4B - September 29, 2008 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
GAME STATISTICS
hreet rebounds to rally offense
Team NStsI
rtDons
Rush/Yds
Passing Yards
Offen vePlays
Return Yards
Cop/At/Int
Punts/Avg
Fumbles/Lost
Penalties/YardsN
Time of Poss
PASSNG
Th reet
Totals
RUSHING
Player
Threet
Minor
rady
Brown
Totls
RECEIVING
Player
Mathews
Prown
Odours
Koger
Minor
McGuffie
Totals
PUNTING
Player
Meskn
Totals
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player
Odos
Trent
Totals .
PUNT RETURNS
Player
Mathews
Toas
TACKLES
Eeh
Mouton
Harrison
Brwn
Warren
Gaham
Thompson
Stewa
Martin
Rogers
Banks
Jamison
Wofolk
Odos
Williams
PASSING
Player
RUSHING
Player
Hill
ClayN
Brown
Evridge
Totals
RECEIVING
Greath
Hill
Beckum e
Anderson .
Kendricks
Tomn
Thes
Totals
PNTING
Nortman
Totals
KICKOFF RETURNS
Greath
Holland
Rentmeeter
Totals
PUNT RETURNS
Gilreath
TotaI
TACKLES
Player
Caslas
Schofield
Newkirk
Shaughnessy
LevH
Langford
Fenelus
Nzegwu
Maragos
Chapman
Carte
Jefferson
Hartrmann
Brinkley
Moore
Goins
Smith
Toas
WISC
44/158
226
81
384
117
20/37/2
6/39.8
3/2
5/45
36:04
M I C H I G A N
C-A Yds
12-31 96
12-31 96
At Yds Avg
2 35 17.5
s 17 3.4
1 0 0.0
34 182 51
No. Yds Avg
4 48 12.0
3 0 3
1- 26 26.0
1 11 11.0
1 -3 -3.0
12 96 8.0
No. Yds Avg
8 348 43.5
8 348 43.s
No. Yds Avg
3 61 20.3
1 21 21.
2 27 13.5
6 109 18.s
MICH
14
34/172
96
268
120
12/31/2
8/43.5
4/3
4/30
23:56
TD
S1
1
Lg
10
34
s5
0
58
Lg
16
26
11
0
26
Int
2
2
TD
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
2
TD
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
By COURTNEY RATKOWIAK
Daily Sports Editor
Seconds after the Michigan football
team sealed the biggest comeback in
Michigan Stadium history, an improb-
able 27-25 win over Wisconsin, sopho-
more wide receiver Zion Babb had
nothingto say.
"Go talk to (redshirt freshman quar-
terback Steven) Threet," Babb said.
"He's the man right now. You don't want
to talk to me."
But Threet had already run to the
railing that separated the first row of
screaming, face-painted students from
the celebrating players on the turf. He
climbed on the rail, threw his head back
and yelled, disappearing into a mass of
fans who mobbed his head and shoul-
ders.
It was hard to believe these were
the same fans who had sarcastically
cheered for him in the third quarter,
when he threw an 11-yard completion to
give Michigan positive passing yardage.
At halftime, Threet was responsible for
three of the Wolverines' five turnovers
and was 2-of-lO for -7 passing yards.
But in the next 30 minutes of play,
Threet led his team to 13 first downs,
247 yards of total offense and 27 points.
Threet's second half was his stron-
gest of the season. The passing game
came alive for the first time in the third
quarter on an 80-yard, 14-play drive that
ended with a 26-yard bullet to freshman
tight end Kevin Koger for the Wolver-
ines' first touchdown. And for the first
time this year, Threet and wide receiver
Greg Mathews found a rhythm, con-
necting on mid-range passes for mul-
tiple first downs during the third and
fourth quarters.
His most impressive play was a
58-yard run in the fourth quarter that
set up the Wolverines' final touchdown.
Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said
Threet's run "surprised a lot of people,
maybe even himself" - and one of them
was quarterbacks coach Rod Smith.
He really didn't know Threet had it
in him?
Smith just laughed and shook his
head.
"No," he said. "I got on him the first
time he fumbled and said, Son, you can't
run. You tuck the ball.' Course, he come
off the sidelines huffing and puffing
Lg
53
s3
Redshirt freshman quarterback Steven Threet scampers for 58 yards in the fourth quarter. He was the team's leading rusher wit
V$
.3
.0
.5
2
lg
24
21
15
24
TD
0
0
0
No. Yds Avg
1 11 11.0
1 11 11.
Solo
6
5
2
2
® 5
3
5
4
2
3
1
2
2
0
0
1
1
1
1
46
W I S C 0 N S
C-A Yc
20-37 Z
20-37 2'
Asst
2
3
6
6
2
4
1
2
4
1
3
0
0
2
2
0
0
0
0
38
Lg TD
11 0
11 0
Tot
8
8
7
67
6
6
4
24
2
2
2
2
1
lnt
.g TD
10 0
16 1
14 0
6 0
t6 1
, 0
!0 0
12 0
11 O l
18 0
0 0
!9 1
(after the 58-yard run) and said, 'Coach,
I can run.' I said, 'No, you can't, but at
least you tucked the ball.'
For two weeks, the Wolverines had
talked about how winning the turnover
battle was a top priority - but Threet's
first fumble came just three plays into
the game.
On a third down and 11 on the Wol-
verines' first drive, Threet was running
with the ball when he was hit hard by
Wisconsin defensive back Chris Mara-
gos and dropped it.
The play was a flashback to the Wolver-
ines' dismal, six-turnover performance
against Notre Dame two weeks ago.
Threet almost lost another fumble in
the second quarter, but the ball bounced
out-of-bounds before the Badgers could
recover it.
And after the Badgers intercepted
two passes in the last minute and 15 sec-
onds of the first half, it seemed Threet
wouldn't find his stride any time soon.
Smith told redshirt sophomore quar-
terback Nick Sheridan at halftime to be
ready to play.
"(Threet) had a couple balls go high
on him, made a couple poor decisions
in the first half," Smith said. "I think
he maybe might get too hyped up some-
times. Steve's a hyper kid at times so he's
just gotta learn to calm down and play
within himself."
Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said
Threet made mechanical adjustments at
halftime.
"Steve knew what he was doing, as
far as the decisions go, and there was
some technical things why the ball was
sailing," Rodriguez said. "We had him
dip his front shoulder a little bit and he
had to just relax and hit some passes,
because we thought some things were
there."
Quarterbacks coach Rod Smith and
running backs coach Fred Jackson both
used the word "nonexistent" to describe
Threet's first-half play. But looking at
the last two quarters, Smith described
his starting quarterback differently.
"He's a competitor," Smith said. "He's
got some heart. He'll fight'you, which is
what Iwant. That's a start, you know what
I mean? We'll keep working onthe rest."
Jackson compared Threet's compo-
sure in the first big win for this young
team to another new era, another young
quarterback and another huge come-
back- Michigan's 18-17 win over Vir-
ginia in Lloyd Carr's firstyear as coach.
"The Virginia game was 17-0 with
12 or 13 minutes remaining and (then-
freshman quarterback) Scott Dreisbach
came to the sideline and said, 'We're
going to win this game,' " Jackson said.
"I looked at him a little strange. ... That
game was a game that was similar to
this game, to me."
Att
22
3
8
1
9
44
No.
S
4
3
2
2
1
1
1
1
20
Yds
70
52
46
9
3
-22
158
Yds
65
24
38
17
16
29
22
18
.3
226
Yds
Avg
3.2
17.3
5.8
-2.4
3.6
13.0
6.0
12.7
8.5
8.0
18.0
-3.0
113
TD
1
1
Ll
1f
41
1,
c
f
4(
L£
2:
c
2(
2
2:
tE
C
25
Ferrara starts first
game on offensive line
No. Yds Avg Lg
6 239 39.8 46
6 239 39.8 46
NE. Td, Amg LB TA
NE T 38m 55 H
1 12 12.0 12 0
1 19 19.0 19 -0
4 108 270 ss5 0
No. Yds Avg Lg TD
1 9 9.0 9 0
1 9 9.0 9 0
By NATE SANDALS
Daily SportsEditor
A little more than a month
ago, John Ferrara was a defen-
sive tackle, a backup behind vet-
erans Terrance Taylor and Will
Johnson.
But right before the end of fall
camp, the red-
shirt sopho- NOTEBOOK
more switched
to offensive
guard, a move made necessary
by injuries to the interior of ,
Michigan's offensive line.
And on Saturday, Ferrara
completed his rapid transition,
starting at left guard for Michi-
gan against Wisconsin.
Ferrara didn't stand out in
the first half, which is always a
good sign for an offensive line.
But redshirt junior Tim McAvoy
started the second half at left
guard. While Ferrara still has a
ways to go before he's complete-
ly comfortable on offense, his
position coach was impressed
by his performance.
"John's playing with great
effort, and as soon as he gets
the moxie of how to play, I think
that he's going to be a real good
player," Michigan offensive line
coach Greg Frey said. "He's a
hard-working kid and it means
a lot to him."
Frey and Michigan coach
Rich Rodriguez didn't say if
Ferrara would get another start
against Illinois next Saturday.
A TRIO OF FIRSTS: With
Michigan still trailing by 19
points late. in the third quarter,
a true freshman stepped up in a
big moment.
Tight end Kevin Koger, play-
ing in his first career game,
picked a good time for the first
catch of his career.
On third and 10 from the
Wisconsin 26, Koger ran a post
from the slot position and found
a seam in the zone defense. Red-
shirt freshman quarterback Ste-
ven Threet hit Koger inside the
to-yard line and Koger rolled
into the endzone to get the Wol-
verines on the board.
Having a part in Michigan's
historic comeback was even
more special than the touch-
down for Koger.
"It's crazy, I can't believe
it," Koger said as he ran off the
field. "It's like a video game. I've
never played in front of 110,000
before, so it's nothing like I've
ever experienced."
After the game Rodriguez
revealed that Koger's touch-
down maynever have happened,
because the coaching staff con-
sidered redshirting him this
season.
"Every day in practice you
can see him making improve-
ments and he was learning the
things," Rodriguez said. "Kevin
is a very, very intelligent player
for a freshman and he made the
big catch for a touchdown. Obvi-
ously he is going to play the rest
of the year. We are excited about
it."
MINOR'S MAJOR IMPACT:
Junior running back Brand
Minor has been overshadow
this season by true freshm
Sam McGuffie and Micha
Shaw.
But it was Minor's numb
that was called with Michig
down 12 in the fourth quart
He burst through the Wiscons
defense, countering a blitz a:
then sprinting to the endzo
for a 34-yard touchdown run.
"It was set up perfect becau
the two linebackers blitzed, sc
just had to beat the safety on
on-one and outrun the corne
Minor said. "I just give it up
my linemen for holding the
blocks."
The touchdown was a spec:
moment for a veteran who hasr
gotten as much playing time;
he would like so far this seasoi
"I'm really happy for Bra
don, because Brandon need
something like this to happen
Michigan running backs coa
Fred Jackson said.
BACK ON CAMPUS: A nut
ber of recent Michigan footb
alumni were back at the B
House for Saturday's game. S
NFL teams had byes this wee
end, which gave several form
Wolverines the chance to attet
the Wisconsin game.
Last season's superstar
Mike Hart, Chad Henne at
Jake Long, were all in atte
dance. Cornerback Marlin Jac
son, Hart's teammate on t
Indianapolis Colts, was one
the honorary alumni captai
for the game.
ion
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BENJI DELL/Daily
Redshirt sophomore John Ferrara, who started the season as a defensive
lineman, started at left guard against WisConsin.
Solo
2
6
3
3
4
1
3
1
0
2
1
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
33
Asst
2
4
3
1
2-
Tot
8
7
6
3 3
0 2
1 2
2 2
0 1
0 1
0 1
0 1
0 1
0 1
0 1
1 1
30 63
ROBINSON
From Page 1B
BADGERS
From Page 1B
BIG TEN STANDINGS
Team Bi Ten Overall
Northwestern 1 0 5 0
Penn State 1 0 5 0
Ohio State 1 0 4 1
Michigan State 1 0 4 1
Michigan 1 0 2 2
Purdue 0 0 2 2
Minnesota 0 1 4 1
Wisconsin 0 1 3 1
Iowa 0 1 3 2
Illinois 0 1 2 2
Indiana 0 1 2 2
THIS WEEKEND'S RESULTS
MicHIGAN 27, Wisconsin 25
Michigan State 42, INDIANA 29
Northwestern 22, IowA 17
OHIo STATE 34, Minnesota 21
NOTRE DAME 38, Purdue 21
PENN STATE 38, Illinois 24
zh While much has been made o
the disconnect between the new
m- coachingstaff and recent gradu-
all ates, any differences were hard
ig to see when the game ended
ix A number of former players
k- including Hart, ran over to the
er student section with the team to
nd sing "The Victors."
INJURY UPDATE: Redshirt
rs, junior offensive tackle Mark
nd Ortmann was back in the lineup
n- for Michigan after missing the
k- Notre Dame game because ofa
he dislocated elbow.
of Mark Huyge dressed for the
ns game, but did not play. The red-
shirt freshman offensive line-
gan's first offensive play to the
Badger 19. Five plays later, fresh-
man running back Sam McGuffie
punched in a three-yard touch-
down run to extend the Wol-
verines' lead to 27-19 with 5:11
remaining.
Wisconsin (0-1 Big Ten, 3-1
overall) scored on a 22-yard
touchdown pass with 13 seconds
left to cut the Wolverines' lead to
two. But a converted two-point
try was called back because of
an ineligible receiver down-
field. The Badgers, now ranked
18th, couldn't complete a sec-
ond chance from the seven-yard
line, and Michigan recovered the
onside kick.
The Wolverines' 247-yard sec-
ond-half offensive-explosion was
a complete reversal from the first
half, when the offense had just 21
total yards and one first down.
For the half, Michigan averaged
negative- yardage on first-down
plays.
"I would like to tell you there
were times that we were close,
f man injured his ankle in fall
camp and has not yet played this
- season.
Shaw did not see game action
. against the Badgers.
NOTES: Junior defensive
Brandon Graham had three
B sacks, tying him with a number
of former players for third most
t by a Wolverine in a game. Gra-
N ham had 3.5 sacks against Notre
Dame last season. ... Michigan
has now won 23 straightBig Ten
openers when the first confer-
ence game is at Michigan Stadi-
um. ... Michigan's longest drive
- 'of the first half was just seven
- yards.
but we really wasn't even close
at times in the first half," Rodri-
guez said. "If there was a hole to
crawl into, I am sure a bunch of
us, including myself would run
and crawl in that hole."
Tack on five turnovers in the
half, a game after the Wolverines
turned the ball over six'times in
a loss at Notre Dame, and Rodri-
guez was livid.
"The way we played offensive-
ly in the first half and with spe-
cial teams, we should have been
down by a lot more, a lot more,"
Rodriguez said. "That was as
frustrated as I've ever been in my
coaching career with the offense
and special teams."
Fans were frustrated, too, and
many booed as the teams left the
field at halftime. But the players,
thanks in part to Taylor's rallying
cry, stayed resilient.
"To nevercquit, that is the thing
I am most proud of," Rodriguez
said. "There was a time when it
looked like if you were of lesser
mind you would have."
lifting after games and spending long hours together
in the weight room.
"The way they worked in the summer, the waythey
worked during camp with conditioning, I think it
showed," Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said. "It's
not just the shape. I think it's also a mindset."
The mantra after the game was that the team never
gave up. Junior running back Brandon Minor says
Barwis tells the players this all the time. In speech
and through the workouts he puts the team through.
Down 19-0 at the half.
Coming back to beat a top-10 team with four sec-
ond-half touchdowns.
The first half made one thing clear: this offense is
not sound enough to compete without the desire it
displayed in the second half.
And the second half made another thing clear: no
matter how poorly Michigan plays on paper, if the
desire and focus are there for the entire game, there's
no telling what the Wolverines can do.
And that mentality could overcome any challenges
Michigan has this year.
- Robinson can be reached at irobi@umich.edu.
play after sophomore corner-
back Donovan Warren stepped
in front of a slant and tipped the
ball. Taylor and a host of'defen-
sive linemen blocked the way for
Thompson, who was followed
by celebrating teammates and
coaches on the sideline, for the
go-ahead touchdown.
"I saw it landed in John's
hands and I said, 'Aw, shoot, why
John?' " defensive coordinator
Scott Shafer said. "I joked with'
him after the game, because
John's not the fastest guy on the
defense, but the kid's doing a
great job."
The Wolverines missed the
two-point conversion, which kept
their led at 20-19 with 10:24 left.
After the defense forced a
three-and-out on the ensuing
Wisconsin possession, Threet
scampered 58 yards on Michi-
I