A 10 - Tuesday, September 11, 2007 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com The losses hurt, but aren't we still Michigan fans? I T his past weekend was another tough loss for Michigan fans to swallow. But despite the incompetence on the field, the true embar- rassmentI took place off the field and in the student section. From where I sat r in section 30, H. JOSE I saw three B separate inci- BOSCH dents of stu- dent violence. No, not Michigan students beat- ing up on Oregon students. While I'd never condone that, I can at least make sense of it. No, Wolverine fans were fight- ing other Wolverine fans. A couple of the scuffles really had nothing to do with the action on the field. But the most embar- rassing fight occurred when two students went toe-to-toe over how to react properly to the game. One felt the need to boo, while the other clearly disagreed. Granted, I've seen much worse at other places. Some may even say those scuffles in the student section were barely fights. But they're proof that tensions have been running a bit high the last couple of weeks. I know it's been tough to watch the Wolverines this season. With all the preseason hype, we all expected a special year. Instead, it's on its way to being "special" for all the wrong reasons. Yet whether you've cheered, screamed and supported the team till the last minute or booed when Chad Henne threw the first of many bad passes, we all have one thing in common: We're Michi- gan Wolverines. There's no place better than the Big House on football Satur- day. The tailgating along State Street, the marching band's pro- cession from Revelli Hall to the stadium, the 110,000-plus people crammed into a single stadium void of advertisements on the field. Heck, all of that great stuff happens even before the band plays "The Victors" in its 'M' for- mation and the team rushes out of the tunnel. Michigan football is a beautiful thing. There aren't many college stu- dents (dare I say none) who have a college gameday experience better than we have at Michigan. Sure, we may not be the loud- est fan base, and many are fair weather. But that's OK, because it all boils down the several Sat- urdays in the fall when we all have a chance to hang out with our friends, families and fellow students to watch a game at the greatest college football stadium in the country. See BOSCH, Page 11 4 Senior running back Mike Hartguaranteed Michigan would beat Notre Dame Saturday, no matter who is under center. Players qick to lne pbehind Hart 4 By KEVIN WRIGHT Daily Sports Editor Brandent Englemon isn't in the business of making guarantees, but that doesn't mean he won't back one up. N So when the fifth-year senior safety heard a reporter ask wide receiver Adrian Arrington about Mike Hart guaranteeingvictory, he didn't hesitate with his response. "He's just trying to spark this team," Englemon said. "Being the captain, we have to rally behind him. "Even though we lost the first two games, he still has the confi- dence in us to come out and guar- antee a victory. And as a team, we have to rally behind him on this." Arrington first heard Hart's choice words yesterday, but he was quick to support his captain. "I actually didn't know he made that comment," Arrington said. "That's our captain. So, if that's what he said, then I'm sure every- one on this team is going to give it their all to back him up." Far from home: Michigan coach Lloyd Carr turned in a polar oppo- site performance from Saturday's reflective post-game press confer- ence. When Carr addressed the media yesterday, he was combative. One reporter started to ask a question when Carr interrupted him and asked if he was trying to dominate the press conference. The reporter said no one else had a question, and Carr grudgingly let himproceed. Later, another reporter asked if Carr would take any disciplinary action after seeing wide receiver Greg Mathews kick an Oregon defender in the crotch. Here's the back-and-forth that followed: "I didn't say that," Carr said. "That's why I'm asking the ques- tion," the reporter said. "Will you take disciplinary action?" "Any more questions?" respond- ed Carr, after a pause. Bottom dwellers: The Wolver- ines' record isn't the only indica- tion of their woes this season. The Big Ten statistical rankings also tell a sad tale. The supposedly potent Michi- gan offense currently sits in 11th place in the conference in scoring offense, and the Wolverine scoring defense is also last. Michigan averages 19.5 points per game, with five touchdowns, a far cry from Purdue, which leads the conference with an average of 52 points per game. "Offensively, I would say that we are moving the ball pretty well, but we can't finish, or we will have some penalties that slow down the drive," Arrington said. "We just haven't been finishing well." But as bad as the offense has looked in the red zone, the defense's stats tell the grimmest story. Ron English's unit ranks last in the Big Ten in rushing defense, pass defense efficiency and opponent's third-down conversion rate. The defense has already given up 491 rushing yards in two games. Its 2006 counterparts surrendered 564 rushing yards the entire season. "We're disappointed because we know we could be better," Engle- monsaid. "It's just aplay or two here or there that we're not finishing or executing, and collectively, we just have to keep getting better." Standing tall: Draves breaks out in her senior season By DAN FELDMAN Daily Sports Writer When senior Sarah 'Draves came to Michigan volleyball games in fourth grade, she stayed as far away from the court as possible. She snuck off to the top row of Cliff Keen Arena to do her math homework. "That's how much I hated watching volleyball," Draves said. "I brought my fractions homework." For her first three years with the Wolverines, she wasn't all that much more involved in the matches, playing in just 51 of a possible 339 games. Draves entered Michigan in 2004 as part of the nation's sixth-ranked recruiting class. Her four classmates all set fresh- men program records - Katie Bruzdzinski (kills), Lyndsay Miller (blocks), Stesha Selsky (digs) and Mara Martin (assists, as a redshirt). Even at 6 foot 5, which makes her the tallest player in Michigan history, Draves had been hidden behind the rest of her talented class, a Monday-through-Thurs- day player as she describes it. Her main contributions came in practice, helping the team pre- pare for its weekend matches. "I've always been told my potential is high because of (my height)," Draves said. "I think I probably took a lot of pressure from that." Originally listed a middle blocker, then outside hitter, Draves now plays right side. Her current position allows her to pick her spots to go for a kill because opponents focus in on Michigan's outside hitters and middle blockers. It's the perfect place for someone who has spent most of her career out of the spotlight. "It's like a sneak attack," Draves said. The Ypsilanti native has also changed her approach this sea- son. In the past, Draves's focus has been on reaching her poten- tial. Now her focus is on consis- tency. See VOLLEYBALL, Page 11 4 U.SAIRFORCE R+o+T'C IF YOU SPEAK A FOREIGN LANGUAGE, SEE'THE WORLD. If you speak a foreign language or are currently learning one, wef youIn have countless opportunities awaiting you in Air Force ROTC.uo p enuI ilguac co t Ui1iUJ S cti eruI W V (c S I 4 A 4 " Tuition assistance " Monthly living allowance * Officer commission " See the world. Our current language needs include Chinese, Persian, Hindi, Indonesian and countless others. 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