4 Friday September 6, 2002 michigandaily.com sportsdesk@umich.edu P eORTSig n tilg 12 4 The Aftermath 4 Broncos catch Blue after uplifting victory By Jeff Phillips Daily Sports Editor After an emotional win last week, Michigan hopes not to suffer a let- down against Western Michigan, which will once agin finish in the middle of the MAC. But barring a complete collapse, the heavily favored Wolverines should roll in this mismatch. MICHIGAN PASSING OFFENSE VS. WESTERN MICHIGAN PASSING DEFENSE: Quarterback John Navarre looked good in his first start of the season by passing for more than 250 yards and to multiple receivers. The trend should continue against the Broncos, but they have the size - with three cornerbacks at 6-foot-2 - to defend Tyrece Butler and Braylon Edwards, each of whom is 6-foot-3. Michigan coach Lloyd Carr indicated that freshman Jason Avant will likely see the field this Saturday as well. Western Michigan safety and for- mer walk-on Jason Feldpauch was named MAC defensive player of the week last week for his, stellar play in the Broncos 48-17 victory over Indi- ana State. But Western Michigan will need more than a MAC player of the week to win this battle. Edge: Michigan MICHIGAN RUSHING OFFENSE VS. WESTERN MICHIGAN RUSHING DEFENSE: After a year break, Michigan estab- lished a solid running game last week with Chris Perry rushing for 120 yards and three touchdowns. He is running much harder than he ever did last season and still had gas in the tank in the third and fourth quar- ters. Rushing defense is the weak link for the Broncos. Of the nearly 200 yards of offense gained by Indiana State, 150 came on the ground along with the Sycamores only offensive touchdown. Needless to say, Michigan's rush- ing front will be more imposing than that of Indiana State. Edge: Michigan WESTERN MICHIGAN PASSING OFFENSE VS. MICHIGAN PASSING DEFENSE: If there is an edge in this game for the Broncos, it might be passing offense. Western Michigan sports a spread offense that Michigan has had trouble with in the past, including last season against the Broncos. But Michigan will be looking for a way to prove it can defend well against the pass and Western Michi- gan may be its first victim. Corner- backs Marlin Jackson and Markus Curry are too athletic for the Bron- cos. Above all, Western Michigan is just not as talented as Washington and won't have the same success that the Huskies did. Edge: Michigan Sandwich could hurt 'M' against Western By David Horn Daily Sports Editor Tomorrow's game against West- ern Michigan (1-0) at Michigan Stadium was going to be somewhat of an afterthought anyway. Sand- wiched between two high-profile games in last week's home game against Washington and next week's matchup in South Bend against Notre Dame, the nonconference game against the regional "rival" Broncos was never the sort of thing guys were getting psyched up about during summer two-a-days. And just to make sure tomorrow was as ho-hum as possible, Michigan (1-0) is now coming off its most dramatic home game in four years. "I do not think I will ever forget that game," defensive lineman Nor- man Heuer said on Monday. The lingering memory of the Washington game is the primary hurdle the veteran Wolverines will need to. clear as they suit up again for tomorrow's showdown. The question is, how do they move on, and come down from the emotional high of last weekend? Coach Lloyd Carr doesn't want them to. "I wouldn't want to bring them down," Carr said. "But by the same token we didn't play well in terms of the standards we have ... One of See BRONCOS, Page 13 S *O'S MICHIGAN STADIUM Who: No. 7 Michigan (1-0) vs. Western Michi- gan (1-0) When: Noon Latest: Michigan is focused on improving on its pass defense against Washington. The Bron- cos' open attack should do just fine testing it. 4 DAVID KATZ/Daily Michigan has all the advantages when its meets up with in-state rival Western Michigan. The Wolverines will try to avoid a letdown after last week's dramatic win. WESTERN MICHIGAN RUSHING OFFENSE VS. MICHIGAN RUSHING DEFENSE: Last week Western Michi- gan was subdued by Indiana State's rush defense, rushing for just 73 yards on 30 attempts. It should have more trouble against a bigger, stronger and faster group of defen- sive line and linebackers. The Wolverines should succeed in mak- ing the Broncos one-dimensional, but luckily for them, rushing isn't their bread and butter. Edge: Michigan SPECIAL TEAMS: Michigan will need a kicking game for the rest of the season, and this game could be one to work all of the kinks out. Western Michigan has a solid kicker in Robert Menchinger, who knocked in two field goals last week. On returns, Michigan has the advantage with Julius Curry and Jeremy LeSueur both showing a strength in kick and punt returns. Last week, the Broncos allowed a 95- yard kick return to Indiana State. Michigan will also try to establish pressure on the punter. Edge: Michigan Big House and Western Michigan is in the MAC. Its coach is telling the media Michigan has no weaknesses. There is just too much intimidation for the Broncos to go up against. Edge: Michigan 4 MICHIGAN 42, WESTERN MICHIGAN 24 INTANGIBLES: The game is in the t 9; All clinics are held at the Intramural Sports Building. man 4.Em--- ca.~aa nth 7JIAflnu 0-line jelled' as game progressed By J. Brady McCollough Daily Sports Writer Michigan running back Chris Perry and his offensive line had a reciprocal relation- ship last Saturday against Washington. The line opened up a monstrous hole for Perry on just the second offensive snap - a hole that forced a united cry of "I could have run FOOTBALL through that" from the Big House crowd. Then Notebook the junior made quick work of the Huskies' secondary, running for a 57-yard touchdown while reminding many of the promise he showed as a freshman. "It was a statement for the offense," Perry said. "All last season, we had problems run- ning the ball. Everyone keeps harping on running the ball better, and the linemen came out there and blocked well." Fans and media harped for good rea- son. The Michigan running game fin-'^ ished eighth in the Big Ten last season without the services of an NFL caliber line and Rookie of the Year Anthony Thomas. After Perry's initial scamper, the Washington defense put the clamps down, forcing Michigan into countless third-and-longs and making many wonder if Perry's run was just a fluke. "We just weren't executing as well on first down by not getting enough yardage, which See LINE, Page 13 I :rY { - k . 5 . . . t DAILY SPORTS; COME TO 42O. MAYNARD ON SUNDAY.AT. NOONAD 13NCE ' riEVa a