September 20, 2005 sports. michigan daily. com sports@michigandaily.com PRSCigt ilg 0 12 Freshmen duo shows it's ready, already By Gabe Edelson Daily Sports Writer The Michigan receiver caught the ball near the left sideline and quickly moved away from the cornerback attempting to tackle him. After eluding the initial defend- er's shaky grip and running to the outside, he juked his next obstacle, the free safety, to the inside. The Wolverine beat a third would-be tackler before he was eventually dragged down at the end of a 21-yard gain. On the very next play, the quarterback got the ball to a different wideout. This time the pigskin went to the right flat, where the offensive player slipped the same cornerback from the previous play. A line- backer tried his best to corral the threat, but he was made to look silly when he flew by his intended target on a cutback. Finally, a group of gang-tacklers managed to bring the ball carrier to the turf after a pickup of 12 yards. Most fans are accustomed to seeing this caliber of athleticism from redshirt junior receiver Steve Breaston, but the names of each of the above-mentioned Wolverines are significantly more obscure. The fourth- quarter plays came courtesy of true fresh- men Mario Manningham and Antonio Bass, respectively. Saturday's game against East- ern Michigan served as Bass's offensive debut. Even though Manningham has lined up out wide in each of Michigan's first three games this season, he has served strictly as a backup. But despite its inexperience, the first-year duo is turning heads early on. "I am truly impressed that (Manning- ham and Bass) have picked up what they've picked up so fast," redshirt junior receiv- er Carl Tabb said. "I know for me, I had a year, and the second year was still dif- ficult. So I can only imagine what it's like having to learn the offense in such a short amount of time and to be proficient at it. So that speaks to their work ethic and their willingness to listen. They're taking all the help they can get, and you can just see the results of all that hard work paying off." Manningham and Bass have benefited from a leg injury suffered by sophomore wideout Adrian Arrington in the season .4 Saturday' apathy not something to be proud of et's all be honest - no one was as excited for the Eastern Michigan game as for the Notre Dame contest the week before. I was thinking in the week prior to the game that this could be the least cared about game in my four years here. That was painfully clear. In fact, I found out just how true this was well before the game even started. When I woke up Saturday morning, I wasn't greeted by the sounds of girls yell- ing, horns honking or music blast- ing. No, I was stirred by my own restlessness. That hasn't happened on a football Saturday since I've been at Michigan. As I walked down Packard to meet with fellow football writer Ian Herbert, we recognized that something was amiss. There was hardly a beer bong to be hadz and no more than a couple games of beer pong being played. It's like we M had been transplanted to a Division VEN III school - not one of the premier The college football schools. As we strolled along, I noticed that the sun wasn't even shining. Yeah, I'm all too aware that Michigan is a cloudy state, but not in September during football season. It was like Mother Nature was either hungover or still pissed about the loss the previous week. It was dreary, wet and all-together gloomy. Not even the weather was cooperating. But that wasn't going to stop the Leaders and Best, right? We were going to cheer the mighty Wolverines to a victory before the Big Ten sea- son started. Well, not exactly. I know way too many people that decided not to go to the game. I know a guy that could've had a ticket for a dol- lar but didn't buy it. What was he planning on doing with the dollar, saving it and buying a slice of Sgt. Pepper's pizza and chilling on the couch? Nice school spirit, bud. So there were a large number of students sleeping in or watching the game on TV. Well, forget them. Walking with the people actually going to the game wasn't that encouraging, either. Most were just going through the motions, like this game was more of a chore than fun. "It's more of a hassle than anything else," my pathetic friend Jack said. But evidently he wasn't alone. Probably the saddest sight of the day came as I headed toward the gates. A dude - who I know sits in the front row - was yelling at the flock of people. Wear- ing a "Michigan Fired Up" shirt, he pleaded and begged the crowd to, not just be loud, which is a common request, but to stay for the whole game. How depressing is that? This really was a differ- ent game. A EC B As I left the masses to go to the media entrance, I felt as if I could just walk in and no one would notice. And sure enough, as I headed through the gates, the person didn't even seem to look at me. To be honest, maybe they did and I didn't notice, but the security just didn't feel as tight. It didn't stop at the gate. I went to the pressbox and the usual security wasn't there, either. I kind of just strolled in. So even before the game started, the game was definitely not hyped. Then I get to the press box, and there aren't any chicken salad sandwiches left. That's the only pressbox food that's decent, and they didn't even have them before the game. What was going on with everyone? Where was the thrill? I know that the person who decides which players go on the TT game program wasn't thrilled. The GONI program featured the special teams 3a/1 unit picture. Seriously, a group shot of the lonesome kickers. Nothing says excitement like the guys who kick extra points and punts. What the deuce? Was there a single person who was excited for this intrastate showdown? I think that, of all the Michigan players, only one - Willis Barringer - seemed visibly excited. I can't blame the players though, it has to be tough getting up for an Eastern Michigan team that doesn't even compete well in the MAC. "The truth is every time you step on the field you can get beat," coach Lloyd Carr said in the postgame press conference. "They're not my favorite kind of game because sometimes kids that are 18 and 19 years old read the newspaper and they make decisions based on what they think is going to happen or should happen. So there are a lot of things there." So the players would have to rely on the crowd to inspire them. Well, the student section was spottier than the top of Hulk Hogan's head, so that didn't help. The rest of the stadium, already known for its quiet reputation, didn't get rowdy either; they couldn't even give a full fist pump during "The Victors" or "Let's Go Blue" cheers. In the end, it didn't matter that no one cared. Michigan took the Eagles behind the woodshed, 55-0. Business was taken care of handily. But maybe at the next home game, against Minne- sota, I will be woken up at 8 a.m. to the sounds of a hyped campus. We can only hope so. - Venegoni, who is going to Madison this weekend, is so excited he could wet himself He can be reached at mvgoni@umich.edu r ALEXANDER DZIADOSZ/Daily Freshman Antonio Bass rushed for 20 yards in Michigan's 55-0 win over Eastern Michigan. opener. Coupled with the fact that redshirt freshman Doug Dutch missed last week's game due to illness, extenuating circum- stances have thrust the freshmen into the limelight. Still, coach Lloyd Carr is quick to point out that they are far from polished playmakers. "(Injuries) gave us an opportunity that we really were looking for, and that was to play Mario Manningham more and to get Antonio Bass into the game," Carr said. "We were able to do that, and I think they made some mistakes in there. They are not where they need to be in terms of under- standing all of the nuances of their posi- tion. But certainly they will learn from that experience. I think both of them did some good things." Bass, a Jackson native, did more than simply catch the lateral from Matt Gutier- rez, who was inserted at quarterback for Chad Henne at the start of the second half. The receiver also took two snaps at quarter- back, rushing twice from under center for a combined eight yards and a first down. It wasn't an unusual role for Bass, who played quarterback at Jackson High School. But his position shift displayed the versatility of this year's incoming receiving corps. "It felt great to help out the team and do the little things I can do to help the team See FRESHMEN, page 14 NOTE Mundy out for year with nerve injury SEVILLAP SPAIN "The only place in Europe that merges Roman, Jewish and Moorish culture with a young and exciting University town, a Mediterranean diet and the perfect weather" UW - PLATTEVILLE / SPANISH-AMERICAN INSTITUTE "In 1984 the Spanish-American Institute of Seville, Spain and the Univ. of Wisconsin-Platteville began a relationship that has now lasted for over 21 years and created one of the finest study abroad programs in the world according to The Student's Guide to the Best Study Abroad Programs" At the football team's weekly press conference yesterday, coach Lloyd Carr announced that junior free safety Ryan Mundy would most likely miss the remainder of the sea- son with an unspecified nerve condition similar to the one that ended the playing career of linebacker Lawrence Reid last year. "Mundy, I think, will Mundy not play in game com- petition this fall," Carr said. Mundy's last action came in the season opener against Northern Illi- nois, when he played sparingly in a backup role to redshirt junior Willis Barringer. The third-year defender saw action in 11 games during his freshman season and started all 12 contests last year. Because he only played a few downs in one game this season, he will be eligible for a redshirt season if he is able to return..Mundy has 61 tackles, two interceptions and three pass breakups at Michi- gan in his career. His loss was a shocking one for the Wolverines. "We were hoping that he would be able to return," Carr said. "We would like to give it some rest so that we can see what happens in spring practice. I'm not particularly encouraged. I'm disappointed that it just hasn't come around." - Gabe Edelson I So WE'VE GOT THIS NEW BLOG CALLED "TH E GAME." AND TRUST US, IT'S REALLY NOT LAME. ON IT WE CAN DISCUSS THE NEWS. 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