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November 11, 2003 - Image 10

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The Michigan Daily, 2003-11-11

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I

Tuesday
November 11, 2003
www.michigandaily.com
sports@michigandaily.com

ReTiS11gan ilg

10

'M' Sugar Bowl hopes
hurt in BCS Standings

Winslow's

apology may

not be able tofix image

By J. Brady McCollough
Daily Sports Editor

Around 11 o' clock Saturday night,
Michigan football fans couldn't help
but feel like their Wolverines were a
team of destiny.
Waking up Saturday morning with
their team ranked No. 8 in both polls,
the maize-and-blue faithful had the
pleasure of watching No. 3 Florida
State, No. 5 Virginia Tech and No. 6
BCS STANDINGS...
TEAM REC PTS PVS
1. Olahomna 100 1.68 1i
4. Loulstane State &4 13.17 7
S. Texas$2 17.O5 ±2
6. Texas Cbristian 9.0 ±7,85 9
7. Tense 1.2 ±1&32 13
9. Georgia '7.2 20.27 10
10. Wsangton1 $tate &2 20.49 1±
11. Purduie $2 24.64 14
12. MiarnI (FRa.) 7-2 27.93 4
iS.FotidState NR289 ~
15. Vhiriia Teeh 7-2 34.13 6

Miami (Fla.) each suffer their second
loss of the season.
Apparently fans weren't the only
ones who noticed that two-loss Michi-
gan could be back in the hunt for the
Sugar Bowl.
"I actually yelled at a few of the
younger guys (Sunday),. telling them to
stop looking at those things," wide
receiver Jason Avant said.
Judging by the Bowl Championship
Series standings released last night,
Avant made a wise decision to ignore
Michigan's faint hopes of a national
championship run.
Ranked No. 8 in last week's BCS
standings, it seemed logical that Michi-
gan would jump to No. 5 in the BCS
after this weekend, much like the
Wolverines did in the Associated Press
and coaches' polls released Sunday.
Instead, Michigan stood still at No. 8
in the BCS, as two-loss Texas (No. 5),
undefeated Texas Christian (No. 6) and
two-loss Tennessee (No. 7) vaulted the
Wolverines.
Texas, ranked No. 12 in the BCS
with a schedule ranked No. 44 in the
country before Saturday, took advan-
tage of a huge road win over Oklahoma

Longsnapper Ross Mann and the Wolverines stayed at No. 8 In the new BCS
standings, while Texas, Texas Christian and Tennessee jumped ahead.

State to bump its schedule strength to
No. 18. The Longhorns also improved
from 15.83 to 7.83 in the computer
rankings average, whereas the Wolver-
ines dropped from 9.67 to 11.17 in the
BCS computers.
Texas Christian, No. 9 last week,
remained undefeated by beating
Louisville, which increased the Horned
Frogs' schedule strength from No. 98 to
No. 87. Texas Christian's computer
average skyrocketed this week to 4.67,
almost seven points less than Michigan.
Tennessee, No. 13 last week,
knocked off then-BCS No. 6 Miami,

increasing its schedule strength from
No. 16 to No. 8. The Volunteers'
biggest improvement came in the com-
puters, where they went from 13.5 to 5.
In other words, the Wolverines' only
hope of backing their way into the
Sugar Bowl is to beat BCS No. 3 Ohio
State, receiving a boost in schedule
strength and computer average big
enough to jump Texas, Texas Christian
and Tennessee. Oh, and Southern Cal.
and Louisiana State still have to lose.
Luckily, it doesn't seem the Wolver-
ines will spend too much time the next
See BCS, Page 12

NAWEED SIKORA
Blowin' smoke
n Sunday, Miami (Fla.) tight end
Kellen Winslow apologized for
his outburst in the lockerroom
following Miami's 10-6 loss to Ten-
nessee. In case you missed it, Winslow
was nailed for a costly 15-yard
unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the
fourth quarter, and was also nearly
flagged for taunting Tennessee's Corey
Campbell after laying him out with a
bone-rattling block.
Following the game, when asked
about his conduct, Winslow got hot, and
in a raised voice, referred to the game
as a "war," and to himself as a "soldier."
The following day, in a statement
released through the University of
Miami, Winslow tried to make amends
for exploding after the game and letting
his anger loose.
"After speaking with the press, I
immediately regretted my comments and
felt embarrassed for my family, my team,
the University of Miami, our fans, alum-
ni and myself," Winslow said. "What I
have learned from this experience is to
take my triumphs and failures in stride.
My outburst should in no shape or form
be a reflection on this institution or the
Miami football program.
"As for my reference to being a sol-
dier in a war, I meant no disrespect to
the men and women who have served,
or are currently serving, in the armed
forces. I cannot begin to imagine the
magnitude of war or its consequences."
The apology was in good faith, but
for Winslow, it was too little, too late.
After watching Winslow rant and rave
about the officials and the game, I had
only one thought in my mind: "Dude,
you gotta chill." College football is just
a game, and no player should ever think
otherwise, no matter how hard he is get-
ting hit or how important a game might

be. As Winslow put it in his apology,
outbursts like that can do no good.
Winslow is a perfect example of how
an extremely talented and physically
dominant player can ruin his chances
for a Heisman Trophy with poor behav-
ior, both on and off the field.
If you remember, this is the same guy
that struck the pose after making a
touchdown catch in Miami's first game
of the season against lowly Louisiana
Tech - a decision that even had his
own father, Hall of Fame tight end
Kellen Winslow Sr., shaking his head in
frustration.
The younger Winslow was not just a
preseason Heisman candidate; for many
people, he was the favorite. But his
gaudy actions and excessive trash talk-
ing have overshadowed his pure ability
to play the game, and he has been
pushed to the bottom of most charts.
It's no secret that if you're not an
emotional player, you won't have suc-
cess in college football. Emotions are
what drive players to make that extra
push or gain that extra yard. But when
players allow these emotions to take
control, this is when they have crossed
the line.
"The only thing I can say about it is
that he was just angry at that point of
time," Michigan wide receiver Jason
Avant said. "I don't even think he
should have done that interview right
there. But emotions get high, and some-
times things get said like that."
"Obviously, he said something
crazy," Michigan's Larry Stevens said.
"If that was said here, he wouldn't be
here any more, and that's all I can say
about that."
Although Winslow's apology seems
genuine, he has a lot of work to do
before he even begins to earn back the
respect he lost over this past weekend.
For his sake, and for the sake of his
friends, family and school, Winslow
should stop worrying about the scrutiny
and start worrying about playing the
game.

4

Netherlands hears 'Fout!' too much to beat Blue

By Eric Ambinder
Daily Sports Writer

"Fout!, fout!" was the apparent battle-cry yelled by
coach Gert Jan ver der Linden of the Netherlands
National Team during a majority of last night's 73-35
exhibition loss to the Michigan E
women's basketball team.
Jan ver der Linden had good
reason to yell, "Fout" (mistake). His team committed
almost as many turnovers (32) as points (35).
Michigan's tenacious defense, which held the
Netherlands to a .244 shooting percentage, has been
the main focus of coach Cheryl Burnett's practices
from day one.
"I think our players are doing a good job of trying
to execute what we want them to execute," coach Bur-
nett said about Michigan's defense. "They're all like
freshmen in terms of their first year trying to execute
these things."

Early on, the Wolverines executed their defensive
scheme to perfection, holding the Netherlands score-
less for the first eight minutes of the first half.
Michigan continued its solid defense early and even-
tually found its offensive rhythm. After center Jennifer
Smith grabbed a fierce offensive rebound off a missed
Sierra Hauser-Price free throw and scored a bucket, the
Wolverines took an early 25-4 first-half lead.
"I think the team came out sharper than they did the
first game, and overall we have improved our defense
over that short period of time," senior Stephanie
Gandy said. "We can look at this game as a positive
and keep working on our defense."
The Wolverines struggled on offense late in the sec-
ond half because of the effective trap defense used by
the Netherlands, but still led 34-15 entering halftime.
Michigan's Tabitha Pool exploded in the second
half, helping Michigan get going in the second half by
scoring 10 points and missing just one shot.
When the Netherlands went on its longest scoring

steak of the night, a 4-0 run near the beginning of the
half, Pool quickly stole back the momentum for the
Wolverines when she notched a steal, offensive
rebound and bucket in one sequence.
Up 49-22, Gandy launched a 3-pointer from the
corner and was fouled, but couldn't convert the four-
point-play, missing the ensuing free throw.
Her three was Michigan's fourth of the night, a scor-
ing option that Burnett has emphasized in practice.
"Our rule is two defenders or less, blow it up;' Bur-
nett said about her team's decision to shoot 3-pointers
during game situations. "I mean they love that in
practice."
Center Jennifer Smith nailed a 3-pointer from the
corner and freshman Kelly Helvey followed suit with
a triple down the stretch for the Wolverines, giving
them a 64-30 lead.
Smith dominated inside all night, scoring 22 points
and shutting down the Netherlands' interior offense, a
key in the team's blowout victory.

Naweed Sikora can be reached at
nsikora@umich.edu.

UU

4

It's not a curse term. Let's keep all Michigan cheers that way.

4

"We want Michigan to continue being a place that
cheers vociferously for the Michigan team."

-Lloyd Carr, UM Football Coach

4

Him

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