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WEDNESDAY
FEBRUARY 13, 2002
8
0
Carr chooses Loeffler to lead passers
By J. Brady McColough
Daily Sports Writer
It came as no surprise yesterday when Michi-
gan coach Lloyd Carr announced the hiring of
Scot Loeffler, a former
Michigan quarterback and
graduate assistant, as the
Wolverines' new quarter-
backs coach. Loeffler 4
replaces Stan Parrish, who;
stepped down as offensive
coordinator and quarter-
backs coach last week.
Carr has traditionally
hired from within the pro-
gram, and with the addi- Loeffler
tion of Loeffler and new special teams coach
Bill Sheridan to the staff in the past week, more
than two-thirds of Carr's staff has ties to the
University.
Loeffler, who has spent the past two years
coaching signal callers at Central Michigan,
began his career at Michigan, where he served
as backup to Todd Collins in his first two sea-
sons. But after a serious shoulder injury cost
him his chance to start for the Wolverines, his
life took a new direction.
"The day that he got injured at Michigan, he
began to prepare himself to be a football coach,"
said Central Michigan coach Mike DeBord,
who was Michigan's offensive coordinator
when it won the national championship in 1997.
Loeffler served as graduate assistant for the
Wolverines in 1998 and 1999, coaching the
scout team offense and aiding in the develop-
ment of former Michigan quarterbacks Brian
Griese, Tom Brady and Drew Henson.
In his two years at Central Michigan, he
impressed DeBord with his passion for the
quarterback position and his knowledge of how
to attack coverages.
"All of our quarterbacks, they're unbelievably
better today than two years ago when he came
here;' DeBord said. "He's a great quarterbacks
coach, and at Michigan, he's going to have to
develop some young guys."
Loeffler will have his hands full during
Michigan's spring practice session, as Carr has
indicated that there is no clear starting quarter-
back. At last Wednesday's signing day press
conference, Carr did not endorse John Navarre,
who has started 16 games at the position in the
past two seasons.
Navarre's struggles this season began At
Michigan State on Nov. 3, when he threw two
costly interceptions in Michigan's 26-24 defeat.
From that point forward, his confidence never
recovered, and his season hit a low point when
he threw four interceptions in Ohio State's 26-
20 upset of the Wolverines in Michigan Stadi-
um.
The sophomore was consistently unable to
look off his first option - usually All-America
receiver Marquise Walker - and lacked the
instincts in the pocket to feel pressure and deliv-
er the ball on time.
Not only will Loeffler be working to repair
the confidence of Navarre, but he'll also be
evaluating Jermaine Gonzales and Spencer
Brinton in the spring.
Gonzales was not used much in dropback
passing situations this season - the coaching
staff utilized him mostly as a runner and a
receiver. Meanwhile, Brinton underthrew his
only pass of the season against Miami of Ohio.
Incoming freshman Matt Gutierrez will join
the competition in the fall.
j
DAVID KATZ/Daily
New quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler may be able to teach John Navarre how to feel the pass rush,
look off his primary receiver and get rid of the ball quickly, none of which he is doing in this photo.
Keady at end of his rope
Vancik's physical style
earns conference award
By Steve Jackson
Daily Sports Editor
In 1991, Michigan coach Tommy Amaker
played for Purdue coach Gene Keady's Unit-
ed States squad that took the bronze medal
at the Pan-American Games.
But, as they prepare to face each other
tonight at 6 p.m. in West Lafayette, neither
of the two is having much of success in the
college game this season.
Purdue is riding a three-game
losing streak, and at 11-14, this
may be one of Keady's worst MACKEY
teams in years. Michigan, on the Who: Michiga
other hand, is coming off a dis- Ten, 10-12 ov
appointing road loss at Colorado Purdue (3-8,1
State, the worst team in the When:6 p.m.
Mountain West Conference. TV: ESPN-Plus
The Boilermakers' season has atest:The wo
been so frustrating that Keady, a havewon ust
seven-time Big Ten Coach of the last 384 days.l
Year, has even hinted at retiring,
possibly as soon as the end of this season.
"It's puzzling," Keady said. "What hap-
pened to our legacy of Purdue pride, playing
hard, working hard and finding ways to
win?"
Despite opening up an 18-point lead at
No. 18 Illinois last Saturday, the Boilermak-
ers found a way to lose. The team seemed
helpless in the second half, as Frank
1
'o
tt
Williams led the Fighting Illini to a dramatic
come-from-behind win.
One recent bright spot for the Boilermak-
ers has been the play of senior forward Rod-
ney Smith.
After leading Purdue in scoring last sea-
son, Smith started slow and lost his spot in
the starting lineup. Smith came off the bench
to score 15 points in the Boilermakers' 79-
75 loss to Michigan on Jan. 5.
During the Boilermakers last
two games, he has scored 14
points per game, well above his
ARENA season average of 9.6.
n (5-6 Big "I think that Rodney is start-
erall) at ing to see that he thought he
1-14) was playing hard before, but he
wasn't," Keady said "I'm not
sure what caused that."
Iverines Smith was a part of some
wo games winning teams at Purdue, so the
ler in the
coaching staff was surprised to
see him lacking effort early on.
"You would think that that would have set
in by osmosis from the classes ahead of him,
guys like (the Detroit Pistons' Brian) Cardi-
nal that he played with," Keady said. "He
really thought he was playing hard and had
no idea he was lethargic. That was amazing
to us."
Whether or not he can bring Purdue back
to its prior success, Keady has not looked as
AP PHOTO
Purdue coach Gene Keady has been frustrated
with his team's lack of pride this season.
angry on the floor as he did during his glory
days.
"I'm probably more positive than I've ever
been," Keady said. "Getting negative now
and downgrading your players isn't going to
help now when you're in a funk. It's going to
make it worse."
Forward Brett Buscher did not travel with
the Boilermakers to Champaign last week-
end due to bronchitis. But he and guard
Maynard Lewis (knee) are both expected to
return to action tonight for Purdue.
By Chris Burke
Daily Sports Writer
Time and again throughout this hockey
season, opponents' forechecking attempts
have been thwarted thanks to the physical
play of Michigan defenseman Jay Vancik.
"Players don't like to come down his side
because he's playing like he is," fellow blue-
liner Andy Burnes said. "He takes the body
and plays good defensive hockey."
But as stellar as Vancik's play has been
recently, senior Craig Murray offered a dif-
ferent take on why people might avoid Vancik
on the ice.
Said Murray: "He likes to poke people a
lot. He's a pretty strong kid, and he'll just
come by and poke you - it hurts a lot."
Regardless of the method, Vancik (2 goals,
6 assists on the year) has been one of the
Wolverines' most consistent players all sea-
son. He was finally rewarded for his play
when he was named CCHA Defensive Player
of the Week on Monday after his one goal,
one assist performance in Michigan's sweep
over Nebraska-Omaha last weekend.
"It's usually goalies that win (the defensive
award) anyway, but when a defenseman wins
it it's because he gets a couple of points,"
Vancik said. "So that's what gets you noticed
I guess - or that's what got me noticed."
After piling up a plus-four rating against
Nebraska-Omaha, Vancik's season total sits at
plus-16, highest on the team. He led Michi-
gan in plus-minus two years ago as well with
a plus-29, and is plus-47 in his four-year
career.
"I just want to be known as a solid, reliable
and physical defenseman," said Vancik. "A
defenseman that could match up with any
offensive line in the league and shut them
down for a night."
Michigan coach Red Berenson understands
that the style that Vancik plays is exactly the
type of effort he needs for his team to be suc-
cessful.
Berenson went on to describe Vancik as a
quiet leader - someone who takes the game
very seriously. But that characteristic shows
up off the ice as well.
"He's about as serious as they come," said
a smiling Burnes. "You don't mess around
with him because you know if you do, you're
going to have to pay the consequences."
As for Murray's allegations?
"I don't know what he's talking about,"
said Vancik with a chuckle. "I have no idea
- it's not me."
4
Medal tracker
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By Jim Weber
Daily Sports Writer
Stephanie Gandy is looking for a
partner.
Known as the "Gandy Dancer" by
her teammates and coaches, she is the
only Wolverine that has played good
defense consistently this season.
"Gandy's really athletic,"
coach Sue Guevara said. "If,
a mistake, her athleticism ma
it. But I think she is puttinge
she can - her effort and he
- into her defense."
Gandy did her part on def
in Michigan's 88-75 loss to {
on Sunday, earning praise f
State coach Beth Burns for h
both ends of the floor. Unf
her teammates didn't show
intensity, as Ohio State shot'
from the field and scored m
on Sunday than it has against
Big Ten opponent this season
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AB - SOLUbTsION reak .66r *.
a. Lose 10 Ibs before Spring Break
struggles, Gar
Michigan "You can see the way they just
she makes scored at will basically, and there was
kes up for no effort at all on defense," Gandy
everything said.
er emotion Senior captain Heather Oesterle
hopes that Gandy's defensive intensity
ense again will rub off on the rest of the team.
Ohio State So far, it hasn't.
from Ohio "We have worked on team stuff day-
Ler play on in and day-out and that doesn't seem to
ortunately, be the problem," Gandy said. "It's just
the same individual efforts now."
53 percent Oesterle said the team's lack of
lore points intensity is a result of frustration.
t any other "Everyone comes out to put in the
1. effort," Oesterle said. "I think some-
times when you get beat (to the basket),
or when they keep shooting over us, we
led get down on ourselves. And then, I
°ds think we just relax for a second."
The Ohio State game was typical of
structors the Wolverines' problems in the con-
ference, as they were ineffective in
both man-to-man and zone defense.
After Michigan took an early 10-7
lead on Sunday, its zone defense had a
meltdown. Ohio State forward DiDi
Reynolds hit two unopposed 3-pointers
in transition, something Guevara found
"unbelievable."
*CO "People are going down to their
spots in the zone instead of looking
around to see where the open people
are," Guevara said.
"By the time our player reacted,
(Reynolds) had the ball in her hands.
Up it went, and it was too late. That is
ady shines
just poor defense, not even a matter of
communication. Just a matter of bad
defense."
Whether the Wolverines used the 3-2
or 2-3 zone, the Buckeyes had success
throwing the ball inside to Courtney
Coleman, who finished with 21 points.
Michigan's man-to-man defense also
was not effective. Ohio State guard
Tomeka Brown, who is still nursing a
sprained MCL, drove straight through
the Michigan defense on several occa-
sions en route to a career-high 21
points.
"How she can just drive right down
to the basket and nobody rotates over
to help?" Oesterle asked.
She answered the question herself,
saying the team lacked communication.
Said Oesterle: "It's not team
defense."
Michigan hasn't played good team
defense often since Big Ten play started
on Dec. 28 against Illinois, when the
Wolverines were fresh off a school-
record 10 game winning streak. The
Wolverines lost the game despite shoot-
ing a school-record 67 percent from the
field because they couldn't stop the Illi-
ni from scoring in an 85-81 loss.
Michigan is ninth in the conference
in scoring defense, allowing opponents
to score an average of 75 points per
game - 10 points more than last sea-
son. The scoring defense is also the
worst since Guevara's first year at the
school (1996-97).
4
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