2B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - November 1, 2004 ./ CLUBSPORTSWEEKLY Rugby 'coach' stresses discipline By Ellen McGarrity Daily Sports Writer The Michigan men's club rugby team is so good that its coach wasn't even on the field yesterday for its play- off match at Mitchell Field. And with the Wolverine's 69-5 victory over Slip- pery Rock, it's clear that this man knew what he was doing. Though it should be noted that the club's coach can't even get to the field by himself. He's actually a four- foot plastic vampire with the word "coach" written across his chest in magic marker. Fifth-year senior Wes Farrow explained that this vampire was a team purchase two years ago when the club was playing in the first round of the Midwest Playoffs. All the other teams had head coaches and Michigan didn't want to feel left out. After a quick trip to Meijer, the team had its leader. "He has a very stern look on his face," Farrow said. "He has such high standards - he never looks happy. He always demands more." Sounds like characteristics that every team looks for when choosing a vampire - or rather, coach. And like any good coach, this vampire has accompanied the team to nearly all of its away games - even travel- ing to Argentina once. Farrow said having the same core group of guys playing together for the last three years is what's given Michigan the edge this season, but another new tra- dition could have been what helped the team in its trouncing of Slippery Rock. Many think rugby players look somewhat like prep-school athletes - in their knee-high socks and collared polo shirts - but for yesterday's game, these Wolverines broke this traditional mold. Near- ly every club member grew a beard and cut his hair into a mohawk to develop camaraderie and instill fear in Michgan's opponents. "I don't think it hurt," said junior Matt Trenary about the player's new hairstyles. He went on to explain that the idea really started with flanker Nick Warack. Warack has sported a mohawk the entire season, and the team captains thought the idea would work well for the entire team. Even "coach" received a row of spiked hair down the middle of his head, made possible from the hair cut off another player with longer locks. Or maybe it was sophomore Ben Becker's German Shepard Pointer, Lucy, who made the difference. She's become a regular at both practices and games this sea- son, always dressed in a Michigan rugby jacket. "I consider her more of a friend (to the team)," Becker said. "Some people consider her a mascot." Like its sharp-toothed leader and spirited mas- cot, this group of Wolverines has character all its own. The team, which has been in existence as an official college club since 1998, has vastly improved over the past two years. So much so that this sea- son's undefeated 7-0 conference record earned it the honor of hosting the first two rounds of the Midwest Playoffs, which took place this weekend. With the team's defeat of Slippery Rock yesterday and Ball State on Saturday, it will advance to next weekend's final rounds held at Purdue, which will determine which team gets the Midwest title and a spot in next spring's National Championship tournament. "It feels good because two years ago we were not good at all and we've come so far in such a short period of time," Trenary said. "It's great to see so many guys learning and coming together as a team." But, aside from just being part of a winning team, these players claim that there are many other reasons that they play the sport. "I fell in the love with the game right away," said Farrow, who originally envisioned himself being the "Rudy" of Michigan's football team until he found rugby. "The flow of the game and the intensity of it is phenomenal. I think this is a more pure form of competition and sport than any other." Trenary added that the game reminded him of "playing as a little kid in the backyard." Anyone who's watched a rugby game knows what Trenary is talking about. Although the rules are simi- lar to football, the players wear no helmets or padding, and battle cries are not out of the ordinary (Michigan players like to yell "Arrr!" - like a pirate would say - during some of their plays). Farrow admitted that the real reason for "coach's" absence at yesterday's game was that the team just plain forgot to bring him amid the excitement of the playoffs. But next weekend, perhaps he will make an appear- ance as the team continues its quest for the Midwest title. After all, Halloween will be long over by then, and the coach is sure to have more time for staring down his players. , Athlete of the Week Name: Brian Hung Team: Tennis Hometown: Hong Kong Class: Sophomore Why: No. 12 Hung finished second in the ITA Midwest Regional on Tuesday. En route, he beat Indiana's Jakub Praibus in straight sets - one of five matches thatlhe took in straight sets. Hung's performance earned him a spot in the ITA National Indoor Championships later this week. 4 'M' SCHI)A U L Date Event 11/1 W Golf at Edwin Watts/P n 11/2 W Golf at Edwin Watts/P n 11/3 M Soccer vs. Oakland almetto Joh almetto Joh Location ins Island, S.C. ins Island, S.C. Ann Arbor 11/4 11/4 11/4 11/4 11/4 11/5 11/5 11/5 11/5 11/5 11/5 11/5 11/5 11/6 11/6 11/6 11/6 11/6 11/6 11/6 11/6 11/6 11/7 11/7 11/7 11/7 11/7 11/7 W Soccer vs. Wisconsin Columbus W Tennis at ITA National Indoors Ann Arbor M Tennis at ITA National Indoors Ann Arbor W Basketball vs. Athletes in Action Ann Arbor W Soccer at Big Ten Tournament Columbus Ice Hockey vs. Miami (Ohio) Ann Arbor W Swim/Diving at Purdue Invitational West Lafayette M Swim/Diving at Wisconsin Madison W Tennis at ITA National Indoors Ann Arbor W Tennis at Arizona State Invitational Tempe, Ariz. M Tennis at ITA National Indoors Ann Arbor Volleyball at Indiana Bloomington Field Hockey at Big Ten Tournament Evanston Ice Hockey vs. Miami (Ohio) Ann Arbor W Swim/Diving at Purdue Invitational West Lafayette M Soccer vs. Ohio State Ann Arbor W Tennis at ITA National Indoors Ann Arbor M Tennis at ITA National Indoors Ann Arbor Wresting at EMU Open Ypsilanti Volleyball at Purdue West Lafayette W Rowing vs. Eastern Michigan Belleville Field Hockey at Big Ten Tournament Evanston W Soccer at Big Ten Tournament Columbus W Tennis at ITA National Indoors Ann Arbor M Basketball vs. Michigan Tech Ann Arbor M Tennis at ITA National Indoors Ann Arbor Field Hockey at Big Ten Tournament Evanston W Tennis at Arizona State Invitational Tempe, Ariz. Time . TBA TBA 2:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. TBA TBA 7 p.m. TBA 7:35 p.m. 6 p.m. 6 p.m. TBA TBA TBA 7 p.m. TBA 7:35 p.m. 6 p.m. 2 p.m. TBA TBA TBA 7 p.m. TBA 12 p.m. TBA TBA 2 p.m. TBA TBA TBA A 4 Dallas hands Lions first road loss IRVING, Texas (AP) - As the only Dallas Cowboys receiver who'd ever caught a pass in an NFL game, Key- shawn Johnson knew he had to come through big for quarterback Vinny Testaverde. He didn't. At least, not until the game was on the line. Johnson ran wrong routes on two of the first balls thrown his way, turning both into interceptions, but redeemed himself with two touchdown catches, including a 38-yarder with 1:54 left that sealed a 31-21 victory over the Detroit Lions yesterday. Testaverde's throws, however, weren't as impressive as his runs. Two weeks shy of his 41st birthday, Testaverde stunned everyone with a 7- yard run on fourth-and-3 to set upa tying touchdown, and scrambled 3 yards for the go-ahead score, helping Dallas (3-4) end a three-game losing streak. "If we're going to start to turn this thing around, this is where we needed to start," Testaverde said. Testaverde was 19-of-24 for 235 yards, offsetting three interceptions with three touchdowns. Yet it was the Cowboys' return to the running game that anchored this victory. Dallas ran 41 times - 11 more than in any game this season - for 127 yards, with Eddie George logging season-bests of 31 carries and 99 yards. That helped the Cowboys keep the ball 17 minutes more than the Lions, only the second time this season they've had the kind of imbalance coach Bill Parcells loves. "We had to establish the run some way, somehow," George said. Detroit (4-3) looked more like the team that lost 24 straight road games, not the one that opened this season 3-0 away from home. The Lions were stopped on third- and-1 and fourth-and-1 from the Dallas 37 while down by a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. A false start turned a field-goal try into a punt. They also lost a big punt return because of a penalty; wasted a time out before kicking an extra point; and had a defender fall into the end zone trying to down a punt close to the goal line. They also had 10 penalties for 112 yards. Even more agonizing: With Minne- sota getting drubbed by the New York Giants, Detroit could have tied for the NFC North lead.. "This team will do some exciting things at times," coach Steve Mariucci said, "but they'll also do some crazy things." Joey Harrington came in hoping to erase the memory of his worst NFL game, which was against Dallas last season. The NFL's best fourth-quarter quarterback this season certainly made things interesting with a 50-yard touch- down pass to David Kircus that made it 24-21 with 5:29 left, but the Cowboys answered with Johnson's second TD and Harrington was intercepted on his next snap. "I didn't feel we had trouble moving the ball," said Harrington, who was 19- of-32 for255 yards withtwotouchdowns. "We just made mistakes." Harrington would've had a better chance if rookie receiver Roy Williams (ankle) hadn't missed the game. He won't get any sympathy from Testaverde because his receivers included two rook- ies who moved up from the practice squad Saturday and a veteran who'd never caught a pass. That's why Johnson "was trying to carry too much on my back and got caught in a predicament I didn't really want to be in." Midway through the second quarter, Testaverde finally went to Johnson for the first time. His throw was outside, but Johnson was looking inside. Dre' Bly intercepted and returned it 55 yards to put Detroit up 14-7. Dallas's ensuing drive was stuck at fourth-and-3 from the Lions 35 when Testaverde went right up the gut of the defense. The 7-yard run was his first positive gain of the season: Three plays later, he hit Johnson for a 26-yard touch- down. The Cowboys had a chance to take the lead before halftime, but the next pass to Johnson was intercepted by Brock Mari- on at the 5. Dallas went ahead in the third quarter. After a long kickoff return and a 43-yard pass-interference penalty on a flea-flicker to Johnson, Testaverde ran in his first touchdown in 54 games, since December 1998. Billy Cundiff's 40-yard field goal with 6:59 left stretched the lead to 24- 14, marking the Cowboys' most points this season. They finished with their most points since beating Detroit 38-7 last year. Keyshawn Johnson caught two touchdowns in the Cowboys 31-21 victory over the Uons. It was the first road loss for the Uons, a team that lost eight road games last year. STANOWSKI, "MY CONVICTION RATE IS 87.5%, I GET RESULTS." CHIEF TRIAL ATTORNEY, CITY OF JACKSON. Paid for by John W Stanowski for Prosecutor Committee, 9449 Moon Road, Saline, MI 48176 with regulated funds. AP PHOTO Since 1936, the Redskins have been able to predict the presidential election. Washington lost this week, predicting a victory for Sen. John Kerry. sRedskns loss a wn for Kerry. LANDOVER, Md. (AP) - John Kerry supporters have a welcome omen for their candidate: The Green Bay Packers defeated the Washing- ________________________________________ J___________________________ ._ rF.. ,. . IN-STATE TUITION FOR 6 MICHIGAN COUNTIES *Hillsdale *Lenawee *Monroe *Oakland *Washtenaw eWayne UTLAW * Highly rated by US News & World Report * #1 in Michigan Bar Exam perform- ance 2003-04 * $1.5 million In scholarships awarded annually * Beautiful suburban campus The University of Toledo College of Law Considering Law School - " Discuss opportunities in law. - Meet UT Law Professors and current UT Law Students. " Invite your parents, partners, spouses and friends to be our guests. Monday, November 1, 2004 10:00a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Commencement/Grad Fair University Center University of Michigan Dearborn, Michigan RSVP call: 419-530-4131 C . l n . . n r i ~rrnnt~~en ^ t *JuA tot Pus* hnn, gTest - ( gov do'thw the hm lu ougvght tot) lease take a few nietes i.c..isle our ju t for nstu sning test. All compieted tries will reces a free week of sasing cesrieSY efYse frinds at Taati leae note that th tfiet f e lelsbl e t isw lle gtt Qni . 1.1 should Use intiens when tamino hemse- 4. ta sli reaction or itchifg e)Moistskise.nanEcfesteryieldingn, m .il - heelthy leek. a) Net be alarmed. it is a conston minr he bi prefertihedelie.dlifelessino. task which will dioseser in a day at twt b) Bathe more fte. ael n t expesensitmveaeesshe stire'thn"lsie Ctse b)la oil leers a) mInf.stk'a pheasena SIlS sA.rited 3. fnes iutwee pestetle esasa because- Soothly o Sn h nllemenhip. SThe lds enttickk eee toert b) There fnoweek ohstang awarded eghntifdm As THIS OPPIR IKPIRISt 1114104 Rmstdctlen, Rplg. Shos lken ph giwsg ton Redskins yesterday. If history holds, the 28-14 result portends a victory for Kerry on Tuesday because the result of the Redskins' final home game before the presidential election has always accurately predicted the White House winner. If the Redskins win, the incumbent party wins. If they lose, the) iqc mbent party is ousted. "Oh, yeah he's going to win. It's guaranteed," said Packers - safety Darren Sharper, a Kerry supporter. "I don't have to vote now. Don't even have to go to the polls. Saved me a trip on Tuesday." The streak began in 1933, when the Boston Braves were renamed the Redskins. Since then, begin- ning with Franklin Roosevelt's re-election in 1936, the trend has held, including a 2000 Redskins loss to the Tennessee Titans that predicted George W. 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