michigan Daily - KICKOFF 2001 - Thursday, September 6, 2001 a 0 Thursday, September 6, 2001 - KICKOFF Mistakes cost 2000 team the prize that it coveted The General OFFENSIVE LINE SECONDARY Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr is going into his seventh season at the helm of the Wolverines and few coaches have been more successful. Carr's accomplishments put him at the level of Michigan greats. His record in his first six sea- sons gives him the seventh best start for a head coach in Division I-A history. Here's a quick briefing of his stats. Overall record: 58-16 (.784) Big Ten record: 37-11 (.771) Bowl game record: 4-2 Against the top 25: 23-10 Against the top 10: 11-1 National titles: 1 (1997) Big Ten titles: 3 (1997, 1998-t, 2000-t) Players drafted by NFL: 30 Average final AP rank: 11 Against Ohio State: 5-1 By Jon Schwartz Daily Sports Editor When the 2000 season started, the Wolverines were loaded. Offensively, Michigan could boast having an all- world wide receiver in David Terrell, an exceptional quarterback in Drew Henson, Anthony Thomas, who would become Michigan's all-time leading rusher in the Wolverines' Citrus Bowl victory and an offensive line that would graduate four members to the NFL. But in the end, the Big Ten Championship that the Wolverines claimed despite a 6-2 conference record (9-3 overall) was not enough to quiet the critics who expected more. Losses to UCLA, Purdue and Northwestern by a combined total of seven points spoke louder than the 58- 0 drubbing of Indiana, the 14-0 Michigan's N Drew Henson Northwestern loss, a loss that cost the Wolverines a Rose Bowl bid. FILE PHOTO ijsiu ii < _. shutout against Michigan State and the now annual wins over Wisconsin and Ohio State. And the Wolverines proved that any errors can turn a season on its head. Be it a late-game interception throw by Henson's backup John Navarre at UCLA, poor clock-management and even poorer field-goal kicking at Purdue or an Anthony Thomas fumble on what would have been an insurance touchdown against Northwestern, mis- takes killed the 2000 Wolverines. The team continued its recent bowl success with the 31-28 squeaker over Auburn in the Citrus Bowl, but had.to watch Purdue fall to Washington in the Rose Bowl, a game that many expect- ed Michigan to play in. The Citrus Bowl also marked the last time that Terrell, Henson, Thomas and the stars of the offensive line would suit up in maize and blue. Carr After losing Steve Hutchinson, Jeff Backus, Maurice Williams an David Brandt to the NFL, Michigan has some serious reloading tc do along the 0-line. But, this is*Michigan, so replacements are ready and waiting to step into starting roles and excel. Jonathan Goodwin #78: Wondering who's the only return- ing starter from last year's front wall? Look no further than Goodwin, who is the starting left guard this year. Goodwin will have to be a leader at least early on, as the four new starters may take a game or two to devel- op some chemistry. Questions abound as new season starts By Jon Schwartz }< Daily Sports Editor 9 d Michigan returns a number of experienced players in o the secondary. Whether or not this is a good thing is entirely debatable. After getting torched time and again last year, Michigan has to pray that a year older and a year wiser means a year better. Cato June #2: Every Michigan fan can breathe a sigh of relief, now that June is returning to his spot at free safety. A unit that lacked any semblance of leadership last year now has a certified headhunter back in the fold. Jeremy LeSeuer #21: After sustaining a knee injury in his freshman year and showing flashes of skill last season, LeSeuer rang in the 2001 season with a crucial endzone interception of Miami (Ohio) quar- terback Ben Roethlisberger last Saturday. Ernest Shamor #15: There's no guarantee that Shazor will even see any playing time this season. Regardless, the freshman is arguably the top sec- ondary recruit in the country. After what happened last year, at least fans know that the secondary has some hope for the future. When last year's football season ended in the Citrus Bowl, the Wolverines were left with a few questions to answer. Would wide receiver David Terrell stick around? Could the team count on having Drew Henson at the helm? Would Michigan make up for the mis- takes of the 2000 season? These days, only one question is left to answer. Terrell did the predictable. He joined Steve Hutchinson, Jeff Backus, Maurice Williams and Anthony Thomas in the NFL Draft. Also, Henson threw a bit of a curve- ball when he decided that what he really wanted to do was focus on hitting the curveball. And the fastball, slider and, on some days, the knuckleball. About the only one not taken aback when Henson announced his intention to join the New York Yankees was Michigan coach Lloyd Carr. "Drew's decision was not surprising," Carr said at Big Ten Media Day in August. "I want to be very clear at this point that I respect Drew for what he did, the way he handled everything." Unfortunately for the Maize and Blue, that one remaining question becomes about 15 pressing queries when eyes gaze at the week-old Michigan season. Is John Navarre ready to stand under center and lead the team? Will he be the quarterback that threw four touchdowns against Bowling Green last year or the one that went 1-11 in the second half at UCLA and threw a pivotal interception that gave the Bruins the win? Will running backs B.J. Askew and Chris Perry be able to step in'and put up numbers comparable to Anthony Thomas' last year? Kurt Anderson #71: Anderson is new to the starting lineup, taking over the center spot from Brandt, but the fifth-year senior certainly is no stranger to the lineup. The 6-4, 299-pound behe- moth played three games at offensive guard last. year. He now shifts to cen- ter to anchor the 0-line. Demetedus Solomon #74: Solomon, like Tony Pape, was a blue-chip recruit three years ago. This year, he will bookend Pape as the starting right tackle. At 6-6, 297 pounds, Solomon can block out the sun. Michigan will be thrilled if he squashes a few defensive ends this season. . *:.:................:.m MARJORIE MARSHALL/Daily Junior running back B.J. Askew will shoulder the load for the Michigan offense. DEFENSIVE LINE Michigan's deep defensive line, sacked last year with the loss of Jake Frysinger for the season, should get more pressure on oppos- ing quarterbacks this time around. Is a young offensive line capable of protecting Navarre the way that last year's line kept trouble away from Henson? Is the defense as good as people are saying? Wasn't it the among the worst in Michigan history just a year ago? "Every year you know as a team that certain parts of your team are going to be in question," Carr said. "A year ago there was a tremendous question mark about the (defensive) secondary. This year the question marks, because of our losses offensively, are in the offensive line and with some of the other positions where we lost players. That's just part of every year. You understand that there are ques- tion marks and I think that motivates you." There's no doubting that the team has tremendous talent. The questions lie in the inexperience. And for many players, any experience gained last year is going to have vast importance as a confidence c 800-875-4525 A www.bianchi-rossi.com Ii 19Cm in ACIehICII Bka r G c y rm n dail ab l e !l Book Early fr Guaranteed SpacIl builder for the new season. Navarre got three and a half games under his belt last year when Henson was injured. He had some success, some very visible difficulty, but he strongly believes that it's prepared him well to lead the team this year. "My confidence is much higher than a year ago," he said. "As far as preparation and knowing what to expect, it is a total- ly different feeling this year as opposed to last year." Likewise, Perry saw the ball more than he expected to last year. And it has him feeling ready for this year. "If you're going to take over a posi- tion, you have to be confident," Perry said. As for the defense, it's hard to predict too much based solely on one game. The players are solid and the experience is there, but it's all about the execution. A year ago, the total defense ranked sixth in the Big Ten, 74th nationally. Those numbers have to improve significantly if the team is going to contend for the Big Ten title. "Coach Carr always tells us that you have to have a good defense to win championships," standout senior line- backer Larry Foote said. "Last year we learned that. We had some games we should have won because the offense was doing well and we let them get away. "As a unit we met a lot over the sum- mer to get ready for this year and when we get into games, we want to make sure we keep the lead.." This year's schedule sees Iowa and Minnesota replacing Northwestern and Indiana. And the slate will test the Wolverines quickly with the game at Washington on this Saturday. The insanely loud Husky Stadium (nick- named "The House of Pain") is often considered among the toughest places in the country for visitors to win, with Washington taking 42 of its last 47 home games. But Perry is not concerned. "They get real quiet after you score." Jake Fryskger #99" Frysinger's return should solidify Michigan's defen- sive line. His experi- ence was missed last year after he went down in the opener against Bowling Green. Going into the Miami game, Frysinger hadn't played a game in almost a year. If he can stay healthy this year, Michigan's defense should improve across the board. Norman Heuer #90: Haven't heard of Norman Heuer? Maybe that's because he changed his last name from Boebert before this season. Whatever you want to call him, he started two games for Michigan last year, including the. Citrus Bowl. In his nine career games, the redshirt sophomore has recov- ered three fumbles, tying him for the Big Ten lead last year. Anr 800 747 Catering Available " D Subs Party Subs * Frozen Yog -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - MARJORIE MARSHALL/Daily Dan Rumishek #92: Rumishek started 10 ofj Michigan's 12 games last year. In the process, he recovered a fumble, intercepted a pass and record- ed 28 tackles. The fifth-year senior was named M ichigan's top defensive lineman in 2000 en route to earning his second varsity letter. Shantee Orr #53: The redshirt sophomore started three games last year and played in all 12. Last year, Drr compiled 20 tackles and one sack. SUNDAY SPECIAL Wolverines Score- 5% off for every touchdown uptoff on all University of Michigan items 10%0 off any Party Sub or Cateuing Order Not valid with any other discount. Valid at participating stores only. Please present coupon before ordering. One offer per coupon per person. Jumbos extra. 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