4B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - October 28, 2002 Soq IOWA 34, MICHIGAN 9 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 IOWA 22 49/177 222 78 399 80 18/29/0 5/40.6 2/0 S1/66 38:27 MICH 12 20/22 149 59 171 99 17/39/0 8/42.9 1/1 4/29 21:33 Hawkeyes' defense breaks out against bumbling Blue offense M I C H I G A N PASSING Player Navarre Brinton Totals RUSHING Player Navarre Perry Askew Brinton Totals RECEIVING Player Edwards Joppru Askew Butler Perry Bellamy Totals C-A Yds 14-33 112 3-6 37 17-39 149 Att 5 9 3 3 20 No. 5 4 3 2 2 17 PUNTING Playerr Finley Totals KICKOFF RETURNS Player No. LeSueur 6 Totals 6 PUNT RETURNS Player No. Curry,M. 3 Totals 3 DEFENSE Player Hobson Diggs Drake LeSueur June Stevens Jackson Kaufman Shazor Orr Heuer Lazarus Woods Rumishek Casseus Williams Sgroi Nasif McClintock Shaw Dubuc Spytek Totals Yds 21 14 -2 -8 922 Yds 69 45 7 12 6 10 149 No. Y 8 Yds 91 91 Yds 8 8 Solo 9 7 6 8 6' 4 4 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 64 * Yds 0 0 0 0 1 Avg 3.6 1.6 -.0.7 -2.7 1.1 Avg 13.8 11.3 2.3 6.0 3.0 10.0 8.8 Yds 343 343 TO 0 0 Lo 39 7 6 39 Lg 16 16 9 6 3 10 16 Int 0 0 TO TD 1 TO 0 TD O 0 0 0 By David Horn Daily Sports Editor Iowa's re-emergence as a Big Ten power is one of the great stories of the season so far. But what do you do if you're the Iowa defense, which has been overshadowed by the unrelenting power of its offensive counterpart? You need a statement game. It came on Saturday when Iowa beat Michigan 34-9 in the Big House. The Iowa defense - particularly its front four, which deserves as many acco- lades as Brad Banks and the offense -set the tone for the game on Michigan's first drive. On 1st-and-10 from his own 25- yard line, Michigan quarterback John Navarre dropped back and sent an incom- plete pass to Braylon Edwards. But as he let the ball leave his hands Navarre suf- fered a bruising hit, courtesy of Iowa's senior defensive tackle Colin Cole. Cole found his way up the middle of Michi- gan's offensive line and hit Navarre so hard the 6-foot-6, 218-pound quarterback had to leave the game. "He got up slowly, and we knew right then we had gotten to him - even that early in the game," junior defensive tackle Jared Clauss said. If the mission was to set the tone, then mission accomplished. "As long as (Navarre) was moving his feet and couldn't set himself, we had him pretty beat," Cole said. "Other than that one run (for 39 yards), he wanted to sit back there as much as he could, and he took a lot of hits for that." Iowa has the second best rush defense in the country, allowing just over 60 yards per game on the ground. Michigan man- aged just 22 against the Hawkeyes, which had as much to do with the perceived quality of the Iowa front four as its actual performance. Michigan came out throw- ing, seemingly intimidated by the prospect of trying to grind it out against Cole and his teammates. "It seems to be a theme that every week we come in and they don't try to run the ball that much," Clauss said. The Wolverines are not the first team to adjust their game plan to avoid running into the Iowa line. And as teams go to the air, the Iowa secondary, which has been identified as the team's weak link, has improved because of the entire defense's focus on the opposition's passing attack. Navarre, who was second in the confer- ence in passing yards entering the game, threw for just 116 yards. "Navarre is a pocket passer and we wanted to get him out of his comfort zone " safety Scott Boleyn said. "We did:" After Michigan punt returner Markus Curry fumbled early in the third quarter - considered by both sides to be the turn- ing point in the game - Michigan man- aged two first downs, and crossed midfield just once. An Iowa penalty moved the chains the first time; the sec- ond first down came on the game's last drive, when junior Spencer Binton com- pleted a 12-yard pass to Edwards. On many of the three-and-outs that came in that second half Navarre was sacked or hurried to force a Michigan punt. Iowa defensive end Howard Hodges recorded two of those third-down sacks, burning Michigan offensive tackle Court- ney Morgan. "I don't think I played like I needed to," Morgan said. "You have your ups and downs, but in a game like this I can't afford so many bad plays." Iowa has been fighting for respect all year, but its defense feels that it not only has something to prove, but that it is the difference-maker from week to week. "We're not No. 1 draft picks," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "We're just guys who work hard. These are our guys - we've got guys 6-foot-7, we've got guys 5-foot-8 - but our guys go out and believe in each other and they play hard." Iowa plays Wisconsin next, then finish- es its Big Ten season against Northwest- ern and Minnesota. If the Hawkeyes win out, they will be in good position to go to their first Rose Bowl since 1990. The defense is taking it one game at a time, but is confident that if it plays like it did on Saturday, things will be fine with or with- out respect. "We're smelling Badgers right now," Cole said. "We had to make sure we put a statement out there that if you don't pre- pare for us, if you think you're just going to push us around, you've got another thing coming." Statement made. Avg Lg 42.9 50 42.9 50 Avg Lg TD 15.2 22 0 15.2 22 O Avg Lg TD 2.7 5 0 2.7 5 0 Asst Tot 2 11.0 2 9.0 3 9.0 0 8.0 2 6.0 2 6.0 0 4.0 1 4.0 O 3.0 1 3.0 O 2.0 0 2.0 1 2.0 0 1.0 0 1.0 0 1.0 0 1.0 0 1.0 0 1.0 0 1.0 1 1.0 1 1.0 16 80.0 r r ti i3'mm gam i BRANDON SEDLOFF/Daily Michigan quarterback John Navarre was under fire all afternoon, thanks to a strong performance from the Iowa defense, which recorded five sacks. The list goes on Before the season, Michigan touted its depth on defense and now it is getting the opportunity to prove it. Against Iowa, the Wolverines suffered more injuries to key seniors on the defense in Dan Rumishek and Cato June. Here is a look at some of Michigan's injured players and their replacements. injured player: Julius Curry, punt returner Replacement: Markus Curry Juilus Curry was sorely missed on punt returns, where his brother could not muster the same steady play. When Michigan was down 10-9, Markus fum- bled a punt return, which gave Iowa the momentum it needed to score 24 unanswered points. Injured player: Adam Stenavich, left tackle Replacement: Courtney Morgan Like Curry, Adam Stenavich's replacement, Courtney Morgan, did not perform quite as well. Morgan was part of an offensive line that allowed five sacks on the day. Morgan himself was victimized by Iowa's Harold Hodges, who notched three tackles for loss, two of which were sacks. Injured player: Zia Combs, cornerback Replacement: Jeremy LeSueur After it was announced that Zia Combs was done for the season, cornerback Jere- my LeSueur became his permanent replacement. While the mention of his name makes some Michigan fans cringe, LeSueur has played well in place of Combs. Against Iowa, LeSueur was the Wolverines' fourth-leading tackler with eight solo stops. This performance followed the career game LeSueur had against Purdue, when he led the team in tackles and defended two passes. I6a PASS DEFENSE Player Drake, Charles Jackson, M. Orr Shantee Totals Int O 0 0 Lg 0 0 0 0 Brk-up 1 3 TD 0 0 0 I o w a PASSING Player Banks Totals RUSHING Player Lewis Banks Russell Cervantes team Bradley Totals RECEIVING Player Jones Clark Brown Lewis Totals C-A 18-29 18-29 Yds TO 222 3 222 3 Att 18 7 20 1 2 49 No. 8 5 3 2 18 PUNTING Player Bradley Totals KICKOFF RETURNS Player No. Jones 2 Total 2 PUNT RETURNS Player Hinkel Totals No. 3 3 Yds 10g 53 28 4 -6 -11 217 Yds 811 68 411 32 2221 No. 5 5 Yds 43 43 Yds 28 28 Solo 4 4 3 3 4 4 2 1 3 2 O 1 1 35 Yds 0 0 Avg 6.1 7.6 1.4 4.0 -3.0 -11.0 3.6 Avg 10.13 13.6 13.67 16.0 13.35 Lg 28 19 13 4 0 0 28 Lg 39 20 17 23 39 Int O O TD 1 0 0 0 0 TO 2 0 0 3 Yds Avg Lg 203 40.6 45 203 40.6 45 DEFENSE Player Hodges Sanders Allen Steen Cola Hodge Worhty Pagel Clauss Ejiasi Greenway Roth Boleyn Robinson Johnson Johnson Shelton Totals Avg Lg 21.5 22 21.5 22 Avg Lg 9.33 25 9.33 25 Asst 2 ! 2 ! 3 2 0 0 2 3 0 18 2 0 0 0 0 0 18 TO 0 0 TO 0 O Tot 5.0 5.0 4.5 4.0 4.0 4.0 3.0 2.5 3.0 2.5 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.5 45 TO 0 0 0 0 Michigan training staff aids senior safety Cato June, who was knocked unconscious on a hit in the fourth quarter Saturday. By Jeff Phillips Daily Sports Editor As if losing by 25 points wasn't enough of a concern for Michigan, it must now deal with the possible loss of two key players on the defense. In the fourth quarter, on the same play, the Wolverines lost safety Cato June and defensive lineman Dan Rumishek when June fell down into Rumishek's knee. The colli-_ son knocked June uncon- FOOTBALL scious and left Rumishek Notebook limping heavily. _______ The situation was eerily similar to the collision between Zia Combs and Ernest Shazor on Oct. 12 against Penn State, which left Combs temporarily paralyzed. The same was feared for June, who remained motionless on the field, but Michigan coach Lloyd Carr dispelled any of those thoughts after the game. HAWKEYES Continued from Page 1B John Navarre all afternoon, sacking him four times. "Iowa had a great defensive scheme today," E said. "They knew that they were successful agai run, and they knew that we would go into the gam to pass. They did a good job of double-teami receivers and when we got opportunities to make bi today, we didn't. There were a lot of dropped balls 1 Michigan receiver Braylon Edwards dropped me his share of passes, including one that could have Wolverines on the board in the first half. Navarr play-action fake and found Edwards streaking de( ting the ball right in his hands, but Edwards drop ball with nothing but green in front of him. "As a receiver, you want the game to be put c shoulders, and today we didn't play like we're cap playing," Bellamy said. "We lost as a team, 1 receivers didn't show up today. Me being a senioi full responsibility." The Wolverines fought back and regained the 1 tum of the game at the end of the second quarter th a bobbled snap by Iowa punter David Bradley, wi tackled at the Iowa 2-yard line by wide receiver Butler. After a one-yard touchdown run by Perry, a extra point by kicker Philip Brabbs and a 40-yai goal by Adam Finley to begin the third quart Wolverines found themselves down just 10-9. But following a Michigan defensive stop thai have given the Wolverines' offense another chr get going, the game unraveled in the Hawkeyes "The only thing I know is that when he left the field, he was conscious and he was moving all of his extremities," Carr said. The status of both is unknown for next week. The possible loss of the two players will further test the depth of Michigan, which has already had its fair share of injuries. Combs and linebackers Roy Manning (knee) and Lawrence Reid (blood clot) are out for the remainder of the season. In addition, safety Julius Curry and offensive linemen Matt Lentz and Adam Stenavich, who were questionable coming into the game, did not play against Iowa. All three were sorely missed against the Hawkeyes as miscues at their positions were cost- ly for Michigan. Courtney Morgan replaced Ste- navich at left tackle and was torched all game by Iowa defensive lineman Howard Hodges. Curry's presence was missed on special teams as his replacement, brother Markus Curry, fum- bled a punt return that changed the momentum of the game. Julius Curry said he expects to be back next week for Michigan State. SLIP-SCREEN STRIFE: The Iowa offense picked apart the Michigan defense with simple, well-exe- cuted plays like the wide receiver slip-screen. The Hawkeyes ran the screen well and took advantage of the overpursuit of the Wolverines' defense. "We ran a couple last year in the game and did- n't quite execute it, and today I think our execu- tion was a little bit better," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "When you execute you have the chance to make something good happen." Ferentz said that the screen is run in the hopes that the defense will blitz, but that Michigan did not blitz every time against the screen. SILVER LINING: If there is a bright spot in the blowout loss, it is the possibility that Michigan has finally found a placekicker. In the third quarter, punter Adam Finley knocked in a 40-yard field goal to close the Michigan loses two more senior defenders in fourth JOHN PRATT/Daily PASS DEFENSE Player Rogers Reeves Phillips Totals Int 0 0 1 Lng 0 0 Brk-up 1 C 1 C 3 S c c c c SMITH Continued from Page 1B Michigan Stadium in more than years. "I've never been in a butt-kic like that," said fifth-year seniord sive end Dan Rumishek. Unlike the loss to Tennessee i Citrus Bowl last January, which perhaps be attributed to a differe talent and team speed, this 34-91 hurt the Wolverines more becau the way they were beaten. The Wolverines were outplaye out-coached. They allowed a Big foe to come into their house and them around - and then celebr Gone was the heart shown wh Wolverines willed out two last-s big-game victories against Wash and Penn State. Gone were the swagger and c dence the offense used to push I around a month ago, and to engv game-winning drives against the Huskies and Nittany Lions. Gone was the pride that usual comes with donning the maize a And as a result, gone are mos of smelling the roses in Pasaden "It's a frustrated team," Rumi score to 10-9. The fact that Philip Brabbs missed the extra point on the Wolverines' lone touchdown did not factor into the decision to use Finley; Michigan had planned on it before the game. "We were kind of coming into today where Phil (Brabbs) was going to do the extra points and I was going to do field goals - it was kind of our game plan from the beginning," Finley said. Finley's kick provided a ray of hope that the Wolverines' kicking woes will be cured. The Michigan kickers were a combined 5-of-14 on field goal attempts coming into the game. After the game, Carr said that Finley will now handle both placekicking and punting duties for the Wolverines. Brabbs will remain the kickoff specialist. Finley continued to punt well, averaging 42.9 yards per punt against the Hawkeyes and placing four punts inside the 20-yard line. everything if it signifies Michigan's falling out, and sparks another four- loss season - or worse yet, another 30 season with losses to Michigan State and Ohio State. king It's all up to the Wolverines to decide. defen- "We're not making excuses or feeling sorry for ourselves," Michigan coach n the Lloyd Carr said. "We're going to come could back and be the best football team we ential in can be. We're not going to change loss everything we've done." se of While Carr shouldn't throw every- thing he's installed into the fire, some- ed and thing has to change. Most of Michigan's g Ten flaws on defense were exposed by an i push Iowa team that was definitely talented, ate. but not that much better than Michigan. hen the This time, the countless missed tack- econd, les by the Wolverines, the soft zone cov- lington erage that allowed Iowa to exploit the middle of the field and the inability for onfi- Michigan's defensive front to put pres- Illinois sure on the quarterback finally came to ineer the forefront. Such problems were no longer disguised by the defense creating turnovers. ly This traditional bend-but-don't-break nd blue. mentality isn't always going to work. t hopes Especially when Michigan's offense a. abandons the running game and leaves shek the defense stranded on the field for PLAYERS OF THE GAME: it.p DAVID KATZ/Daily Iowa quarterback Brad Banks had plenty to celebrate after Saturday's game, as he threw three touchdown passes. Curry's fumble, as the lifeless Michigan defense took a pounding from Iowa's mammoth offensive line and run- I .: ! As