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6 Saturday, October 13, 2007
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
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Saturday, October 13, 2007
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
FS
B. Englemon
S. Brown
CB
M. Trent
B. Harrison
WILL
C. Graham
B. Logan
DE
T. Jamison
A. Patterson
2007 depth chart
MIKE
J. Thompson
0. Ezeh
WR
M. ManninghamL
J. Hemingway LT
J. Long
P. Dorrenstein
KR PR
B. Harrison G. Mathews
J. Hemingway D. Warren
STAFF PICKS
The Daily's football
writers and a studentY
guest do their best to
predict what happens
for this weekend's slate
of games.
LG
A. Kraus
J. Ciulla
DT
T. Taylor
B. Gallimore
C
J. Boren
T. McAvoy
QB
C. Henne
R. Mallett
RB
M. Hart
B. Minor
DCT
W. Johnson
J. Ferrara
RG
T. McAvoy
C. Zirbel
FB
M. Moundros
V. Helmuth
SAM
S. Crable
M. Pollock
DE
B. Graham
G. Banks
RT TE
S. Schilling C. Butler
M. Ortmann C. McLaurin
SS
J. Adams
C. Stewart
CB
D. Warren
D. Dutch
WR
A. Arrington
G. Mathews
KO
B. Wright
P K
Z. Mesko K.C. Lopata
RODRIGO GAYA/Daoi
wide receiver Mario Manningham should take advantage of a Purdue secondary that allowed Ohio State to score through the
air twice in the first half.
Tight matchup could
come down to the wire
Freshman cornerback Donovan warren will have to be at his best today in order to
shut down Dorien Bryant, Curtis Painter and the Boilermaker passing attack.
Scott Daniel
Bell Bromwich
jacKn rv
Herman Wright
Chald
Gerencer
MICHIGAN (-6) vs. Purdue Michigan Purdue Michigan.Michigan Purdue
LSU (-9.5) vs. KENTUCKY Kentucky Louisana State Louisiana State Louisiana State Louisiana State
CALIFORNIA (4) vs. Oregon State California Calitornia- Calitornia California California
OHIO STATE (-30.5) vs Kent State Ohio State Ohio State Ohio State Ohio State Ohio State
,..:..BC (-13.5) vs. NO.RE DAME Boston College Boston College Boston College Boston College Boston College.
SOUTH FLORIDA (-12)vs. Central Florida South lorida South Florida South Florida.South Florida South Florida
OkahoAaMA .s.issouri ssour.Okah Missouri Missouri Missouri
South Carolina (-7) vs. UNC North Carolina South Carolina South Carolina South Carolina South Carolina
OREGON (-8) vs. Washington State Washington State Oregon Oregon Oregon Oregon
SOUHEYN CAL (-21) vs Arizona Southern Cal outhern Cal Southern CalSouthern Cal Southern Cal
Virginia Tech (13) vsg DUKE VirginiaTech ArginiaYech irginia Tech Virginia Tech
ARIONASTATE12vs.Washinton Arizona State Arizona State Arizon Staeae
............N........STA TE.......................)......... W ashingto.. ............ ................................................ . . . . . .A rizona.................. ....,......State .........
CINCINNATI (-10.5)vs.Louisville Louisville Cincinnati Cincinnati Louisville incinnai
Hawa i19)vs.SAN JOSE STATE Hawaii Hawaii Hawa .ala Hawaii
Illinois (-3.5) vs IOWA Illinois llinois Illinois Illinois Illinois
Wisconsin (+7) vs. PENN STATE Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin .
KANSAS (-25.5) vs. Baylor Kansas Kansas Kansas Bayfor Kansas
Flrida State -6) vs.A(E FOREST Florida State Wake Forest Florida State Wake Forest Florida State
Auburn (+3) vs. ARKANSAS Arkansas Arkansas Auburn Arkansas Auburn
Texas (-6) vs. IOWA STATE IwStote Teoas 'Teoas Iowa State Teoas
Georgia.(-).s YANDERBlLT Vanderbilt Georgia gisi Georgia
Tennessee -7) vs. MISSISSIPPI ST Mississippi State Tennessee ssissippiState Tennessee Mississippi State
Indiana (+4.5) vs. MICHIGAN ST ndiana Michigan State Indiana ichigan State Indiana
Minnesota (7) vs. NORTHWESTERN orthwesteorthwestern Northwestern orthwestern Northwestern
Best Bet Northwestern Virginia Tech Northwestern Wisconsin Boston College
Last week's record 11-9-0 (1-0) 10-10-0 (0-1) 7-13-0 (0-1) 8-12-0 (1-0) 1010-0 (0-1).
Overall Record 72-53-4 2-3 6659 4(3 2 65-60-4 (1-4) 6-59-4 (4-1) 65-60-4(1-4)
By DANIEL BROMWICH and yards every game t
KEVIN WRIGHT topped 150 four tim
Daily Sports Editors ing the nation in r
than 100 yards.
Props to the Big Ten Network. Purdue's rushc
Two weeks ago, the network been bad, allowing
announced it would air - the game. But it's tough
Michigan-Purdue game, and the how good it is bec
announcement was met with dis- ermakers have play
belief that a game featuring a tough game so far t
then-undefeated Boilermakers loss to Ohio State l
and a surging Wolverine squad due gave up 181 ya
didn't find a way onto national against the Buckey
television. running back Chris
Well, after last Saturday, it's a age almost five yard
little easier to see why. Most of last seasi
Ohio State destroyed Purdue returned for the
in West Lafayette, and Michigan which would usua
eked out a home win against an thing. But Purdue
Eastern Michigan team that lost to the nation's 114tB
Vanderbilt by 23 points. defense last year.
So, will this game draw more If Michigan's<
attention to the Big Ten Network comes to play, Hart
with a close score, or will turn into his 100-yard streak.
a lopsided blowout?
Look at the matchups, and see Edge: Michigan
for yourself.
his season, has Purdue's pass de
ies and is lead- are mostly irrelev
ushing by more ing the caliber of of
played (excluding O
defense hasn't But it's safe to
137 yards per quarterback Chad
h to tell exactly most experienced a
ause the Boil- the Boilermakers h
yed in just one with wide receives
his year, a 23-7 niogham returning
ast week. Pur- game suspension to
rds of rushing threats Adrian Ar
es and allowed Mathews and tigh
Wells to aver- Butler, the Wolv
Is per carry. have what they way
on's front seven ing game.
Boilermakers,
lly be a good Edge: Michigan
finished with
h-ranked rush Purduerushoffs
igan rush defense
offensive line Purdue operates
should extend offense, so most of
be similar to those
fense statistics
'ant consider-
pponents it has
hio State).
say Michigan
Henne is the
nd best passer
ave faced, and
r Mario Man-
from a one-
join downfield
rington, Greg
t end Carson
erines should
nt in the pass-
ensevs. Mich-
out of a spread
f its runs will
Michigan has
should help the Wolverines' rush going to bring fir
defense. the Big House, a
Ohio State held the Boilermak- questions will h
ers to four total rushing yards, but secondary that c
the Buckeyes' defense is probably contain a potent B
well ahead of Michigan's at this ing attack spear
point. Linebackers Chris Graham receiver Dorien E
and John Thompson might return terback Curtis Pa
from injuries that held them out
last week, and their return would Edge: Purdue
help Wolverines shut down Pur-
ve-wide sets into
nd the same old
aunt a Michigan
an only hope to
Boilermaker pass-
headed by wide
Bryant and quar-
inter.
due's run attack. But even with-
out them, the Boilermakers will
most likely try to do more damage
through the air.
Edge: Michigan
Purdue pass offensevs. Mich-
iganpass defense
Every week, the Michigan
defensive players field the same
questions: How do you feel facing
the spreadPHave the early noncon-
ference games better prepared you
for future spread offenses? And
defensive coordinator Ron Eng-
lish's answer has been to eliminate
the term "spread offense." Instead,
the defense is focused on playing
its game rather than using the dif-
ferent packages for the spread.
Well, the new plan may need
tweaking, especially with suspect
first halves against Northwestern
and Eastern Michigan. Purdue's
Special teams
Plainly, the Wolverines special
teams are a mess. Even with a solid
2-for-2 performance from new
kicker K.C. Lopata last Saturday,
Michigan still had a point-after-
try blocked and returned for a
two-point conversion. Not to men-
tion, Eastern Michigan returned
a kickoff 86 yards to start a drive
inside the Wolverines' 20-yard
line, and freshman Donovan War-
ren made some of the most excit-
ing one-yard returns the team has
seen this season.
One continual bright spot has
been punter Zoltan Mesko, and
he'll need to drive up his hangtime
to limit the speed and quickness
of Purdue's Dorien Bryant, who
has already made a name for him-
self as a dangerous punt returner.
Meanwhile, Purdue kicker Chris
Summers is 8-for-10 with a 44-
See PURDUE, Page 7B
Michigan rush offense vs.
Purdue rush defense
Purdue coach Joe Tiller told
the Lafayette Journal and Cou-
rier that the Boilermakers' biggest
challenge will be to stop running
back Mike Hart. Uh, you think?
Harthas gained more than 100
Michigan pass offense vs.
Purdue pass defense
The Boilermakers picked off
Ohio State quarterback Todd
Boeckman three times last week,
all in the second half, But-they also
let him toss two touchdown passes
on the first two drives of the game
to put the Buckeyes up 14-0.
faced against Appalachian State,
Oregon, Northwestern and East-
ern Michigan. The Wolverines say
they are improving at understand-
ing the spread offense, and while
it's hard to tell against opponents
like the Wildcats and Eagles, that.
seems to be the case. Defensive
tackle Will Johnson returns after
a one-game absence, and redshirt
freshman Marques Slocum made
his debut last week. Both certainly