4B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - September 9, 2002 MICHIGAN 35, WESTERN MICHIGAN 12 GAME STATISTICS Team Stats First Downs Rushes/ ards Passing Yards Offensive Plays Total Offense Return Yards Comp/Att/Int Punts/Avg Fumbles/Lost Penalties/Yards Time of Poss MICH 22 49/220 226 80 446 142 18/31/1 4/12.75 1/0 8/60 27:18 WMU 17 26/76 249 63 325 91 21/37/2 3/7 5/1 6/40 32:42 Broncos' quarterbacks find quick, aggressive D-Line PASSING Player Navarre Brinton Totals RUSHING Player Askew Perry Underwood Bracken Brinton Navarre Totals RECEIVING Player Edwards Butler Joppru Bell Mignery Askew Massaquoi Dubuc Perry Totals PUNTING Player Finley Totals M I C H I G A N C-A Yds TD 14-23 174 4 4-8 52 0 18-31 226 4 Att 3 17 13 12 3 1 49 No. 4 4 3 2 1 1 KICKOFF RETURNS Player No. LeSueur 3 Totals 3 PUNT RETURNS Player C Curry, J. Curry. M. Totals DEFENSE Player June Heuer Jackson Reid Lazarus Orr Stevens Shazor Williams Drake LeSueur Curry, J. Combs Curry. M. Hobson Kaufman Diggs Sarantos Casseus Dubuc Massey Ofili Rumishek Nasif McClintock PASS DEFENSE Player Rumishek Hobson Jackson Heuer Orr Shazor Williams Drake LeSueur Totals Yds 23 118 35 O 234 Yds 93 44 23 10 25 14 12 9 -4 226 No. 4 4 Yds 91 91 Yds 48 3 51 Solo S 4 4 2 3 3 3 3. 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 1 1 Avg 7.6 6.9 2.4 4.2 .3 -3 4.5 Avg 23.3 11.0 7.7 5.0 25.0 14.0 12.0 9.0 -4.0 12.6 Yds 173 173 Lg 11 34 6 13 5 0 34 Lg 39 20 8 6 25 14 12 9 -4 39 Int 1 0 1 TD 1 0 0 0 1 TD 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 Avg Lg 43.3 52 43.3 52 By J. Brady McCollough Daily Sports Writer Western Michigan coach Gary Darnell has declared the Broncos' nonconference slate a try- out for the starting quarterback spot between Jon Drach and Chad Munson. But Saturday, the Michigan defensive line did its best to make sure neither of the signal callers had a chance to make an impression. The front four led a defensive charge that did not surface against Washington, accounting for five of Michi- gan's seven sacks and seven of its nine tackles for loss. The Broncos took a page out of Washington's playbook, trying to stifle Michigan's pass rush by predominantly using a three-step drop, but the Wolverines were well-prepared this time around. "There was once or twice on three-step drops that the guys were in our face," Darnell said. "Short passes are just pitch-out runs, and when you are getting sacked on those, it disrupts the whole thing. We were depending on a quick, short pass and we were getting sacked. You just don't plan on getting sacked on short passes." Said defensive end Shantee Orr: "It was good. preparation from the coaches and better focus from us. We have had trouble with it in the past; we just had to perfect it today." Preparation for the defensive line will be much different this week with Notre Dame quarterback Carlyle Holiday waiting in South Bend, Ind. Holi- day hasn't shown much, if any, ability to throw the football in coach Tyrone Willingham's West Coast offense. He threw for just 50 yards on 7-of- 22 passing against Purdue Saturday, but he does bring a mobility that has given Michigan prob- lems in the past. "I'm sure we'll get one of our fast, little guys that we'll chase around the field all week and get us really mad," said defensive tackle Grant Bowman, who did not play Sat- urday because of an undisclosed injury but will play against Notre Dame. Against the Broncos, the key to pressuring the short drop was Michigan's ability to exert all its pressure from the front four so that the lineback- ers could drop into coverage to take away the quick-hit passing game. Defensive tackles Nor- man Heuer and Shawn Lazarus pushed the Bron- cos' pocket back all day, making it easier for the defensive ends to get to the outside. "You have to have pressure iu two areas," said Michigan defensive line coach Brady Hoke. "You have to be able to push the pocket from the inside and close it down from the outside. I think they adjusted to what Western was doing." Orr, who was held to one tackle and no sacks against Washington, found his comfort zone Sat- urday. His pressure resulted in a sack, a forced fumble and a deflected pass that ended up in the arms of fellow end Dan Rumishek. "I got lucky," Rumishek said. "I threw my man down, and it fell right into my arms." It may have been lucky, but the Wolverines accomplished their weekly goal of three turnovers. In the offseason, the main focus of the defense was to create more turnovers, as last sea- son's group forced just two per game. "I think we needed (to create turnovers) after last week," said Heuer, who recorded two sacks in the game. "We didn't think we had enough turnovers (two), and we didn't think we got to the ball enough, especially the defensive front, so hopefully we'll be able to do that against Notre Dame." Hoke said that while he was content with his unit's pass rush, its performance against the No. 3 4 Avg Lg 30.3 49 30.3 49 Avg Lg 16.0 27 3.0 3 12.8 27 Asst 0 0 0 2 0 0 O 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 TD TO 0 TD 0 TO 0 Tot S 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 TO 0 0 0 0 0 0 > T 0 0 ! 0 0 O O O Broncos' rushing attack was below his expecta- tions. Western Michigan running back Philip Reed ran 14 times for 95 yards for an average of almost seven yards per carry. With the Wolver- ines expecting the Broncos to pass almost every down, Reed was able to weave through the front four and often get to the outside. The Wolverines' line was able to flex its biggest muscle: depth. In its first two games, Michigan has been able to rotate eight to 10 AP PHOTO Michigan defensive tackle Norman Heuer tackles Western Michigan running back Philip Reed with the help of linebacker Lawrence Reid. players on the line, giving its young guys much-needed experience and its proven per- formers a chance to rest. Saturday, redshirt freshmen Pat Massey and Alex Ofili logged significant minutes, picking up a sack and a tackle for loss, respectively. "Those first couple plays are always really nerve-wracking," Bowman said. "So it was good that we got some guys on the field so that they won't be playing their first play in a big game." Brabbs can't seem to play lke he practices Bracken takes advantage of first chance to play Int 1 0 0 2 Yds 23 O 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 23 Lg 23 O 0 0 0 0 0 23 Brk-up 2 1 2 1 1 1 11 WE S T E R N M I C H I G A N PASSING Player Orach Munson Totals C-A 5-9 5-9 10-18 Yds TO 46 1 57 0 103 1 RUSHING Player Att Reed 9 Team 1 Munson 1 Drach 5 Totals 16 RECEIVING Player No. Lewis 4 Afariogun 3 Jennings 1 Thomas . 1 Johnson 1 Totals 10 PUNTING PlayerI Anderson Totals KICKOFF RETURNS Player No. Jennings 1 Total1 PUNT RETURNS Player No. Jennings N1 Totals 1 DEFENSE Player Lape Smith Reynolds Carr Browning Babin lorillo Ford Robinson Faleofa Westgate Malloy Fldpausch Mesa Foreste Gitler Lewis Gardner Melcher Yds 51 -2 -6 -17 26 Yds 22 36 30 11 4 103 Avg 5.7 -2.0 -6.0 -3.4 1.6 Avg 5.5 12.0 30.0 11.0 4.0 10.3 Yds 173 173 Lg 20 -2 -6 4 20 Lg 10 17 30 11 4 30 Int 2 TD 0 0 0 0 TO TD 0 0 0 1 By David Horn Daily Sports Editor To Philip Brabbs' credit, there are very few collegiate kickers that can consistently knock in field goals from 47 and 51 yards. But the disap- pointment in the Michigan kicking FOOTBALL game was not just that Brabbs"Notebook missed twice on Saturday (leaving him just one-for- five on the year), but that the misses were so unsettlingly ugly. "He's got to get into a rhythm," quarterback and holder John Navarre said. "He's got plenty of leg, if he just settles down and strikes it." Navarre, the Michigan coaching staff and anyone else privy to Brabbs' practice habits swear that the kicker has had no problem knocking them in during the week. They suggest that the problem on Saturdays is in his head. "It's a confidence and everyone just trusting their stroke," said fel- low kicker Troy Nienberg, who missed a field goal of his own last weekend against Washington. "Phil just needs to hit those kicks like he does his extra points. He's got all the ability in the world, and mentally, he just has to hit them smooth and they'll go right down the middle for him." BRACKEN IN: Running back Chris Perry rushed for 120 yards last weekend against the Huskies; he fol- lowed up that performance Saturday with 118 yards - 90 of which came in the first half. Perry's success and Michigan's 21-6 halftime lead per- mitted coach Lloyd Carr the luxury to experiment with sophomore run- ning backs David Underwood and Tim Bracken: Underwood carried 13 times for 35 yards and a touchdown. Bracken looked particularly impres- sive on the ground, rushing for 50 yards on just 12 carries. "Coach told me I was going to go in, so I was just waiting for him to call my number," Bracken said. Bracken's number was called for the final five plays of the game; he gained 27 yards on those five car- ries. "He's got really good vision," Carr said. "He needed to get in a game, have some success." 0 CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN: Saturday was an outstanding day for Michi- gan's leadership. Linebacker and captain Victor Hobson had a fumble recovery and an interception, as well as a sack. Tight end Bennie Joppru caught three passes for 23 yards, including an eight-yard .touchdown from Navarre that gave the Wolver- ines a 7-0 lead. Dan Rumishek - not a captain but a senior leader of the defense - had an interception, and rumbled 23 yards before finally being tackled by Broncos receiver Jermaine Lewis. Rumishek "made fun of (defen- sive lineman Shawn Lazarus) a lot last year for getting caught from behind. So we'll have to tease him about that later," lineman Norman Heuer said. THE INFIRMARY: There was bad news and better news from the Michigan trainers on Saturday. Junior defensive lineman Grant Bowman and senior wide receiver Ron Bellamy both sat out Satur- day's game with undisclosed injuries. Carr says they will likely play next weekend in South Bend, Ind. That was the better news. The bad news is that sophomore Roy Manning - a special teams regular for the Wolverines - had surgery on his knee and will miss the remainder of the season. No. 4 4 Avg Lg 43.3 55 43.3 55 0 Yds Avg Lg 30 30.0 30 30 30.0 30 TD 0 0 TO 0 0 Yds 11 11 Solo 9 8 6 7 5 4 4 4 3 2 2 3 3 2 2 2 Yds O 0 Avg Lg 11.0 11 11.0 11 Asst 3 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tot 12 8 8 7 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 1 1 TD 0 S0 BRENDAN O'DONNELL/Daily Michigan running back Chris Perry does his best impression of fullback B. J. Askew, hurling himself into the air to gain extra yardage. Perry rushed for 118 yards, allowing teammates Tim Bracken and David Underwood a chance to play. PASS DEFENSE Player Carr Totals Int 1 1 Lng 0 0 Brk-up 1 17 LAYERS F THE GAME.: The ancestral Joppru Senior captain and tight end Bennie Joppru's touchdown catch in the first quarter on Saturday was an unexpected beginning to an explosive offensive day. Michigan is known for its skill position players - quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers - but not so much lately for its tight ends. A look at the recent history of Michigan tight ends, dating back to Jay Riemersma's senior year, follows: Year Name 2002* Bennie Joppru 2001 Bill Seymour 2001 Bennie Joppru 2000 Bill Seymour 2000 Bennie Joppru 1999 Shawn Thompson 1999 Bennie Joppru 1 000 Irnma T.ma Rec Yds TD 4 34 1 BRONCOS Continued from Page 11B "This (offensive) system works - we're getting guys the football," Navarre said. The tone of the game was set early after Western Michigan worked down the field easily, but came up short after Broncos' kicker Robert Menchinger missed a 36-yard field goal. Michigan took advantage of the disappointed West- ern Michigan defense by turning around and scoring a touchdown on a nine-play, 80-yard drive, capped off by an eight-yard Bennie Joppru reception. "When we took it down the first time and when we came off the field without any points, I thought it was a huge letdown at that particular point," Darnell said. 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