4B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - November 19, 2001 MICHIGAN 20 WISCONSIN 17 GAME STATISTICS Team Stats First Downs Rushes/Yards Passing Yards Offensive Plays Total Offense Return Yards Comp/Att/Int Punts/Avg Fumbles/Lost Penalties/Yards Time of Poss wISc 16 45/159 133 74 292 54 14/29/0 8/29.8 0/0 7/68 33:44 MICH 12 38/137 58 64 163 113 11/26/1 8/36.4 0/0 6/40 26:16 All t hings considered, is where it belongs W I S C O N S I N PASSING Player Bollinger Totals RUSHING Player Davis Bollinger Totals RECEIVING Player Anelli Evans Davis Charles Kuhns Totals PUNTING Player Morse Totals C-A 14-29 14-29 Yds 133 133 TD O 0 Att 27 17 44 No. 5 3 3 2 14 Yds Avg Lg 103 3.8 30 57 3.4 15 160 3.6 30 Int 0 O TD 1 2 TD 0 0 Yds 59 31 23 18 2 133 Avg 11.8 10.3 7.6 9.0 2.0 9.5 Lg 23 13 9 14 2 23 No. 6 6 Yds Avg Lg 238 39.7 57 238 39.7 67 KICKOFF RETURNS Player No. Davis 2 Total 2 PUNT RETURNS Player No. Bell 1 Totals 1 Yds Avg Lg 42 21.0 27 42 21.0 27 TD TO TD 0 DEFENSE Player Greisen Broussard Starks Herbert Hawthorne Thompson Bryant Boese Kuhns Echols Smith Brown Schick Mack Ellestad PASS DEFENSE Player Starks Echols Boese Totals Yds 0 O Solo 9 5 5 3 2 1 0 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 Yds 0 0 0 0 Avg Lg O O 0 0 Asst 7 2 0 2 2 3 4 1 1 1 0 Lng Brk-up 0 1 O 2 O 1 0 4 Tot 16 7 5 5 4 4 4 3 2 42 2 2 2 1 1 TO 0 0 0 0 BRENDAN O'DONNELL/Daily Michigan and Todd Howard limited Biletnikoff finalist Lee Evans to just 31 yards on three catches Saturday. Badgers cos baksC up boasts M ADISON - During his press conference following Saturday's game, a despon- dent Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez told the assembled media of his postgame exchange with Michi- gan coach Lloyd Carr. According to Alvarez, when the two coaches met at midfield after Michigan's memorable 20-17 victo- ry, Carr told Alvarez, "Your team deserved better." Hmm. That sounds familiar, doesn't it? Two weeks ago in East Lansing, follow- ing the Wolver- ines' equally astonishing 26- 24 loss to Michigan State, Carr kept telling ARUN the press, "We COPAL deserved better." The common farun axiom "what goes around comes around" is the first thing that came to my mind when I heard what Carr told Alvarez. And when you think about it, that phrase is a pretty accurate description of Michigan's season thus far. In the second week of the season, Michigan traveled to Seattle and thoroughly dominated Washington, only to lose the game in a span of 51 seconds in the fourth quarter (the memory is painful enough for Michigan fans that I won't bother to go into further detail). Then, on Oct. 27 at Iowa, the Wolverines stole a game that they easily could have lost - thank you, Marquise Walker. The loss to Michigan State and Saturday's miraculous win over Wisconsin only serve to further underscore my point. Ten years from now, Michigan fans will still be talking about the last second of the Michigan State game. Actually, check that - until they are lying on their deathbeds, Michigan fans will be talking about that last second. They'll never stop insisting that Jeff Smoker shouldn't have had time to loft that pass to T.J. Duckett. But 10 years from now, Wisconsin fans will probably still be talking about when freshman defensive back Brett Bell accidentally touched' the ball on a punt with 10 seconds left in the game. No matter how you look at it, Michigan caught an enormously lucky break on that punt. I was standing on the Camp Randall Sta- dium sidelines - perhaps 20 feet from Bell - when the ball hit him in the leg, and I still can't come up with a word to describe what I saw (feel free to send me some sugges- tions, if you have any). After the Michigan State loss, Michigan fans lamented the fact that Michigan's national title "hopes" were gone, thanks to that (insert expletive here) Michigan State timekeeper. Please. Michigan fans shouldn't kid themselves - this edition of the Wolverines has absolutely no busi- ness playing for a national title, and the 28 yards of total offense in the second half against Wisconsin should be enough evidence for any- one. Int 1 1 I M I C H I G A N PASSING Player Navarra Gonzales Totals RUSHING Player Askew Perry Bellamy Gonzales Navarre Totals RECEIVING Player Walker Bellamy Thompson Perry Dubuc Askew Totals C-A 1 1/24 O/2 11/26 Yds 58 Att 16 13 2 6 38 No. 4 2 1 1 Yds 58 53 19 4 -21 106 Yds 14 19 9.0 7.0 1.0 -4.0 58 Avg 3.6 4.1 5.5 4 -3.5 2.8 Avg 3.5 9.5 9.0 7.0 1.0 -4.0 5.3 TD 1 O 1 Lg 16 15 19 4 2 19 Lg 6 16 9 7 1 -4 16 Int 1 0 1 TD 0 0 '0 0 0 TD TO 0 0 1 By Jeff Phillips Daily Sports Editor MADISON - In the week leading up to Saturday's game, Badgers' cor- nerback Mike Echols convinced coach Barry Alvarez to allow him to cover wide receiver Marquise Walker exclu- sively. On Saturday, Echols lived up to his own billing allowing Walker to catch just four balls for 14 yards. It was Walk- FOOTBALL er's worst perfor- mance all season, he otebook came into the game averaging over 90 yards per game. Echols' only slip-up was a pass interference call inside the Wisconsin five-yard line, which led to Michi- gan's only offensive touchdown of the game. The senior cornerback led an out- standing Badgets' secondary with two pass deflections.-Wisconsin limited the Wolverines to 58 yards of passing. Michigan had averaged over 200 yards of passing coming into the game. "I couldn't imagine (Wisconsin') playing.any better," Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez said. Walker aided Echols by dropping three passes during the game. His most outstanding play did not come on a reception, but on a one-handed punt block in the third quarter. Walker, who was a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist, did not make the cut for the three finalists, which *were announced Friday. The three finalists are Wisconsin's Lee Evans, Florida's Jabar Gaffney and Louisiana State's Josh Reed. The winner will be announced on Dec. 4. BIRTHDAY Boys: Celebrating birth- days this weekend were for the Wolver- ines were kicker Hayden Epstein, safety Cato June and cornerback Brandon Williams, each of whom had a signifi- cant impact in the game. June finished the game with three solo tackles and helped the Michigan secondary to one of its best games of the season. The Wolverines allowed just 133 yards in the air. Williams' heads-up play in the game's-waning moments allowed Epstein to kick the game winner with 10 seconds remaining on the clock. Epstein ran down the field to pat Williams on the back and wasn't ready to kick the field goal. "I sprinted down there to give (Williams) a hug and congratulate him and I see everyone on the sideline yelling, 'field goal!' and I'm thinking, 'No."' Epstein said. Epstein was 2-for-3 on field goals for the game, missing a 46-yard kick and making from distances of 25 and 31 yards. The bizarre finish to give Michigan the win was enough of a birthday pre- sent for the trio. "That's enough. It's too much for one day," Williams said. WANNA BE UKE BUDDY LEE (EVANS): In a day with limited offense, Wiscon- sin's Lee Evans broke former Badger Al Toon's all-time receiving yardage record with 2,104 yards. Toon had 2,103 yards. Against the Wolverines, Evans caught three passes for 31 yards. In addition to the yardage record, it was Evans' 24th consecutive game with a reception, which also sets new Wis- consin record. Evans currently leads the Big Ten in receiving yardage with 1,394 yards and is tied with Walker for first in recep- tions. He also has scored nine touch- downs this season. After the game, Evans, a junior, announced that he would return for his senior season, despite having such a stellar season. "I'll be back, definitely. That's not even a question," Evans said. But as much as Michigan proba- bly didn't deserve to beat Michigan State, the Wolverines didn't deserve to lose to this Wisconsin team. On the surface, these two games might appear to have a lot of similarities, but there is one big difference. As hard as it might be for a Michigan fan to admit, Michigan State outplayed the Wolverines, those 12 sacks by Michigan's defense notwithstanding. Wisconsin - on the other hand - missed a field goal, had two punts blocked and has to deal with the fact that its quarterback is the worst passer in the Big Ten not currently playing for Ohio State. Sure, with a few breaks, Michigan could be 10-0 right now. If the Wolverines were undefeated, a win over Ohio State next week would, in all likelihood, have lifted them into the Rose Bowl. Just imagine the possibilities - Michigan's secondary vs. Florida's receivers, Michigan's secondary vs. Miami's receivers ... OK, I'll stop scaring you now. But, on the flip side, Michigan isn't that far from being 6-4. Just imagine those possibilities - the Wolverines trying to stifle the vaunted Southern Cal offense in front of a half-empty stadium at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. Makes you sick, doesn't it? So, did Alvarez deserve better on Saturday? Maybe. Did Carr deserve better against Michigan State? Maybe. Assuming Michigan beats Ohio State, do the Wolverines deserve better (or worse) than 9-21, a Big Ten title and a BCS bid? No. 40 PUNTING Player Epstein Totals KICKOFF RETURNS Player No. Moundros 2 Perry 1 Totals 3 PUNT RETURNS Player No. Walker 4 Jackson 1 Totals 6 No. Yds Avg Lg 8 291 36.4 48 8 291 36.4 48 Arun Gopal can be reached at agopal@umich.edu DEFENSE Player Hobson Drake Brackins Howard Foote Rumishek June Bellamy Pearson Williams Yds 18 16 34 Yds 34 43 77 Solo 8 5 2 5 4 . 2 0 2 2 2 Yds O 0 Avg 9.0 16.0 11.3 Avg 8.5 43 15.4 Lg 9 16 16 Lg 10 43 43 Asst 2 2 5 1 2 3 0 0 TD 0 0 0 TO 0 1 1 Tot 7 7 6 6 3 3 2 2. 2 TD 7 O i O 2 0 PASS DEFENSE Player LeSueur Howard Totals Yet again, Wolverines find a way to come out on top Int O O 0 Lg O O 0 Brk-up 2 .......A..................................................... -PLAYERs OF THE aAME: By Raphael Goodstein Daily Sports Editor MADISON - All season, No. 11 Michi- gan (6-1 Big Ten, 8-2' overall) has found dif- ferent ways to win games. . Against No. 10 Illinois, the Wolverines outsmarted the opponent, using gimmick plays to lap the Fighting Illini, 45-20. Against Iowa, Michigan caught an unex- pected break when Marquise Walker grabbed a one-handed touchdown pass to push Michi- gan past the Hawkeyes, 32-26. Then, agaii.st Wisconsin this past Saturday, it was Michigan's special teams that shined. While the game will be remembered for a late-game turnover, that play would have been inconsequential if not for unbelievable play from all aspects of the special teams. Michigan blocked two punts - returning one for a touchdown - which led to 10 points. What's more, when the punt rush didn't get to the ball, it applied enough pressure on Wisconsin punter R.J. Morse that he that he could feel the heat - he averaged just 29.8 yards per punt. While all aspects of Michigan's special teams were impressive, the biggest play of the game was without a doubt when .4ichi- gan kicker Hayden Epstein punted the ball to Wisconsin with 12 seconds left in a tied game. The Badgers had all 11 players on the line trying to block the punt, and when Epstein got the punt off, Michigan was going to let the ball bounce around and take up as much time as possible. That's when Wisconsin's Brett Bell found himself a little too close to the ball. The ball took a high bounce off 'of the Astroturf and hit Bell in the leg, creating a fumble. "I was absolutely shocked," said Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, who didn't see the play because he was watching to make sure the punt wasn't blocked. "On my phones (the assistant coaches) were saying, 'We got the ball, we got the ball.' I looked down the field and sure enough, we had the ball." The play left Bell distraught. "I hope (my teammates) don't blame (the loss) on me," he said. "I'm sorry." After Williams recovered the ball, Epstein had to make a game-winning 31-yard kick with just 10 seconds left - a task made even more difficult because Epstein was winded from running down the field to celebrate Williams' play. "I was sprinting down the field to give (Williams) a hug," Epstein said. "I was pretty winded. It was nice to catch my breath" on the timeout. 'Carr opted to kick the field goal right away rather than center the ball first because his team had no timeouts and he didn't want to create any last-second controversy, which a ALYSSA WOOD/Daily Hayden Epstein's punt led to the bizarre ending last Saturday. Epstein also kicked the game-winning field goal with 14 seconds left. happened three weeks earlier when Michigan State got two plays off in the final 12 sec- onds. The final sequence would have never hap- pened had Wisconsin's freshman place kicker Mark Neuser made a 36-yard field goal from the center hash. OFFENSIVE - Hayden Epstein: The senior kicked two field goals, including the game-winner with just 10 seconds left in the game. DEFENSIVE - Marlin Jackson: He blocked a punt and ran it back 43 yards for a touchdown, giving Michigan its first points. -.. BADG ERS Continued from Page 1B "When they make it impossible for you to run it, you have be able to throw it and our biggest problem today is that we just couldn't throw it," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. With the score tied at freshman cornerback Marlin son ran in untouched to b Wisconsin punt and returne yards for the touchdown, silenced the raucous Camp I Stadium crowd. The Wolverines also ki field goal after a one-hand His kick was just right of the goal post, putting the Wolverines in a no-lose situation - either they score and win, or don't score and play overtime. Ultimately, the Wolverines' offense - which totaled just 45-second half yards - had to punt, setting up the memorable play. seven, gers were led by running back n Jack- Anthony Davis, who rushed for 103 lock a yards and a touchdown. d it 43 Wisconsin also suffered from an which inability to pass the ball. It gained Randall 133 yards in the air and its leading receiver, Lee Evans, had just three cked a catches for 31 yards. ed punt With the loss, Wisconsin cannot NNt