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