The Michigan Daily - SportsTuesday - September 6, 2005 - 5B The DAl .ZOO s, TeMc . ip :ilN f 16Ahlwrtrwl ~keyotOki Thd ~ tt ~~~.Ufe e t,i.' s t: tw y 'flctute .1o iWekt ek 4peridi~g o IM: heta } ",'n prfri U MBRtmi.ii o> DO> fThe Ca e 0 _raroug gaugeoWhAN od ly Cat4 p~d~ f4~s ~$a~ ~~uded REEVE L. r lptcr CALide Defensive Intensity Carr-o-meter Hypemeter Rush Yards Eh, lackluster at best. The defense forced five turnovers, which is obviously impressive, but that is the only reason the tank wasn't complete- ly on Empty. The goal this year was to eliminate the big play, but Huskies running back Garrett Wolfe took the ball to the house on the first play of the second quarter. The secondary gets a pass because it was the first game with three new starters, but the front seven should be better than this. Rush linebacker LaMarr Woodley got the team's only sack, and 411 yards would be unac- ceptable in any other game. It didn't take a genius to tell that Carr was not pleased with the defense yesterday at his weekly press conference. He called the defense out for not showing enough effort and for not being physical enough. Instead of sleeping, Carr said he spent Saturday and Sunday nights tossing and turning. And that's the fault of Jim Herrmann's squad. On Saturday, Carr man- aged to rev the offensive engine, which put up 33 points and 419 yards. But until his defense gains a little horsepower, it looks like Carr will be counting sheep. So the 3:30 p.m. start gave you extra time to play beer pong and get drunk. You got off to a good start. The stadium looked pretty full before kickoff, those yellow pom-poms added a certain flair, and most of you were scream- ing your butts off. But something happened once the ball was in the air. Maybe your hang- overs hit a little earlier than expected. Maybe you were too busy trying to get cell phone reception in the Big House. All we know is you didn't bring in da noise. And you didn't bring in da funk, either. The Wolverines' ground game looked pretty strong against Northern Illinois, rolling up 208 yards on 48 carries. Sophomore Mike Hart looked solid, leading the way with 117 yards and a score. And freshman Kevin Grady bolstered the attack with 42 yards and a touchdown in his Michigan debut. This was far from a perfect outing, however. Grady fumbled on the two yard line in the third quar- ter, and, although Hart was impressive, his 4.3 yards per carry average was almost a full yard below his mark from last year. Hart the leader, but many contribute By Matt Venegoni Daily Sports Editor Going into the season, many prognos- ticators and fans thought that sophomore Mike Hart may have to give up some of his carries this season to fellow sopho- more Max Martin and freshman Kevin Grady. But if Saturday's game against Northern Illinois is any indication, Hart is definitely entrenched as the starter, with many other running backs making contributions. By the time the first quarter ended, the back showed why it would not be easy for any- one to take his starting spot. Heading into the second quarter, Hart already had 35 yards rushing and 38 yards receiving while adding a touchdown. He ended the day with 117 yards on 27 carries with a, touchdown and four receptions for 49 yards. "I think (Hart) is quicker, stronger, he knows more, he's more mature and he's more powerful," running backs coach Fred Jackson said. "He's probably the smartest kid I've ever coached. He'll be a tremendous football player before the season's done." Hart's most impressive play came at the end of the first quarter, when he took a quick screen while led by a convoy of blockers. A Huskies linebacker weighing 50 pounds more began closing in on Hart quickly, but the shifty back would not be denied on his way to the endzone. "I turned it up, and then I guess I got lower than him and ran him over," Hart said. Even though Hart was able to con- tinue where he left off from last season, Grady saw his first game action and did not disappoint. The Grand Rapids native got the first touchdown of his career and finished with 42 yards on nine carries. But not everything went smoothly for the first-year runner. After Michigan had the game in check at 27-10, Grady took over as the first option at running back and fumbled the ball at the goal line. But the coaches did not lose confidence in the young back. "That's probably the first time that ever happened," coach Lloyd Carr said of Grady's fumble. "I think you have to learn that as you get closer to the goal line, normally, there are a lot more peo- ple closer to the ball. I'm sure he'll learn from that, and this was a good day to learn it." Carr and Jackson put Grady right back in the game after the fumble while also giving playing time to Martin, junior Jerome Jackson and senior Alijah Bradley. In total, the Wolverines had five different players run the ball, and the coaches were happy with what they saw from the stable of backs. "Obviously we've got some depth at that position, and I think that is one of the real solid strengths of this team," Carr said. "In this league you're going to get some guys dinged up." WELCOME BACK:: After missing most of last season and not attempting a pass, former starting quarterback Matt Guti- errez made his return to the gridiron Saturday. He attempted just two throws, but made the most of them, going 1-for- 2 with a nice rolling-to-his left toss to senior Jason Avant. "I felt good being out there again because, according to a lot of people, I wasn't supposed to be doing that," Gutierrez said. "It had been a while since I had played a game in Michigan Stadium or anywhere else. And two years later, it felt really good, and it was fun." Carr was just as happy to see the red- shirt junior out on the field. Before last season he named Gutierrez the starter, but-a shoulder injury cut Gutierrez's sea- son short. Chad Henne took over and has not looked back once, but Carr thinks Gutierrez is a better person and player because of the experience. "It was extremely satisfying to play him," Carr said. "I know his teammates have great respect for him. Everybody in our program does. Our situation at quarterback is awfully good. I believe that." PLAYING WiTH THE BIG BoYs: Saturday's attendance of 110,971 was the largest crowd to watch a MAC team play. It was the ninth time Carr has coached against a MAC school, and his record remains perfect. MIKE HUSELBUS/Daily Sophomore Mike Hart (20) was pushed throughout summer camp by Max Martin and Kevin Grady, but he showed in Saturday's performance that he is more than ready to continue as the starter this season. "i 1\ WE KNOW YQOU'RE HAVING A ROUGh DAY TODAY. Too BAD. ThAT'S JUSrT HOW LIFE IS WHEN YOU HAVE CLASSES. DAILY SPORTS. THE BETTER . __ . Y '.. . Voted #1 Textbook Store Bookstore School Supplies, Electronics Software, and more. Come and see why we are the Lest bookstore in town. (onveniently located at the corner ofI. University and5. University 549 E University, Ann Arbor Al 48104 or on the web at www.nlrkhs.om a -era1 Home of i - ' ,~