2B - November 12, 2007

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

4

Entering the No Spin Zone, Michigan style

I

The Michigan football team
looked awful Saturday.
There's no way to spin that.
But it seems like
everything else
is getting spun
every which
way but where
it should be
these days. How
should some of
the events from v
Michigan's loss SCOTT
to Wisconsin BELL
and the trends
surrounding this
team make you feel? I'll do my best
Bill O'Reilly impression (minus the
sexual harassment lawsuits) and

turn Fort Schembechler into ano
spin zone.
MICHIGAN SITS MIKE HART AND
TAKES A LOT OF CAUTION WITH
CHAD HENNE AFTER JUST TWO
DRIVES.
The positive spin: The two
stayed (relatively) healthy and
didn't get hurt worse than they
already were. Carlos Brown, Bran-
don Minor and Ryan Mallett also
got more valuable game experi-
ence.
The negative spin: Um, Michi-
gan lost? The passing game is about
900 percent worse with Mallett
at the helm than with a hobbled
Henne under center. At this point,

anyone who cheered when Mallett
came in for Henne in the Oregon
game should have their season
tickets revoked and their heads
examined. Hart's absence not only
leaves a gaping hole in the running
game, but also in the huddle.
The real deal: Hart wanted to
play, I'm sure of it (and everyone
who saw him begging Carr to get
in on Saturday is, too). But sitting
him out wasn't based solely on
hubris - the team knows if it wants
to beat Ohio State, it will need a
Biakabatuka-esque performance
out of Hart. That's much more
likely if he's quasi-healthy instead
of hobbling around on a bad ankle.
As for Henne, his injury is simply a
lot worse than manythought.
The move to sit the two stars
was good for the longterm, but
obviously the deleterious short-
term effects were felt Saturday.
And screw the game experi-
ence excuse - we're at a point

in the season where winning needs
to be top option and must trump
player development by quite a bit.
RYAN MALLETT GOES 11-OF-36.
HE STRUGGLES EARLY AND LATE,
BUT HELPS MICHIGAN COME
BACK IN THE EARLY STAGES OF
THE FOURTH QUARTER.
The positive spin: Mallett is
gaining loads of experience for
next year. He's seen action in
nearly half of the games this season
and has shown flashes of solid play.
He's also picking up confidence for
the next few years when this team
is his.
The negative spin: For every
flash of greatness, there are about
10 bolts of awfulness. Mallett
looked terrible, save for talented
players around him making him
look good at certain times.
The real deal: Mallett is really
struggling. Yes, he's a freshman,
but he's now played in a handful

of games and doesn't get the "I'm
a freshman" free pass anymore.
He simply can't keep tryingto act
like Vince Young or Michael Vick
out there anymore. The only real
positive his poor play might bring
is it could bring him back down to
Earth a bit. Confidence is great,
but in small doses. The onlythings
Mallett seems to be taking in small
doses are shots of success.
OHIO STATE LOSES TO ILLINOIS.
MICHIGAN'S LOSS TO
WISCONSIN IS ESSENTIALLY
ERASED, CONSIDERING THE
BUCKEYES ARE ONCE AGAIN
TIED WITH THE WOLVERINES.
The positive spin: Doesn't take
much spinning - Michigan still
has a shot at an outright Big Ten
Title thanks to its rival's stumble
Saturday night. It erases a pretty
dismal performance, and as many
of the players pointed out after
Michigan's loss, "the prize is still

out there."
The negative spin: Ohio State's
performance shouldn't matter.
Michigan had a golden oppor-
tunity and completely choked.
Had the Wolverines taken care
of business against, let's face it, a
mediocre Wisconsin team, they
would have clinched a share of the
Big Ten Title they talked so much
about ever since losing their first
two games.
The real deal: This week is still
Ohio State week. It's still for the
Big Ten Title, it's still for a shot at
the Rose Bowl and, most impor-
tant, it's still for bragging rights.
Sure it sucks that Michigan doesn't
have a shot to knock off an unde-
feated Buckeye squad, and ending
9-3 isn't quite as storybook as win-
ning its last 10 games. But come on:
It's Ohio State.
- Bell can be reached at
scotteb@umich.edu.

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