Thursday November 20, 2003 www.rmichigandaily. corn sports@michigandaily.com oJhe firifugan falilQ PORTS 5a One year later, Perry hopes for big impact By Naweed Sikora No. 100 celebrates past, but future is at stake Daily Sports Editor Senior tailback Chris Perry didn't do much talking at Monday's press conference about this weekend's monumental battle with Ohio State, but in some ways, he didn't have to - everybody knew what he was thinking. After all, it was Perry who decid- ed to stay on the field to watch the Scarlet and Grayhcelebration after the Wolverines had fallen to the Buckeyes last season. Perry was the last one to leave the field, almost forced off by police officers and running backs coach Fred Jackson. "I wanted to see the celebration," he said at the time. "I wanted to see them all celebrating, because I want to live with it and remember it." One year later, Perry has had plenty of time to reflect on the scene he witnessed at Ohio Stadi- uin. He's grown mentally, become more powerful and sure-handed with the football and developed into one of Michigan's most dependable players. And he's determined to do everything he can to make sure what happened last season is not repeated. But the question is, will Perry be able to make the impact he wants to make, or will the dominant Ohio State defensive front take him out of the equation? No team has been as successful as Ohio State this year in shutting down the running game. The Buck- eyes pride themselves in this area and have allowed just 50.5 yards per game. This stinginess is what has allowed the Buckeyes to get away with a lack of offensive touchdowns. "This is definitely going to be our biggest challenge of the season," Perry said. "We're going to do what- ever we need to do to win." While the entire line is talented and experienced, no player can hurt the Wolverines more than Will Smith. The "Fresh Prince" of Columbus has been wreaking havoc this sea- son. He's already collected 10 sacks BRENDAN O'DONNELL/Daily Michigan running back Chris Perry, still in the running for an invite to the Heisman Trophy presentation, drags a Northwestern defender. - six more than anyone else on the team - and 20 tackles for loss. Lloyd Carr says Smith is so diffi- cult to defend because of his athlet- ic ability and his versatility. "They move him around a lot, which creates a lot of pressure on anyone who is going to block him," Carr said. "He's great against the run, he's an athlete, and they drop him out into coverage. He will pres- ent a tough challenge for us." Michigan senior Tony Pape will be the lucky one who gets to lock horns with Smith for the majority of the game. Pape is welcoming the matchup, which he says is something See PERRY, Page 11A Michigan's BCS hopes dashed in 26-20 loss COURTNEY LEWIS The Daily Grind Michigan and Ohio State will collide for the 100th time this week, but that number will mean little on Saturday. This game is more about the rivalry's future than its past. This clash of Big Ten titans has been cyclical - one team leaves the other looking up from the ground, until the weaker team takes over and becomes the strong. That ebb and flow is often defined by - and at the same time, has defined - the coaches. This game could be one of those pivotal points that determines whose time is now. It wasn'tImuch of a rivalry at all in the 1950s and 60s - Ohio State won 9 of 12 from 1957 to 1968. Enter Bo Schembechler, and a new era in the rivalry. The rookie coach stunned Woody Hayes' Buckeyes in '69, end- ing their 22-game wining streak and beginning an epic 10-year brawl. "Of course, the '69 game has always been a great remembrance, because it was Woody's greatest team," Schem- bechler said this week. "He admitted that. We beat them here. But I think the fact that we were able to win that game really set the tone here for my pro- gram. That will always be in the ;back of my mind, the way that turned out." By the late '80s, Michigan began to dominate again, and that eventually cost Ohio State coach John Cooper his job. He went 2-10-1 in his 13 years at the helm. Meanwhile, Lloyd Carr took over as Michigan coach in 1995 and led the team to mediocre four-loss records in his first two years. His sav- ing grace? He beat Ohio State both seasons, ending the Buckeyes' hopes of a national title both times. Jim Tressel replaced Cooper in 2001 and, like Schembechler in 1969, Tres- sel won his first encounter with the enemy. That has defined his tenure so far and may very well be as meaning- ful to his career as Bo's first game was. Which is part of why this year's game is so big. Tressel came in with the goal of beating Michigan, and so far he's done just that. He has his Buckeyes in position to reclaim this rivalry. The Buckeyes are defending nation- al champs and have lost just once in their last 25 games. Michigan, on the other hand, has slipped from the pedestal that the two teams once shared. The Wolverines haven't won a Big Ten title outright since 1997 and have lost at least three games in each of the past three seasons. But it's widely held that it is the rivalry with Ohio State that defines Michigan teams. "You ask the guys, 'How many times did you beat Ohio State?' " Schembechler said. "If you want to be recognized around here as a coach or a player, you beat Ohio State." And lately, the Wolverines haven't done that. A Michigan loss this week would mean three straight defeats at the hands of Ohio State. That hasn't happened since before Bo's days - the Buckeyes beat the Wolverines four consecutive years from 1960-1963. "I don't think anything that hap- pened last year has anything to do with this game," Carr said. "I think they're a great football team. They are Ohio State. And Michigan-Ohio State is the greatest rivalry in college football. So I don't think you need anything more than that." He's right. But for rivalries to thrive, there has to be give-and-take. And the Buckeyes haven't given anything late- ly. If Ohio State wins Saturday, Tressel will have done in three years what Cooper couldn't do in 13 - beat Michigan three times and turn the tide back in favor of Ohio State. 4DITOR'S NOTE: In preparation for The Game, the Daily will count wn to Saturday's historic 100th meeting between Ohio State and Michigan by runnin excerpts from the past four games between the Buckeyes and Wolverines. ly Raphael Goodstein Daily Sports Editor (Nov. 26,2001) With the Big Ten title and Bowl Championship Series bowl bid at stake, 1v ichigan needed to find a way to beat its biggest rival, Ohio State. And with the team one game away from reaching its goals, the Wolverines played their worst first half in years. The Wolverines (6-2 Big Ten, 8-3 overall) committed six turnovers - four in the first half - and dug them- selves a 23-0 halftime deficit, from which they never recovered. In the end, 20 second-half points by the Wolverines were not enough as Ohio State (5-3 Big Ten, 7-4 overall) won 26-20. The loss means Illinois (7-1 Big Ten, 10-1 overall) wins the Big Ten champi- onship and will represent the Big Ten in a BCS bowl, likely the Sugar Bowl. Michigan will either play in the Orlan- do-based Citrus Bowl or the Tampa- based Outback Bowl. Both games are on Jan. 1. "We came into this game knowing what we had to do and what was at stake," Michigan senior co-captain Shawn Thompson said. "We didn't get it done." The first-half deficit meant the Wolverines needed to play mistake-free football in the second half, but they couldn't capitalize on their opportunities. Michigan opened the second half with a touchdown and drove the ball all the way to the Buckeyes' 10-yard line late in the third quarter, when Michigan quarterback John Navarre spotted Mar- quise Walker on a slant in the endzone. The ball bounced off Walker's chest. "Blame that on me," Walker said. Hayden Epstein missed a 27-yard field goal on the next play. Much as it did all day, the defense responded, forcing the Buckeyes to punt the ball back four plays later. Following a blocked punt, Michigan scored again, but failed the two-point conversion attempt, leaving it down 10 points, 23-13. The Wolverines got the ball back with 7:27 to go, and the fans still did not give up hope. But Navarre over- threw Walker on a fly and the Buck- eyes' Mike Doss returned the ball to Michigan's 9-yard line, setting up Ohio State's final three points of the game. Even after the field goal, the Wolver- ines still had a chance. Michigan responded this time by driving the ball all the way to the Buckeyes' 7-yard line. Faced with 3rd-and-3, Navarre threw two incomplete passes the next two plays, giving the ball to Ohio State. Michigan could not recover from the final mistake. Walker caught a touch- down with about two minutes left, cut- ting the deficit to six, but Michigan would not get any closer. "Our goal was to win the Big Ten championship," Carr said. "I'm disap- pointed, because we were in position to win the Big Ten championship and we didn't play our best game." Courtney Lewis can be reached at cmlewis@umich.edu. -U universtyof michigan school of art & design roman j. witt residency program presents rrexoilCa: a livin8 museum oF FeLish-ized oLher A performance/installation and living museum by cross cultural rebel artist uilermo 86mez-pena in collaboration with Michelle Ceballos, Emiko Lewis and a troupe of University of Michigan students Friday, 21 November 2003 Open 7:00 - 9:30pm University of Michigan Media Union Video Studio 2281 Bonisteel Blvd. Ann Arbor, Michigan Free and Open to the Public Audience participation encouraged. Come dressed as your favorite cultural "other." For more information, contact 734.763.1265. I.