0

4B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - November 4, 2002
MICHIGAN 49, MICHIGAN STATE 3

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

MSU
13
30/59
178
65
65/237
125
18/29/0
7/38.4
0/0
6/71
23:55

MICH
28
53/188
253
84
84/441
65
19/31/0
5/39.8
0/0
4/35
36:05

Rogers contained
by Blue's secondary
Askew starts in place of injured Perry

M I C H I G A N

PASSING
Player
Navarre
Brinton
Totals
RUSHING
Player
Askew
Perry
Navarre
Underwood
Bracken
Totals
RECEIVING
Player
Bellamy
Joppru
Edwards
Gonzales
Avant
Stejskal
Bell
Totals

C-A
16-27
3-4
19-31

Yds TD
229 3
24 O
253 3

Att
32
11
5
3
2
53
No.
5
5
4
2
19
19

PUNTING
Player
Finley
Totals
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player No.
LeSueur1
Totals 1
PUNT RETURNS
Player No.
Curry, M. 4
Totals 4
DEFENSE
Player
Drake
Shaw
Williams
Williams
Hobson
Diggs
LeSueur
Jackson
Shazor
Orr
Lazarus
Casseus
McClintock
Bowman
Curry M.
Sarantos
Kaufman
Rumishek
Massaquoi
Massey
Kashama
Heuer
Woods
Stevens
Brabbs
Totals

Yds
149
49
-19
2
7
188
Yds
124
42
31
31
11
7
7
253
No.
5
5
Yds
35
35
Yds
30
30
Solo
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
0
0
O
42
Yds
O
0
0

Avg
4.7
4.5
-3.8
0.7
3.5
3.5
Avg
54.8
8.4
7.8
15.5
11
7
7
15.9

Lg
17
17
2
2
5
17
Lg
47
12
11
21
11
7
7
47

Int
O
0
0
TD
2
0
0
4
TD
2
0
0
0
0
0
3

Yds Avg Lg
199 39.8 49
199 39.8 49

Avg Lg
35 35
35 35

TD
TO
TD
TO
0
0

Avg
7.5
7.5

Lg
13
13

Asst
5
3
2
2
3
4
1
2
2
0
0
0
2
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
30

Tot
6.5
4.5
4.0
4.0
3.5
4.0
2.5
3.0
3.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.5
3.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.0
0.5
0.0
0.5
0.5
53

By David Horn
Daily Sports Editor
Say what you will about the qual-
ity of the Michigan secondary; the
quality of its opponents is unques-
tionably strong. Washington's Reg-
gie Williams,
Illinois' Brandon FOOTBALL
Lloyd and PennN
State's Bryant Notebook
Johnson have all
lined up against Michigan, and Sat-
urday the defensive unit faced per-
haps its biggest challenge:
Michigan State junior receiver
Charles Rogers.
Rogers has caught 50 passes for
more than 1,000 yards, and was
considered a Heisman Trophy can-
didate earlier in the season. Rogers
and the Michigan State offense suf-
fered a setback when quarterback
Jeff Smoker was suspended from
the team before Saturday's game.
Even so, there was serious concern
that substitute quarterback Damon
Dowdell would still be able to find
Rogers against a secondary that has
been known to give up the big play.
He couldn't, and the Michigan
secondary once again contained one
of the nation's top receivers; it held
Rogers to just four receptions for a
quiet 75 yards.
"He's one of the best receivers in
the nation, and it was a challenge for
all of us," said Michigan cornerback
Markus Curry, who was one of sev-
eral defensive backs who lined up
against the speedy Spartan. "I
believe we did our job today."
Michigan offered Michigan State
SPARTANS
Continued from Page 1B
"We had some plays there, and we're
not making them," Williams said.
"We're not throwing it, and we're not
catching it. We're not blocking. We did-
n't do anything from an offensive
standpoint, we didn't do anything on
the defense, and we didn't do anything
with kicking."
Michigan State did a whole lot of
nothing. The Spartans definitely
didn't stop Michigan's running
game, which on the strength of sen-
ior B.J. Askew, ran the ball down
Michigan State's throats the entire
game - and held possession of the
ball for nearly two-thirds of the
game.
Askew, who moved to tailback in
favor of Chris Perry (sore ankle),
had a career-high 149 yards on 32
carries for two touchdowns. On
Michigan's first scoring drive,
Askew ran the ball four straight
times, taking the Wolverines in from
the 16-yard line into the end zone
on what, at the time, seemed a criti-
cal fourth-and-inches play.
Running the ball was a major pri-
ority for Michigan coach Lloyd
Carr, who was disappointed with
last week's 49-yard output on the
ground against Iowa. He also
noticed that Michigan State had the
99th-ranked run defense in the
nation - allowing more than 200

a few different looks, at times play-
ing either a zone coverage scheme
or man-to-man. Rogers' biggest
play of the game - a 26-yard pass
from Dowdell that set up Michigan
State's lone score - came on a
zone scheme meant to contain him
and keep the Michigan safeties from
getting burned.
"If Rogers was going to catch the
ball, we wanted him to do it in front
of us," Michigan coach Lloyd Car
said.
But the effort to limit Rogers'
productivity was very much a team
effort. Injuries to Zia Combs and
Julius Curry have left the secondary
weakened, but junior safety Jon
Shaw and freshman safety Ernest
Shazor performed magnificently in
replacement. The defensive line
kept pressure on Dowdell, forcing
him to make bad passes.
"The biggest thing is we got pres-
sure up front and there weren't a lot
of throwing lanes for Dowdell,"
Michigan secondary coach Teryl
Austin said.
THE RUNNING MAN: B.J. Askew
made no effort to hide the fact that
he wasn't thrilled about moving to
fullback this season. Saturday,
Askew had a chance to return to
tailback, getting the start over a
banged up Chris Perry.
"I loved it," Askew said. "I'll
probably be right back at fullback
next week, though. Whatever. We
won. That's all that matters."
Askew played a major role in the
victory, rushing for a career-high
147 yards and two touchdowns. He
carried the ball 32 times, wearing
yards per game.
"Anytime you have success run-
ning the football, it creates one-on-
one situations outside," Carr said. "I
thought we did a pretty good job of
protecting (quarterback) John
Navarre and our receivers did a
good job of getting open."
Just ask receiver Ron Bellamy.
The senior had a career-day of his
own, grabbing five catches for 124
yards and two touchdowns. Both
touchdowns were on deep routes, a
fly and out-and-up pattern, helped
give the Wolverines a commanding
35-3 lead with one minute remain-
ing in the third.
Michigan fans, whose passion built
after every score, vehemently pleaded
for the Wolverines to go for the two
point conversion after Michigan made
it 48-3. And when Carr didn't give into
the request, the fans started a chant for
an onside kick.
The victory served as a major
reprieve for the Wolverines, who
admitted they were still angered
from last year's controversial, last-
second loss to the Spartans in East
Lansing.
"There was no controversy this
year, just a straight-up whipping,"
said Michigan cornerback Marlin
Jackson, who tied a team single-sea-
son record with his 15th pass deflec-
tion of the season.
"That's what we wanted, and that's
what they got." "

down the Michigan State defensive
line for the benefit of Perry - who
saw limited action - and sopho-
mores Tim Bracken and David
Underwood, all of who rushed well
late in the game.
Carr regrets not moving Askew to
tailback a week ago.
"I made a mistake," Carr said. "I
was extremely confident that Chris
Perry would come back because he
had played in the second half
against Purdue with that ankle
injury and played extremely well.
Based on what I knew and what I
thought, I made a mistake. I should
have moved Askew back to tailback
a week ago so that we could come
in and have an opportunity, regard-
less of how Chris was, to run the
football. I think it hurt our team. I
think it hurt our chances to win a

BRENDAN O'DONNELL/Daily
Michigan State wide reciever Charles Rogers was held in check by the Michigan secondary on Saturday, he had just four receptions.

week ago."
FIRST IN FLIGHT: Saturday was a
day for Michigan football moms to
set up the VCRs; their little boys
made a lot of "firsts."
Freshman receiver Jason Avant
and sophomore Andy Stejskal
made their first career receptions.
Junior safety Jon Shaw and fresh-
man fullback Sean Sanderson each
made his first career start. Sopho-
more tailback Tim Bracken record-
ed his first career touchdown,
freshman safety Ernest Shazor
recorded his first career sack and
fifth-year senior cornerback Blake
Nasif made his first career inter-
ception.
Marlin Jackson tied a Michigan
single season record with his 15th
pass breakup of the season. He cur-
rently shares the record with former

Michigan cornerback Charles
Woodson, who had 15 PBU in
1996.
INJURY UPDATE: On the offensive
line, freshman lineman Matt Lentz
returned to action, but fellow fresh-
man Matt Stenavitch is still miss-
ing. During the game, junior Tony
Pape moved to the left side of the
line to protect quarterback John
Navarre's blind side, which allowed
junior Courtney Morgan - who
admits to playing poorly against
Iowa last week - to play on the
right of the line. Michigan ran heav-
ily to the left.
Senior safety Julius Curry again
said that he would be ready to play
by next week, but there is no word
on when fellow safety Cato June
will return.

I
I

PASS DEFENSE
Player
Shaw
Jackson
Curry
Woods
Totals

Int
0
0
0
0
0

Lg
O
0

Brk-up
1
1
4

TD
TO
0
0

M i csh ig9a n

S t a t e

PASSING
Player
Dowdeil
Alexander
Totals
RUSHING
Player
Moss
DowdellI
Richards
Rogers
Totals
RECEIVING
Player
Knott
Rodgers
Randall
Woods
Richard
Lovett
Totals
PUNTING
Player
Daily
Totals

C-A Yds TO
15-34 178 0
1-1 0 O
16-35 178 0

Att
13
9
7
1
49
No.
6
4
2
1
1
15

KICKOFF RETURNS
Player No.
Hayes 3
Lovett 2
Brown 1
Moss 1
Total 7
PUNT RETURNS
Player No.
Cavanaght 3
Rogers 1
Totals 4
DEFENSE
Player
Wright
Stanley
Nelson
Smith
Totals

Yds
53
-22
20
8
217
Yds
31
75
38
13
11
10
178
No.
7
7
Yds
57
33
18
12
120
Yds
8
3
5
Solo
9
4
3
22
Yds
0
0
0
0

Avg
4.1
-2.4
2.9
8.0
3.6
Avg
5.1
18.8
19
13
11
10
12.8
Yds
269
269

Lg
20
2
6
8
28
Lg
9
35
20
13
11
10
35

I nt
0
1
1
TD
O
0
O
0
TD
O
O
O
0
0
0
0

PHILLIPS
Continued from Page 1B
as head coach, he was praised for being a "player's
coach," one that could motivate and relate to his
team. Now that his ability to do that is in doubt,
so should be his place as coach. His players lack
pride on the field and their behavior off the field
is embarrassing to the program. Yesterday's dis-
missal of starting tailback Dawan Moss is the lat-
est of several incidents that are turning a black
eye into a bleeding cut above the eyebrow.
Michigan coach Lloyd Carr gave an emotional
speech after the game, in which he said that Williams
deserves more time at Michigan State.
"I think it's very important that Bobby
Williams be given the opportunity to fulfill his
requirement at Michigan State University," Carr
said. "This game is about the players, trying to
get an education and compete in an arena that is
very competitive."
Carr's comments beg the question: Why give a
coach another year if his players are quitting on
him? Does a vote of confidence from the adminis-
tration give the players a reason to fight? It is impos-
sible to know. But it is safe to say that having Carr's
blessing isn't going to appease the Spartans' fans or
the players.
Williams' results and demeanor spell the end of
his stint as coach. The damage that has been done to
the Michigan State program is great enough to war-
rant his removal --and comments in favor of
Williams by former Michigan State coach George
Perles, Athletic Director Ron Mason or Carr should-
n't change that.
Jeff Phillips can be reached atjpphilli@umich.edu

Avg Lg
38.4 51
38.4 51

DAVID KATZ/Daily
The Michigan defense dictated the game Saturday, controlling the
Spartans all game.

4

Avg
19
16.5
18
12
20
Avg
2.7
3
2.9

Lg
31
30
18
12
31
Lg
5
0
5

TD
0
0
0
0
TD
0
TO
0

Bellamy brings boost to struggling 'M' receiving corps
By J. Brady McCollough '..
Daily Sports Writer
WM-1, 'N E M..~... .N..N~. . . .

41

As
Ong
0
0
0
0

sst Total
7 12.5
3 7.5
3 5.5
4 5.0
17 30.5
Brk-up TO
1 0
1 0
1 O
3 0

PASS DEFENSE
Player
Nelson
Maples
Watson
Totals

Int
0
0
0
0

PLAYERS OF THE GAME:

Ronald Bellamy is taking matters into his
own hands.
The senior receiver, who had caught just one
touchdown pass this season prior to Saturday's
game against Michigan State, voiced his frus-
tration in a conversation Friday night with
coach Lloyd Carr.
"Are you ever going to score a touchdown?"
Carr asked.
"Yeah, throw me the ball," Bellamy
answered.
Carr must have passed the message on to
quarterback John Navarre, who hit Bellamy
five times for 124 yards and two touchdowns
in Michigan's 49-3 drubbing of Michigan
State Saturday.
"There's times when I think I'm open and I
don't get the ball, but today, John threw the ball
to me and let me make plays," Bellamy said.
Bellamy set up his second touchdown catch
in the third quarter with yet another special
request.
"I told the coaches that (the Michigan State
cornerbacks) were sitting on our routes," Bel-
lamy said. "When we ran 10-yard routes, they
were right there."
Quarterbacks' coach Scot Loeffler made the
call - a "pump-and-go" route that left the
Spartans' defender at least 10 yards behind the
streaking Bellamy.

4
I

DAVID KATZ/Daily

Senior wide recevier Ronald Bellamy had a break out game against the Spartans Saturday, catching five balls for 124 yards and two touchdowns.

with a 35-yard would-be touchdown pass that
was ruled incomplete. Bellamy would have
been the first Michigan receiver to catch three
touchdown passes in a game since David Ter-
rell nabbed three at Northwestern in 2000.
"I'm still mad," joked Bellamy. "I mean,
three touchdowns. Hey, come on."

Navarre's go-to guy in the first seven games of
the season, but in the past two games, he has
dropped several crucial passes. Saturday,
Edwards had his lowest yardage total of the
season with just four catches for 31 yards
while Bellamy stole the show.
Bellamy said that he just tells Edwards to not

the shadows of stars like Marcus Knight, David
Terrell and Marquise Walker.
"I think (it has been tough), because he came
in with a lot of hype, but he battled some
injuries over the years and played behind some
guys," said fellow senior Charles Drake, who
was in Bellamy's recruiting class. "I think he's

Iw .:r> 1

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