0 Thursday September 19,2002 ORT wSrh9g aw tild SPOT michigandaily.com sportsdesk@umich.edu 8A 01 Carr prepares Finley for 'emergency' duty JOE SMITH By J. Brady McCollough Daily Sports Writer When punter Adam Finley commit- ted to Michigan, coach Lloyd Carr was convinced Finley "was the best kicker and punter in the nation." But through two years, the redshirt sophomore hasn't kicked a single FOOTBALL field goal. That's Notebook because before eboo Finley joined the Wolverines, he had to have surgery on his right knee. And once he arrived in Michigan, the Indiana native injured his left knee and had to go through yet another surgery. "As a result of that, when he came back last fall, he just did not feel comfortable at that time placekick- ing," Carr said. Finley focused his efforts on punt- ing all last season, getting ready for the time when Hayden Epstein would graduate. In his first three games as the starter this season, he's punted 14 times for an average of 45.2 yards. "You can always do a little bit bet- ter," Finley said. "I am somewhat pleased with the way I have been punting." The "somewhat" probably results from his inability to pin Michigan's opposition inside the 20-yard line. He's accomplished that just one time this season. Finley's decision to concentrate on punting opened the door for walk-on kickers Philip Brabbs and Troy Nien- berg, who haven't been much of a dynamic duo this season. Brabbs has hit 2-of-6 field goals, while Nienberg has missed both attempts he's made. Therefore, it was no surprise to anyone that before last Saturday's game against Notre Dame, Finley was practicing field goals. He said that he and the coaches made a mutu- al decision for him to start trying to find his stroke again --just in case. "If I would have gone in (Satur- day), I wouldn't have felt that my stroke was there," Finley said. "But you always have to be ready because you never know when you're going to get the call." Said Carr: "I think at some point we could end up with him in an emergency situation." Most Michigan fans would consid- er the Wolverines' make-to-miss ratio an emergency, but Finley hasn't given up hope that the kickers will get it together. "I think that Phil and Troy are going to come around," Finley said. "They are both hitting the ball really well in practice." MOTHER MAY I?: Carr was obvious- ly still perturbed about the officiating against Notre Dame at his weekly Harrington cannot save Lions from horrible year Michigan coach Lloyd Carr is still sour about the officiating during last week's loss at Notre Dame. The Wolverines will host Utah on Saturday. press conference on Monday. When asked what he thought about the call giving Irish quarterback Carlyle Holi- day a touchdown at the end of the first half (the replays showed other- wise), Carr had to bite his lip. "You can't print what I think. My mother would not be proud." . Carr also said he received no explanation for a holding call during a second quarter punt return that pinned the Wolverines on their own six-yard line. "Normally we don't have that prob- lem in the Big Ten," Carr said. "I never got an answer to that." LULLABY: If Michigan's fans needed any motivation to get pumped for a Mountain West opponent Saturday, Utah coach Ron McBride did the job. "It's not a real raucous type of crowd," McBride told the Salt Lake Tribune. "It's more like a going-to- the-symphony kind of crowd. They kind of get up and clap at the same time, and sit down at the same time." Those living in the metro-Detroit area consider Joey Harrington to be many things. He's a proven winner, a charismatic leader and eternal optimist. He's got a cannon for an arm, throws a nice deep ball and can play the video game Pac-Man like no other. He's the future of the Lions' fran- chise, there's no question about it. But behind the Superman shield of unfazed confidence and unlimited talent, he's still human. And that's why Marty Mornhinweg's decision to yank Mike McMahon and start the rookie now after two painful losses may serve as a smoke screen for fans, but it won't solve the miserable problem called the Lions. Throwing Harrington into the fire may make the Lions a little better, but the quarterback switch should prove just as effective as plugging a dam with a pinkie finger. The Lions are a disaster. Outscored 80-28 in their first two games _ includ- ing a 31-7 drubbing by the woeful Car- olina Panthers - the Lions nearly have as many penalties (17) as points. They're undisciplined. They can't stop the run. They can't stop the pass. They can't stop an old lady from cross- ing the street. And nearly their entire starting secondary - full of Pro Bowlers from less than 10 years ago - is closer to collecting social security than collecting interceptions. And the Lions' offense isn't that much better. That's why no matter how good Harrington is, the move could do more harm to the quarterback than good. Harrington has said he knows full well the track record of rookie quarter- backs starting in the NFL, and how they get punished. Obviously there's a few exceptions, but most of those signal callers had Pro Bowl, or even Hall of Fame players around them. Harrington just doesn't have the tools around him, not yet. He inherits an offense, supposedly the West Coast Offense, that has an old, beat-up offensive line. Ray Brown, 39, had his best years as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals football team nearly two decades ago. Jeff Backus is solid, but struggling at the ever important position of left tackle. Kerlin Blaise, is out for the season with a knee injury. Is Lomas Brown still playing? And if Harrington actually gets a mil- lisecond to throw the ball and survives this season without injury, what then? Free-agent pickups Az-Zahir Hakim and Bill Schroeder haven't quite evolved into the playmakers Mornhin- weg envisioned. Hakim has yet to unleash the speedy, game-changing plays he had in St. Louis, and Schroeder has pulled more groins than he's caught touchdown passes. But it's not Harrington's fault he's running a West Coast Offense that has a makeshift offensive line, inconsistent wide receivers and a tailback in James Stewart who is so good that the Lions shopped him in the offseason. It's the M&M team of Mornhinweg and team president Matt Millen. They're the one's that gave up on loyal, Pro Bowl-type players like Johnnie Morton, Herman Moore and offensive lineman Jeff Hartings and still say each week they're "looking for improve- ment" at those same positions. But the M&Ms' track record speaks for itself. At 2-16 in their short tenure, they can't afford to make any more mis- takes. They notice what happened across the street at Comerica Park - the shine of a new stadium rubs off when the team stinks up the place. And the sad thing is, the Lions sold out the 80,000-seat capacity SilverDome for most of the past decade despite the hometown team winning just one playoff game since the late '80s. Starting Harrington will wake Lions' fans up from hibernation. It may help the Lions win a few more games. But that just adds up to 2-14: Haven't we already seen that show before? O Fnends, family battle at Cliff Keen By Albert Kim Daily Sports Writer It will be a battle of best friends tonight as the Michigan volleyball team welcomes Toledo to Cliff Keen Arena. Michigan coach Mark Rosen and Tole- do coach Kent Miller each served as the best man at each other's weddings, but for two hours, starting at 7 p.m. tonight, they will put all that aside. Michigan is 12-0 against Toledo in the series history, and will be looking to keep the undefeated streak alive. The Wolverines come in with a 5-3 record, and are trying to snap a two-match los- ing streak. Toledo is also on a two- match losing streak, and will have nothing to lose. "They're one of those teams that will play like crazy against us because it's a chance to knock off a Big Ten team," Rosen said. The Wolverines are coming off of a tough weekend, in which they lost to two top-25 teams in Santa Clara and Nebraska. "I was pleased with how we played against Nebraska, but I'm not pleased with the way we played against Santa Clara," Rosen said. "I just felt like we were a better team, and let that match slip away." Toledo boasts a senior-laden front line, and a nasty service game that Michigan will have to be wary of. "One thing they typically do is that they serve the ball very aggressively," Rosen said. "It will be a good challenge for our ball-control game." The Wolverines will counter with a balanced and consistent attack that includes the strong play of junior cap- tain Erin Moore, who continues to shine in every aspect of the game. "She's doing a great job of stepping into the leadership role as a captain," Rosen said of Moore, who just missed a triple-double against Santa Clara. Adding intrigue to the matchup is the chance that Michigan's Nicole Poquette will face her sister Chelsey, who is a freshman at Toledo. With the nonconference schedule almost over, the Wolverines are looking forward to a inspired Big Ten season. One of the reasons why the future looks CLIFF KEEN ARENA Who: Michigan (5-3) vs. Toledo (7-2) When: 7 p.m. Latest: Michigan coach Mark Rosen will face Toledo's Kent Miller, who served as the Best Man in his wedding. Michigan's Nicole Poquette will also compete against her sister, Chelsea. bright is what Michigan has been able to do up to this point. "We haven't made a lot of unforced errors, I like our defense, and we'll play a lot of good pursuit defense," Rosen said. Also contributing is Michigan's newly crowned all-time leader in block assists Katrina Lehman, who is just 18 blocks away from the school record for career blocks. As the lone senior, Lehman has been a stabilizing force up front, continually producing the defense needed for the team to win games. S Joe Smith can be reached at josephms@umich.edu. 0 m