Tuesday
September 27, 2005
sports.rmichigandaily. com
sports@michigandaily.com

ReTSiigan ail

12

. . ..... ..... ....

Loss can't compare to
being ditched by beat

Steve Breaston was expected to emerge as a playmaker this year, but has struggled so far. Saturday, he finished with just one reception for negative yardage.
Braston achig for break-outg.ame

My parents' worst nightmare came
true last weekend.
As loyal Michigan alums and die-
hard football fans, they were crushed when the
Wolverines dropped their second game of the sea-
son on Saturday. But their depression was nothing
compared with the fear they felt on Friday when I
left for Madison with the rest of the
Daily's football writers.
With two male photographers
along for the trip, their little girl was
driving almost 400 miles accompa-
nied by five college-aged guys. My
dad asked me to assess everythingv
from their driving habits to our
sleeping arrangements before we4
left. At the time, I thought he was
being overprotective and little silly./
But looking back, my parents had STEP
every reason to be scared.S
No, none of the guys tried any- WR
thing funny (though a couple of ffright
them could benefit from retaking
driver's ed). Rather, their behavior so far this
season has highlighted a disturbing trend among
young men: Chivalry is dead.
Everyone knows Madison is one of the best
college towns around, especially if you're look-
ing to party. The problem is, I'm not quite 21 and
I don't have a fake ID. Football writers Ian Her-
bert and Gabe Edelson warned me in advance
that they would leave me in the hotel room and
go to the bar, and I believed them - trust me.
But I didn't expect them to ditch me at an
apartment party in the middle of campus. In
their defense, they thought photographer Jason
Cooper was going to stay at the party, but the
bars were calling his name and he left shortly
after the others. Because I had to drive back to
the hotel, I couldn't partake in the partying. So
I went outside, sat on a bench and talked on the
phone.
Who leaves a female alone in a strange city?
For that matter, what kind of friend ditches
another friend regardless of gender? I'm not sure,
but I can't say I was surprised when it happened
to me. After all, these guys have done it before.
With about five minutes remaining in the Notre
Dame game two weeks ago, the four of us decided
to head out of the press box and down to the field.
I'll admit that I always take the longest to pack up
my notebook and stat sheets, which means I also
tend to be the last one to get to the elevator.
I guess all the reporters wanted to leave at the
same time that game because the elevator was
packed. Ian got in. Then Gabe got in. And finally
football writer Matt Venegoni got in - which
left no room for poor ole me. But instead of
walking out of the elevator and waiting with me,
Ian waved good-bye as the doors closed and the
three of them ditched me in the press box.
I could forgive and forget if their discourtesy

I'll bet you can guess which three
of us got sandwiches.
I made a little fuss - and Gabe
had planned to get a bratwurst
anyway - soI ended up eating my
chicken salad in the end, but that's
really not the point. Not one of them
even asked me whether I wanted a
sandwich before they snatched them
up for themselves.

?HANIE
TIGHT
on Target

By Ian Herbert
Daily Sports Editor

were a one-time event. But then it happened the
following week - twice.
All of us think the chicken salad sandwiches
are the best food served in the press box, so it
was pretty disappointing when there were none
to be found before the Eastern Michigan game.
At halftime, we decided to see if they had pre-
pared any more, and, to our delight,
they had. But by the time we had
made our way back to the food, the
server told us there were only three
left.

One catch for negative one yards.
In the third quarter of Saturday's loss to Wis-
consin, wide receiver Steve Breaston made his only
catch. Breaston lined up in the backfield and took a
screen pass on the left side of the field. He made the
grab cleanly, but, when he turned up-field, his knee
hit the ground and he was ruled down, one yard
behind the original line of scrimmage.
"I think we've got some guys that are pressing
because they're not playing like they want to play in
every occasion," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said
yesterday. "I think sometimes that happens. I think
Steve may be pressing a little bit because he's a guy
that has such high expectations."
Carr didn't really explain any more than that,
but, in addition to making just one catch, Breaston
struggled as Michigan's return man. His seven
punt returns totaled just 69 yards. Perhaps the big-
gest mistake came in the fourth quarter when he
was tentative returning a kick that made it into the
end zone, resulting in Michigan starting the drive
inside the 10-yard line.
"Well, he just made a mistake," Carr said.
"I've made a few mistakes myself, so I'm very
understanding."

The fans haven't been as nice, and it's safe to say
that Breaston did not have his best game on Satur-
day. Statistically, Breaston is in the middle of one of
his worst seasons at Michigan. So far, he has caught
six passes for 43 yards, and he has averaged just
15.7 yards per kickoff return. His mother, Charlene,
said she was worried that her son was disappointed
with his limited role, but she said that, unlike last
season when he dealt with nagging injuries all sea-
son, Breaston has been healthy.
Struggling is not something that Breaston is
used to. In high school he was a four-star athlete
and was rated by Rivals.com as the eighth-best ath-
lete in high school his senior year. In addition to
being a star quarterback - he converted to receiver
at Michigan - Breaston also was a district cham-
pion sprinter and a varsity basketball player.
Last year, Breaston caught 34 passes for just
291 yards. But in the Rose Bowl, he put together
the best game of career. Breaston caught three
passes for 77 yards and one touchdown and
also showcased his talent on special teams. He
returned six kickoffs and one punt for 223 yards
during the Rose Bowl. His returns and recep-
tions combined with three rushes for 15 yards
gave him the record for most all-purpose yards
in a Rose Bowl game.
And that was a sub-par year for Breaston, who

battled injuries for much of the season. His fresh-
man year set the bar high. That year, he caught
38 passes for 444 yards and was second on the
team with three receiving touchdowns. He also
racked up 810 yards worth of returns. That year,
he was named the Big Ten co-freshman of the
year and also received All-American freshman
honors.
"Of course Steve Breaston can be an electrify-
ing football player because he has special abilities,"
Carr said at media day before the season started.
Because of his play-making ability, the eyes
of the Michigan faithful were on Breaston at the
beginning of the season to provide the Michigan
football team with a deep threat. With a lightning-
quick first step, Breaston seems to have the speed to
go deep. And Breaston never shied away from his
increased role at the start of the season.
"I'm just excited to be playing again," he said
before the season. "My role has increased; it's
now on my shoulders. I have a lot of great players
around me."
Now Breaston, possibly one of Michigan's best
athletes, has to find a way to deal with the type
of slump that he hasn't yet been forced to endure.
And since Carr won't elaborate on what is holding
Breaston back, fans will have to hope that Breaston
can figure it out himself.

As if that isn't enough, when we
were leaving the Big House after the game, Matt,
Gabe and Ian walked together as a group in front
of me, excluding me from the conversation and
- surprise, surprise - leaving me alone yet
again.
Before I make it seem like all guys are rude,
I have to point out that there are men associated
with the Michigan football program who have
manners. Take Lloyd Carr. The first time I met
him was at an open practice last March. Two col-
leagues and I were talking to him about the team
when he referred to us as "guys." Carr looked
at me almost immediately and assured me that
he didn't mean to exclude me. Say whatever you
want about his coaching - Lloyd Carr is a con-
siderate man.
He could teach Ian, Gabe and Matt a thing or
two about being polite.
To be fair, the other football writers really
aren't jerks. Ian and Gabe may have taken the
first two showers on Saturday morning, but they
only did so after I told them they could. And I'm
not mad because I ordered last - after four men
- when we stopped for breakfast on Friday. If
anything, I like it when people forget about con-
vention and treat me the same way they would
treat a man.
I guess my message is this: Hold the door
open for anyone - not just women - because
it's polite. If we've earned the right to sit in press
boxes and enter locker rooms, then men deserve
to order first at restaurants every now and then.
And Mom and Dad - don't worry, I got a
bed to myself.
Wright actually thinks that chivalry is kind
of outdated and the other football writers
- and photographers are really nice guys. She
can be reached at smwr@umich.edu.

I

H

Freshmn
showing
poise at
get-go
By Eileen Hengel
For the Daily
Rounding the corner at the end
of the Spartan Invitational in East
Lansing on Sept. 16, freshman Jus-
tin Switzer felt relaxed even though
he had every reason not to be. The
cross country race was Switzer's
collegiate debut - his first opportu-
nity to don the Maize and Blue.
"I was calm throughout the race,
especially running with the pack of
Michigan runners, just being with
familiar people," Switzer said.
Leading a trio of freshman run-
ners, which included Lex Wil-
liams and John Black, Switzer
posted Michigan's best time in
East Lansing - 25:00 - with the
remaining freshmen close behind.
Although Switzer led Michigan in
the first race, the coaches avoided
putting pressure on him to perform
at the Roy Griak Individual in Fal-
con Heights, Minn., last Saturday.
They're also trying to keep the pres-
sure off him in other races, includ-
ing this weekend's Notre Dame
Invitational.
"We don't want to put too much
pressure on the young guys to per-
form," said student coach Nate Bran-
nen. "Our biggest concern is helping
them transition from high school to
college."
The trio is adjusting rather easily
with their top finishes in the first
two races of the season. College


0

Mike Woods led Michigan to a fifth-place finish in the Roy Griak Invitational.

shirt freshman Victor Gras, Switzer
ran alongside Bauer and Black. With
seven first-year runners, three of
whom run consistently at the top of
the pack, the Wolverines' expecta-
tions for this season are varied. Yet,
the season is early and projections
are unpredictable.
"We're a very young squad. I don't
know if we know what to expect,"
Brannen said. "We have the poten-

Switzer does not spell success for
the rest of the season. Furthermore,
his coach says that Switzer's lead-
ing finish in the Spartan Invitational
does not have significance beyond
the opening weekend.
"The first race is just an oppor-
tunity to see how everyone feels,"
Warhurst said. "It was a fantastic
performance by (Switzer). But this
past weekend was a great indication

0