0
4B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - January 6, 2003
MICHIGAN 38, FLORIDA 30
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
-ime of Poss
MICH
17
37/120
319
74
74/439
74
31/27/0
9/38.6
1/0
3/23
32:39
FLA
28
43/237
323
85
85/506
101
21/41/0
8/32.1
2/2
6/38
27:21
Blue defense continues to
make plays when it must
Kashama has breakout game with more playing time
By J. Brady McCollough
Daily Sports Writer
M I C H I G A N
PASSING
Player
Navarre
Totals
RUSHING
Player
Perry
Team
Askew
Bellamy
Navarre
Totals
RECEIVING
Player
Perry
Joppru
Edwards
Bellamy
Askew
Gonzales
Totals
C-A
21-37
21-37
Att
28
3
2
2
2
37
No.
6
6
4
2
2
21
PUNTING
PlayerI
Finley
Mignery
Team
Totals
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player No.
LeSueur 2
Totals 2
PUNT RETURNS
Player No.
Curry, J. 3
Totals 3
Yds
85
-4
9
20
-6
120
Yds
108
80
110
11
6
4
319
No.
7
1
1
9
Yds
45
45
Yds
29
29
Solo
7
6
5
5
3
4
3
3
O
2
1
1
1
1
41
Yds TD
319 1
319 1
Avg Lg
3.0 16
-1.3 O
4.5 5
10.0 14
-3.0 0
2.8 16
Avg Lg
18.0 31
13.3 43
27.5 49
5.5 8
3.0 4
4,0 4
15.2 49
Yds Avg
282 40.3
46 46.0
19 19.0
347 38.6
Avg Lg
22.5 25
22.5, 25
Avg Lg
9.6 17
9.6 17
int
0
0
TD
4
0
0
0
0
4
TD
O
0
0
1
Lg
55
46
19
55
TD
0
0
TD
0
0
TAMPA, Fla. - Officials from Rubbermaid are
actively pursuing the Michigan defense to partici-
pate in a new ad campaign promoting a product
that stretches for hundreds of yards, but never
seems to break.
Well, not really. But it FOOTBALL
wouldn't be such a bad idea.
The Wolverines have perfect- Notebook
ed a bend, but don't break
approach to defense this season, and it was more
of the same against Florida in the Outback Bowl
on New Year's Day.
Michigan had more than a month to prepare for
Florida's no-huddle offense, recently tweaked from
former coach Steve Spurrier's "Fun 'n Gun" that
dazzled opponents during a decade of Gator domi-
nance.
"The coaches did a great job of getting us
ready," Michigan defensive tackle Grant Bow-
man said. "(During) our whole bowl practice,
we practiced with the no huddle. We didn't have
to huddle and we knew our signals from the
sideline."
"We saw teams not ready to go out of a huddle
(on film), and that's part of (Florida's) plan,"
Michigan defensive coordinator Jim Herrmann
said. "It really helped us tremendously in terms of
limiting their game plan some."
It would be hard to imagine what the Gators
could have done with an unlimited game plan.
Florida bent the Michigan defense to the tune
of 506 yards of total offense, but couldn't
muster enough points in the Gators' 38-30 loss
to Michigan.
Wherever and whenever the Gators wanted to
run, they could. Florida running back Earnest Gra-
ham exposed the supposedly staunch Michigan
rush defense for 120 yards and two touchdowns on
22 carries. Ran Carthon added 56 yards on just six
carries, as Florida spread the field and hit the gaps
in the porous Michigan defense for more than six
yards per carry.
The Michigan pass defense turned Florida quar-
terback Rex Grossman into the Heisman Trophy
candidate he was pegged to be. Grossman con-
nected on 21-of-41 passes for 323 yards and two
touchdowns, even though he was pressured for
most of the afternoon by the Michigan defense,
which registered four sacks.
The Florida receivers, who Michigan corner-
back Marlin Jackson tabbed "average" and worse
than receivers in the Big Ten after the game, had
Michigan's safeties diving all over the field and
coming up with air.
"We missed some tackles, which is always dis-
couraging," Herrmann said. "(But) the biggest
thing is when we needed to for our football team,
we went out there and made stops. Those are the
things that win football games.
"Florida is a great team, they are going to hit
some plays."
The Gators averaged just 26 points per game
this season under first-year coach Ron Zook. Per-
haps Herrmann was referring to the Gators of
2001, who averaged an unbelievable 45 points per
game.
BONJOUR GATORS: Michigan defensive end
Alain Kashama, nicknamed the "Sackmaster,"
had a coming out party against the Gators.
Michigan fans and coaches have been waiting for
Kashama, one of three French Canadian players
on the team, to take his 4.4 40-yard dash and 6-
foot-5, 259-pound frame and turn them into
results on the field.
Kashama, who filled in for an injured Shantee
Orr earlier this season, caught the attention of
his coaches with two great weeks of bowl prepa-
ration. The Montreal native took full advantage,
tallying four tackles (two for losses), a sack and
two game-changing plays that his defense des-
perately needed.
With six minutes left in the first quarter,
Kashama beat Grossman to a bad snap, recovering
the ball for the Wolverines at the Florida 3-yard
line. Michigan running back Chris Perry would
eventually score the first of his four touchdowns to
give Michigan the lead,7-0.
Then, with just over a minute to go and Florida
driving at the Michigan 27-yard line down 38-30,
Kashama made the play of the game. The Gators
baffled everyone in Raymond James Stadium
except Kashama and the Michigan defense, calling
for a double-reverse pass that was supposed to go
from wide receiver Vernell Brown to Grossman.
Kashama, who said he recognized the play from
practice, broke free and grabbed Brown 10 yards
behind the line of scrimmage, forcing a heave that
fell into the arms of Michigan linebacker Victor
Hobson.
"He's matured as a football player," Herrmann
said. "You think about if your major language is
French, and everything you hear is in English, that's
hard. He's done a good job of sticking with it."
Herrmann said that he is "going to have to" find
a way to get Kashama and other athletes like red-
shirt freshman Pierre Woods on the field more
next season.
DEFENSE
Hobson
June
Drake
LeSueur
J. Curry
Stevens
McClintock
Kashae
Lazarus
M. Curry
Shazor
Casseus
Bowman
Jackson
Woods
Williams
Heuer
Orr
Moundros
Nasif
Young
Massey
Totals
Ast
5
3
4
4
5
3
4
1
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
O
O
O
40
Tot
9.5
7.5
7
7
5.5
5,5
3.5
3.5
2.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.5
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
0.5
70
BRENDAN O'DONNELL/Daiiy
Defensive lineman Shantee Orr notches one of Michigan's four sacks against Florida's Rex Grossman. The
Wolverines' defense bent but didn't break when it counted.
w
"We've got to do something, because those
guys are phenoms athletically," Bowman said.
"I think we're going to find ways to get them
on the field. They're tough guys and such ath-
letes that we have to."
After the game, Kashama - a team comedian
- was ecstatic about his performance. But he's
not getting ahead of himself.
"Right now I just want to concentrate on
doing what (the coaches) ask me to do,"
Kashama said. "I used to try and be on my own,
but now I want to try and 'get with the program,'
like Americans say."
INJURY UPDATE: Michigan wide receiver and
reverse specialist Calvin Bell did not play in
the Outback Bowl because of an injury suf-
fered in bowl practices. Michigan linebacker
Carl Diggs, who broke his right ankle in the
Ohio State game, will miss spring practice and
won't return until two-a-days in August. Jack-
son, the Wolverines' best cornerback, hurt his
groin on a crucial pass break-up in the end
zone against Florida receiver Taylor Jacobs.
Michigan left tackle Courtney Morgan did not
play against the Gators, as redshirt freshman
Adam Stenavich played the entire game.
!
PASS DEFENSE
Player
Hobson
LeSueur
J. Curry
Stevens
M. Curry
Shazor
Hueur
Orr
Totals
Int
O
O
0
0
0
0'
Yds
O
42
Lg
O
42
Brk-up
1
1
1
1
8,
TD
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Michigan, Ohio State show
glimpse of things to come
F I o r i d a
PASSING
Player
Grossman
Brown
Totals
RUSHING
Player
Graham
Carthon
Grossman
Ratliff
Fason
TEAM
Totals
RECEIVING
Player
Jacobs
Carthon
Kight
Small
Walker
Ratliff
Troupe
Green
Totals
C-A
21-41
O-1
21-42
Att
22
6
11
2
1
1
43
No.
7
3
3
3
2
1
1
1
21
PUNTING
Player
Martin
Totals
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player No.
Carthon 2
Ratliff 2
Kight 1
Total 5
PUNT RETURNS
Player No.
Ratliff 3
Totals 3
DEFENSE
Player
Hardmon
Nattiel
Johnson
Scott
Totals
Yds
120
56
23
7
0
-23
237
Yds
88
65
51
37
11
33
27
10
323
No.
B
8
Yds
52
26
23
101
Yds
10
10
Solo
7
5
6
4
38
Yds
0
0
0
Yds T
323
0
323
Avg L
5.5
9.3 1
2.1 1
3.5
0.0
-23.0
4.3 3
Avg L
12.6 2
21.7 E
17.0 2
12.3 2
5.5
33.0
27.0 2
10.0 1
15.4 E
Yds
257 32
257 32
Avg
26.0
13.0
23.0
20.2
Avg
3.3
3.3
Asst
6
7
4
3
32
D
2
0
2
Lg
33
15
15
7
0
0
33
Lg
22
51
24
22
8
33
27
10
51
Int
0
1
TD
2
O
0
0
0
0
2
TO
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
PHILLIPS
Contiued from Page 1B
departing starter, though he was already split-
ting time with Matt Lentz. The receiving
corps also remains intact, as Ron Bellamy's
departure leaves an opening for Jason Avant
and heralded redshirts Steve Breaston and
Carl Tabb.
The Wolverines will no doubt miss the
leadership and play of Askew and tight end
Bennie Joppru, but super-sized fullback Sean
Sanderson and tight end Tim Massaquoi have
been patiently waiting for their chance.
Defensively, the Outback Bowl was a
showcase for young talent. Defensive linemen
Alain Kashama, Pat Massey and Pierre
Woods played well in their first extend oppor-
tunity and will make up for the loss of Dan
Rumishek and Shawn Lazarus.
Similarly, the Wolverines will lose safeties
Charles Drake and Cato June, but freshman
Ernest Shazor proved he is ready to step up
in their place.
The biggest loss might be Victor Hobson,
who paced the defense with his experience
and intensity on the field, which will be
impossible to make up.
The Wolverines got valuable playing time
from freshmen Scott McClintock and Joey
Sarantos at the end of the season and with the
expected return of Carl Diggs and Zach Kauf-
man, Hobson's absence will be made up by
the sum of the parts.
The youth movement by Michigan is not
unlike the rest of the Big Ten, where only
Penn State, which loses standouts Michael
Haynes, Bryant Johnson and of course, Larry
Johnson, might not improve next season. But
despite this improvement, the rest of the con-
ference will still be chasing Michigan and
Ohio State.
With both teams likely to be in the top five
to begin next season, the Ohio State-Michi-
gan rivalry will again take on national impli-
cations - only this time it will be expected
from the beginning of the season. It is a good
time to be a fan of Big Ten football.
Jeff Phillips can be reached at
jpphilli@umich.edu.
Avg Lg
2.1 44
32.1 44
Lg TD
27 O
20 O
23 0
27 0
Lg TD
9 0
9 0
Total
13
12
10
7
70
-up TD
0
O
0o
BRENDAN 0OONNELL/Daly
Wide receiver Braylon Edwards was a key component of Michigan's passing game, with four catches for 110 yards,
including a momentum-changing 49-yard catch.
Pery shows versaiity
earn MVP honors
PASS DEFENSE
Player
Scott
Mitchell
Cromartie
Totals
Int
0
0
0
Lng
0
0
Brk
1
1
3
PLAYERS OF THE GAME:
.. . . ... ... . .. . ........................................... -
By Joe Smith
Daily Sports Editor
TAMPA, Fla. - On the night before
games, the Wolverines often gather at
the team hotel, sprawl out on the floor
and watch a movie.
And junior tailback Chris Perry has a
quirky habit of stealing teammates' pil-
lows.
But on New Year's Day, Perry stole
the show. He set Outback Bowl and
modern era Michigan bowl game
records by scoring four touchdowns.
Perry, the game's Most Valuable Player,
showed glimpses of becoming the
multi-threat back that his coaches have
been craving.
He nabbed a career-high six catches
for 108 yards, while grinding out tough
yards on the ground, finishing with 85
yards on a career-high 28 carries.
"I told Chris before the game, 'If
recalled, Askew told him: 'Coach, I
can't catch the ball, I can't run it, but I
can block."
Perry then got his chance to expose
the Gators' defense as a receiver, catch-
ing several screen passes and dump-offs
rrom quarterback John Navarre and
turning them into sizable gains. Jackson
said Perry was also depended upon to
take some carries from Askew and get
the tough yards near the goalline,
including a crucial fourth-and-goal
from the 1-yard line. That's when
another second effort by Perry gave
Michigan a 14-13 lead in the second
quarter.
It was fitting that Perry was fulfilling
some fullback duties since it was Jack-
son's threat of moving him to that posi-
tion that kept Perry's weight down all
season. Perry's weight was a factor in
his lack of effectiveness last season, and
Jackson made sure it wouldn't hinder
DANNY MOLOSHOK/ aily
Michigan's Chris Perry carries Florida's Guss Scott, as he did with many other Gators en route to neariy 200 all-purpose yards.
OFFENSIVE - Chris Perry: