* Friday September 9, 2005 sports.michigandaily. com sports@michigandaily.com e TdSgat Bailg 11 The wait is over No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 20 Notre Dame Tomorrow, 12 noon Michigan Stadium ABC High-flying offenses face " Off tomorrow With last year's 28-20 upset loss to Notre Dame in South Bend fresh in the minds of Michigan's football players, the No. 3 Wol- verines prepare to host the No. 20 Irish S tomorrow in a highly anticipated matchup. Some things have changed since the teams last met. Chad Henne has transformed him- self from a fresh-faced rookie into a sea- soned winner with big-game experience. Mike Hart has emerged as a star runner who can churn out yards with the nation's best. But most of the national media attention has been focused on Notre Dame's new head coach Charlie Weis. In his debut last week against then-No. 23 Pittsburgh, Weis steered his formerly unranked team to a 42-21 upset victory and garnered even more hype for his resurgent squad. Meanwhile, Michigan defeated Northern Illinois at the Big House, 33-17, in the Wol- verines' first action of the year. Now the two longtime rivals square off in a game with far-reaching national implications. Here's a breakdown of the opposing units: * Michigan passing offense vs. Notre Dame passing defense: Chad Henne looked extremely sharp in the first half against Northern Illinois, com- pleting 17 of 25 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns while spreading the ball around to five different receivers. Jason Avant was a star, hauling in nine throws for 127 yards and a score in the win. The Notre Dame secondary limited Pitts- burgh stud quarterback Tyler Palko to just 220 yards and a touchdown and intercepted him once in their defeat of the Panthers last week. Considering Palko tossed the rock 35 times, that's quite an accomplishment. Still, the Wolverines have so many weapons in the passing game that it's hard not to like Henne's chances for success this time. Carr knows what he's doing. But it will still be hard for the Wolverines to contain Notre Dame's rushing attack. Edge: Notre Dame' e Special teams: ' Michigan punter Ross Ryan has been a media favorite since he recovered a fumbled punt return on one of his own punts. The redshirt junior con- sistently blasted kickoffs through the endzone, notching five touchbacks. Notre Dame's kicking game is anything but suspect: D.J. Fitzpatrick was named to preseason watch list for the Lou Groza Award and was a perfect 6-for-6 in PATs last weekend. If the game comes down to a late-second field goal, the Irish have the edge. But look for Ryan to have another standout game. Edge: Push Intangibles: The Irish are riding high with a top-25 rank- ing and booming confidence in a new coach. It's hard to overestimate the effect that a morale boost can have on a team's performance. At the same time, the Wolverines and coach FILE PHOTO Lloyd Carrare trying to answer questions about a defense that surrendered an embarrassing 411 yards to a mid-major school. Any real or per- way, the ceived lack of trust in the defense to stop the big d to com- play, especially in an important game such as ttack. this one, might be enough to shake this team's mentally make up. Edge: Notre Dame Michigan Pick: It's almost always a classic when these two s starting historic rivals meet. With two high-powered offens- promised es, tomorrow's matchup figures to be a shoot-out. k. And the In the past few years, the Michigan-Notre i had a lot Dame rivalry has been as competitive as ever. ards on 17 The Irish won in 2002, the Wolverines embar- s chipped rassed Notre Dame in 2003, and the Irish came back to win at the last second in 2004. Look for a strong Michigan to continue that trend tomorrow. times for Michigan 39, Notre Dame 34 The Wolverines will look to erase their mistakes from last year's Notre Dame game and defeat the Fighting Irish in emphatic fashion tomorrow. Edge: Michigan Michigan rushing offense vs. Notre Dame rushing defense: Behind Hart - who picked up 117 yards and a ground score against the Huskies - stands Kevin Grady, the tank-like freshman who bull- dozed his way to 42 yards and a touchdown on nine carries in his Michigan debut. Notre Dame totaled eight tackles for loss last week, but their play against the Pittsburgh run- ning backs wasn't exactly impressive. Tailbacks Raymond Kirkley Jr., Rashad Jennings and LaRod Stephens picked up 110 yards on just 14 carries against the Irish. In this matchup, it's hard to believe Notre Dame's front seven will be able to contain Mich- igan's ground game. Edge: Michigan Notre Dame passing offense vs. Michigan passing defense: Notre Dame's Brady Quinn had a breakout game against Pittsburgh last Saturday, amassing 227 yards on 18-of-27 passing. Quinn completed passes to seven different receivers, five of which finished with at least three catches apiece. Notre Dame's air attack should expose a questionable Wolverines' secondary. Last week Grant Mason was caught way out of position and allowed Northern Illinois tailback Garrett Wolfe to cut to the outside and run 76 yards for the score. With the hype machine whirling, Notre Dame may be in store for a letdown. Either Wolverines are just too inexperienced pete with Weis's NFL-style offensive a Edge: Notre Dame Notre Dame rushing offense vs. N rushing defense: Clearly unhappy with the play of hi front seven against the Huskies, Carr1 personnel changes on defense this week Wolverines' difficulty stopping the run to do with it. Wolfe finished with 148 ya carries, and reserve tailback A.J. Harri in another 54 yards. Notre Dame's Darius Walker had start to the season, carrying the ball 20 100 yards and a score. MEpoS GOLF Competition on golf course fuels future success 6)- X 5, NOTES By Alison Roberts For the Daily In a game so based on individual play, Michigan golf coach Andrew Sapp and his team have managed to make the game of golf a team effort. After all, it would be easy for such a small group to be close especially because they spend so much time on the road together. This closeness can also be a great help, with the players getting to know their teammates games and help- ing each other to strategize. This year, Sapp has also been using challenges within the team to help motivate the golfers. The players are divided into a Maize and a Blue team. They compete every day in practice, offseason training and even a mini Ryder Cup. According to Sapp, a good start this year is crucial, and it should be no prob- lem considering the team's abilities. "I think this year our team is much deeper," Sapp said. "We have much more experience; instead of one senior, we have four." Seniors like Christian Vozza and Brandon Duff have proved to be great leaders, both on and off the course. Vozza ended the 2004-05 season as a 2005 Men's Big Ten Golf Sportsman- ship nominee and Duff averaged 75.67 strokes per round. ' "They really lead the younger guys," Sapp said. "The freshmen and sopho- mores need good guidance." That's not to say the freshmen this year can't hold their own. In fact, fresh- man Bill Rankin qualified for this sea- son's very first tournament. His career at Michigan follows an impressive high school career, including a spot on the Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association (MIGCA) Golf Super Team in 2004 and the 2003 MIGCA Division I All -State Team. This fierce competition from the under- classmen benefits the whole team. With new additions to the team working hard to win spots, the older players are golfing better than ever to keep their spots. But Sapp has more in mind for his players than just the game of golf. It's this competition and drive that no doubt will propel the men's golf team to suc- cess in their lives, whether in golf or in their careers. "Forty years from now, they'll remember their time here at the Uni- versity of Michigan," Sapp said. "They will always be Michigan men and take pride in that. They'll look back with fond memories and look at it as a time of great personal growth." Cagers hold open practice at Crisler With all the excitement that Saturday's Michigan-Notre Dame football game entails, it might be easy to overlook the first open prac- tice 'for the Michigan men's basketball team. The team will begin the scrimmage at 9 a.m. Michigan fans will be able to catch their first glimpse of a team that returns all five starters and 12 players altogether. Also, a free Michi- gan T-shirt awaits the first 50 Maize Rage members, as long as they are wearing a Maize Rage T-shirt and at the practice by 10 a.m. - Kevin Wright Harriers hope balance will pace another championship By Kevin Wright Daily SportsWriter K. ' t' ~. ' - After winning three consecutive Big Ten Chanpionships, the Michigan women's cross country team is eager to con- tinue the streak. "We want to win the Big Ten, first and foremost," McGuire said. "We feel that we are capable of doing that. Our focus right now is on working on getting better." With six starters returning from last year's championship squad - including All-America senior Rebecca Walter - the Wolverines seem well on their way. Still, with every new season come new challenges, and McGuire has already had to face a few, with Wal- ter and senior Theresa Feldkamp still recovering from minor injuries. "I've had to be a little more patient," McGuire said. "We're balancing the boat on the water right now (with some of our injuries). What's made it a little more bearable is that some of our other runners have really done their homework and are run- ning well." Also, with eight freshman runners seeing their first colle- giate action, McGuire knows that there will be an adjustment period. For that reason, he is just looking for the freshmen to show steady improvement in these first few meets. On the other side of the spectrum, the team has seven seniors, including co-captains Walter and Feldkamp, to bal- ance the inexperience of the young Wolverines. McGuire believes that the winning attitude and strong leadership from the proven seniors will allow the freshmen to find their role on the team and run their best races without additional pres- sure. FILE PHOTO Junior Katie Erdman - returning from an off-season injury - will look to run a strong race tomorrow.