able Miidiguun uid PORTS 8A - -- ---- ------ - - - - - - - ---------------- " JASON COOPER/Daily Shawn Crable hustles Eastern Michigan quarterback Matt Bohnet. Against Northwestern, the redshirt sophomore recorded Michigan's only sack. Crable produces no matter position By Matt Venegoni Daily Sports Editor After Michigan won a recruiting war with Ohio State, Shawn Crable came to Ann Arbor with the highest of expectations. The Massillon, Ohio, native was touted as the No. 2 weakside defen- sive end by Rivals.com and the No. 7 outside line- backer by SuperPrep. Three years after coming to Michigan with fellow Ohio native Prescott Burgess, Crable is finally beginning to live up to the accolades he received in high school. One reason it took the redshirt sophomore so long to see significant playing time is his size. His high school rankings show, at least partially, why he hadn't seen play- ing time until this season. Crable appears too big for linebacker but too small for a defensive end. But no matter what his position, Crable's athleticism and playmaking ability ensured that the coaches couldn't keep him on the bench. Against Northwestern, Crable showed what a player with his rare talents can do. He lined up primarily on passing downs in the interior line, but Crable didn't have his hand down like a defensive lineman. At the snap, he would either stunt and rush the quarterback or drop back into pass coverage. With his speed and quick- ness, Crable did both well, notching three tackles - including a huge sack on Wildcats quarterback Brett Basanez and a quarterback hurry. "I give a lot of (credit) to my coaches and them believing in me that I can perform," said Crable of getting a chance to play more. Coming into the season, many expected Cra- ble to play a huge role in retooling a defense that struggled at the end of last year. But after fall camp broke, he wasn't playing as well as some, including coach Lloyd Carr, expected. Near the middle of fall camp, Carr let it be known that he was not happy with how Crable was performing, saying that the player needed to step up. Crable must have done something differently because for the last two games, he has played a sig- nificant role in containing Iowa and Northwestern. "He didn't get to play much early because he didn't have a very good fall, and I was disap- pointed in him," Carr said. "But these last two weeks he, both in practice and in the games, has made a difference at a time when we needed him to give us some substantial effort. And he has done that." In both games, Crable was all over the field. Last Saturday, Crable tackled Basanez on one play, then dropped him for a 15-yard sack two plays later. It was just the sixth sack the Wildcats had given up all year. Then early in the fourth quarter while in coverage, Crable sniffed out a bubble screen and stopped receiver Mark Philm- ore for a one-yard gain. "We just try to mix it up and confuse people," Crable said. "We try to make them think I'm com- ing and I'm not, make them think I'm standing in this gap and not, just that type of thing." At this point, Crable has played more of a spe- cialist role, but that doesn't bother him. He says he's happy that he's finally getting a chance to really show what he can do. "I don't really know what I'm going to do," Crable said. "If I was (a) safety I wouldn't care. I don't care. It's just whatever they give me a chance to do." 0 English at the head of coaching class T he 2004 season had to be a near- injury. Starting safeties Willis Bar- dream scenario for defensive ringer and Brandent Englemon were backs coach Ron English. injured in the loss to Minnesota and Standout cornerback Marlin Jackson missed three combined games. Play- returned to his preferred ing safety for the Wolver- position after switching ines started to look like to safety in 2003. Safety dangerous work. Ernest Shazor was com- The rash of injuries ing off a banner season presented English with in which he finished third perhaps the greatest chal- on the team in tackles and lenge he has faced in his recorded two sacks and two three seasons at Michigan. interceptions. He had already proven So compared to last his expertise in bringing year, this season must have STEPHANIE out the best in top talent. seemed like a nightmare. Jackson and Shazor made The Wolverines returned WRIGHT English the first coach just two of their starting 1right on Tret ever to have two defensive on the offensive line, and coach Andy Moeller has had to shift players from position to position within games thanks to minor injuries suffered during almost every contest. But only English has done so much with what most considered so little when the season began. The numbers speak for themselves. Michigan's pass defense currently ranks third in the Big Ten, giv- ing up an average of 209 yards through the air each game. The Wolverines have also recorded nine interceptions, which ties them with Penn State for third in the conference. In nine games, Michigan has allowed just eight touchdown passes. In part, those high rankings stem from Michigan's struggles against the run, but it cuts both ways. Maybe teams decide to run against the Wolverines because they believe it will be hard to beat them passing. Still, the secondary isn't perfect. Cor- nerback Grant Mason has been torched on a number of plays, cornerback-turned- safety Brandon Harrison looked lost in his first few games, and - somewhat comically - everyone from Barringer to wide-receiver-turned-cornerback Morgan Trent has struggled to hold onto the ball when he gets his hands on it. But English's players have improved each week, and that says a lot about their character and talent. Because that improvement has taken place throughout the secondary, it says even more about English. At Carr's weekly press conference following the Iowa game, he applauded English's ability to break down com- plicated techniques and schemes, making them simple enough for even the youngest and most inexperienced players to understand. Out of neces- sity, English has shown off that skill all season with impressive results. Harrison - a true freshman - has started to adjust to his new position; he recorded three tackles, a pass breakup and an interception against Northwestern last weekend. Sophomore Jamar Adams started in place of Englemon at strong safety against Penn State and Iowa and notched 15 tackles in his two starts. Even Hall - a reliable contributor since his freshman season - has reached new heights this year. The junior was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week this week after he recorded six tackles and a fumble return for a touchdown against Northwestern. Carr said last month that he thinks English is going to have "great success in this profession." Considering the job he's done this season, I think he already has. - Stephanie Wright can be reached at smwr@umich.edu 0 defensive backs from 2004 - cornerback Leon Hall and safety Ryan Mundy - and would have to rely on mostly untested players to fill the remaining spots in the lineup. Even Hall and Mundy were relative question marks, charged with the daunting task of filling Jackson and Shazor's All-American shoes. In the weeks leading up to the season opener, the secondary was widely proclaimed the weakest part of Michigan's defense. The situation got worse once the season began. Mundy was lost for the year with an undisclosed nerve backs earn consensus All- America honors in the same season. But what would English's unit look like when it was full of inexperience and ravaged by injuries? As coach Lloyd Carr put it a week ago, "I can't imagine a coach doing a better job with a group of kids than Ron English has done." To be fair, all of Michigan's position coaches have been tested this season due to the number of injuries the Wolverines have suffered. Running backs coach Fred Jackson has been without Mike Hart for at least part of five contests. Michigan has started four different combinations . T I i aches ?? The Michigan HeadePain & Neurological Institute is seeking individuals 18 years of age and older to participate in a research trial on migraine headaches. 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