2 - The Michigan Daily - Football Saturday - October 15, 2005 The Michigan Daily - Football 2005 Michigan Schedule 2005 Michigan Roster More Than Meets the Eye There isn't much this 313-pound former running back can't do No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. YearEIig. N Notre Dame (Sept. 10), L 17-10: Not an unfamilar sight for Michigan - a September loss. The Irish used an effective opening drive to take a 7-0 lead. They never looked back and were able to hold off the Wolverines, despite Michigan's late-game comeback. Wisconsin (Sept. 24), L 20-23: Last season the Wolverines couldn't stop the mobile quarterback. In this game it was the immobile quarterback that sealed the deal. John Stocco's four-yard scamper capped an 11 play, 54 yard game-winning drive. Chad Henne's "I've fallen and I can't get up" impersonation was just a dagger to the heart. 2 3 3 4 5 6 7 8 8 9 12 12 13 13 14 14 15 15 16 17 17 18 18 19 19 20 21 22 22 23 24 25 26 26 27 27 Shawn Crable OLB Kevin Grady RB Ross Ryan P Darnell Hood CB Charles Stewart CB Prescott Burgess OLB Chad Henne QB Jason Avant W R Matt Wilde QB Anton Campbell S Matt Gutierrez QB Landon Smith WR Jeff Kastl QB Grant Mason CB Tyrone Jordan Il WR Morgan Trent CB Steve Breaston WR Chip Cartwright ILB Adrian Arrington WR James BloomsburghP K Carl Tabb WR Antonio Bass WR Ben Wright WR Willis Barringer S Jason Forcier QB Mike Hart RB Ryan Mundy S Jamar Adams S Kyle Plummer CB Max Martin RB Jerome Jackson RB Johnny Sears Jr. CB Alijah Bradley RB Mike Carl S Shakir Edwards DB Brandon Harrison S 6-5 247 5-9 228 6-0 206 5-11 190 6-1 194 6-3 236 6-2 225 6-1 210 6-2 195 5-11 191 6-4 232 5-8 167 6-3 223 6-0 196 5-10 186 6-0 185 6-1 179 6-1 232 6-3 184 5-10 194 6-2 192 6-2 191 5-9 182 6-0 202 6-2 208 5-9 192 6-1 204 6-2 207 5-10 167 6-1 215 5-11 200 6-1 175 5-6 170 6-0 204 6-0 207 5-11 198 Jr. So. Fr. Fr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. So. Fr. Jr. Jr. So.So. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Jr. So. Sr. Jr. Jr. S. Sr. Jr. 5th Sr. Jr. So. So. Fr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. So.So. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Fr. Fr. So. Fr. Sr. Jr. Fr. Fr. So. So. Jr. Jr. So. So. Jr. Sa So.So. Jr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Sr. J r. Sr. Jr. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. 28 Dan Moore 28 Chris Richards 29 Leon Hall 31 Brandent Englemon 31 Craig Moore 32 Mister Simpson 33 Scott Hamel 34 Jason Gingell 35 Brian Thompson 36 Scott McClintock 37 Chris Graham 37 James Logan 38 B.J. Opong-Owusu 38 Garrett Rivas 39 Andre Criswell 40 Obi Oluigbo 41 Zoltan Mesko 42 Chris McLaurin 43 Mark Spencer 44 Jason Eldridge 44 Jim McKinney 45 Brad Cischke 45 David Harris 46 Brandon Logan 49 John Thompson 49 Eric Van Beek 50 Jeremy Van Alstyne 53 Kyle Myers 54 Mark Bihl 56 LaMarr Woodley 57 Adam Kraus 60 Patrick Lyall 60 Dave Moosman 61 Turner Booth 62 Tim McAvoy 62 Jon Saigh 64 Grant DeBenedictis ILB CB CB nS PK RB RB PK FB ILB ILB DB S PK FB FB P LB P RB R LB WR I LB LB I LB FB eDE LB OL RLB OL OL OL LS OL OL sOL 6-0 226 5-11175 5-11191 5-11 199 5-10181 6-0 220 5-10207 5-9 183 6-2 230 6-2 246 5-11225 5-10 179 5-11 196 5-9 216 6-2 250 6-0 237 6-4 225 6-4 215 6-0 223 5-8 180 6-3 265 6-4 201 6-2 246 6-1 218 6-0 229 6-0 208 6-4 262 6-0 230 6-4 297 6-2 268 6-6 311 6-0 289 6-5 275 6-2 255 6-5 275 6-5 287 6-5 308 Jr. So. Fr. Fr. Jr. Jr. Jr. So. Sr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Jr. So. Fr. Sr. Jr. 5th Sr. So. Sa So. Fr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Sr. J r. Sr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Jr. Sr. J r. Fr. Fr. So. Fr. So. Fr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Jr. So. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. Sr. J r. Fr. Fr. So. Fr. So. Fr. 72 Rueben Riley 73 Alex Mitchell 74 Brett Gallimore 75 Cory Zirbel 76 Mike Kolodziej 77 Jake Long 78 Justin Schifano 78 Gabriel Watson 79 Adam Stenavich 80 Alan Branch 81 Doug Dutch 82 LaTerryal Savoy 83 K.C. Lopata 83 Mike Massey 85 Carson Butler Jr. OL OL OL OL OL OL OL DT OL DT WR WR PK TE TE 65 66 67 67 68 69 70 71 71 Leo Henige Jr. OL Paul Sarantos DT Matt Lentz OL Terrance Taylor DT Patrick Sharrow OL David Schoonover OL Jeremy Ciulla OL Sean Griffin LS Mark Ortmann OL 6-4 301 6-3 297 6-4 305 6-3 242 6-7 285 6-3 304 6-5 319 6-4 302 6-7 305 6-7 328 6-7 338 6-5 295 6-4 331 6-5 317 6-6 323 5-10195 6-3 200 6-2 190 6-3 232 6-5 235 6-1 185 6-4 248 6-6 247 6-3 250 6-2 278 6-3 264 6-8 284 6-0 280 6-3 255 6-4 287 6-1 223 6-5 247 6.4 339 5th Sr. 6-3 261 Sr. Jr. 6-6 305 5th Sr. 6-2 295 Fr. Fr. By Gabe Edelson * Daily Sports Writer Jr. So. 5th Sr. So. Fr. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Jr. So. Fr. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. Sr. Jr. Jr. So. Fr. Fr. Sr. Sr. 5th Sr. So.So. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. Fr. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. 5th Sr. Sr. Jr. So. Fr. Sr. Jr. Jr. So. 5th Sr. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. Fr. Jr. So. 5th Sr. Minnesota (L, 23-20): A 61-yard run from Gary Russell during what appeared to be garbage time allowed the Gophers to run down the clock before kicking a field goal for the win. The victory sent the Little Brown Jug back to Minneapolis for the first time since before most of us were born. 86 Mario ManninghamWR 88 Tim Massaquoi TE 89 Tyler Ecker TE 90 Tim Jamison RLB 91 Rondell Biggs DE 92 William Paul FB 94 Pat Massey DT 95 Marques Walton DT 96 Eugene Germany DE 97 Will Johnson DT 97 Max Pollock OLB 99 Pierre Woods OLB Iowa (Oct. 22): The Hawkeyes' offense looked great last weekend, racking up a total of 535 yards against Purdue in a 34-17 romp. F F Quarterback Drew Tate threw for a career-high 357 yards and three touchdowns while Albert Young ran for 165. Captain Kirk seems to have the Enterprise righted after two early season losses. FOOTBALL SATURDAY PRODUCTION CREW Gabe Edelson Ian Herbert Matt Venegoni Indiana (Nov. 12): Blake Powers threw four touchdowns on just 198 yards, and a 36-13 victory over Illinois improved the Hoosiers record to 4-0 against teams that won't be playing in bowl games. But their 41-24 loss to Wisconsin earlier this season is a likely indicator of what will happen when they square off against Iowa this weekend. Stephanie Wright Jason Pesick Alison Go Ian Herbert Ryan Weiner Trevor Campbell Jonathan Dobberstein Christine Hua Trent Busakowski Erica Brehmer Special Thanks to Football Writers Editor in Chief Managing Editor Managing Sports Editor Managing Photo Editor Cover Photo Business Manager Display Sales Manager Ad Design Manager Layout Manager Jack Herman and Lindsay Unger Tbe SO .OW Football Saturday There's something special about football Saturdays in Ann Arbor. Tradition is everywhere, from stu- dents and alumni singing "The Victors" to the team running onto the field and jumping to touch the banner. One hundred twenty-six years after the Wolverines first suited up for a football game, those traditions are part of what makes Michigan football what it is today. Football Saturday is one of our traditions at The Michigan Daily. In each section, we preview Mich- igan's upcoming opponent, pro- viding our breakdown of how the two teams' offenses,, defenses and special teams match up. We also profile players and coaches to give our readers a better understanding of what the Wolverines are like on and off the field. And we have a lit- tle fun, too, simulating Michigan's game in Procrastination Station and making our picks for some of the weekend's biggest games. The team has had it's up and downs - three losses before the middle of October hasn't ever hap- pened here in Michian. But no matter what, every week, we seek to provide the most in-depth cov- erage of Michigan football in the country. We hope you enjoy it. Gabe Edelson " Ian Herbert Matt Venegoni " Stephanie Wright I f you've been watching Alan Branch this season, chances are you've already formed some opinions. You've probably noticed the way the defensive lineman has terrorized quar- terbacks John Stocco, Drew Stanton and Bryan Cupito in Big Ten play. Seen him leap over fallen offensive lineman on his way to devastating tackles in the back- field. Maybe even clapped and cheered as he's forced fumbles, hustled downfield in pursuit and dragged down some of the nation's most talented running backs. It would seem likely thatBranch has been schooled since childhood in the nuances of playing on the defensive line. After all, for a sophomore to become a regular starter at both the tackle and end positions, pass- rushing and run-stuffing must have gone hand-in-hand with learning the alphabet and memorizing multiplication tables in Branch's education, right? And certainly he's a mean, nasty, no-nonsense type of guy, just what you'd expect from his style of play. It seems logical, no doubt. But if you subscribed to these views concerning the Rio Rancho, N.M., native, you'd be pretty far off the mark. Because when it comes to Alan Branch, appear- ances can be deceiving. Just a short five-minute drive from the Rio Grande, in Albuquerque, N.M., stands Cibola High School, home of the Cougars. Ben Shultz, the head football coach at Cibola, knew Branch was some- thing special as early as the seventh grade. By the time Shultz became his coach, Branch had already grown to 6-foot-6 and well over 300 pounds. In addition to foot- ball, he has played soccer, baseball and basketball "He was just a once-in-a-lifetime ath- lete," Shultz says. "With his size and strength and speed and agility and foot- work, he could do it all." And that's exactly what Shultz pushed Branch to do. Everything. Simply playing on the line wouldn't be enough. By the time Branch left Cibola for Ann Arbor, he had contributed from a dizzying array of positions. Sure, the gargantuan teenager played defensive end. But the laundry list of Branch's responsibilities included roles most athletes his size would never dream of playing: linebacker; tight end; wide receiver; running back; kickoff and punt returner; even quarterback. "He was so versatile, we could do any- thing with him," Shultz says. "It really cre- ated problems for otherteams. We (put Alan in unusual situations) just to mess with the other teams' heads. They just didn't know how to deal with him. We would put him back on punt returns and kickoff returns on purpose. You know, 'Go ahead and try to bring this kid down.'" For the most part, the other teams couldn't. Branch returned five punts for touchdowns during his high school career. He accumulated nearly 600 combined rush- ing and receiving yards as a senior alone. When he lined up in the backfield, Branch promised his coach five yards a carry. "I told (Shultz) I could give him a guar- anteed five yards every time," Branch says. "Even if I got hit in the backfield, I just fell forward and got at least four." For his part, Shultz - now in his 13th season at Cibola - was thrilled to have such certainty in short-yardage situations. The Cougars already had a speed back, but Branch provided a change of pace. The bruiser was a smashing success, except for one memorable instance. "In the state semifinal against Carlsbad his senior year, he went exactly four yards and about 11 1/2 inches," Shultz said. "He was about a half-inch short of a first down that would've probably tied the ball game." Michigan coach Lloyd Carr remembers watching Branch's recruiting tape. Carr stared in utter disbelief as the oversized running back sprinted down the field for a score. "He is a very, very talented athlete," Carr says. "I will never forget turning the film on of one of Alan's high school games, and he was in the backfield. They gave him the ball, and I think he ran 65 yards." From the outset, it was clear to Carr that Alan Branch was a different type of football player. Naturally, a high school running back the size of an NFL lineman caught the attention of college scouts around the country. Branch visited Michigan and Arizona State, where cur- rent Wolverines defensive backs coach Ron English had recently left his position men- toring the Sun Devils' cornerbacks. He got offers from Colorado, Tennessee, Washing- ton State and Texas Tech. Texas A&M even used a private plane on a recruiting trip to see the budding star. English worked hard to persuade Alan to come play for Michi- gan. He even sat down with the prospect during his junior year at Cibola to warn him of the importance of good grades. "(School) was an area where Alan had to be pushed a little bit," Shultz says. "I think the person who made the biggest impact on him was coach English. He sat Alan down and read him the riot act. He said, 'If you ever even hope to go to Mich- igan, you have to get your crap together.' From that point on, Alan was like a 3.5 student. Coach English did a world of good for Alan." David Branch, Alan's father, was par- ticularly moved by Carr's personal visit to the family's home in Rio Rancho. David - who grew up in Detroit and graduated from Northern High School along with his wife, Valarie, before playing college foot- ball at New Mexico with Shultz - had long admired Big Ten football. "I think the deciding factor for us as a family was when coach Carr came down to visit us in our home and ate dinner with us," David says. "That was very impres- sive, to have coach Carr in my home. Then he sat there and ate my dinner, so I was that much more impressed. We had a quite frank conversation with coach Carr, pretty forward and up-front. Of course, Alan wanted to know if he would have an opportunity to play. Everyone that's competitive wants to get in there and see if they can help." When it came time to make a decision, David and Valarie left the choice to Alan. "We kind of wanted Alan to go away," says David, who served as defensive line coach at Cibola during Alan's high school years. "I know it sounds kind of weird, but we felt that would give him an opportu- nity to grow up somewhat. We thought, with Alan being a high-profile athlete, he would be under a microscope (staying close to home). And my biggest fear, being an athlete myself, was realizing you're dealing with a bunch of 18- to 20-some- thing-year-olds. They're going to make 18- to 20-something-year-old mistakes. I didn't want his mistakes to be magnified that much more." Ultimately, Alan picked the Maize and Blue. He was one of just eight true fresh- man to see the field last year, and he played in every game. Would you honestly expect anything less from Mr. Everything? B ut the gridiron isn't the only arena in which Alan excels. David has recognized his son's passion for working with children. "As big as he is, Alan's a gentle giant," David says. "One of the things that I noticed during high school was that Alan was really good around children. I think that's where he's kind of leaning for his career after football. He would always go visit his elementary school teachers and they just love him. (But) those images don't really fit together when you think about competitive Big Ten football and the individuals that participate in it." So maybe No. 80 isn't quite as vicious as his countless hits on the turf make him seem to be. As it turns out, the man whose legendary high school tackles were lik- ened to "body slams" by local newspapers is a bit softer when he's not wearing a hel- met and shoulder pads. "He was just such a fun-loving, hard- working person," Shultz says. "Nobody worked harder than Alan, nobody got the job done like Alan. He wasn't a practical joker, but he liked to have fun." Shultz also remembers Alan's appetite. After big wins, the coach's wife would bake sugar cookies for the team. There was never any question which player would be the most frequent customer. "Alan was always the first person in line for the cookies," Shultz recalls. "And he'd always be the last one in line, too. My wife would make him extra. He was a big guy." Sugar cookies and working with chil- dren. Not your typical defensive lineman's list of passions. ranch began this season on the bench. After the loss to Notre Dame, Carr moved him into the starting lineup at defensive tackle. But after defensive ends Rondell Biggs and Jeremy Van Alstyne suffered inju- ries, Branch was forced to move to the outside against Minnesota. Still, the sec- ond-year player managed to record four tackles, including one in the backfield on stud Gopher rusher Laurence Maroney. He now has 12 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in his last three contests. But the numbers don't tell the whole story. Branch - who still has weekly phone conversations with Gino Sattriano, his defensive coordinator at Cibola - has a work ethic and attitude that have rubbed off on his current teammates. "He's knowledgeable about the game," defensive tackle Gabe Watson says. "He's going to be a great, great player if he con- tinues on the path he's going on. He's a Sophomore Alan Branch has turned his p humble guy and he doesn't talk much, but he speaks a lot on the field." Linebacker David Harris has a differ- ent take. He claims Branch frequently reminds his fellow Wolverines of his pas glory in the backfield. "He gloats about it a little bit, but we all know the story behind it," Harris says pondering how he would try to tackle such a big ball-carrier. "I'd just have to go for his legs. If you go up high, you're going to get run over." 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