4B - Monday, October 30, 2006
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
THE BLITZ Football
GAME STATISTICS N'Western
Team Stats
First Downs
Rush/Yds
Passing Yards
Ofnse ePlays
Total Offense
Return Yards
Comp/Att/Int
Punts/Avg
Fumbles/lost
Penalties/Yards
Time of Poss
PASSING
Player
Henne
Totals
RUSHING
Player
Hart
Jackson
Grady
Minor
Breaston
Totals
RECEIVING
Breaston
Mathews
Hart
Arrington
Totals
PUNTING
Player
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player
Totals
PUNT RETURNS
Player
Breaston
Totals
DEFENSE
Harris
Adams
Woodey
Hall
Engn
Crable
Graham
Barringer
Tabb
amison
Trent
Van Alstyne
BIG TE
Team
Michigan
nnnr nniru
NW
10
17/-13
204
59
191
82
20/42/3
7/272
2/2
5/55
27:03
M I C H I G A N
MICH
16
46/202
116
66
-5
10/20/
6/213
3/2
6/47
32:57
runs into
brick 'Hall'
By MATT SINGER
C-A Yds TD Int Daily Sports Editor
10-20 116 1 0
10-20 116 1 0 To most opposing quarterbacks, cornerback Leon
Hall's No. 29 jersey is like a scarlet letter - to be avoided
Att Yds Avg Lg TD at all costs.
20 95 4.8 23 1 But Northwestern signal caller C.J. Bacher had no such
9 59 6.6 33 0 aversion to the All-America candidate. Facing an intense
7 23 3.3 6 U rush all day, Bacher often threw to Hall's side.
5 9 1.8 7 It wasn't a good idea.
1 2 2.0 2 0 "I don'treally think (Hall) was getting picked on," cor-
46 202 4.4 33 1 nerback Brandon Harrison said. "They were just throw-
ing it there. ... I don't know what
No Yds Avg Lg TD they were thinking." NOTEBOOK
3 34 113 18 0 Facing Northwestern's pass-
2 34 17.0 22 0 heavy attack - the Wildcats threw 42 times - Hall had
2 23 11.5 13 0 one of the best games of his illustrious career at Michi-
1 14 14.0 14t 1 ga .
1 3 33 0 In the first half, Hall was credited with two pass break-
10 116 116 22 1 ups and impacted numerous other plays. During one
notable sequence late in the second quarter, Hall nearly
came up with interceptions on consecutive plays, helping
No. Yds Avg Lg to force a three-and-out.
N 213 355 4 The usually sure-handed Hall couldn't come up with a
pick early on, and Bacher kept throwing in Hall's direc-
tion. Midway through the third quarter, the quarterback
No. Yds Avg Lg TD finally paid the price.
0 0 0.0 0 0 On first-and-10, Bacher dropped back and looked left.
He threw to the left sideline, and Hall broke, leapt and
No. Yds Avg Lg TD intercepted his third pass of the season. The pick set up
2 -5 -2.5 1 0 Michigan's second and final touchdown of the game.
2 -5 -2.5 1 0 "When we came in at halftime, we were clowning a
little bit, saying (Hall) didn't have any hands," Harrison
Solo Asst Tot said. "And as soon as we get out, he gets a pick."
6 0 6 Hall finished the game with three tackles, an intercep-
4 0 4 tion, a fumble recovery and two pass break-ups. The mes-
4 0 4 sage to Michigan's future opponents came through loud
3 0 3 and clear: throw in Hall's direction at your own risk.
3 0 3 "From a technical standpoint, I don't think we've ever
3 0 3 had anybody any better," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said.
2 0 2 "When you're around the football so much, good things
2 0 2 are goingto happen."
1. 0 1 J-Jack's here: Senior running back Jerome Jacksonhas
1 0 1 certainly had his moments as a Michigan player. Last year
1 0 1 against Iowa, he scoredthe game-winningtouchdown. The
1 0 1 nextgame, he ran for 105 yards against Northwestern.
1 0 1 But after sustaining an injui y in this year's training
1 0 1 camp, the Saginaw native fell to fourth on Michigan's run-
10 1 ning back depth chart, behind sophomore Kevin Grady
0 1 1 and freshman Brandon Minor. Going into Saturday's
game, Jackson had rushed just five times on the year.
Against Northwestern, Jackson took advantage of his
first real opportunity to shine this season. With the Wol-
verines nursing a 14-point lead, Carr called on Jackson to
N STANDINGS~ run the ball and eat up the clock in the fourth quarter.
Jackson didn't disappoint. He rushed nine times,
Big Ten Overall picked up 59 yards and finished off the game with an elec-
tric 33-yard scamper down the right sideline.
6 0 9 0 "I told Jerome Jackson three or four weeks ago - he
JEREMY CHO/Daiy
Senior cornerback Leon Hall intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble on Saturday. He now has three interCeptions on the season.
was hurt during training camp and he was down getting
some snaps in practice - I told him, 'I know we can count
on you. You just have tobe ready,"' Carr said. "I thought
today, he really stepped in with an opportunity and made
the most of it."
Jackson's chance came at the expense of the other two
back-up running backs. With Mike Hart limited due to a
back injury, neither Grady nor Minor took advantage of
his playing time. The duo ran 12 times for just 32 yards,
and each back fumbled.
"I think Jerome ran the best (of the back-up running
backs) today," Hart said. "I think he started getting into
his flow, so we kept giving him the ball. I think it's about
getting into a flow, and Jerome got it first, so he got to
carry it the most today."
Pinning 'em deep: With winds in excess of 25 miles-
per-hour whipping through Michigan Stadium, con-
ditions were hardly perfect for the kicking game. But
Michigan punter Zoltan Mesko didn't mind.
Mesko's 35.5-yard punting average didn't jump off the
stat sheet. But the redshirt freshman showed fantastic
touch on his pooch punts. He placed four out of his six
punts inside the 20-yard line, helping Michigan control
the field position game.
"The ball was moving everywhere in warm-ups,"
Mesko said. "So I was like, 'You really got to buckle down
today and do your job as much as you can.'"
Arrington disciplined: Wide receiver Adrian
Arrington, who was recently charged with domestic vio-
lence, did not startSaturday's game. He sat out Michigan's
first five plays - all of which were runs - and then caught
a 14-yard touchdown pass on his first play of the game.
"I'm not gonna get into it other than it's a team issue,"
Carr said. "When you use poor judgment, there's a price,
and (Arrington is) paying that price."
Arrington's pretrial hearing is scheduled for Nov. 1.
Injury update: After nine straight weeks of play with
no bye week, the Wolverines sideline is starting to look a
bit like an infirmary.
Hart injured his back in the second quarter, after get-
ting hit into a first-down marker on a screen pass. He
returned to the game and scored a touchdown in the
third quarter.
"I thought maybe at the half that he wouldn't play
again," Carr said. "But he told me. He came right out
as soon as we loosened up and got back on the field. He
really wanted to go, and after the turnover (Leon Hall's
interception), we gave him a couple of snaps."
Offensive lineman Alex Mitchell came out of the game
in the second half and was replaced by redshirt freshman
Mark Ortmann. Carr indicated that Mitchell would be
ready for next week.
True freshman Justin Boren got the start at right
guard in fifth-year senior Rueben Riley's absence. Riley
was injured last week against Iowa. He dressed, and
could have played, but Carr decided to give Riley an extra
week to recover.
Carr said that sophomore wide receiver Mario Man-
ningham was "close" to returning after he ran on Friday.
Tight ends Mike Massey and Tyler Ecker didn't suit
up. Carr indicated that Ecker's recovery was progressing
well. He didn't comment on Massey's status.
Ohio State 5 0 9 0
Wisconsin 5 1 8 1
Penn State 4 2 6 3
Indiana 3 2 5 4
Purdue 2 3 4 5
Iowa 2 3 6 3
Michigan State 1 4 4 5
Illinois 1 4 2 7
Minnesota 0 5 3 6
Northwestern 0 5 2 7
THIS WEEKEND'S RESULTS
MICHIGANs17, Northwestern3
OHI STATE 44, Minnesotan
WISCONSIN 30, Illinois 24
IoWA 24, Northern Illinois14
Penn State 12, PURDUEo
INDIANA 46, Michigan State 21
AROUND THE NCAA
TROJANS NO MATCH FOR SIZZLING
HOT BEAVERS:
Southern Cal's hopes for a repeat
trip to the National Title game took
a severe hit Saturday night when it
dropped a road contest against Oregon
State. The Beavers jumped out to a
33-10 lead, and, though the Trojans
stormed back to within two following a
last-minute touchdown, the two-point
conversion failed, and Southern Cal's
undefeated record finally had its first
blemish. The loss came after the Tro-
jans flirted with defeat for the fourth
straight week, and gives Michigan
more breathing room in the polls as the
No. 2 team in the nation.
LONGHORNS ROB RAIDERS, CONTINUE
LONE STAR STATE DOMINANCE:
Texas Tech and its high-flying
offense pounced early and often
against the rival Longhorns of Texas
- the Red Raiders jumped out to a
21-0 lead. But Colt McCoy and the
rest of the Texas offense woke up
early enough to realize Texas Tech
doesn't have a defense. The 'Horns
thrashed the Red Raider defense
time and time again, and ended up
sealing a 35-31 win after McCoy
scrambled for 33 yards on a crucial
third down.
TENNESSEE FLEXES MUSCLE,
TOPPLES COCKS:
Another SEC battle came down to the
wire, as Erik Ainge and the Vols used
a fourth-quarter comeback to lead
Tennessee to a 31-24 victory against
Steve Spurrier's South Carolina
squad. Trailing by three in the final
quarter, Ainge led his team to two
touchdown drives, and connected
with receiver Robert Meachem on a
62-yard pass that led to a field goal,
too. The win was especially nice for
Phil Fulmer and the Vols after last
year's game, where South Carolina
not only won 16-15, but needled Ten-
nessee after the win.
Defense
cashes in
on Cats'
turnovers
By KEVIN WRIGHT
Daily Sports Editor
It wasn't the ideal way for Michigan to start off
the game, but it sure turned out well in the end.
On Northwestern's first possession of the game,
the Wildcats easily moved the ball into Michigan
territory. Just 35 yards from the goal line, they
seemed poised to jump out to an early lead.
Enter defensive end LaMarr Woodley.
Facing a third-and-12, Northwestern quarter-
back C.J. Bacher dropped back to pass. Woodley
burst off the right edge, knocked the ball loose and
fell on it.
The first of five Wolverine takeaways set the tone
for an opportunistic Michigan defense to finally
convert on its chances.
"Our coaches scouted our turnover game, our
past films, and came out and preached this whole
week, 'We need more turnovers, more turnovers,' "
cornerback Brandon Harrison said. "Every time
the defense is out on the field, we said, 'We need
turnovers.' And we went out there and executed
and got turnovers."
In the previous four weeks, the Big Ten's top
defense created just four turnovers.And the offense
protected the ball extremely well, turning the ball
over once in the same time frame.
Saturday, the trends reversed. The defense gave
the offense extra opportunities by snatching three
interceptions and recovering two fumbles, but the
offense gave the ball back to Northwestern with
two fumbles at inopportune times.
Even though the offense was almost as unbear-
able as the weather, the defense showed why it is
ranked in the nation's top five.
Both times the Wolverine offense gave the ball
away, the defense shut down Northwestern's attack.
First, wide receiver Steve Breaston unwisely
decided to field a bouncing punt at the 50-yard line
with just more than two minutes left in the first
half. Northwestern's Sherrick McManis immedi-
ately hit him to knock the ball out, and the Wild-
cats recovered at the Michigan 44-yard line, giving
them a chance to get back into the game.
"I was trying not to let the ball roll past me,"
Breaston said. "We were going to have good field
position if I could just bring it in and get down.
That's when I was thinking not to let the ball get
past me."
Breaston's miscue allowed Northwestern to con-
tinue a drive that had stalled on its nine-yard line.
But the Wildcats couldn't even get into field-goal
range against a staunch Michigan defense.
Cornerback Leon Hall, who finished the game
And then there were two. The back-and-forth battle between Michi-
gan and Southern Cal that occurred the last few weeks for the No. 2
spot in the poll came to an end when the Trojans lost to Oregon State.
West Virginia is the biggest gainer outside of the Big Ten by the loss
- the Mountaineers move up to the No. 3 slot, the week of its biggest
game of the year against No. 5 Louisville. Ohio State still sits perched
atop the standings, and should be there until its next big test against
No. 2 Michigan on Nov. 18. Minnesota felt the wrath of the Buckeyes
this past week, succumbing the its conference foe 44-0 on Saturday.
TREVUOR CAMPBELL/Daly
LaMarr Woodley picked up two more sacks, along with a
forced and recovered fumble, in Michigan's 17-3 win.
with two pass breakups and an interception, almost
picked a Bacher pass, and the Wolverines forced
the Wildcats to punt.
Then, freshman running back Brandon Minor
coughed up the ball on the first play of the fourth
quarter, giving the ball to Northwestern on Michi-
gan's 24-yard line.
The Wildcats had a chance to cut the Wolverine
lead in half, but the dominant Michigan defense
had other plans.
Facing another daunting third-and-long, Bacher
lofted a ball into the left corner of the end zone,
hopingto hit wide receiver Ross Lane. But the wind
knocked the ball down into the waiting hands of
safety Willis Barringer.
"I think we just did not respond," Northwestern
coach Pat Fitzgerald said. "Obviously, we cannot turn
the ball over in the wind. The self-inflicted wounds
hurt us today. You have got to respect the football."
While Fitzgerald critically evaluated his
offense's performance, the Wolverines were just
as aware that turning the ball over shouldn't be a
continued trend.
"We got to protect the ball," sophomore Kevin
Grady. "We did a great job of that all year, so we
just have to continue with that."
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG,
"THE GAME," FOR INSIGHT
ON MICHIGAN FOOTBALL
FROM THE DAILY WRITERS.
MICHIGANDAILY.COM
TEAM
1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. West Virginia
4. Texas
5. Louisville
6. Auburn
7. Florida'
8. Tennessee
9. Southern Cal
10. California
11, Notre Dame
12. Arkansas
13. Louisiana State
14. Boise State
15. Rutgers
16. Boston College
17. Wisconsin
18. Oklahoma
19. Clemson
20. Georgia Tech
21. Texas A & M
22. Wake Forest
23. Virginia Tech
24. Oregon
25. Washington State
LAST WEEK
heat Minnesota
44-0
beat
Northwestern 17-3
Idle
beat Texas
Tech 35-31
Idle
beat
Mississippi 23-17
beat
Georgia 21-14
beat South Carolina
31-24
lost to Oregon
State 31-33
Idle
beat
Navy 38-14
beat Louisiana-
Monroe 44-10
Idle
Idle
GAME NOT OVER
beat Buffalo 41-0
beat Illinois 30-24
beat
Missouri 26-10
lost to Virginia
Tech 7-24
beat
Miami (FL) 30-23
beat Baylor 31-21
beat North
Carolina 31-24
heat Clemson 24-7
beat Portland
State 55-12
THIS WEEK
at Illinois
Ball State
at Louisville
Oklahoma
State
West Virginia
Arkansas State
at Vanderbilt
Louisiana
State
at Stanford
UCLA
North Carolina
at South Carolina
at Tennessee
Fresno State
Idle
at Wake Forest
Penn State
at Texas A & M
Maryland
at North Carolina
State
Oklahoma
Boston College
at Miami (FL)
Washington
j
beat Arizona
UCLA 37-15
Games updated through Oct. 29.