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.