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6B - Friday, October 27, 2006

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Friday, October 27, 2006 - 3B



PROCRASTINATION STATION
Northwestern 35
Michigan 20
Before every football game
this season, two of the Daily's "Coach Sner's touchdown wit
footballdwriters will take the 0 seconds eft stopped me fi
weekend's matchup to the banking in on my 'win by at lea
PlayStation 2 and then let you 21 points' guarantee, but I'd sti
know what happened. say my statement was made."
" Play ofthe game - With the "This team was ranked No. 2i
score 7-7, Northwestern coach the nation? Maybe they shou
Scott Bell decided to put QB learn how to beat 2-6 teams
#12 in for option situations. The home that can't hold 35-poil
offense flourished under this leads."
system and never looked back.
" Player of the game - "I question his decision to P1.
Northwestern RB # 19: The WR #16. What a classless guy."
sophomore ran circles around
Michigan's "unstoppable" rush Michigan coach Matt Singer:
defense, gaining 130 yards and "There was a bug going arour
scoring three touchdowns on the before the game. Everyoi
ground. He also caughtsix passes on our defense lost about
for 65 yards. pounds this week, and it showe
Northwestern killed us up front
PRESS
CON FE RENCE "Everyone knows it's impossib
to stop the option in video game
QUOTES: I'm sick and tired of coachi

STAFF PICKS
Predictions against the spread
for Oct.28
Engineering senior Jay Trzcinski,
better known to football fans as
"hot dog man," uses his 15
minutes of fame to take his shot
at Michigan Daily Staff Picks.
Northwestern (+32.5) at No. 2 Michigan
Minnesota (+27.5) at No.1 Ohio State
No. 3 Southern Cal (-12.5) at Oregon State
No. 5 Texas (-12) at Texas Tech
No. 7 Auburn (-19) at Mississippi
No. 8 Tennessee (-5) at South Carolina
Georgia (+14) vs. No. 9 Florida
No.10 Clemson (-5) at Virginia Tech
No. 11 Notre Dame (-t1) at Navy
Louisiana-Monroe (-36.5) at No.13 Arkansas
Connecticut (+19.5) at No.16 Rutgers
Illinois (+22) at No.17 Wisconsin
Buffalo (+35.5) at No.18 Boston College
No.19 Oklahoma (+1.5) at No. 23 Missouri
No. 20 Nebraska (-6) at Oklahoma State
Miami (FL) (+5 :) at No.:21Georgia Tech
No. 22 Teoas A&M (-5) at Baylor
No. 24 Wake Forest (-9) at North Carolina
Michigan State (-7.5) at Indiana
Northern Illinois (+16.5) at Iowa
Penn State (-3) at Purdue
Best Bet

I

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Scott
Bell
Michigan(yeah,ipickedMichigan)
Ohio State
Southern Cal
Texas
Auburn
Tennessee
Florida
Virginia Tech
Notre Dame
Arkansas
Connecticut
Wisconsin
Buffalo
Missouri
Nebraska
Georgia Tech
Texas A&M
Wake Forest
Michigan State
Northern Illinois
Penn State
Michigan State

Matt
Singer
Northwestern
Minnesota
Oregon State
Texas Tech
Auburn
Tennessee
Florida
Virginia Tech
Notre Dame
Arkansas
Connecticut
Wisconsin
Buffalo
Oklahoma
Nebraska
Georgia Tech
Texas A&M
Wake Forest
Indiana
Iowa
Penn State
Penn State

Kevin Stephanie
Wright Wright

Northwestern
Minnesota
Southern Cal
Texas
Auburn
South Carolina
Florida
Virginia Tech
Notre Dame
Louisiana-Monroe
Connecticut
Illinois
Buffalo
Missouri
Nebraska
Georgia Tech
Texas A&M
Wake Forest
Michigan State
Northern Illinois
Purdue
California

Northwestern
Minnesota
Oregon State
Texas
Auburn
Tennessee
Florida
Virginia Tech
Notre Dame
Arkansas
Connecticut
Wisconsin
Buffalo
Oklahoma
Nebraska
Georgia Tech
Texas A&M
Wake Forest
Indiana
Iowa
Penn State
Georgia Tech

Jay Trzcinski
Hot Dog Man
Northwestern
Ohio State
Oregon State
Texas
Auburn
Tennessee
Florida
Clemson
Notre Dame
Arkansas
Connecticut
Illinois
Buffalo
Oklahoma
Nebraska
Georgia Tech
Baylor
Wake Forest
Indiana
Northern Illinois
Penn State
Notre Dame

Northwestern coach Scott Bell:
"I must say, it's good to be back on
cop where I belong."

slow QB #7."
"Until the legal process wor
itself out, WR #16 is playing."
b'-

le
es. Northwestern wide receiver Shawn Herbert predicted that the Wildcats would go 13-0. He was wrong.
ing
ks Behind enemy lines:
7WR Shawn Herbert

All apartment homes newly remodeled!

During Big Ten Media Day in
August, Daily football writer
Scott Bell sat down with one
player from each of the Big
Ten teams traveling to the
Big House this year. This
week: Northwestern wide
receiver Shawn Herbert.
Scott Bell: Last season you had
a breakout season at wide receiv-
er, but did so with an All-Big Ten
player in Brett Basanez at quar-
terback. How do you hope to
continue your success without
an experienced quarterback at
the helm this year?
Shawn Herbert: I think
just being efficient is the key.
We might have a different
quarterback, but we'll still
have the same system and try
to have that balanced offense
we've had the past couple
of years to try and still run
and pass. So hopefully, we'll
still throw the ball up alot,
and I'll be able to catch it.
SB: Last year, you were given
the title of "surest hands" in the
Big Ten (by the Sporting News).
What have you done to make
your hands so good?
SH: Just practicing, just
taking a lot of passes and
looking the ball in each time.

Every time I catch it, I talk
to it to make sure that I have
the ball and concentrate.
SB: Your top two candidates to
go to out of high school were
Duke and Northwestern. What
made you choose Northwestern
over Duke?
SH: Well, I grew up in ACC
territory (Maryland), and
Northwestern and Duke both
are great schools, but I really
liked Northwestern's offense.
I like how (Northwestern)
can spread it, go out wide and
give me the opportunity to
play and catch some balls.
SB: Do you go and watch other
Northwestern sporting events?
SH: Yeah, I've watched the
women's basketball team and
the men's basketball team
play, and I've gone to a couple
softball and lacrosse games in
the spring because both of those
teams have been doing well.
SB: So people actually
do go to Northwestern
basketball games?
SH: Haha, yeah, we.
still have fans.
SB: Are you superstitious at all?
SH: Nothing too extreme, I just

listen to the same song before
each game, take a shower before
the game, stuff like that.
SB: That's probably a good
superstition to have, the show-
ering thing. Where in your
three years of playing has been
the toughest place to play for
you?
SH: Toughest place? Wow,
that's a tough one. It's hard
playing everywhere. Michigan's
tough, Wisconsin's tough and I
haven't been to Iowa before, but
I've heard their fans are really
tough, so I'll say those three.
SB: OK, now let's play a little
word association. I'll say a word
or a phrase, and you say the first
thing that comes to your mind.
First one: Coach Fitzgerald.
SH: Very demanding.
SB: Ryan Field (Northwestern's
home football field).
SH: I love it.
SB: You say you're an East Coast
guy, so do you like New York
Pizza or Chicago Pizza?
SH: Definitely Chicago style
pizza.
SB: OK, and last one: North-
western's 2006 record.
SH: 13-0, what else am I sup-
posed to say?

By MATT SINGER 6 foot 7 and weighing in at 330
Daily Sports Editor pounds: the Michigan rushing
sffense!
Conventional wisdom says the And in the blue corner, standing
difficult part of Michigan's sched- at 5 foot 2 and weighing in at 110
ule is over. Conventional wisdom pounds soaking-wet: the North-
says that Michigan could roll to western rushing defense.
victory the next three weeks with The Wolverines' ground game is
one hand tied behind its back. powered by Mike Hart, a Heisman
Conventional wisdom is prob- candidate who stands seventh in
ably right. the nation in rushing yardage.
But the games still need to be The Wildcats' front seven is
played. And as long as they are, the powered by - well, it was powered
Daily's football writers will con- by Northwestern's leading tackler,
tinue breaking down the match- linebacker Mike Roach. But he's
ups - no matter how ridiculous out this week, so Northwestern's
they seem. already weak rushing defense will
This week, Northwestern comes be further shorthanded.
to the Big House, reeling after Even with Roach, the Wildcats
somehow blowing a 35-point lead have the eighth-ranked rushing
against pathetic-in-its-own-right defense in the Big Ten. They've
Michigan State. Saturday's game benefited the last two weeks from
won't be pretty. playing against pass-first Purdue
and Michigan State, but gave up a
Michigan rushing offense v. horrendous 307 rushing yards to
Northwestern rushing defense: Wisconsin's tough ground attack.
Ha! This matchup should be a Already, Northwestern has ceded
fun one. 14 touchdowns on the ground.
In the red corner, standing at Expect Hart and backups Kevin

Grady and Brandon Minor to run
all over Northwestern throughout
Saturday's contest.
Edge: Michigan
Michigan passing offense v.
Northwestern passing defense:
More than any other area,
the Wolverines are banged up in
the passing game. Wide receiver
Mario Manningham is still recov-
ering from arthroscopic knee sur-
gery, and tight ends Tyler Ecker
and Mike Massey are likely to sit
out. Add in Adrian Arrington's
uncertain legal situation, and
Michigan's receiver status looks
perilously thin.
But against Northwestern, it
won't matter. The Wildcats' pass
defense is simply awful. They've
given up an average of 241 yards
per game through the air, sec-
ond-worst in the Big Ten. Three
of Northwestern's last four oppo-
nents have put up 295 or more
passing yards, including a 448
yard explosion by Purdue.
See BREAKDOWN, 7B

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XWolverines prepared to JAY, IF YOU REALLY WANT TO IMPRESS
PEOPLE, THROW THEM SOME BEER.
dominate Northw~estern|