t

*I

4B - The Michigan Daily - SportsWednesday - October 16, 2002
MICHIGAN 27, PENN STATE 24 (OT)

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
Time of Poss

MICH
22
35/97
244
76
343
114
27/41/0
5/40.2
0/0
2/9
31:43

PSu
16
28/81
274
62
355
74
20/34/0
6/42.8
0/0
6/46
28:17

Johnson the first to get-
the better ofJackson
Bowman dominates Penn State's defensive line

9

By Joe Smith
Daily Sports Editor

M I C H I G A N

PASSING
Player
Navarre
Totals
RUSHING
Player
Perry
Askew
Navarre
Team
Totals
RECEIVING
Player
Edwards
Joppru
Bellamy
Askew
Perry
Butler
Brabbs
Totals

C-A
27-41
27-41

Yds TD
244 2
244 2

art
25
6
3
35
No.
7
5
4
3
2
27

PUNTING
Playert
Finley
Totals
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player No.
LeSueur 2
Bracken 1
Totals 1
PUNT RETURNS
Player No.
Curry,J. 4
Motels 4

Yds
80
28
-7
-4
97
Yds
66
56
51
19
37
11
4
244
No.
5
5
Yds
61
16
49
Yds
37
37
Solo
6
3
2
4
4
4
3
2
0
1
1
1
36
Yds
0
0

Avg
3.2
4.7
-2.3
-4.0
2.8
Avg
9.43
11.2
10.2
4.75
12.33
5.5
4.0
9.4
Yds
201
201

Lg
15
8
1
15
Lg
17
18
16
13
16
6
4
18

Int
0
0
TO
0
1
0
2
TD
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
2

Avg Lg
40.2 51
40.2 51

DEFENSE
Player
Diggs
Drake
Kaufman
Stevens
Jackson
Hobson
Bowman
June
LeSueur
Watson
Lazarus
Curry, M.
Williams, B.
Finley, Adam
Massey
Kashama
Fisher
Totals
PASS DEFENSE
Player
Jackson
June

Avg Lg
30.5 36
16.0 16
24.5 25
Avg Lg
9.25 12
9.25 12
Asst
4
5
4
1
0
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
20
20

T
S O
i O
TD
! 0
Tot
8.0
5,5
4.0
4.5
4.5
4.0
3.5
3.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1,0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
46
p TD
T O
1 0

It was the first time in his young, Michigani
career that Marlin Jackson wasn't the hunter on
the football field.
He was the hunted.
Jackson, who as a sopho- FOOTBALL ;
more is considered by many Ntbk
to be the best cover corner in Noteboo
the conference, usually shuts
down half the field by locking down on oppo-
nents' top receiver in man-to-man coverage.
But Saturday, the Nittany Lions went right after
Jackson, and for the most part, had their way with
him. Penn State wide receiver Bryant Johnson
kept Jackson guessing all game, racking up seven
catches for 138 yards and one touchdown.
"It was a great battle, but he got me more than
a few times today, which was very disappoint-
ing," Jackson said. "I didn't play the way I want-;
ed to today.
"To be a good cornerback you have-to have a4
bad memory."
Jackson had to push the figurative "reset but-I
ton" quite a few times. Johnson beat him to the
inside on two consecutive plays in the fourth
quarter on slant patterns, which gave Penn Statec
the go-ahead touchdown and two-point conver-
sion for a 21-14 advantage.
Johnson even beat Jackson deep. On a stutter-1
and-go route, Jackson bit aggressively, and John-
son broke loose for a 53-yard reception - Penn
State's longest play from scrimmage this year. ItI
could have been a touchdown had Michigan safe-
ty Cato June not chased him down.c
But Johnson couldn't beat Jackson when it1
counted the most. On a critical third-down play inI
overtime, Zack Mills connected with Johnson in
the corner of the endzone - or so he thought.1
NITTANY LIONS
continued from Page 1B
saved by a Michigan offsides penalty. Gould kno
his next attempt to put the Nittany Lions ahead 24-
Michigan then pounded its way into the endzone
following possession. The majority of the work w
by Perry, but the most significant play might have 1
wide receiver Braylon Edwards, who caught a N
pass for nine yards on 2nd-and-10. In reflecting
game, Michigan coach Lloyd Carr pointed to this
show the maturation of Edwards.
"I'm always coaching guys who catch the ball
up the field. Braylon has done that all year long
said. "The play he made in overtime when he ca
ball for a five-yard gain and went right at the defei
another four yards - I thought that was a big-time
Perry, who ran twice to put the ball on the 6-ya
took care of the rest. A Penn State offsides penalty
Wolverines on the 3-yard line to set up Perry's fina
The overtime loss was the second for Penn St
season, and like its game against Iowa, this game
without its share controversy regarding officiating.
On Penn State's final drive of the game as til
winding down, Mills appeared to connect with Ton
son on the sideline - which would have set up a I,
game-winning field goal attempt - but the cat
ruled out of bounds. Television replays showed thal
son got both feet in-bounds.
"I didn't see it," Penn State coach Joe Pater
"You guys could see it better than me." '
Paterno got a better look at the catch after the g
Penn State has since filed a complaint with the 1
that calls for a "comprehensive review" of the
ence's officiating. One Big Ten crew has already b
ciplined by the Big Ten this season.
But Penn State also benefited from a poor call
referees on the previous third down, as a Bryant J.
reception was ruled a catch when replays showed
did not have possession.
The calls may have tainted what otherwise was
played game, which neither team led by more tha
points. Michigan was constantly coming from behi
ing deficits of 7-0, 13-7 and 21-14. But each tin
State scored, the Wolverines had an answer.
After a 17-yard Larry Johnson touchdown ru

Jackson ripped the ball out of Johnson's hands, and
forced the Nittany Lions to settle for a field goal.
Jackson, a Pennsylvania native who said he
nearly committed to Penn State during his junior
year of high school, laughed when asked if Joe
Paterno had singled him out for revenge.
"I don't know, maybe," Jackson said. "They
got me good today. But I'll take the win."
Jackson will have to learn from his mistakes
fairly quickly, as the Wolverines take on a high-
powered Purdue offense this Saturday in West
Lafayette. The Boilermakers often utilize five
wide receiver sets, and have amassed more than
500 yards in total offense the.past two games.
BLUE-COLLAR BOWMAN: While Michigan coach
Lloyd Carr said defensive tackle Grant Bowman
doesn't look like a defensive lineman, Bowman
certainly played the game of his life on Saturday.
The junior tied a career-high with four tackles
and also had two sacks, including one on Penn
State's final drive in regulation.
Junior defensive lineman Alain Kashama
called Bowman a "prime-time" player. Other
teammates said Bowman's performance was a
product of simply being in the right spots at the
right times.
Carr just calls him resilient. Bowman has over-
come two surgeries on his broken leg to. help
solidify Michigan's depleted defensive line.
"What he's been though injury-wise, most peo-
ple would have given the game up," Carr said.
"He's been though unbelievably difficult times
and is tougher than nails. He symbolizes the
blue-collar work ethic of this program."
Bowman may have his hands full on Satur-
day with an unexpected weapon for Purdue -
the running game. The usually pass-happy
Boilermakers showed they could grind it out,
rushing 56 times for 278 yards against Illinois
last Saturday.

0

TOM FELDKAMP/Daily
Michigan defensive tackle Grant Bowman battles through the block of Penn State's Tyler Lenda. Bowman
tallied three sacks against the Nittany Lions.
ON THE SHELF: Redshirt freshman linebacker versity Hospital after one week of treatment for
Lawrence Reid got bad news this weekend. blood clots in his arm, Carr said Reid will miss
Although he was released Monday from the Uni- the remainder of the season.

40

mnt
0
0

Lg
0
0

Brk-up

P e n SaStea t .

PASSING
Player
Mills
Robinson
Totals
RUSHING
Player
Johnson. L.
Robinson
Jefferson
McHugh
Smith
Mills
Totals
RECEIVING
Player
Johnson, B.
Johnson, L.
Smith
Johnson, T
Robinson
Jefferson
Lukac
Williams
Totals

C-A
19-3 1
1-3
20-34

Att
17
3
1
1
5
28
No.
7
5
2
2
1
21
1
20

Yds
78
14
3
0
-3
-11
107
Yds
138
46
33
20
12
10
9
6
274
No.
6
6

Yds
264
10
274
Avg
4.6
4.7
3.0
0.0
-3.0
-2.2
2.9
Avg
1 9.71
9.2
16.5
10.0
12.0
10.0
9.0
6.0
13.7

TO
2
0
2
Lg
17
13
3
0
O
6
17
Lg
53
16
21
14
12
10
9
6
53

mt
0
0
TO
TD
0
O
0
0
0
TO
0
TD
0
1
0
0
0
2

HORN
Continued from Page 1B
Saturday - Penn State's second over-
time loss in three weeks - is the kind
of thing that could induce the wheels to
come off the Nittany Lion wagon. It
takes them out of contention for a
major bowl bid, and makes winning the
Big Ten an extremely difficult charge.
That Paterno appears to be tired and
worn only nakes the situation worse.
On the other hand, Penn State has
played the most difficult part of its
schedule - three straight against Iowa,
Wisconsin and Michigan, with the last
two on the road - and could win out
after going 1-1 in its next two games,
against Northwestern and Ohio State.
As for our Wolverines, Saturday
feels like the kind of win that can pro-
pel a team to a place otherwise beyond
its capabilities. Firstly, the frightening
injury to cornerback Zia Combs could
have been a major setback. Having to
watch your teammate carted off the
field, limp as a rag doll, is obviously a
sobering experience, but the Wolver-
ines responded admirably, playing
positively inspired football. That
Combs appears to be healthy is a
blessing, and can only serve Michigan
well. Winning a dramatic game like
that - overtime, under the lights -
can remind a team of how good it can
be. When you escape from a tough
game with a "W," you gain an appreci-
ation for how valuable each victory is.
Beyond that, quarterback John
Navarre is playing well. He was
Elway-esque in engineering Michi-
gan's fourth quarter drive to tie the
game at 21, and his pocket presence
and decision making has never been
better. A team can do a lot when it
believes (rightfully) in its quarterback.

So should Michigan fans book
flights to Tempe? Of course not.
Michigan has a knack for going 6-2
in the Big Ten, and there really isn't
any reason to think this team will
perform differently. Is Navarre-Chris
Perry-Braylon Edwards-Tony Pape
(and the rest of the offensive line)
better than Drew Henson-Anthony
Thomas-David Terrell-Steve
Hutchinson (and the rest of the 2000
offensive line)? God no. Is the 2002
defense better than defenses of
recent years? It's supposed to be, but
the numbers don't support that theo-
ry. Michigan has a knack for winning
the games that maybe it should have
lost, and losing the ones that it defi-
nitely should have won. The 2002
Wolverines have already won a few
of the former (Washington, Penn
State), and have at least three of the
latter (Purdue, Minnesota, Michigan
State) coming up.
But games like Saturday's are the
type that make or break seasons, and
Michigan is in a position now where it
knows it can win close games, and it
can win big games. It has confidence,
and besides Iowa and Ohio State, plays
a lot of unranked teams that look com-
pletely beatable.
At the midway point of the season,
Michigan needs to retain the emotion
of Saturday for as long as it can. Con-
versely, Joe Paterno.needs to release
that emotion as soon as possible. And
Joe? Don't let the game kill you. You've
been coaching for over half a century,
and if after all that time the tough loss-
es are a cause for pouting, perhaps the
jig really is up.

PUNTING
Player
Royer
Totals
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player No.
Johnson, T 1
Total 1

Yds Avg Lg
257 42.8 53
257 42.8 53

Yds Avg Lg
27 27.0 27
27 27.0 27

PUNT RETURNS
Player No.
Johnson, B. 3
Totals 3

DEFENSE
Player
Mayer
Capone
Stewart
Scott
Gardner
Haynes
Harrell
Kennedy
Bronson
Adams
Wake
Phillips
Cronin
Ryland
Johnson, T.
Smith
Kimball
Chisley

Yds
47
47
Solo
6
3
5
4
3
5
2
4
3
3
2
1
1
1
Yds
O
0
0
0

Avg
15.66
15.66

Lg
25
25

Asst
5
7
4
4
4
3
0
0
1
2
0
0
0
0
0
0

TD
0
TO
t T
0
0
Tot
8,5
6.5
7.0
6.0
5.0
5.5
3.5
4.0
35
30
2.5
2.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
TD
0
0
0
0

TONY UINU/Uaily
Michigan's Chris Perry rushed for 80 yards on 25 carries and
scored the winning touchdown in overtime.
first quarter, Michigan tied up the game with a Navarre
quarterback sneak just before the end of the half.
The second half began quietly, but ended with a fren-
zied pace, starting with Mills connecting with Mike
Lukac for a nine-yard touchdown connection. The
Wolverines answered quickly with an 80-yard drive
capped off by another Navarre to Edwards touchdown
strike.
Mills combined with Bryant Johnson to march down
the field and score a touchdown and the ensuing two-
point conversion, with just over 7:30 to play. But again
Navarre and Edwards had the answer when they connect-

4
U

ed for a score to tie
overtime.

the score at 21, before heading into

David Horn can be reached at
hornd@umich.edu.

After freak accident, Combs regains full movement

By J. Brady McCollough
Daily Sports Writer

PASS DEFENSE
Player
Capone
Haynes
Adams
Totals

int
0
0

Lng
O
0
0
0

Brk-up
1
1

A collective sigh of relief could be
heard Sunday night coming out of
Michigan's football practice.
Just one day after suffering a blow
to the head that rendered his body
motionless in Michigan Stadium's
north endzone, sophomore corner-
back Zia Combs walked into prac-
tice, smiling as always, and
addressed his team.

"He said something to us and
started crying," Michigan senior
safety Cato June said. "It was an
emotional time because everybody
knows how quickly this game can be
taken away from you in a freak acci-
dent like Zia's."
Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said
that Combs "told everyone how happy
he was that he was OK." This was
after Carr went to see Combs in his
room at the University Hospital Satur-
day night after the game.

"When I went in, he looked up at
me and tears just started flowing
down his cheek," Carr said. "I asked
if something was wrong or if I could
do something for him, but he just said,
'Coach, they're just tears ofjoy.'"
Combs, who earned the starting
cornerback spot alongside Marlin
Jackson, has plenty of reason to be
happy. He regained full movement in
his entire body and sustained no bro-
ken bones in the collision. Carr said
he would be back in class today, but

there is no time set for Combs' return
to the field.
"The fear was that there was a
neck injury," Carr said. "I am sure
that there is no way that he is going
to play until they feel very good
about him being able to return safely
and in a way that would never jeop-
ardize his health from that injury. He
is not going to do anything for at
least a couple of weeks, and it could
very well be that he won't return this
season."

PLAYERS OF THE GAME.'
7

It could have been much worse.
Michigan safety Ernest Shazor's hit
on Combs came as the two gunners
were trying to keep punter Adam Fin-
ley's kick out of the endzone and pin
the Penn State offense on the 1-yard
line early in the first quarter. Shazor's
knee hit Combs' head when the play-
ers collided at the goal line, knocking
Combs unconscious for more than 10
minutes.
After the collision, longsnapper Joe
Sgroi tried to pick Combs up off the
turf, only to have Combs fall back to
the ground like a rag doll. After that,
fear took hold of the Michigan side-
line, as team doctors and coaches
crowded around Combs. For the sec-
ond time in the past five months, a
Michigan player's career was in jeop-
ardy, the first time coming in May
when fellow sophomore cornerback
Markus Curry was shot in the back.
"It was very hard to see a player
down on the field, not moving," said
Jackson, a fellow sophomore. "That's

'I
'1011111VIN, Jai=

muvow.

ba

Ad