8 - Wednesday, December 13, 2006 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 'M' aims to end bowl drought in Pasadena By STEPHANIE WRIGHT Daily Sports Editor In the past four years, Michigan has won two Big Ten titles and had players win numerous postseason awards - including a fair share of All-America hon- ors. But it hasn't won a bowl game. The third-ranked Wolverines will get a chance to reverse that trend when they take on No. 8 Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. More than likely, Michigan will also be looking for a little redemption - and not just because of the controversy surrounding Florida's selection as Ohio State's opponent in the National Championship game. .Pasadena hasn't been kind to Michigan of late. In the 2004 Rose Bowl, Southern Cal soundly defeated the Wolverines, 28-14, thanks in large part to a standout performance from quarterback Matt Leinart. Then in 2005, Texas quarterback Vince Young sliced through the Wolverines' vulnerable defense for 372 total yards, including 192 on the ground, to lead the Longhorns to a last-second 38-37 victory. Even though a trip to Pasadena wasn't at the top of Michigan's wish list this season, coach Lloyd Carr believes those disappointing Rose Bowl losses should provide more than enough motivation for his play- ers. "We're going to make every effort to win one of these things because we lost the last two," Carr said. The game will give Carr a chance to even his record against the Trojans, who hold a 2-1 edge since he joined the Michigan coaching staff as an assistant in 1980. The Wolverines faced Southern Cal in each of Bo Schembechler's final two seasons as head coach, dur- ing which Carr was an assistant on Schembechler's staff. Michigan beat the Trojans 22-14 in 1989. Lineback- er John Milligan's late interception halted a Southern Cal scoring drive to seal the Wolverine victory. The Trojans avenged that loss the following year in somewhat controversial fashion - at least the way Carr tells it. "We ran a play I'll never forget," Carr said. "We ran a fake punt on fourth down and converted it, but got a holding call that was of some debate. Coach Schem- bechler was a little bit upset, and to make a long story short, (Southern Cal) ended up winning that game." The 17-10 loss was undoubtedly disappointing for the Wolverines. But the game also added to the Rose Bowl's grand history - a past littered with Nation- al Champions and Heisman Trophy winners that earned the bowl game the nickname "Granddaddy of Them All." "I think going back prior to the (Bowl Champi- onship Series), the tradition of the Rose Bowl - the Pac-10, the Big Ten - there's no other tradition like it," Carr said. "To be able to participate in this game is something that I can assure you our team is very excited about." And the Wolverines aren't the only ones getting pumped. Michigan fans have already gobbled up the University's allotment of 26,000 Rose Bowl tickets. At his press conference last week, Carr thanked the fans for their "absolutely wonderful" response. Odds are the Wolverines will be even more grate- ful for the 26,000 strong Wolverine fans in the Rose, which sits just 16.5 miles from Southern Cal's home stadium. That enthusiastic support might be just what Michigan needs to notch its first Rose Bowl victory in almost a decade, and add to that already impres- sive trophy case. I TREVOR CAMPBELL/C Michigan coach Lloyd Carr looks to get his postseason record back on track with a win over Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl. PROCRASTINATION STATION Michigan 41 Usc 35 "Play of the game -Lead- ingby juat six late in the thought I had the cognitive capac- fourth quarter, Michigan QB ity to compete in this game. Well, I #7 found WR #86 on a 10-yard guess I proved them wrong." completion on a fourth-and- four play. Michigan went on to USC coachMatt Singer: score on the drive, effectively "What have I learned from this ending the game. season? Mom was right. Those " Player of the game - thousands of hours of video games Michigan CB #14: With really were a waste of time." Michigan holding a slim 21-14 lead, CB #14 stepped in front "Where I'm from, an onside kick of a USC QB #10 pass and needs to go10 yards for it to be re- returned it 31 yards for a Wol- covered. We did that, but the zebra verine score. stripes weren't paying attention.' Michigan coachKevinWright: " There are a lot of pretty girls in "This win was for all my critics en- Southern Cal. I have a feeling QB tering the season." #10 was staringat one of them dur- ing the second and third quarters. "After my embarrassing losses in There are no other explanations NCAA March Madness, no one for him playing so poorly." As usual, Blue's O-line the key, but Jarrett could pose problem By KEVIN WRIGHT Daily SportsEditor Three years ago, cornerback Leon Hall found himself face to face with Southern Cal star wide receiver Mike Williams in the Rose Bowl. How'd it turn out? Not to Hall's liking. But he made the point during Michigan Media Day this August that if he got another chance to line up against a star receiver in a Rose Bowl, he would change the out- come. The Vista, Calif., native will have that opportunity to do just that come New Year's Day. He will face off against Southern Cal's nationally hyped wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett. With Trojans and Michigan matching up in what has become a classic matchup in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day, it's time to break down the teams. Michigan rushing offense vs. Southern Cal rushing defense: The Wolverines entered the season a renewed offensive unit. Michigan coach Lloyd Carr and new offensive coordinator Mike DeBord ingrained the focus of the run into every offensive lineman's head, and that emphasis has paid huge dividends. Running back Mike Hart returned to form, gain- ing more than 1,500 yards while rushing for 14 touchdowns. From the season opener against Van- derbilt to the season finale at Ohio State, Hart has provided the spark for the Michigan offense. If he doesn't get going, the Wolverines are likely to struggle. That could be the case against the talented core of defenders the Trojans bring to the table. In the season finale, UCLA registered just 55 rushing yards, averaging1.9 yards per carry. Still, the Trojan defen- sive squad is young and has strug- gled to stop the run. Southern Cal surrenders 97.1 yards per game. Look for Hart, behind an expe- rienced and talented Michigan offensive line, to see some open green come Jan. 1. Edge: Michigan STAFF PICKS Predictions against the spreadw for the bowl games Jack Herman, the current Daily' managing sports editor, takes his shot at his football writers, hoping to hold onto the celebri- Scott Matt Kevin Stephanie Jack Hennan ties' lead. Bell Singer Wright Wright DaiIyMSE No. 3 Michigan (-1) vs No. 8 USC Usc Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan Northern Illinois (+12.5) vs No. 25 TCU Northern Illinois Northern Illinois TCU TCU Northern llinoi s No. 19 BYU (-4)vs Oregon Oregon Oregon Oregon BYU Oregon Troy State (+6) vs Rice Troy State Troy State Troy State Rice Rice East Carolina (+4) vs South Florida South Florida South Florida South Florida South Florida South Florida San Jose State (+4) vs New Mexico New Mexico San Jose State New Mexico New Mexico San Jose State Utah (-2)vs Tulsa Utah Tulsa Utah Utah Utah' Arizona State (+8) vs Hawaii Arizona State Hawaii Hawaii Hawaii Hawaii Middle Tenn. St. (+10)vsCentral Michigan Central Michigan Central Michigan Central Michigan Central Michigan Central Michigan Florida State (+4.5) vs UCLA Florida State UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA Oklahoma State (-2) vs Alabama Alabama Oklahoma State Oklahoma State Oklahoma State Alabama Kansas State(+7.5) vs No.16 Rutgers Kansas State Rutgers Kansas State Rutgers Rutgers No. 21Texas A&M (+5.5) vsNo.20California California California California Texas A&M Texas A&M Kentucky (+10) vs Clemson Clemson Clemson Clemson Kentucky Kentucky Missouri (+3) vs No.24 Oregon State Oregon State Missouri Missouri Oregon State Oregon State Houston (+7) vs South Carolina South Carolina Houston South Carolina South Carolina South Carolina Minnesota (+6.5) vs Texas Tech Minnesota Minnesota Texas Tech Texas Tech Texas Tech Purdue (even) vs Maryland Purdue Maryland Purdue Purdue Purdue Navy (+6) vs No. 23 Boston College Boston College Boston College Boston College Navy Boston College Iowa (+11) vs No. 18 Texas lowa Texas Iowa Texas Texas No. 14 Virginia Tech (-) vs Georgia Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Nevada (+3) vs Miami (FL) Miami (FL) Miami (FL) Miami (FL) Miami (FL) Miami (FL) Penn State (+4.5) vs No. 17 Tennessee Tennessee Penn State Tennessee Tennessee Tennessee No. 22 Nebraska (+3) vs No.10 Auburn Auburn Auburn Nebraska Auburn Auburn No. 6 Wisconsin (+1.5) vs No,.12 Arkansas Arkansas Wisconsin Wisconsin Arkansas Arkansas Georgia Tech (+7) vs No.13 West Virginia West Virginia West Virginia Georgia Tech West Virginia West Virginia No. 9 Boise State (+7.5) vs No.7 Oklahoma Boise State Oklahoma Oklahoma Oklahoma Oklahoma No.15 Wake Forest (+10) vs No. 5 Louisville Louisville Louisville Louisville Wake Forest Louisville No.11 Notre Dame (+8.5) vs No. 4 LSU Notre Dame LSU LSU LSU LSU Western Michigan (+8) vs Cincinnati Cincinnati Cincinnati Cincinnati Western Michigan Cincinnati Ohio (+6.5) vs. Southern Mississippi Southern Mississippi Ohio Ohio Southern Mississippi Ohio No. 2 Florida (+8)vs No.1 Ohio State Florida Ohio State Florida Ohio State Ohio State Best Bet Central Michigan Ohio State California Central Michigan Rutgers Overall Record 114-112-8 (3-7-1) 111-115-8 (5-6) 108-118-8 (5-6) 107-119-8 (5-6) 122-104-8 (6-4-1) Standings 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 1st Michigan passing offense vs. Southern Cal passing defense: With more than six weeks between games for the Wol- verines, the aerial aspect of their attack could be the rusti- est. Toward the latter half of the season, quarterback Chad Henne and his receivers were able to come together to form a formidable deep attack. But the long layoff could hurt their timing. The good news is wide receiver Adrian Arrington no longer has to worry about court dates, as the charges of domes- tic violence were dropped. With Arrington crossing the middle and speedster Mario Man- ningham stretching the Trojan defense, Michigan may be able to move the ball through the air. But, Southern Cal's defensive strength lies in its secondary. Cornerback Thomas Terrell and safety Taylor Mays have combined for five interceptions on the season, and the Trojans give up just 196.1 passing yards per game. Dallas Sartz anchors a talented linebacking corps that could cause havoc with the aggressive blitzing pack- age Trojan coach Pete Carroll likes to bring. Still, Michigan can pick up the blitz, and Hart's work should open up the field for Henne to air it out. Edge: Michigan Michigan rushing defense vs. Southern Cal rushing offense: Michigan fans saw something rare in Ohio Stadium on Nov. IS: The opposing team breaking off rushes for more than 50 yards. With so much time to dwell on the big plays, the Wolverine front seven should come out itching to get its payback against Southern Cal. Stopping the Trojan rushing attack will be key for Michigan to corral an explosive Southern Cal offense. If the Trojans can get their running game started, it makes it easier for them to throw the balldeep. Running back Chauncey Washington leads the team with 736 yards on the season, mostly gained up the middle, where the Michigan defense is strongest. The Wol- verines should be able to stop the Trojan ground game, especiallyif the highly touted Michigan front four has anything to say about it. Edge: Michigan Michigan passing defense vs. Southern Cal passing offense: All year long, the Michigan secondary has been bombarded with questions as the weak link for the Wolverines. And Buck- eye quarterback Troy Smith and his receivers just added to the barrage. Ohio State got whatever it needed through the air, as Smith picked on cor- nerback Johnny Sears and even burned Hall when he connected with Ted Gino Jr., on a second- quarter touchdown. Look for an even more talented South- ern Cal wide receiver corps See TROJANS, Page 9 A. 4