I

10 - Tuesday, September 18, 2007

"Chad Henne has got enough experience
that he could play without practice."
- Michigan coach Lloyd Carr

Senior quarterback Chad Henne (left) might play against Penn State. The four-year starter was hurt against Oregon and was left off the Wolverines' depth chart.
Hlenne has sprain, sight
chance to play Saturday

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
Machete'
ready to
cut down
opposition
By KEVIN WRIGHT
Daily Sports Editor
Redshirt junior John Thompson's stoic face
broke into a slight smile as he recounted the best
hit he has delivered during his three years at
Michigan.
The middle linebacker col-
lided facemask-to-facemask
with Iowa running back
Albert Young two years ago
in Iowa City, and the hit has
stuck with him to this day.
"All my life, that's what
I bank on: being a hard hit-
ter," Thompson said. "It's just
adrenaline. It feels good to THOMPSN
punish somebody."
That day, Thompson
showed exactly how much punishment he could
inflict in a game. After starter Chris Graham left
with an injury, Thompson racked up eight tack-
les in relief of his teammate, including three for
a loss.
But the expectations of increased playing
time faded as Thompson sat behind All-Ameri-
can David Harris the past two seasons.
Even though Thompson patiently waited for
his chance on the sideline, he demonstrated how
hard he could hit in practice. Junior defensive
tackle Terrance Taylor calls Thompson "maybe
the best hitter" on the team.
"When I first got here as a freshman at prac-
tice and you heard some pads cracking, you knew
it was (Thompson)," Taylor said.
Taylor remembered one practice last season
when then-freshman running back Brandon
Minor met Thompson.
The team was running a goal line drill, and
Thompson kept laying into Minor. He hit the
running back so hard Minor's neck started
bleeding because his helmet slid down from the
impact of Thompson's blows.
Thompson may have turned heads with his
tenacious tackles, but his opportunity to show-
case his ability on the field didn't come until this
past spring, when Harris's graduation left the
middle linebacker spot up for grabs.
"Patience is hard to have, butI respected Dave.
Harris," Thompson said. "He waited his turn
here. He had people he sat behind. A lot of people
that have been here before sat behind people and
waited their turn. When they got their chance,
they proved what they needed to do."
But the Michigan coaching staff wasn't about
to hand the starting spot to Thompson without
some competition. The Wolverines brought in
junior college transfer Austin Panter and had
redshirt freshman Obi Ezeh, a running back in
high school, ready to battle Thompson for the
job.
Thompson, nicknamed "The Machete" by fel-
low backer Shawn Crable for the way he cuts
down opponents, didn't flinch. In his mind, it
was his spot for the taking.
"I'm here to prove what I need to do," Thomp-
son said.
But the first two games this season didn't go
as Thompson planned. The Wolverines were
winless, and the defense had given up more than
30 points in each contest.
It got so bad that Thompson's dad, Martin
Thompson, who played cornerback at Central
State in Ohio, talked to his son about holding his
head up and continuing to fight.
And Thompson and the defense did just that
last Saturday. The unit held Notre Dame under

100 yards without surrendering a score.
In the middle of the defense's resurgence
stood Thompson, who Taylor said has become
more vocal with his reads and calls on the field.
"I just saw him attack the football better than
he has, and John is a very physical player," Mich-
igan coach Lloyd Carr said. "He's a tough guy,
and I think he did a better job with the defense
than he has in those first two weeks."
Thompson had six tackles and took some brag-
ging rights home to his dad with an interception
in the second quarter.
"I couldn't believe it was coming to me,"
Thompson said. "I was like, 'Dang, the ball's
really coming. Let me just get this in. I don't care
about nothing else."'
With the interception and the win, Thomp-
son's smile might become permanent - as long
as The Machete has someone to hit.

By JACK HERMAN
Daily Sports Editor
On the face of it, not much
has changed. The depth chart
still lists freshman Ryan Mallett
as starter, and
Michigan coach NOTEBOOK
Lloyd Carr still
says senior Chad
Henne's status is day-to-day.
But judging from the tone
of Carr's comments during his
weekly press conference yester-
day, there seems to be an ever-
so-slight possibility Henne could
return from injury for Saturday's
game against Penn State.
"Chad Henne has got enough
experience that he could play
without practice," said Carr,
although Henne was not listed on
the two-deep depth chart.
The usually guarded coach
described Henne's injury as a
sprain. In that situation, the
medical staff typically defers to
the player's own assessment of
whether he's ready to play, Carr
said.
But knowing Henne is eager to
face his home-state Nittany Lions
and high school rival Anthony
Morelli, Carr will make the ulti-
mate decision regarding Satur-
day's starter.
"(Henne's) a great competi-
tor, and a great competitor hates
to miss, period," Carr said. "Of
course, that is certainly a game
that means a lot to him. Yet you
have to know you can play effec-
tively. We'll find that out this
week."
Although Henne struggled
with accuracy problems before
his injury, the senior's return
could be key as Michigan readies
to take on one of the nation's top
defenses.
Mallett filled in admirably

Carr refused to discuss Sears's
status.
Sears's departure ends what
had been a rocky season for the
Fresno, Calif. native. His devel-
opment at cornerback this sum-
mer earned praise from coaches,
but he lost his starting spot to
true freshman Donovan Warren
by halftime of Michigan's first
game.
Sears recorded one tackle in
his limited playing time this sea-
son. He also returned six kickoffs
and two punts.
SWITCHIN' IT UP: After mov-
ing fifth-year senior left guard
Adam Kraus to center on Satur-
day, Carr wouldn't discuss why
he made the move.
But if his talk yesterday is any
indication, he might stick with it.
"I'm goingto think about that,"
Carr said. -
Kraus swapped positions with
sophomore center Justin Boren
during Saturday's game, but
both snapped the ball in practice
last week. Mallett has struggled
adjusting to receiving snaps from
the left-handed Boren, fumbling
it twice against Oregon and once
against Notre Dame.
Kraus has experience playing
center, holding the position for
half of the 2005 season.
NOTES: Michigan's only night
game this season will be at Illi-
nois. Henne speculated this sum-
mer at Big Ten Media Day the
team might also play Wisconsin
under the lights, but a Michigan
spokesman says the Big Ten has
already determined all the 7 p.m.
games. ... Carr said wide receiver
Junior Hemingway, who limped
off the field during the Oregon
game, suffered an injury, but that
the freshman will practice this
week. He didn't dress against
Notre Dame.

RODeIGo GAYA/Vaily
Freshman quarterback Ryan Mallett threw three touchdown passes against
Notre Dare Saturday, his first start at Michigan.

Saturday, but his inexperience
means a , reduced role for the
passing game. With Penn State
likely to stuff the box on Satur-
day, Henne's return would allow
the Michigan coaches to open the
playbook, alleviating some of the
pressure sure to be put on Michi-
gan running back Mike Hart.
SEARS GONE: Carr said cor-
nerback Johnny Sears is no longer

with team, confirming rumors
sparked this weekend about the
junior's future.
Carr did not provide a reason
why.
"That's not my policy," Carr
said.
Sears appeared on the dress list
prior to Saturday's game against
Notre Dame, but was not on the
sidelines. After the 38-0 win,

A

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Michigan duo leaves expectations in the dust

By JASON KOHLER
Daily Sports Writer
Fifth-year senior Erin Web-
ster and redshirt junior Nicole
Edwards weren't supposed to
be among the nation's top cross
country runners.
Webster came to Michigan
a non-scholarship athlete with
questions about her future in
the sport.
"When I came onto the team,
I fully expected tobe one of the
worst runners," Webster said.
"A lot of people make the mis-
take of joining the team want-
ing to be the best, but I knew
I wasn't going to be the best.
So I joined the team as a great
opportunity to improve."
A year later, Edwards came

to Michigan as a highly touted
middle-distance runner but
wasn't sure about the transition
to cross country. Like Webster
hadthe year before; Edwards
was redshirted for her fresh-
man season.
"In Nicole's case, we had
the luxury of redshirting her,"
Michigan coach Mike McGuire
said. "It is going to turn out to be
a real wise move, because now
we are goingto have her back in
year five."
Throughout their careers,
Webster and Edwards have
matured as rianners, to the
point that last season Web-
ster took first at the Big Ten
Championship and Edwards
finished first at regionals and
12th at the NCAAs.

"They are two runners that
have developed within the pro-
gram," McGuire said. "Both of
them have developed as dis-
tance ruhners over the course
of a couple years."
In her junior season, Webster
drastically improved, earning
her a spot in the top seven.
"It was awesome to see
her become a great runner,"
Edwards said. "She came in not
highly recruited, but she put in
the work and made a big life-
style change, and all of the sud-
den, you could see the results."
Edwards made an impact as a
sophomore, taking eighth place
at the Big Ten Championship
that year. After instant success
as a freshman in track, Edwards
could label herself a legitimate

cross country runner, too.
"She has run anywhere
from 600 meters to 12th in
the nation in cross country,"
McGuire said. "There are not
many athletes in the country
that have that kind of range."
Edwards's transition to lon-
ger distances is still a work
in progress. She is still more
comfortable with shorter races,
unlike Webster, who favors lon-
ger distances.
Despite the differences, the
two will impact the front of the
lineup for the second-ranked
Wolverines at every meet.
"You know that you are going
to have a great start at any meet
we are at," McGuire said. "They
are not one-race wonders. They
See CROSS COUNTRY, Page 11

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