48 - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - September 20, 2004
MICHIGAN 24, SAN DIEGO STATE 21

: Hart takes control of
running back situation

GAME STATISTICS

By Gennaro Filice
Daily Sports Editor
Michigan's Lloyd Carr uses his
words as carefully as any football
coach in America.
But his description of true fresh-
man Mike Hart left little to the
imagination:
"He is tougher than the devil."
The 5-foot-9, 185-pound Hart
paced the Wolverines' offense on
Saturday with a gritty 25-carry,
121-yard performance. Every yard
was earned, as the 18-year-old's
longest scamper of the game went
for just 13 yards.
Hart showcased a combination of
shiftiness and power and - unlike
any other Michigan runner so far
this season - displayed a keen
ability to read his blocks.
"(The offensive line) came out
real strong this week during prac-
tice and worked hard to get the run
going," Hart said. "They just came
out today and did a great job of
opening holes."
During the Wolverines' first two
games of the season, Hart ran the
ball just eight times for 37 yards.
"It was hard because you couldn't
get into the flow of the game," Hart

said. "This game, I was getting
reps and reps and reps, and I just
felt a lot better in the huddle."
In what seemed like a season
tryout for the starting running
back job (at least in the first half)
before the start of Big Ten play,
Hart clearly outshone incumbents
Jerome Jackson, Tim Bracken and
Pierre Rembert.
David Underwood, who started
Michigan's first two games of the
year but was knocked out early
against Notre Dame, didn't play a
snap.
"Mike is special," Carr said.
"Again, he has a lot to learn, but we
have a group of guys at tailback and
all of them are going to play a role."
Having a true freshman carry
the ball throughout a close second
half was a foreign concept for the
Wolverines, but Hart handled the
spotlight like a seasoned veteran.
"I wasn't nervous," Hart said.
"They told me I had a chance to
(play early). I had to come in here
and show what I could do."
Hart set multiple national records
at Onondaga Central High School
in Syracuse, N.Y., including touch-
downs in a career (204), career
100-yard rushing games (47) and

career points (1,246).
But many skeptics doubted that
the small-statured Hart would
make the transition well to college
football because he had participat-
ed in a very small high school divi-
sion that has never been known for
producing Division I prospects.
"Talk like that is what gets me
going," Hart said.
"I'm little. I'm from a class 'D'
school in New York - no com-
petition at all. There's truth to all
that, but I know what I'm capable
of and I just have to prove it to the
world."
Hart, who maintained a 3.75
GPA in high school, indicated that
Michigan's total package made for
an easy college decision.
"The chance to play was important,
but here at Michigan I've got every-
thing - coaches, people, academics
- just everything," Hart said.
Although Hart's breakout game
against a talented San Diego State
defense caught many Maize and
Blue faithful by surprise, Carr saw
early indications of exceptional
talent in No. 20.
"Mike has been a presence since
the day that he got here," Carr
said.

Team Stats
First CDowns
Rush/Yds
Passing Yards
Offensive Plays
Total Offense
Return Yards
Comp/Att/lnt
Punts/Avg
Fumbles/Lost
Penalties/Yards
lime of Poss
M
PASSING
Play er
Henna 11
Richard
Totals 14
RUSHING
Player Att
Hart 25
Jackson, J. 8
Bracken 3
Rembert 2
Henne 7
TEAM 3
Totals 48
RECEIVING
Player No.
Edwards 8
Breaston 3
Avant 1
Gonzales 1
Ecker 1
Totals 14

SOSU
15
23/22
289
66
311
83
27/43/1
7/38.1
4/2
11/94
26:59

MICH
20
48/148
179
76
327
81
14/28/3
5/40.8
1/1
4/50
33:01

I C HI G A N

CA
-24
3-4
4.28

JAONCOOR/Daily
The diminutive Mike Hart, left, who is listed at 5-foot-9, receives congratulations from
6-foot-6 offensive lineman Matt Lentz after one of his 25 carries on Saturday.

Edwards moves to top of 'M'

all-time list

PUNTING
PlayerP
Finley
Totals
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player No.
Breaston 3
Totals 3
PUNT RETURNS
Player No.
Breaston 3
Totals 3
DEFENSE
Player
Curry
Mc~linton
Shazor
Mason
Hall
Manning
Mundy
Massey P.
Hood
Woodley
Reid
Harrison
Jackson M.
Watson
Avant
Harris
Graham
Barringer
Totals

Yds
121
28
13
11
-13
-12
148
Yds
130
19
16
10
4
179
No.
5
5
Yds
46
46
Yds
35
35
Solo
6
4
3
5
4
4
3
3
3
2
0
2
2
1
46

Yds
162
17
179
Avg
4.8
3.5
4.3
5.5
-1.9
-4.0
3.1
Avg
16.25
6.3
16.0
10.0
4.0
8.51
Yds
204
204

Avg Lg TD
15.3 17 0
15.3 17 0
Avg Lg TD
11.6 37 O
11.8 37 0
Asst Tot
2 8.0
3 7.0
4 7.0
1 6.0
1 5.0
1 5.0
2 5.0
o 3.0
o 3.0
1 3.0
2 3.0
3 3.0
0 2.0
0 2.0
0 1.0
0 1.0
0 1.0
0 1.0
20 8

4
I

TD
2
0
2
Lg
13
11
5
10
7
0
13
Lg
54
12
16
10
4
64

Int
3
0
3
TO
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
TO
2
0
0
0
0
2

Avg Lg
40.8 45
40.8 45

Henne steers clear of late tussle; Richard gets brief shot

By Chris Burke
Daily Sports Editor

All season long, it's been evident that
Braylon Edwards has been Michigan's No. 1
receiver.
And on Saturday, Edwards became the No.
I receiver in the history of the
program.
The senior's fourth recep-
tion of the day - a play on
which he actually fumbled $(
to set up San Diego State's
third touchdown of the game
gave him 177 catches as a Wolverine, sur-
passing Marquise Walker's total of 176 recep-
tions from 1998-2001.
"We've had some great receivers here and
(to break) those records, you've got to be dura-
ble, you've got to be tough and you've got to
be talented," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said.
"Braylon is a guy who continues to come up
with big plays. He's dangerous because he's
strong and he plays without the ball."
Edwards was the leading receiver in Mich-
igan's 24-21 win, hauling in eight passes for
130 yards and two touchdowns.
His two trips to the end zone bookended
Michigan's scoring. Edwards muscled his
way into the end zone for a 54-yard touch-

down on the Wolverines' first offensive play
of the game. He then ended the day's scor-
ing with just under 11 minutes to go in the
third quarter on a seven-yard touchdown grab
- a play he had set up diving a long 45-yard
reception.
"As far as I can say, I think it came down
to two plays, the (two long catches by
Edwards)," San Diego State linebacker Matt
McCoy said.
HANGING CHAD: McCoy was at the center of
controversy as the waning seconds of Satur-
day's game ticked away.
Following a run by freshman Mike Hart
that gave the Wolverines a game-clinching
first down, the Michigan coaches ordered
quarterback Chad Henne to take a knee and
kill the clock.
But they might have reconsidered had they
known that Henne would takeone of his
hardest hits of the day on the play.
Henne took the snap from center and
backed away from the line. With no one com-
ing at him, Henne stood still, letting extra
seconds tick away.
But as the freshman finally took a knee,
McCoy leveled him - setting off a brief
skirmish on the field that ended with McCoy
receiving an unsportsmanlike penalty and an
ejection.

"Nobody was coming, so I just sat there,"
Henne said. "I took the shot and I just got
up and walked away. I wasn't going to get
involved."
As soon as Henne was hit, Edwards jumped
on top of McCoy, leading to the brief moment
of pushing and shoving between the two
teams.
UNDER PRESSURE: Before the season started,
one of the points of emphasis for the Michi-
gan defense was creating more pressure on
opposing quarterbacks.
But until Saturday against San Diego State,
the Wolverines had just two sacks on the sea-
son - a problem that led, in part, to Notre
Dame's comeback win over Michigan two
weeks ago.
Against the Aztecs, though, the Michigan
defensive attack came to life.
The Wolverines blitzed and pressured San
Diego State quarterback Matt Dlugolecki
frequently during the afternoon, and landed
four sacks.
They were also able to put a touchdown
on the board, as linebacker Lawrence Reid
recovered a Dlugolecki fumble forced by
linebacker Roy Manning and rolled in from
the San Diego State five-yard line.
All in all, it was easily the defense's most
impressive pass-rushing performance of the year.
"We knew we were going to be in a tough
situation - San Diego State has a real good
team," lineman Gabe Watson said. "The game
was close and we always talk about the fourth
quarter. Last week we had a bad fourth quarter,
so we knew we had to step it up."
Watson and cornerback Marlin Jack-
son recorded one sack each. But senior Pat
Massey led the Michigan charge, notching
his first two sacks of the season.
"We came out in the second half and knew
we had to keep them out of the end zone, no
matter what," said Massey, who then declared
the defense ready for the Big Ten.
THE ROCKET RICHARD: Perhaps still search-
ing for the perfect combination in the Michi-
gan backfield, Carr opted to insert lefty
quarterback Clayton Richard in the lineup
for two series during the second quarter.
With the Wolverines leading the Aztecs 17-
14, Richard headed under center. The sopho-
more failed to move Michigan down the field
for points, but did complete 3-of-4 passes for
17 yards.
"We've got to develop some depth (at quar-
terback)," said Carr of Richard's playing
time. "I thought he did a good job. I think
we have to develop him and, in the long run,

BIG TEN STANDINGS

Team

Big Ten Overall

ywnv yyjw, myna yryIwrB

I

Minnesota
Ohio State
Wisconsin
Purdue
Indiana
Iowa
Michigan
Penn State
Illinois
Michigan State
Northwestern

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

3
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1

0
0
0
0
1
1
1
2
.2
2

I

JASON COOPER/Daily
Wide receiver Braylon Edwards celebrates his 54-yard
touchdown catch that came on Michigan's first play.
that is something that is very important to
our team."
Richard was given mop-up time in the
Wolverines' season-opening 43-10 slaugh-
ter of Miami (Ohio), hitting on 2-of-4 pass
attempts for 17 yards.
NOTES: The 31 points scored in the first
quarter of Saturday's game tied a Michi-
gan record for most combined first-quarter
points, tying the 31 scored by Michigan and
Northwestern in 1991 ... Saturday's atten-
dance of 109,432 marked the largest crowd
that San Diego State has ever played a foot-
ball game in front of ... Hart's 121 yards
made him the first Michigan freshman since
Chris Perry in 2000 to rush for 100 yards in a
game. Perry notched 103 yards against Bowl-
ing Green ... After the game, Carr said that
Gutierrez had thrown in practice during the
week, but was still not close to returning ...
Running back David Underwood was limited
in practice this week, likely due to the injury
he sustained early in the Wolverines' loss at
Notre Dame.

THIS WEEKEND'S RESULTS
NORTHWESTERN 20, Kansas 17
Notre Dame 31, MICHIGAN STATE 24
Wisconsin 9, ARIZONA 7
ILINOIs 30, W. Michigan 27
ARIZONA STATE 44, Iowa 7
MICHIGAN 24, San Diego State 21
Minnesota 34, COLORADO STATE 16
Ohio State 22, N.C. STATE 14
KENTUCKY 51, Indiana 32
PENN STATE 37, Central Florida 13
WHO'S NEXT:
IOWA
Iowa comes into Ann Arbor after being
manhandled by Arizona State in an embar-
rassing 44-7 defeat. The Hawkeyes are
going to have to improve on their pass
defense, as they allowed Sun Devil quarter-
back Andrew Walter to throw for 428 yards
and five touchdowns. Their offense was
not any more stellar than their defense,
gaining just 100 yards of total offense and
converting on just six first downs.
'M' SCHEDULE

4
I

Date
Sept. 3
Sept. 11
Sept. 18
Sept. 25
Oct. 2
Oct. 9
Oct. 16
Oct. 23
Oct. 30
Nov. 13
Nov. 20

Oponent Time/Result
Miami (Ohio) W, 43-10
at Notre Dame L, 20-28
San Diego State W, 24-21
Iowa 3:30 p.m.
at Indiana TBA
Minnesota TBA
at Illinois TBA
at Purdue TBA
Michigan State TBA
Northwestern TBA
at Ohio State Noon

JASN ONCOOPE/Daily
Michigan comerback Marlin Jackson forces a fumble by San Diego State quarterback Matt Dlugolecki late in
the first half. The play was one of several where the Wolverines pressured Dlugolecki via a blitz.

4

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WEEKEND'S BEST
AU-BURNED: No. 5 LSU saw its 10
game winning streak snapped as
it lost to No. 14 Auburn on a final-
minute drive 10-9. Auburn tied the
game at nine with just over a minute
to go, then watched as kicker John
Vaughn botched the extra point. But
LSU was called for a penalty on the
play, giving Vaughn a second chance
- and he took advantage, sneaking
the kick inside the left upright for
the one-point Auburn win. That one
point had been lost when LSU kicker
Ryan Gaudet, who shanked an extra
point of his own after his team's
first touchdown. LSU continued to

HOW THE AP TOP 25 FARED
Associated Press Poll for the week of Sept. 14
Games updated through Sept. 18

NEW AP
TOP 25

(first-place votes in parentheses)

Team:
1. Southern Cal.
2. Oklahoma
3. Georgia
4. Miami
5. LSU
6. Texas
7. West Virginia
8. Florida State
9. Ohio State
10. California
11. Florida
12. Virginia

Last week:
beat BYU 42-10
beat Oregon 31-7
beat Marshall 13-3
beat Louisiana Tech 48-0
lost to No. 14 Auburn 10-9
DNP
beat Maryland 19-16
beat UAB 34-7
beat North Carolina State 22-14
beat New Mexico State 41-14
lost to No. 14 Tennessee 30-28
beat Akron 51-0

This week:
at Stanford
Texas Tech
LSU
at Houston
Mississippi State
Rice
James Madison
Clemson
at Northwestern
Idle
Kentucky
Syracuse

TEAM
1. Southern Cal. (54)
2. Oklahoma (10)
3. Georgia (1)
4. Miami
5. Texas
6. West Virginia
7. Ohio State
8. Florida State
9. Auburn
10. California
11. Tennessee
12. Virginia
13. LSU
14. Utah
15. Purdue
1 Fnrrt

REC
3-0
3-0
3-0
2-0
2-0
3-0
3-0
1-1
3-0
2-0
2-0
3-0
2-1
3-0
2-0
1-1 

PTS
1,613
1,562
1,456
1,437
1,358
1,169
1,117
1,079
1,064
1,034
1,031
919
844
763
652

PVS
1
2
3
4
6
7
9
8
14
10
13
12
5
15
18
11

rn










A