4B - Monday, September 17, 2007 The Michigan Dailv - michizandailv.com 4 4B~~~~. -.odaSptme17 07.hiria flai s -y- hie, anr iy.-n a GAME STATISTICS TemSt First Don Rsh/Yds Pmassin Yads Offensve Plays Total Offense Return,,Yrds Comp/Att/Int Punts/Avg Fme/Lost Penaties/Yards Time of Pss MICH 25 61/289 90 77 379= 47 7/16/0 4/40.0 3/2 4/37 33:44 ND 10 33/-6 85 79 13/22/2 7/43.3 6/2 7/51 26:16 Starting, confident M-allett gets it done M I CAHSING A N Player C-A Yds Mallett 7-15 90 Arrington 0-1 0 Totals 716 90 RUSHING Player Att Yds Avg Hart 35 187 5.3 Minor 17' 82 4.8 Brown 4 10 2.5 Totals 61 289 4.7 RECEIVING TD 3 0 3 Lg 14 21 6 21 0 TD 2 0 0 2 TD 1 1 3 Lg 48 48 Player No. Yds Avg Lg Mannigam 2 35 17.5 22 ArngoT 2 15 75 17 Hart 2 14 7.0 10 Mathews 1 26 26.0 26 Totals 7 90 12.9 26 Player N o. T Yds Avg Mesko 4 160 40.0 Totals 4 160 40.0 KICKOFFRETURNS Player No. Yds Avg ' Lg Brown T1 7.5 1 Totals 1 17 17.0 17 PUNTRETURNS Player No. Yds Avg Lg DEFENSE Player Solo Asst Adams 2 0 Brown 2 0 Chambers 4 1 Crable 3 2 Dutch 1 0 Mnglemrin 3 2 Thamson 2 1 . Pantr1 20 Webb 0 1 By JACK HERMAN Daily Sports Editor Early in the second quarter of Saturday's game, Michigan quar- terback Ryan Mallett threw a lat- eral to wideout Adrian Arrington, intending to receive it back on a pass. Before he could make the catch, though, the 6-foot-7 fresh- man tripped, falling on the ground as the ball sailed over his head. Although he spoiled that rare opening of the Wolverine playbook, Mallett - and his size-16 shoes - mostly kept out of Michigan's way. Doing just what he needed to do, Mallett completed 7-of-15 passes, threw three touchdowns and, most important, successfully handed the ball off to senior Mike Hart 35 times in Michigan's 38-0 win over Notre Dame. "It was everything I dreamed of -a win," said Mallett, who filled in for the injured Chad Henne. "It's all I wanted my first start." Last week against Oregon, Mal- lett - widely considered the sec- ond-best quarterback in this year's national recruiting class - entered the game trailing 32-7 at halftime. Forced to play catch-up, he went just 6-for-17 and threw an inter- ception. But this week, Mallett started with a clean slate and a clear mind. To avoid distractions, the fresh- man turned offboth his cell phones Thursday. Michigan teamed up to keep the pressure off Mallett, too. The coaching staff limited his role in the offense, the defense handed him good field position and Hart kept moving the ball. Playing with a short field for most of his first-half drives, Mal- lett rarely needed to unleash his cannon arm; he threw for just 90 yards, and all three of his touch- downs were shorter than 26 yards each. On the longest of them - also Mallett's longest comple- tion of the game - wide receiver Greg Mathews caught the ball just behind the Fighting Irish lineback- ers and then sprinted 21 yards to the end zone. "(Mallett) was surrounded by good people out there today," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "We just asked him to do the things that were in the game plan. ... He showed good poise." Mallett also deserves credit for calming down after a mistake-rid- den start. The always-confident freshman said he wasn't nervous to start the game, but he fumbled his first snap, missed an open wide receiver and had a passbatted down at the line before Michigan settled for a field goal on its first drive. Mallett turned things around, though - and scored a personal vic- tory over Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen. The only quarter- back ranked ahead of Mallettin last year's recruiting class went11-of-17 for 74 yards and an interception. The Michigan defense pulverized his offensive line for eight sacks, and the complete lack of a Fight- ing Irish rushing game didn't help Clausen, either. Mallett, on the other hand, got all the help he needed. In addition to Hart and running back Bran- don Minor's combined 52 carries, the senior Henne walked Mallett. through tape before the game. Mallett might want to go to Henne for additional aid this week, since it's likely the freshman will have to throw a bit more in this Saturday's game. Michigan faces Penn State, which has the nation's best run defense, and Hart says he expects to run up against a stacked box in Ann Arbor. But Hart's convinced his young teammate can handle it. "I think he can," Hart said. "It all comes down to gameplanning, and he knows what he has to do every game. He made the right throws today when he had to throw the ball, so when he's making the right throws, he's going to get more con- fident every week, so we'll see." T 0 7 0 9 TD RODRIGO GAYA/Daly Freshman quarterback Ryan Mallett did what his coaches asked of him when he started his first career game. Tot 2 2 5 5 1 5 4 7 5 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 6 3 5 1 Motivated Hart tastes victory again BIG TEN STANDINGS Team BigTen Overall Purdue Penn State Indiana Wisconsin Michigan State Ohio State Illinois Northwestern Iowa Michigan Minnesota 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 2 THIS WEEKEND'S RESULTS MICHIGAN 38, Notre Dame o INDIANA 41, Akron 24 MICHIAN STATE 17, Pittsburgh 13 PENN STATE 45, Buffalo 24 PURDUE 45, Central Michigan 22 WIsCoNsIN 45, The Citadel 31 IOWA STATE 15, Iowa 13 Ohio State 33, WAsHINGToN 14 Duke 20, NORTHWESTERN 14 Illinois 41, SYRACUsE 20 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 42, Minnesota 39 BySCOTT BELL Daily Sports Editor There was nothing wrong with his pal- ette, he just hadn't enjoyed the taste in a long time. For captain MikeN Hart, it was time to NOTEBOOK remember the taste of victory. "I was just telling the team I lost the taste of winning for a while," Hart said. "I hadn't won a game in a while - four games - so we got that victory. I got that taste back in my mouth, and we want to keep winning." To solidify his guaranteed victory, Hart carried the ball 35 times. He ran for 187 yards. He scored two touchdowns. Mission accomplished. "I knew coming into the game I was going to have to perform, because you can't say something like that and not per- form," Hart said. In his post-game press conference, Hart quickly pointed out he meant no disrespect toward Notre Dame with last week's comments. Carr mirrored his player's thoughts, makinga guarantee of his own. "There's nobody that has greater respect for Notre Dame than we do at Michigan and than I do as the head coach here," Carr said. "It was simply I think out of frustration that Mike made that statement because he was trying to encourage his own teammates and make a statement for his team. It certainly was out of no lack of respect for Notre Dame, I guarantee you that.". After recording nearly 200 yards on the ground, Hart jumped up to No. 3 on Michigan's all-time rushing list. He THE FAVORITE Penn State: If they get past Michigan next week, they have a great home schedule in confer- ence and probably the fast track to the Big Ten title. Back at Big Ten media day, coach Joe Paterno said he had a good but not great team. Apparently, this season is looking a little better than the old ball coach thought. Odds: 3-1 WHAT ARE passed Tyrone Wheatley with a five-yard carry late in the third quarter. "The only thing that matters is No. 1, and this team being No. 1, that's all I'm focused on," Hart said. "If we keep win- ning and I keep moving up, it's cool." HAPPY TRAILS?: Junior cornerback Johnny Sears was listed on the team's dress list before the game, but once the team took the field, he was nowhere to be seen. With message board rumors swirl- ing that Sears had been dismissed from the Wolverines, Carr was asked following the game whether or not Sears was still with the team. "I don't have any comment on that right now," Carr said. Carr was also tight-lipped about Chad Henne's condition. The senior quarter- back wasn't on the sidelines for Saturday's game after suffering a lower leg injury against Oregon. He helped with playcal- ling from upstairs. Carr would only say that he would list Henne as "day-to-day" and declined to provide a timetable for his return. NoT-SO-GOOD-TIME-CHARLIE: Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis wishes he could restart the season. With an 0-3 start and the worst offense in the nation, the Irish are in a tailspin. But since Weis can't travel back in time, he's planning on doingthe next closest thing. "We're starting training camp tomor- row," Weis said. "We've already talked to the players - they're going early to get their treatment, and they're not watching this game, because obviously, after three games in, the team's headed in the wrong direction." Later on in his press conference, a Notre Dame media relations official tried winding up the questioning. Weis 4 Running back Mike Hart ran with a purpose. He carried the ball 35 times for 187 yards stopped the man saying everyone would get his chance to ask him questions. "Hey, I'll get you," Weis said to a reporter trying to ask him a question.. "I'm not going anywhere," "I'm going to take my beating like a man, just like we just did. I'm not going anywhere." If his training camp approach doesn't work, Weis and his Irish may have more beatings in their immediate future. "I obviously am embarrassed by that performance out there," Weis said. "As I always do, I'll take full accountability for our team playing like that, but the bot- tom line is we're really not getting good at anything." AROUND THE NCAA UTAH UNDOES UCLA Salt Lake City provided the week's big- gest headscratcher as the Utes demol- ished the 11th-ranked Bruins 44-6. UCLA mistakes, including 10 penalties for 66 yards and five turnovers, attrib- uted to a Utah 30-0 second half. The Bruins were denied the red zone the entire game, a feat that hasn't occurred since UCLA coach Karl Dorrell's first win in 2003. Utah's Tommy Grady threw 246 yards for 3 touchdowns in just his second start to produce the Utes's high- est-ranked upset since 1994. REVIVING A RIVALRY With Kentucky's 40-34 win over No. 9 Louisville in Lexington, the border battle is finally back on. After five straight losses to the Cardinals, Wildcat Andre Woodson released a perfect 57-yard touchdown pass to Steve Johnson with 28 seconds left. Despite Louisville quar- terback Brian Brohm putting up 366 yards on his arm, Kentucky's Woodson engineered an error-free offense. Wood- son has not had an interception in 257 attempts, 14 short of the NCAA mark set by Trent Dilfer. BIG BLOW TO BIG TEN As if critics of the Big Ten weren't hav- ing fun already, Northwestern adds to the fire with a 20-13 defeat against Duke in Evanston. The Blue Devils snapped a 22-game losing streak without scoring in the second half. Duke also claimed its first road win since November 2003. The Wildcats tallied 506 yards on offense, but killed itself with 13 penal- ties for 125 yards. Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis finished the game with a .826 completion percentage and three touchdowns. The longest losing streak now belongs to Florida International, which has lost 15 straight. - - 1 CONTENDERS Wisconsin: Many peo- Ohio State: Silently ple's favorite once Michi- having a solid start to . gan fell. Arguably the best the season. The most 'D' in the Big Ten and an impressive nonconfer- offense that relies heavily ence win of the young on the run. PJ. Hill has been the work- season came when the Buckeyes horse for the team, even though the went on the road and handled a Badgers looked shaky against UNLV Washington team many thought and the Citadel. Still, with Michigan could win. Watch out for Jim Tres- coming to Madison and a favorable sel's team down the stretch. You Big Ten schedule, Wisconsin is a dan- can't afford to count out Ohio State. gerous team. Odds: 6-1 Odds: 5-1 Michigan: Loaded with senior talent, just a matter of whether or not they can put it together. If coach Lloyd Carr can find a way to get this team to play to its potential - the kind it showed against Notre Dame, don't think the Wolverines can't make a run. It's improbable but not impossible. Odds: 6-1 I i THE DARK HORSES THE ODDS? The Daily foot- ball writers take another shot at calling this year's Big Ten champ. Purdue: Most dangerous offense in the Big Ten. The Boilermak- ers are flying under the radar because of their weak noncon- ference schedule. One look at the Big Ten statistical rankings tells the tale. Purdue is tops in total offense in the Big Ten, and with quarterback Curtis Painter and wide receiver Dorian Bryant, who knows? It could happen. Michigan State: Poised under new coach Mark Dantonio, the Spartans are a shadow of their former John L. Smith image. Dantonio has Michigan State playing solid defense and scor- ing enough points to beat Pittsburgh and Bowling Green. When Big Ten play rolls around, the offense will be exposed, and the Spartans won't be able to score. Iowa: Not very good, but great schedule. The Iowa f b State loss isn't as bad as it looks. The Cyclones have traditionally played the Hawkeyes tough, especially at home. Iowa lacks an experienced quarter- back and has had to replace numerous pieces on the defensive side of the ball. Odds: 15-1 Odds: 15-1 THE PRETENDERS Illinois: Let's be seri- ous. Ron Zook is the Illini coach. He's only good at text messag- ing. Odds: 100 to 1 Indiana: The Hoosiers might want to try get- ting students to come over to the stadium before thinking about a Big Ten championship. Odds: 450.7 to 1 Minnesota: One of the nice things for the Golden Gophers: They can focus on final exams in Decem- ber. They're not going to a bowl game, let alone win a Big Ten title. Odds: 2,054 to 1 Northwestern: The Wildcats lost at home to a team riding a 22-game losing streak. End of story. Odds: The highest number possible to 1 6 0