2B Wednesday, September 5,2007 V -w i- -w w -w _w -""v _w w -- --IV-, 2B Wednesday, September S, 2007 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com KICKOFF 2007 Wednesday, September 5, 2007 lI The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com B 2007 Michigan Schedule Appalachian St. (Sept. 1), L 32-34: Imagine opening the door to your dorm room and someone just punching you in the face. That's what transpired at the Big House. So much for a National Championship. Is Michigan out of the picture in the Big Ten? Read our conference preview to find out. Three senior leaders returned to campus for a National Cham- pionship. Now, their focus shifts. The college football season is underway, and the Daily football writers predict how it will unfold. Garrett Rivas is gone. What kind of a kicker does it take to replace him? Oregon (Sept. 8): For everyone who prefers nonconference tests asopposed to guaranteed wins, be careful what you wish for. The Ducks squeaked past Michigan in 2003, 31-27, and the Wolverines have beaten a Pac-10 foe just once since the 1997 title game. Notre Dame (Sept.15): After some recent Irish dominance, the Wolverines stomped all over Notre Dame in South Bend last year. And that was with Brady Quinn and Jeff Samardzija. Things should only get easier as the series returns to Ann Arbor. Penn State (Sept. 22): Last time the Nittany Lions visited the Big House, they were 8-0 and contending for a spot in the National Championship game. Then Chad Henne found Mario Manningham on a slant in the end zone with one second remaining, rudely awakening Penn State from its dream season. Northwestern (Sept. 29): Michigan's first road test will most likely resemble a quiz. The Wolverines haven't lost to Northwestern since 2000. Then again, Michigan wasn't supposed to lose to Appalachian State. Not that we'll still be bitter about that game late in September. Eastern Michigan (Oct. 6): Although it's not a bye week, Michigan will likely get some much-needed rest when it faces its Huron River rivals. The Wolverines are 7-0 against the Eagles all-time, including a 55-0 steamroller in 2005. Purdue (Oct.13): Purdue coach Joe Tiller sits on the hot seat after his team failed twice to capitalize on a Michigan-/Ohio State-less schedule. But his team returns nine defensive starters. Too bad it composed one of the nation's worst run defenses last year. Somewhere, Mike Hart smiles. at Illinois (Oct. 20): Michigan has not lost a game at Memorial Stadium since 1983. But this year the game starts late, and you never know what can happen under the lights. Then again, Juice Williams is still the Illini quarterback. Minnesota (Oct.27): Two years ago, the Gophers captured the Brown Jug for the first time since1986 thanks to - surprise - a late-game, long run. First-year head coach Tim Brewster seemed excited about this game at Big Media day, but we'll see how he feels after at Michigan State (Nov.3): No longer will the Big Ten have John L. Smith to kick around. The oft-criticized coach was fired after a disappointing 4-8 season. New coach Mark Dantonio is known as a defensive guru, but have you seen what he has to work with? at Wisconsin (Nov.10): Of all the times and places to play Wisconsin, Michigan probably prefers not to do so at Camp Randall on a Saturday night. But that's probably when the two teams will lock horns in a game that's likely to have Big Ten title implications. Jason Gin Ie I WELCOME STUDENTS KICKERS From page 10B Georgetownt GifIts Haffuurk Shop at Ann Arbor's Vera Bradley Headquarters! 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DeBord, who splits his duties between the tight ends, running the offense and working with the kickers, can't spend as much time as he would like with the group, but he's confident in their abilities to pre- pare mentally for the job. The offensive coordinator corrects any mistakes he sees on the fly - like when one his pupils oversteps with his plant foot - and watches practice film to further ana- lyze flaws. But for the most part, it's up to two seniors lacking in actual game experi- ence to lead the unit. Gingell and Lopata say they learned enough from their mentor, Rivas, to carry the place kickers smoothly through the transition. During practice, Rivas would meticu- lously work on his technique and watch film the day after the games to process his what happened during a game. form. Gingell said Rivas always kept an "He would just come back to the sideline even keel after he missed a kick and just if he missed it and ask, 'How did it look? focused on the next try. Was it my fault? Was the snap all right? "(Garrett), in my opinion, has set the Was it the height on the ball?'" Gingell said. measuring stick of excellence for a Michi- "Usually you can tell by the path of the ball gan kicker," Lopata said. "(He's) a guy who what you did wrong, and he would always has always come through in the clutch and just come back and make the next one." has been extremely dependable. He's a guy Wright likes to keep his thoughts from we're all going to try to live up to and fill harping on the magnitude of the attempt. his shoes." "I'm thinking make the kick," Wright said. "Keep it simple. Don't worry about it; Game time don't think about it. Just make the kick." Gingell didn't quite realize how quickly Unfortunately, some of the elements are Carr could call his name during a game. out of his control. The Northville native's lone extra-point attempt last season came after backup linebacker Max Pollack returned an inter- ception for a touchdown against Central Michigan. Gingell didn't have a chance to warmup his leg when Carr shouted for him to enter the game. ' "I think it's harder to stay warm the whole game," Gingell said. "Mentally, it's hard, but physically, it's hard because you have to be warmed up and ready to go at all times." The three-year starter at Northville Cath- olic Central spent the lastthree years watch- ing Rivas, who hit around 80 percent of his kicks, prepare before and during the game. Gingell admired Rivas's approach. Last season's starter would ride the bike and maintain a calm demeanor regardless of The 'double-edged sword' It's known for holding more than110,000 fans, but a forgotten Michigan Stadium trademark is the swirling wind. "You just got to aim straight unless there's some serious wind," Gingell said. "It's not the easiest place to kick because you can never reallytell. It always switches on you really quick" And when the ball misses the uprights, theman responsible can expect to hear it from Wolverine nation. In the last four years of Michigan foot- ball, Rivas cemented his legacy. He became the Wolverines' all-time scoring leader with 354 points and ranks second in career field-goal percentage (78 percent). But many of the Michigan faithful won't PETER SCHOTTENFELS/Daiy remember that consistent Rivas. Those fans held their arms extended above their heads with fingers crossed every time he stepped onto the field and taunted him after each missed attempt. That's the price Rivas paid when he walked into the spotlight forever focused on Michigan kickers. "It's a double-edged sword," walk-on kicker Jason Olesnavage said. "Garrett had a great year last year. He did have some critics when he was younger. I think it kind of comes with the territory. People will support you if you're doing well or get on you when you're not doing so well." Gingell just found out what the ultimate low feels like after two of his boots were blocked, even though Carr cited missed assignments as the reason for both mis- cues. Now, the quiet kid from Northville will have to regain the trust of a Wolverine nation that is ready to jump to Wright or Lopata before they give Gingell another chance. But at the position where perfection is demanded, criticism is expected. "You can'treally let stuff like that bother you," Olesnavage said. "It's other peoples' opinions. You want to do your best as long as you're working as hard as you can.You're not goingto be perfect. Nobody's perfect." Gingell had to find that out the hard way. Ohio State(Nov.17): With the loss of Troy Smith and many of his merrymen, Ohio Statewill be vulnerable when it comestothe Big House in November. That's good news for Chad Henne, Mike Hart and the rest of the seniors, who don't want to be remembered for one record: 0-4.