Wednesday
November 16, 2005
sports. michigandaily.com
sports@michigandaily.com
PORTSigFn Bailt
9
What you missed
at orientation
T here are a few major mile- implications.
stones in every Michigan This year is no exception. The
student's life. Your first day winner stays alive in the Big Ten
alone in the dorms, after your par- race, pending the outcome of the
ents have said goodbye. Your first Penn State game later that evening.
blue book test. Your 21st The loser will lick its
birthday. Commence- wounds, swallow its
ment. pride and pack its bags
But in my mind - and K.'for central Florida or
in the minds of those San Antonio.
who truly bleed Maize But Michigan-Ohio
and Blue - a landmark State is about much
event stands above all of more than jockeying
those. $ยข.for position in the Big
The Game. Ten standings. It's about
In a heartbeat, I can unbridled intensity, or
conjure up images of MATT perhaps outright hatred.
my first Michigan-Ohio SINGER It's about players deliv-
State game in 2003. I Spit ing Fie ering vicious bone-
remember the deliri- crushing hits, when they
Willis Barringer hopes that he and his teammates will be able to smother the Ohio State receivers. The trio poses a threat in Saturday's big game.
Bombs away:Drea for Smi 'D'
0
th
ous excitement building up over
the previous week, culminating
in a nearly sleepless Friday night
before the game.
And then, finally, it was game day.
On an average football Saturday,
Ann Arbor is something to behold.
From the packed pregame parties on
State Street to the masses of human-
ity heading down Hoover on their
way to the Big House, there's a spe-
cial feeling in the air.
But, for all the freshmen and
sophomores who have yet to experi-
ence a Wolverine-Buckeye clash
- you ain't seen nothin' yet.
The morning of Nov. 22, 2003 (I
can remember the date without look-
ing it up), I woke up at 8 a.m. to toss
around a football with my friend
in front of South Quad. When we
went outside, we were greeted by an
unbelievable cacophony of sound.
Music blaring. People screaming.
The unmistakable crash of breaking
glass at the Beta house car-smash.
State Street was already packed.
Eight in the morning, and I felt like
I was the last Michigan student to
crawl out of bed.
The uncommonly wild party
scene is just one aspect of the excep-
tional nature of the Michigan-Ohio
State matchup. Sufficiently liquored
up and hyped for the game, most stu-
dents actually arrive early, an almost
unheard of phenomenon in the Big
House. And then, of course, there's
the main event.
This year's meeting is the 102nd
between Michigan and Ohio State.
ESPN has called it the greatest
rivalry in sports. Nationally, The
Game is the most anticipated col-
lege football matchup of the season,
dominating sports-talk radio all
across the country. And that's for
good reason - every time these
two premiere programs meet, there
are conference or national title
normally would be content with
merely pushing their opponents out
of bounds. It's about the coronation
of heroes; about Desmond Howard
returning a punt 93 yards for a score
and breaking out the Heisman pose,
about Chris Perry picking up 209
total yards despite a busted ham-
string.
In short, for Michigan students
especially, it's an experience like
few others in life. Anyone who was
in the Big House in 2003 can attest
to that. Be prepared to scream
like mad for four hours, wear your
heart on your sleeve and, if you're
lucky, end up where I did two years
ago.
After John Navarre's kneel-down
ended the 35-21 Michigan victory
to send the Big House into a frenzy,
I slowly wound my way down from
my seats in row 94. It took me 15
minutes, but I finally hopped the
fence and made it to the Michigan
Stadium turf. There, I celebrated
with thousands of my fellow stu-
dents, an experience no Michigan
student should leave Ann Arbor
without.
Just how incredible is The Game?
This year's matchup should techni-
cally be my last one. But in order to
see just one more Michigan-Ohio
State game, I'm applying to a grad
school program that would keep me
in Ann Arbor forone extra year. If
I get accepted, I'll be able to watch
the 2007 battle.
Pathetic? Yes. Understandable?
You be the judge. But whether or
not you're willing to extend your
academic career for it, make sure to
soak in the atmosphere on Saturday
- you'll remember it for the rest of
your life.
- Matt Singer gets teary-eyed
watching the 2003 Michigan-Ohio
State DVD. He can be reached
*47
Sr
By Ian Herbert
Daily Sports Writer
Santonio Holmes: 42 receptions
for 781yards and nine touchdowns.
Ted Ginn Jr.: 34 for 547 and three.
Arhpny .Gonzalez: 23 for 283 and
three.
Together, Ohio State's trio of top
receivers accounts for over 58 per-
cent of the team's total offense and
more than 81 percent of the team's
passing attack. The three of them
have helped transform Ohio State
quarterback Troy Smith - who was
once thought of more as a running
back who can throw - into one of
the most feared dual-threat signal
callers in the Big Ten.
For Michigan, this threat presents
one of the defense's biggest chal-
lenges in Saturday's big game.
"They've got some great receiv-
ers," said Michigan free safety Wil-
lis Barringer, who is originally from
Ohio. "They've been making plays
41 season. (Smith) works well in
conjunction with them. He is a great
running quarterback and a great
throwing quarterback, so we've got
to go out there and try to stop them."
Identifying the receivers as an
area of focus is the easy part. But
stopping them is easier said than
done. Ginn is one of the fastest
players in all of college football and
was one of the front-runners for the
Heisman trophy at the beginning of
the season.
Free safety is often considered
the leader of the defense, and Bar-
ringer will be expected to help lead
the charge against Ginn and the rest
of the Buckeyes' receivers.
But Barringer missed a large
chunk of Michigan's season this,
year with an injury he suffered dur-;
ing the team's loss to Minnesota on'
Oct. 8. He had to sit on the sideline
and watch as Minnesota running
back Gary Russell broke off a 60-
yard run to win the game in the final
minute.
When Barringer was first injured,
it was unclear how long it would
take for the safety to get back on the
field. Even though backups Jamar
Adams and Brandon Harrison filled
in admirably - Harrison even had
an interception against both Iowa
and Northwestern - Barringer
wanted to get back on the field as
quickly as possible.
"You always want to come back
because you're a competitor," Bar-
ringer said. "Mike (Gittleson, Mich-
igan's strength, and conditioning
coach) helped me out a lot, and I
came back as quick as I could."
The funny thing is that Barrin-
ger's injury might actually have
helped Michigan in the long run.
The experience that the young safe-
ties have gotten gave the team more
depth in the secondary, something
that the Wolverines might desper-
ately need against Ohio State's
receiving corps.
"It's always good for younger
See BARRINGER, page 10
Freshman
just keeps
Looks like dej& vu all
over again for Icers
0
0
imnproving
By Kevin Wright
Daily Sports Writer
Freshman point guard Jerret Smith doesn't
concern himself with what his stat line reads.
His focus is on helping the Michigan men's bas-
ketball team win in any way that he can.
But, at the Maize and Blue scrimmage last
month, Smith didn't look as though he was quite
ready to make an impact this year.
As the point guard, Smith had trouble han-
dling the ball, throwing several lazy passes that
resulted in turnovers and easy buckets going the
other way. At times, he looked overwhelmed by
the speed of the game and couldn't find a com-
fort zone.
But Smith didn't let the sub-par performance
get him down.
"It was a, 'Welcome to college basketball,' "
Smith said. "It was good for me, but at the same
time it was a learning lesson. This isn't high
school anymore."
When the Wolverines returned to the hardcourt
on Nov. 5 for their first exhibition game against
Grand Valley State, Smith looked remarkably
better. He showed signs that he could contribute
early to a team that returns guards Daniel Horton
and Dion Harris, who both have experience at
the point.
H. JOSE BOSCH
ON ICE HOCKEY
The Michigan hockey team is back at the top
of the national polls this week - just in time
for the 13th annual College Hockey Showcase
against No. 2 Wisconsin and No. 10 Minnesota
next weekend in Ann Arbor.
But the Wolverines' less-than-impressive
record as the No. 1 team in the nation over the
past two seasons (2-4-1) doesn't bode well. Plus,
the team's performance in last season's Showcase
might be an indicator that Michigan will be in for
a tough stretch of games in the next month.
Sporting a 9-2-1 record last season, then-No.
1 Michigan traveled to then-No. 3 Minnesota
and No. 2 Wisconsin on Thanksgiving week-
end and dropped both contests by a combined
score of 8-2.
Despite the disappointing weekend, the
Wolverines went on to win nine of their next
10 games and never looked back the rest of the
season. But their two series after the Showcase
were home-and-homes against Notre Dame and
Bowling Green, the Fighting Irish finished dead
last in the CCHA and the Falcons finished in
the middle of the pack. Games against Michi-
gan Tech, Michigan State, Western Michigan
and Alaska-Fairbanks allowed Michigan to
gain momentum going into a tough road series
against Ohio State.
This season, the Wolverines are in the same
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College, the 11 freshmen on the team have done
anything and everything to prove to themselves
and the nation that they can step up in the big
games and the upperclassman have been doing
a commendable job helping the younger players
acclimate to Division I college hockey. Playing
in front of a home crowd will be a decidedly
bigger advantage for the Wolverines as opposed
to last year when they traveled to Minnesota
and Wisconsin.
To win back-to-back games against two of
the top programs in the nation, Michigan must
improve its five-on-five play. Through 11 games,
the Wolverines have scored two more power-
play goals than even-strength goals. Although
boasting the nation's third-best power-play per-
centage hasn't hurt the team, its two power-play
goals in 16 chances against Northern Michigan
this past weekend may mean that special teams
are cooling down.
Even though Wisconsin is No. 8 and Minne-
sota just No. 18 in the county in penalty killing,
Michigan cannot rely solely on the power play
all season.
Staying out of the penalty box is one way the
Wolverines can tally more even-strength goals.
They are No. 6 in the nation in penalty killing,
but just four teams in the top-20 have commit-
ted more penalties than Michigan. The ability
to concentrate on attacking the opposing net
rather than defending their own zone will no
doubt make the Wolverines a much more dan-
gerous team next weekend.
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SHUBHA OHMi/L)aily
Slowly but surely freshman Jerret Smith is becoming a big contributor to the Michigan basketball team.