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Friday, September 5, 2008 -- 9A

* Execution the key to
overcoming RedHawks

Defense the difference
in matchup with Miami

Rodriguez wants
Wolverines to
make quicker
decisions
By IAN ROBINSON
Daily Sports Editor
For first-year Michigan coach
Rich Rodriguez, the key to a suc-
cessful second game is for his
players to hit their spots.
"We got to be able to execute
. better," Rodriguez said.
Against Utah, missed assign-
ments by linebackers in pass
coverage led to big gains. Fun-
damental errors on the offensive
line led to blown running plays.
Misreads in the passing game
caused incompletions and an
interception.
Tomorrow's opponent, Miami
(Ohio) (0-1), doesn't have the BCS
hype Utah does, but that doesn't
mean the RedHawks can be taken
lightly - despite a season-opening
loss to Vanderbilt.
They return the majority of
their defense, including three
linebackers named to the Butkus
Award Watch List.
When Rodriguez addressed the
media, on Monday, he spent more
time addressing mistakes his
team made last week as he did on
Michigan's upcoming opponent.
"Iknow they've got nine return-
ing starters on defense, but we've
got to get better ourselves, or we
won't win games," Rodriguez
said. "Some of the assignments
we blew were some of the things
that we-repped the most but didn't
quite execute. We addressed that
with the team, playing more physi-
cal, not thinking too much."
Last week, Michigan showed it
can be its worst opponent.
Players looked tentative making
the adjustment to game speed in
the new system. Rodriguez attrib-
uted this to inexperience.
On the defensive side, Michigan
(0-1) played lights out in the sec-
ond half, but that was after allow-

By DAN FELDMAN AND
NATE SANDALS
Daily Sports Editors
MICHIGANRUSHING
OFFENSE VS.MIAMIRUSHING
DEFENSE
Last week against Utah, Michi-
gan's running attack was practi-
cally invisible, netting just 36 yards.
The Wolverines will again have a
hard time igniting the ground game
against the RedHawks thisweek.
Miami has plenty of experience
in the box, especially at linebacker,
where seniors Joey Hudson and
Clayton Mullins and junior Caleb
Bostic could wreak havoc on Michi
gan's inexperienced offensive line.
If Michigan wants to have suc-
cess on the ground, it will have to
gain positive yardage on first down;
somethingit struggledto accomplish
against the Utes. True freshmen Sam
McGuffie and Michael Shaw should
improve each week, and it'll help that
junior Kevin Grady is back in the mix
after his team suspension for DUI.
was lifted this week.
Edge:Push
MICHIGANPASSINGOFFENSE
VS.MIAMI PASSING DEFENSE
With redshirt freshman Steven
Threet expected. to start at quar-
terback for Michigan, chances are.
Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez and
offensive coordinator Calvin Magee
will try to get the ball down the field
against the Miami secondary. The
RedHawks start two 5-foot-10 cor-
nerbacks, Jeff Thompson and Bran-
don Stephens.
If Threet can accurately put the
ball up for Michigan's taller receiv-
ers, it could be abig advantage for the
Wolverines. Junior Greg Mathews
is doubtful for tomorrow's game:
with an ankle injury. If he can't play,
expect freshman Darryl Stonum and
sophomore Junior Hemingway to
start on the outside.
Alot ofthe pressureinthis match-
up falls on the offensive line. Miami's
front four has much more experi-
ence, but Michigan's line may have
more talent.
Edge:Push
MICHIGAN RUSHING
DEFENSE VS. MIAMI RUSHING
OFFENSE
The RedHawks had some success

onthe ground againstVanderbiltlast
Saturday,butthey weren't exception-
al against the low-levelSoutheastern
Conference team.
Michigan's front four played
much better in the second half
against Utah, and inserting red-
shirt sophomore linebacker Jonas
Mouton at weakside linebacker
shored up the unit. Expect more of
the same defense that held the Utes
to minus-24 rushing yards in the
second half.
Edge: Michigan
MICHIGANPASSINGDEFENSE
VS.MIAMIPASSING OFFENSE
MiamiquarterbackDanielRauda-
baugh went 19-for-43 with three
interceptions against Vanderbilt last
week. The Commodores have agood
secondary, but so do the Wolverines.
In the second half against Utah
last Saturday, Michigan's front seven
pressured Utah quarterback Brian
Johnson much more than the first
half, and the Wolverines used much
moremancoverage.
If Michigan repeatsthat, they will
dominate this matchup.
Edge: Michigan
SPECIAL TEAMS
Somewhat lost in all the talk of
the loss to Utah was fifth-year senior
K.C. Lopata's 50-yard field goal. It
was a career long, and he had some
room to spare. If Michigan's offense
continues to struggle gaining first
downs, having a quality kicker like
Lopata will be a big asset.
Donovan Warren was clearlyitch-
ing to bust a big return against Utah
but never got the chance. He might
not get any this week, either, because
Miami punter Jake Richardson is
one of the best in the nation. He aver-
aged 45yards per punt last season.
Edge:Michigan
INTANGIBLES
The RedHawks have no pres-
sure in this game. Michigan is 23-0
against schools currently in the Mid-
American Conference, and is feeling
the heat not to drop to0-2 for the sec-
ond straight year.
Michigan Stadium has lost some
of its luster. The Wolverines are just
5-4 in its last nine home games.
Edge: Miami
Score: Michigan20, Miami6

RODRIGO GAYA/Daily
Redshirt sophomore middle linebacker Obi Ezeh was named, by the Michigan coaching staff, one of the players of the
game against Utah. Senior defensive tackle Will Johnson and sophomore fullback Mark Moundros also received the honor.

ing 22 points and over 300 yards
in the first two quarters.
"We feel like if we execute our
plays, it doesn't matter what the
(opponent) is doing," redshirt
sophomore middle linebacker Obi
Ezeh said. "We can handle them."
The first half against Utah
showed what could happens when

the defense doesn't execute like it
can. Even Ezeh, who was named
Big Ten Defensive Player of the
Weeklast week after registering 15
tackles and an interception, listed
numerous personal miscues.
The second half revealed some
of this unit's potential.
"You can't come out and play

one half of football and expect to
win a game," Ezeh said. "I think
it's critical that we get some wins
early, especially for some of the
young guys."
With tough matchups against
Notre Dame and Wisconsin on
deok, tomorrow's game is a must-
win for the Wolverines.


* Michigan adjusts to zone defense

Coa
zon

ch Ryan brought
e with him from
Team USA
RUTH LINCOLN
Daily Sports Writer

Michigan women's soccer,
coach Greg Ryan doesn't want his
defense to look like Swiss cheese
this season. That's why, in his
first season as head coach, Ryan
has installed a zone defense,
replacing the man-to-man
style previous Michigan teams
employed.
"When they just chased play-
ers all over the field, what hap-
pens is there are big holes in your
defense," Ryan said. "A team
that's attacking you has lots of
holes they can just pass the ball
through, run through, dribble
through. Our girls are staying in
a very, very good compact shape
as a group, so that we don't have
what we call it in soccer the 'Swiss
* cheese' defense."
In a zone defense, each posi-
tion group (defenders, midfield-
era and forwards) moves as a
unit. The Wolverines play a
tight, centralized zone to elimi-
nate gaps between defenders.
They adjust to the oncoming
offense by shifting position with
the ball movement and dropping
back in the zone when the other
team applies more pressure.
This style requires strong com-
munication between players and
better position awareness.
"We talk a lot more; we drop
in for each other; we cover for
each other," sophomore defend-
er Amanda Bowery. "We're a
whole line defending. You can't
just beat one of us. You'll have to
beat all five of us to score."
When the defense reclaims
possession and begins down the
field, the outside defenders are
well-situated to move up and
join the attack.
In last week's 1-0 shutout vic-
tory over Miami (Ohio), fresh-
man Clare Stachel took a pass
from senior captain Katie Miller
in the Michigan zone. Being an
outside defender, Stachel was
able to shoot up the right side
of the field and dribble around

three Miami defenders before
connecting with an assist for the
Michigan goal.
"We've encouraged our defend-
ers to go forward and attack,"
Ryan said. "Part of good attacking
is being in a good shape defen-
sively, so, when you get the ball,
you're in a good place to attack."
For nearly 10 years, Ryan's
teams have run a zone defense,
includingthe U.S. National Team,
which he coached, from 2005 to
2007. Several top collegiate teams
run a similar defense, includ-
ing perennial powerhouse North
Carolina.
"If you look at men's profes-
sional soccer in Europe or in the
U.S. or anywhere, you would see
that this type of defending is the
direction soccer is moving in,"
Ryan said.
But though the zone defense
has become popular in major soc-
cer leagues, this season was the
first time many Wolverines were
exposed to the defensive style.
"There are a lot of youth play-

ers and youth clubs who don't
come into the college ranks
with this type of a background,
because in some ways, it's easier
to teach man-to-man than it is to
teach zone," Ryan said. "So this is
just something we have to teach
them."A former defender himself,
Ryan participates in a defensive
drill that mimics the same shift-
ing with the ball as Michigan sees
in games. He serves as the oppo-
nent, and the defense must move
according to his play.
In the first game usingthe zone
defense on Aug. 22, Michigan
dropped a contest to then-No. 5
Notre Dame, 7-0, but Ryan said he
thinks the result would be differ-
ent if the Wolverines played the
same Fighting Irish team today.
"It's not something that's going
to be perfect this year," Ryan said.
"It takes some time to really get a
feel for it. But they've improved
so much already. I'm very opti-
mistic. They're getting it faster
than I would have anticipated at
this point."

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