PAGE 3B The SportsMonday Column GENNARO FILICE: The search for the real Brown Jug, accepting no imitations. lB wWom Batt Henne's poise leads offense to big victory With less than five minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Michigan trailed t Minnesota 24-20. While the Wolver- ine defenders ostentatiously demanded noise from 100,000-plus Maize and Blue faithful, true freshman quarterback Chad Henne sat on Michigan's bench with his helmet positioned between his feet. Jer- maine Gonzales and Mike Hart rested to Henne's immediate right, and Braylon Edwards was perched on a separate bench to Henne's left. Each player seemed to be GENNARO fully engaged in deep FILICE thought. Nuthin' but a No phone hugged 'G' Thang Henne's ear provid- ing advice from the eye in the sky, no coach stood over the players drilling two-minute offense strategy into their heads and no emo- tion released from either bench. About seven yards in front of the benches, the scenario was quite the contrary. A wall of Wolverines lining the sideline whooped and fist-pumped before, during and - besides one first-down pass to Minnesota's Jared Ellerson - after each play. But the bench quartet remained stoic and speechless. The players craned their necks to one of the scoreboard screens because all view the field was blocked by the maize and blue 11. Each seated Wolverine exuded a quiet nfidence while mentally preparing himself r one final drive to retain the Little Brown g.' "We know that our defense, when they're out ere, it's a good chance they're gonna get the 1il back," Gonzalez said. "We knew we just ad to be ready to go when that happens." W, 4heGolden Gophers facing a third- Md-sixteen, Henne picked up his helmet and ok wrfew paces before settling in a seat next Edwards. The duo shared a few casual "s the gname came to a screeching halt ks to two Minnesota timeouts and a Gold- Gopher false start. There was never any doubt that we couldn't t it done," Edwards said. "There was never y panic. It was always just, 'It's time to go.' " Grant Mason interrupted the silence that ensued by giving Edwards and Henne five, along with some words of encouragement. After Michigan's defense stuffed Minnesota, the duo strapped up the winged helmets and scurried over to the edge of the sideline. Henne shared some quick words with injured quarter- back Matt Gutierrez and - following an ille- gal block in the back by Darnell Hood during the punt return - dashed into the spotlight. With 3:04 left in the game, Henne - who earned his high school diploma less than a year ago - faced 87 yards of real estate without the luxury of a time out. It was the final examination on a day when Henne was fully tested by Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, who drastically opened up the playbook for the 19-year-old signal caller. Henne had enjoyed a relatively solid day thus far, going 28-for-43 for 241 yards and a touchdown. But, two third-quarter intercep- tions inside the Minnesota 35-yard line had ended promising Michigan scoring drives and let the Gophers back into the game. The Wolverines strongly believed in their quarterback, though, as he was very familiar with the situation at hand. "It's more like repetition now," tight end Tim Massaquoi said. "We do (the two-minute drill) every Thursday, sometimes on Wednes- day. So it's like, when he gets in the game, he's comfortable now just from playing, so it's just like practice." With his peers in the student section at his back, Henne showed poise well beyond his years. Minnesota employed a conservative cover- two defense with its linebackers dropping back into coverage. Although this scheme makes it difficult to throw the ball way downfield, it leaves a defense vulnerable to short passes. So, instead of panicking and trying to force a big play, Henne just took what was given to him, and went 5-for-6 on the drive. He hit Hart out of the backfield for a first down. He went through all his progressions and found Avant over the middle twice for a combined 37 yards. He put the ball in Edwards' hands on a quick hitch. Then, he hit Tyler Ecker on a five-yard crossing route and Ecker rumbled 31 yards for his first career touchdown. In just 67 seconds, Henne pioneered Mich- igan's second-longest drive of the season. In just 67 seconds, Henne etched his name into Michigan folklore. And in just 67 seconds, Henne showed that over the last six weeks, he's aged about three years. "It's hard for any freshman to play at this level," Mason said. "Then you add the mental part of it and the responsibility and the scru- tiny that's put on a quarterback, especially at Michigan - if you didn't know he was a fresh- man, you wouldn't know he was a freshman." One of the biggest knocks on Henne's predecessor, John Navarre, was that Navarre couldn't excel in high-strain situations. Henne proved superb under such pressure a month- and-a-half into his college career. While Edwards celebrated the game's final snap with a back flip that probably took a few years off of Carr's life, Henne remained very even-keeled, much like he was just a short time before, when Michigan was trailing. Following the game, Henne spoke with quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler, who mir- rored the freshman's calm demeanor. "Win, lose or draw we're going to talk, and we talked about a lot of the things that we need to work on," Loeffler said. "He's a freshman still. We've still got a long ways to go, and every week we're going to try to get better." Loeffler's probably right. Henne's still is a true freshman. And he still makes some freshman mistakes, like his two interceptions, which were both horrible decisions. But, on Saturday, the Wyomissing, Pa., native showed the savvy of a Super Bowl Tom Brady. And it all started on the sideline right before Michigan embarked on its final scoring drive of the day. Henne didn't need last-min- ute tutelage from offensive coordinator Terry Malone. He didn't need words of support from Michigan's backup quarterbacks. All he need- ed was four words from Edwards: "It's time to go." And, according to Loeffler, this kid's nowhere near realizing his potential ... Gennaro Filice can be reached at gfilice@umich.edu. RYAN WEINER/Daily Michigan tight end Tyler Ecker caught a pass and ran past two Gophers into the endzone, completing an 87-yard drive to defeat Minnesota. SIx PLAYS, 87 YARDS, 67 SECONDS - ONE WIN Down 24-20 with 3:04 left in the game, the Michigan offense quickly moved down the field to secure the win. 1. Ball on Mich. 13: Chad Henne pass complete to Mike Hart for 10 yards. 2. Ball on Mich. 23: Henne pass complete to Jason Avant for 20 yards. 3. Ball on Mich. 43: Henne pass incom- plete, intended for Tim Massaquoi. 4. Ball on Mich. 43: Henne pass complete to Avant for 17 yards. 5. Ball on Minn. 40: Henne pass complete to Braylon Edwards for nine yards. 6. Ball on Minn. 31: Henne pass complete to Tyler Ecker for 31-yard touchdown. Graphic by BRIAN SCHICK/Daily 'M' shakes off loss to prol Boston .By Ryan Sosin Daily Sports Writer DAYTON, Ohio - After an unenthusiastic performance in Friday's 4-2 loss to Northeast- ern to open the Lefty McFadden Tournament, No. I Michigan met up with No. 17 Boston University - a team that was coming off a disappointing loss to Miami GA 7 (Ohio) - to decide who would . 2 g go home at the bottom of the TNN four-team tournament. "I knew both teams would be really upset about 0 MEN'S SOCCER Indiana proves too physical for Blue By Anne Ulble Daily Sports Writer While goals and offensive tactics were lacking throughout yesterday's game for the Mich- igan men's soccer team, emotions were not. After being dealt 18 fouls, four yellow cards, one red card and a season-ending injury to a pivotal mem- ber of the team, how could it not be an emotional 90 minutes? No. 19 Michigan traveled to Bloom- ington yesterday to square off against the reigning NCAA Champions in the most anticipated game of Michigan's season. The Wolverines entered the al champions." The Hoosiers converted their com- petitive offensive attacks into a scoring situation at 53:39 in the second half. Indiana defender Jed Zanyer drove the ball towards Michigan's goal and passed it to an open Brian Plotkin, who was left alone on the far side of the net. With a left-footed shot, Plotkin netted the first goal of the game. "Plotkin's goal was well planned out by Indiana," Burns said. "One of the team's central defenders left their posi- tion and threw the shape of our defense out of balance, giving him an open spot near the net." Just minutes after Indiana's goal, Michigan was faced with a serious COURTESY OF Phoebe Sexton/Daily Free Press Bnton UinivArsitv cantain Brian McConnell (9) is tied un by Michigan netminder Al Montova.