14 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 14, 2005 Florida looks to swamp By Dan Ketchel and Ben Zerman Daily Sports Writers For Big Ten fans, it may be a good still early in the season because its top tl (Michigan, Ohio State and Iowa) suffe losses last week. For the rest of the coun are looking up. Powerhouses from the, 12 and Pac-10 hope to capitalize on thes fumbles. While Southern Cal and Tennessee took this past week off, some of the other top-25 teams got some well- deserved attention. Last week's marquee matchup between P Ohio State and Texas certainly didn't disappoint anyone except Ohio State quarterbacks. Justin Zwick g game-losing fumble and Troy Smith bit the end zone for the final safety. More e ing moments await young football play week's action across the country. No. 5 Tennessee (1-0) at No. 6 Flo - 8 p.m. - CBS The Gators and coach Urban Meyer one bad toothache because the last two w defense has masticated each of their opp 32-14 win against Wyoming and a 41-3 w Louisiana Tech have helped Florida inch the polls from its preseason No. 10 ran] current position at No.6. With a more woi nent on the horizon, expect the Gators( bend but not break under the pressure. O side of the football, Florida'quarterback C will undoubtedly continue his stellar already racked up a combined 539 yards, ing touchdowns and two rushing touch just two games. Meanwhile, the Volunte bounce back strong when they open their c schedule. An idle week hopefully did t after they narrowly escaped an upset aga in week one, hanging on to win, 17-10. Ke out for the ongoing quarterback controve Volunteers; sophomore Erik Ainge and s Tennessee Clausen continue to alternate snaps. Before the sea- son opener, Ainge had been declared the starter, but after Ainge's poor outing against UAB, who knows who will be under center this week. [thing it's Florida 30, Tennessee 17 hree teams No. 8 Florida State (2-0) at No. 17 Boston -red tough College (2-0) - 7:45 p.m., ESPN try, things Welcome Boston College to the Atlantic Coast ACC, Big Conference: conference of higher television rat- e Midwest ings, better team endorsements and warm weather at nearly all away games. Welcome Boston College to the ACC: conference of seven top-25 teams, Michael Vick's little brother and of course, harder matchups than the Big East ever had to offer. The Eagles open up their conference schedule, they are certainly in for a rude awakening in their inaugural season as ACC doormats. Impressive wins against weak opponents BYU and Army mean nothing ave up the when Boston College hosts Florida State. The it hard in Seminoles - still agitated at the NCAA trying to mbarrass- strip them of their mascot - won a low-scoring ers in this grudge match against Miami in week one and look to continue their domination of the ACC. Look for rida (2-0) Florida State quarterback Drew Weatherford to unload on a shabby Boston College secondary. must have Florida State 41, Boston College 13 eeks, their No.13 Miami (0-1) at No. 20 Clemson (2-0) onents. A - 8 p.m. in against If you don't believe in the Clemson Tigers, you its way up better start believing. After kicker Jad Dean put king to its away Texas A&M in week one with six field goals, rthy oppo- including a 42-yarder with two seconds left for the defense to 25-24 win, the Tigers made another fourth-quarter n the other comeback the next week, this time led by quarter- hris Leak back Charlie Whitehurst. Whitehurst performed play. He's flawlessly, completing 18 of his 22 passes for two five pass- touchdowns to stun Maryland. Running back Reg- idowns in gie Merriweather complemented Whitehurst's ers look to passing game well, rushing for two touchdowns, onference including the game winner. But the Tigers have yet hem well, to face a defense like Miami's. The Hurricanes are iinst UAB coming off a heartbreaking loss to in-state rival eep an eye Florida State although they gave up just 10 points. rsy for the The big question is quarterback Kyle Wright - the enior Rick sophomore threw two interceptions and was sacked a AP PHOTO Florida quarterback Chris Leak and the Gators hope to leap above Tennessee in the SEC East standings after their conference clash with the Volunteers. nine times against the Seminoles in his new role as starter. If Wright continues to play like a backup, the Hurricanes will start their season 0-2 for the first time in recent memory. Clemson 24, Miami 21 No. 1 Southern Cal (1-0) vs. Arkansas (1-1) - 10:15 p.m. With the top-two Heisman Trophy candidates and a record-tying 21 straight weeks atop the Asso- ciated Press poll, it is hard to believe Southern Cal will drop a game to anyone this year. They have reigning Heisman winner Matt Leinart at quar- terback and the nation's most electrifying player in running back Reggie Bush. Last year, Bush averaged over 10 yards per touch. This team has NFL caliber talent at every position, sometimes going two or three deep. Arkansas will be scored on every way possible - on the ground, in the air and on special teams - because the Trojans are just that good. And after dropping one at home to lowly Vanderbilt last week, the Razorbacks will not have nearly enough confidence to come into Trojan territory and hang with Leinart and company. The Razorbacks have found Matt Jones's replacement in quarterback Robert Johnson and have one of the SEC's best running backs in De'Arrius Howard, but don't count on them to put up enough points to keep pace with the best team college football has seen in years. Southern Cal 45, Arkansas 14 Alexander not afraid of change By Jamie Josephson Daily Sports Writer Playing on a team that is attempting to take on a new shape, senior Ryan Alexander of the Michigan men's soccer team looks to be on the brink of a breakthrough. Because former leading goal-scorer Mychal Turpin graduated last year, the Wolverines have had to adjust their offensive shape - which used to center around Turpin. According to Michigan men's soccer coach Steve Burns, the team is still employing the same formation it used last season. The 4-3-3 was meant to showcase Tur- pin's strengths, especially his quick footwork. Two years ago Turpin displayed his skills by scoring eight goals in two games over a two-week stretch. But now that Turpin has graduated, Burns is toying with a new formation - the 4-4-2. Burns has been positioning Alexander in the forward role in these different shapes, hoping to fill part of the hole that Turpin has left behind. The Michigan native had been struggling as of late to find his rhythm in this attacking forward position, accord- ing to Burns. But that all changed this past weekend. At the Michigan Invitational, Alexander scored his first and second goals of the season, and the hosting Wolverines took first place. "Alexander is all about the power game," Burns said. "He's a big man and needs to play with a power game. He's beginning to recognize that. He just needs to get away from the little off-balance stuff." In Sunday's 3-1 victory over Long Island, Alexander con- verted Michigan's first goal of the game after receiving a pass from fellow senior Trai Blanks at the top of the 18- yard box. Alexander beat the goalie to the left to slip the ball in for his second tally of the season. Alexander also converted in Friday's 1-0 win against Louisville, when freshman Jake Stacy broke through three defenders and found Alexander open for a cross-field shot. "I like to think that I'm finding my form," Alexander said. "I suffered an injury right before the season, and coach Burns talked to me about a couple of things I was doing wrong. I was trying to play a little too difficult or complex at first, right off the injury. Hopefully, I'm back on track." Alexander recently underwent surgery on his broken left ankle, which had been misdiagnosed and left untreated since his senior year in high school. After taking a medi- cal red shirt last season and only being able to compete in four games, Alexander is still in a transition phase with his conditioning - not to mention within the team's new offensive system. But the senior is no stranger to adjustments. Alexander transferred to Michigan after his sophomore season at Wake Forest, where he played in 38 games and was the second- leading scorer on the team in his freshman year. Searching for a more complete university experience, Alexander was no stranger to what Michigan had to offer. Michigan, along with Wake Forest, had heavily recruited him after his high school career, and Burns was happy to sign the forward two years ago. Playing for a new school, struggling through an aggravat- ed injury and now attempting to find his rhythm, Alexander has become one of the specialized "artists" on the team, according to Burns. "I've got to get the right mixture of soldiers and artists," Burns said. "Soldiers get the work done and grind it. Artists will do one or two special things in the game that suddenly opens up (the game) and goals are scored. Alexander is,... an artist." Taking on a leadership role this season is another new feat for the senior. "I think some of the younger guys naturally look up to the older guys," Alexander said. "We have three great captains. But right now, I just need to worry about the soccer aspect, and the leadership aspect kind of takes care of itself." Alexander and Michigan (4-1) look to take their new offensive shape up to Oakland on Friday at 5 p.m. and return to Ann Arbor against Kentucky at 2 p.m. on Sunday. ALXAINDER ULIAD Z/ Dily Senior Ryan Alexander is not afriad of making adjustments and is ready to fill the void left by Mychal Turpin. 0 WOMEN'S ROWING Blue teaches incoming freshman about rowing and life By Ari Fink and Bethany Herrema For the Daily "What's an erg? Are we going to capsize? What do you mean, 'set' the boat?" These are all questions novice row- ing coach Vita Scaglione fields annu- ally in her second year coaching at Michigan. In just seven months, she molds a group of athletes - most of whom have never touched an oar - into a Division I crew. In the summer months, each Michi- gan female freshman and sophomore receives a letter in the mail from the crew team stating that, if she is 5-foot-7 or taller, she should try out. Coming in, many potential rowers aren't aware of the commitment, athleticism, strength and mental fortitude that are required of a rower. While most Michigan students are sleeping, the rowers are sweating. As if living in the dorm isn't hard enough, the rowers must find a way to go to sleep while the halls are still bustling and drag themselves out of their cozy beds before the sun even rises. The young rowers arrive at the Intramural Sports Building at 5:45 a.m. and train on the W HAT SE TS YOU A PA RT IS WHAT MAKES YOU ONE OF US. '" Students, Faculty and Staff! Ergometers (indoor rowing machine or the aforementioned erg) or head to to the water at Belleville Lake, which is a 15-minute drive from campus. After a grueling day of classes, the rowers practice again in the afternoon. Even on Saturday, the varsity rowers come into the erg room at 7 a.m. to complete a 6k fitness test. In just a few short weeks, the row- ers must acquire the knowledge nec- essary to row a boat. Some of the necessary skills include feathering the oar - twisting it after a-stroke is com- pleted on the recovery - pulling the oar into their marks, and most impor- tantly, catching and releasing the water together. In short, a group of college freshmen and sophomores must bal- ance taking classes, studying, making friends and exhausting their bodies on a daily basis. E.E...E.EE... "Don't let your : HA IR: * . au .I ahm aul iii Women's rowing is one of the only sports where an incoming student can be part of a varsity team without any prior experience. It takes a special kind of athlete to learn something complete- ly foreign to her and to put in the time and effort necessary to succeed. "It's not necessarily the rowing that I love, but rather the kinds of people the sport attracts," Scaglione said. In addition to dealing with a heavier workload in class, the rowers are also getting a crash course on the water. It won't take long for-the athletes to fig- ure out and learn to hate the erg, or to realize that they won't in fact capsize - unless they hit a log, which hap- pened last year. But, rowing is a sport of constantly perfecting and re-per- fecting the body and mind. In school, in life and in rowing the questions never cease. Memberships are now on sale. Take advantage of FREE COURT TIME! LAYING OUT