The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Monday, October 30, 2006 - 5B.
MAIZE GAUGE
The Michigan Daily football writers break down the weekend's stats that don't show up in the box-
score. The defense-o-meter measures the intensity of the defense, the Carr-o-meter judges Lloyd
Carr's demeanor following the game and the hypemeter measures the fans' game performance.
DEFENSE-0-METER
A Did anyone watch the game? Northwestern could have
skipped the game and they would have had 13 more
rushing yards than they finished with. The 'D' just
continues one-upping itself each and every week.
CARR-O-METER
Carr seemed in a very good mood considering the result of
Saturday's game. He was smiling during most of the press
4 conference. The kicker: He didn't get mad at football writer
Scott Bell when his cellphone went off during the presser.
HYPEMETER
1,4 Those who were there braved cold conditions and tried
4 being loud, but what other rating can we give a crowd
that was nearly half-empty by game's end? Halloween
party hangovers suck, but come on: tough it out, guys.
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 (-11) 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)atNo.18Boston College
No.19 Oklahoma (+1.5) at No. 23 Missouri
No. 20 Nebraska (-6) at Oklahoma State
Miami (FL) (+5.5) at No. 21 Georgia Tech
No. 22 Texas A&M (-5) at Baylor
No. 24 Wake Forest (-9) at North Carolina
Michigan State (-7.S) at Indiana
Northern Illinois (+16.5) at Iowa
Penn State (-3) at Purdue
Best Bet
Record
Overall Record
WRIGHT
From page 1B
all 17 of its points after it got the
ball with great field position. The
Wolverines' first scoring drive
started on their own 48-yard line.
Their second began at Northwest-
ern's 49. And their third started at
the Wildcats' 36.
The ability to put together a sus-
tained scoring drive is a hallmark
of a top offense, and something
Michigan hasn't done a lot of in its
past few games.
The Wolverines' scoring difficul-
ties weren't the only factors limit-
ing their offensive success. After
starting off the season relatively
injury-free, Michigan has been
plagued by injuries in its last five
contests, especially on offense.
Tight end Tyler Ecker went
down against Minnesota. Super-
star receiver Mario Manningham
injured his knee against Michigan
State. Tight end Mike Massey hurt
his right arm against Penn State.
This week, the injury bug bit
Michigan's offensive line. Carr
held out Rueben Riley after the
right tackle sustained aleg injury
against Iowa last weekend. With
Riley out, junior Alex Mitchell had
to move over to tackle, and fresh-
man Justin Boren notched his first
start at right guard. Then Mitchell
went down in the fourth quarter,
bringing in sophomore Mark Ort-
mann.
Thanks to the Wolverines' youth
and inexperience on the right side
of the line, Michigan's pass protec-
tion was shaky against the Wild-
,
f'
i0.
i
Scott Matt
Bell Singer
Michigan Northwestern
Ohio State Minnesota
Southern Cal Oregon State
Texas Texas Tech
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
9-12 (0-1)
79-79-7 (3-4-1)
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
12-9 (t-0)
77-81-7 (3-5)
Kevin
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 llinois
Purdue
California
9-12 (0-1)
75-83-7 (5-3)
Stephanie
Wright
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
lodiana
Iowa
Penn State
Georgia Tech
11-10 (t-)
75-83-7 (4-4)
Jay Trzcinski,
HotDogMan
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
12-9 (1-0)
88-70-7 (4-3-1)
Celeb and Singer tie for top
honors
Yet another strong showing
from a celebrity prognosticator
extended the celeb's overall lead
to an embarrassing nine games
over the supposed experts.
Matt Singer came closest to
dethroning the celebs this week.
He took a risk taking Texas Tech,
but the pick paid off, giving him
a one-game lead over Stephanie
Wright for the week.
Scott Bell started off the year
strong, but he's been slipping
ever since. He picked Michigan
State as his best bet for the sec-
ond - and hopefully last - time
this season. The Spartans didn't
even come close to covering the
spread against Indiana.
Kevin Wright's blind loyalty to
California cost him this week. He
picked the Golden Bears as his
best bet even though they didn't
play.
Trzcinski's strong week
continued his recent string of
success. He gained notoriety
last week when his last-minute
decision to buy and distribute hot
dogs made him the toast of the
student section - and got him
kicked out of the stadium by eight
ushers. Luckily for him, police
told the ushers that they couldn't
arrest him for throwing hot dogs.
cats. Quarterback Chad Henne was
frequently forced out of the pocket,
making him scramble or throw
on the run. Henne has improved
greatly in both areas this season,
but he's still most effective when
given time to throw in the pocket.
Tobe fair, there are reasons why
Michigan's offensive output was
so low. The chilly air, intermittent
rain and strong winds made it hard
for the Wolverines to launch their
aerial attack. Hart hurt his back
when he fell on a first-down marker
and played just one series after
halftime. And Michigan is still
without Manningham.
There's no doubt being without
their top running back and wide
receiver, not to mention playing
in cold, wet conditions, hampered
the Wolverines. But those excuses
won't fly on Nov. 18.
What if the weather's awful
again?
What if an injury prevents Hart
from suiting up?
What if Manningham isn't
cleared to play?
To their credit, Michigan's
offensive players didn't blame their
struggles on the weather or the
absence of two of their stars. They
admitted they didn't play up to
their potential.
Luckily for the Wolverines, they
have two games to get their offense
ready for the big showdown with
No. 1 Ohio State.
Based on their performance on
Saturday, they're going to need it.
- Wright can be reached
at smwr@umich.edu.
THE MICHIGAN DAILY TOP 10 POLL
". we"tv "" mi:"1 nei"""'na"nee"snaa'"hnest"ye 9. ""to".a: itwas a benefical weekof o he(ode ers 7 ekimgnbl.SutenCaeinlylot ndWs SuhenCl slsst reo taelettemi ol oseso
week imaginable. Southern Cal finally lost, and West SouthernuCal'sloss to Oregon State left themin sole possession
Virginia moved up to No. 3 by default. Now West Virginia of first place in the Pac-0o. But the edge won't matter if
must prepare for its only tough game against Louisville. California blows its Nov. 18 game against the Trojans.
5. Louisville: Like their rival Mountaineers, the
Cardinals moved up thanks to other teams' failures.
Louisville will be off this list if it can'ttake care Also receiving votes: Notre Dame, Arkansas, Rutgers
of business against West Virginia on Thursday.
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WILDCATS
From page lB
a touchdown in the game's final 30 minutes.
Hart's backups struggled, gaining just 58 yards on 21 car-
ries to go with two fumbles, before senior Jerome Jackson
broke a 33-yard run on the game's final play.
But the inconsistency of the offense really didn't mat-
ter considering how dominant Michigan (5-0 Big Ten, 8-0
overall) looked on defense.
"We came to play, we just didn't execute as well as we
could have," Hart said. "That's why it's great to have a great
defense. I wasn't worried at all."
Michigan's rush defense, already the nation's leader in
fewestyards allowed pergame,had its mostimpressive per-
formance yet. Northwestern (0-5, 2-7) ended the game with
minus-13 yards rushing.
The Wolverines' pass defense faced 42 pass attempts, but
yielded a respectable 204 yards and most importantly, kept
the Wildcats out of the end zone.
And the five turnovers Michigan forced (three intercep-
tions, two fumble recoveries) matched the Wolverines'total
for the five previous games combined.
"We go into every game thinking we can dominate," said
linebacker David Harris, who tallied both an interception
and a sack on the afternoon. "We did a good job against
the run today, and it made them one-dimensional. It forced
them to throw the ball, so it worked in our favor."
After Southern Cal's loss at Oregon State Saturday night,
Michigan now sits comfortably at the No. 2 spot in all major
polls.
The Wolverines face Ball State and Indiana the next two
weeks, who have a combined record of 8-10. Assuming it
handles those opponents, Michigan would then square off
against No. Ohio State on Nov. 18, with the winner assured
a spot in the national title game.
But as well as the defense may be playing, the stagnant
offense on display Saturday will have to improve if the Wol-
verines have National Championship aspirations.
When asked about the offense's performance following
the game, wide receiver Steve Breaston sent a clear mes-
sage.
"We took a step back," he said.
STEVENTAl/Daily
Jerome Jackson had the most success of any running back to relieve starter Mike Hart on Satur-
day. He carried the ball nine times for a total of 59 yards.
I