GENNARO FILICE:
I have A.D.D. and
... wait, what? ... Oh
yeah, I love it.
PAGE 3B
The SportsMonday Column
AN UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIP
Field hockey goalkeepers Beth Riley and Molly
Maloney bond through competition.
PAGE 8B
SPORTS
1B
October 4, 2004
X* dk~w ]U J~iv
Edwards
shows
why he's
No.
1
SHARAD MATTU
Senior wide receiver Braylon Edwards catches the second of his two touchdown passes on Saturday. Both scores came when Edwards was guarded by indiana freshman cornerback Tracy Porter (36).
Hoosiers not tricky enough to top Blue
Mattu fast, Mattu furious
LOOMINGTON - If it
hadn't happened already,
Saturday had to be the day
that Lloyd Carr no longer considered
Braylon Edwards a player who had
not yet reached his potential. And
the receiver's eight receptions for
168 yards and two touchdowns had
nothing to do with it.
Even though his two touchdowns
were 69- and 38-yard plays where
Edwards blew past a true freshman,
who for some reason was covering
Edwards all by himself.
Even though he had to fully
extend his arms to make a catch and
then, with his momentum taking him
out of bounds, reach to his left with
the ball to get a first down.
Even though on another play,
Edwards reached around a Hoo-
sier who had an interception in his
hands, put his own two hands on the
ball, ripped the ball away and then
reached out for the first down while
fighting off tacklers.
No, on the two plays in which
Edwards may have quieted his
harshest critic, he never even
touched the football.
On a running play to his side of
the field in the first quarter, Edwards
cut diagonally across the field, lined
himself up with a potential tackler
and trampled him.
Then, in the second quarter, he
one-upped himself with a hit Mich-
igan's defensive players must have
been jealous of. Edwards flattened
Indiana's punter during a return by
Leon Hall, opening up the right side
of the field for a 76-yard touchdown.
"When he came off the field, I told
him that's the way an All-American
plays," Carr said of the play. "An All-
American can play without the football,
and he made an All-American play
there that certainly every coach and
every player on this team will appreci-
ate. It was a magnificent block."
When Edwards decided that the
NFL could wait one more year, he
said that the opportunity to be the
team's leader played a role in his
return. He saw the way seniors John
Navarre and Chris Perry led the
Wolverines last year to Michigan's
first Rose Bowl in six years and
wanted that same opportunity.
He also knew that, while his junior
year ended spectacularly, its start was
as big a struggle as he'd ever experi-
enced. In his first games in the No.
1 jersey he asked to wear, Edwards
found himself in Carr's doghouse.
Edwards's senior year would also be
an opportunity to be a true No. 1.
"I just knew this was going to be a
young team this year and they would
need leadership and guidance,"
Edwards said. "Coming back, I knew
this was something I could provide
for them.
"It's something I love doing
- I love being a leader. I love being
responsible for what happens, whether
See MATTU, page 5B
By Gennaro Flilce
Daily Sports Editor
BLOOMINGTON - When Indiana ran onto
the Memorial Stadium turf through an inflatable
helmet next to the north endzone, the team entered
with U2's "Elevation" blaring over the stadium
speakers. And, following a gutsy call by Indiana
coach Gerry DiNardo on the first drive of the
game, no song could have been more appropriate.
Two rushes and a pass left the Hoosiers three
yards short of a first down. But, facing fourth-
and-3 on his own 27-yard line, DiNardo rolled the
dice. The Hoosiers lined up in punt formation, and
Michigan opted to block for returner Leon Hall
instead of going after the kick. On the snap, the
edges of the Michigan line occupied the Indiana
counterparts, but the middle of the line retreated to
set up a wedge for Hall. Indiana punter Tyson Beat-
tie took the snap, delayed for a second, then sprint-
ed up the gut. After clearing the line of scrimmage,
Beattie cut right and up the Michigan sideline for
a 32-yard gain.
"The fake punt to start the game was a great
call," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said.
Indiana continued to drive, and after two runs by
quarterback Matt LoVecchio, the Hoosiers faced
first-and-10 from Michigan's 14-yard line.
But, almost as quickly as it came, the "elevation"
disappeared from Memorial Stadium. On the ensu-
ing play, Indiana center Chris Jahnke rocketed a
shotgun snap over LoVecchio's head. The 29-yard
loss effectively ended the Hoosiers' drive, as they
punted two plays later.
"When you play a team like Michigan, and you
are moving the ball and get inside the red zone, it's
a critical situation where you have to score some
points," DiNardo said. "You have to capitalize on
those opportunities."
Indiana didn't have many other chances to capi-
talize, as the Wolverines scored 35 of the next 42
points in the game and improved their Big Ten
record to 2-0 (4-1 overall) with a 35-14 win.
The Wolverines began their scoring on their first
drive, moving the ball 83 yards in eight plays. Mich-
igan rode true freshman running back Mike Hart
- who finished with 79 yards and a touchdown on
20 carries - giving him the ball five straight times
to start the drive. Then, after a 14-yard third-down
catch by junior Jason Avant, true freshman Chad
Henne threw the first of three touchdown strikes
in what was his finest performance in a maize and
blue uniform (17-for-21 for 316 yards). The Wolver-
ines used play action and Henne released a bomb
as he was hit. Senior Jermaine Gonzales, who stut-
ter-stepped 15 yards down the field to gain some
separation, caught the pass just as he was crossing
the goalline for a 40-yard touchdown.
"We've been working on that play all week in
practice," Gonzales said. "It's a play where every-
one had a job to do and did it. The offensive line
did the job and gave Henne time to make the read
and throw and the receivers time to run a good
route. The throw was perfect."
As Michigan's defense continued to stuff the
Hoosiers with relative ease, the Wolverine offense
wasted a plethora of opportunities. In Michigan's
final two drives of the half, Garrett Rivas missed
a 44-yard field goal and Henne ended a nine-play,
81-yard drive by fumbling a snap from David
Baas and giving Indiana the ball on its own six-
yard line.
"I don't like a lot of things that we did in the
first half," Carr said. "If we don't take care of the
football, we're not going to be the kind of football
team we would like to be."
With just under five minutes left in the half,
Indiana's Beattie punted to Hall. Hall was filling in
for Steve Breaston (who injured his finger against
Iowa, but is expected to play against Minnesota)
and he made sure there was no drop-off, returning
the Beattie kick 76 yards for a touchdown.
"I first wanted to get the ball secured, and then
I saw a little crease in the middle, but I got kinda
lost in there for a minute," Hall said. "So I just saw
a hole to the right and I just broke and I saw there
was one guy left, and I just tried to outrun him."
Indiana got on the board at the end of the first
half. Henne dropped back to pass on third-and-
four, but the Hoosiers brought a huge blitz and
Victor Adeyanju nailed Henne. The ball shot
backwards 10 yards and Indiana linebacker Kyle
Killion recovered it on Michigan's 11-yard line.
Four plays later, running back BenJarvis Green-
Ellis scored from two yards out with just six sec-
onds left in the half.
Although the Wolverines held just a 14-7 lead
at the half, they quickly put the game away, scor-
ing touchdowns on all three of their third-quarter
drives.
Junior Grant Mason started the second half by
See HOOSIERS, page 5B
Senior Jermaine Gonzales prepares to celebrate
following his first-quarter touchdown catch.
'M' hits it big in win over Windsor
By Jake Rosenwasser
Daily Sports Writer
It took freshman Chad Kolarik eleven minutes
to score his first collegiate goal in the first period.
It took him only five minutes in the second period
to score another.
n,n e. ti;n of th . cr Wr INDS"R
bound to get goals."
But at the outset of the game, goals were not
a forgone conclusion for the Wolverines. After a
sloppy opening three minutes in which Windsor
forced turnovers and pressured goalie Al Mon-
toya, Michigan settled into a groove. Still, it was
stymied time and time again by Windsor goalie
-Inv Fwa-cinur
game, and they almost capitalized on a couple of
turnovers. But I thought our team settled down."
In the second period, Kolarik struck again on a
pass from senior defenseman Brandon Rogers.
"I was definitely nervous at the beginning,"
Kolarik said. "I was sitting next to Ebbett and he
was telling me, Relax, relax.' And after the first
nperiAd I was definitelv more relayed."
.1 U