V V V V S - w;' w w O.-+LUUnriA'-5, Gvuok- ruvuasir sl usy.-7 2B -- Football Saturday - October 4, 2008 uctoner 4, luuzs - rootnan -)aturaav - n5 s The Wolverines are now 1-0 in their "second season," but last Saturday's gamecamewith plentyofmistakes. Thedefense looked stronger but frequently found itself in sudden-change situations during the first half after offensive turnovers. But Michigan showed its heart, guts and ability to come back. Against Illinois, the Wolverines will likely need all three. They've showed they can win against one of the best in the Big Ten - but Saturday, they'll need to show they can be consistent. Dan Feldman * Courtney Ratkowiak Ian Robinson Nate Sandals 2008 Michigan Schedule Utah, L 23-25: Michigan was expected to have growing pains. And after a failed comeback 8/30 attempt, the Wolverines were on the wrong end of an opening game for the second year in a row. 9/6 Miami (Ohio), W 16-6: At least this game isn't against Oregon. Michigan should be able to win against the average Mid-American Conference team or the Wolverines might really be in trouble. /13 at Notre Dame,L17-35: Withsix turnovers, it looked like this could be one of. the sloppiest games the Wolverines wquld play. It was - for a week. I27 Wisconsin, W 27-25: The first half was terrible. The second half was inspiring. And though Threet 9 continues to improve, the Wolverines had no rhythm.until their backs were against the wall. 0/4 Illinois: After facing Juice Williams and company the week after squaring off against the / Badgers, the Wolverines will know if they're really cut out for Big Ten contention this year. 10/11 Toledo: Enter token cupcake game here. That's what Michigan thought last year in its October game against Eastern Michigan, anyway, before the Eagles kept it close. 1/1 at Penn State: Penn State is returning to its spread offense, and it hopes it will be better than ever. "Spread HD," as the Nittany Lions call it, should test Michigan's experienced defense. 1 r~i'~ Michigan State: We've heard it every year - Michigan State will be good this year, seriously. 10/25~ But with superstar Spartan running back Javon Ringer, it could actually happen. 11 at Purdue: Senior.quarterback Curtis Painter may give Michigan's secondary 1 trouble, but that's about all the Wolverines need to worry about. 11/8 at Minnesota: Watch out - Minnesota has already quadrupled its win total from last year. 11/15 .Northwestern: It's always good to have a game against a doormat before facing Ohio State, 1 15~ right? As long as Michigan doesn't underestimate the-Wildcats, it should be an easy game. / at Ohio State: Michigan has lost four straight against the Buckeyes, and Ohio State will be shooting for a prime BCS bowl bid. This could be ugly. Wolverines respond to newest asset in Barwis From Page 5B team's strength and conditioning program. He decided to pursue a career in strength and conditioning because he felt he could influence kids' lives the most in that field. BEING ABLE TO REACH KIDS There are about 100 players on the Michigan football team. With- in a few months of his arrival, each one of them had bought into Bar- wis's conditioning system. For some, committing to the program occurred the first time they met, They saw his -intensity and how much he cared. For others,like Taylor,itrequired a more personal approach. But he found a way to connect with every player. "He's a great motivator," Greg said. "That's an absolute gift. He could get you to do things that you yourself didn't believe that you were able of accomplishing." For Mike, the key is building a kid's self-esteem. When he worked at West Vir- ginia, Judy coached high school field hockey. She didn't like what she was seeing out of her team, so she called the best motivator she knew - her son. Mike told her to continue to build up her team's self-esteem becausetakinganegative approach to the situation would only make it worse. 'A lot of the high school and junior high coaches need a course in sports psychology,' " Judy recalled Mike saying. "We always tried to build our boys' self-esteem and not humiliate and embarrass them." Through Barwis' positive approach, players see his genuine desire for them to achieve their potential. If they sense he's being unauthentic with them, they'll have trouble connecting. "You can fool an adult, but you can never fool a kid in terms of how you feel about them," Judy said. "It's a given that you can take a child and put them in a situation and they can tell who's faking and who really cares." Between his genuine attitude and his ability to read what works for each player, Mike is able to get them to buy into his system. Actually, Greg can only think of one person who hasn't been fully motivated by Barwis's condition- ing program - himself. "I'm probably his only-failure in life that he hasn't gotten his father in the same shape he has gotten his athletes in," Greg said. "I'm 60 years old,.and I'm sure, given a lit- tle time, he could probably whoop me into shape." THE PRICE Pay the Price to run faster Pay the price to get stronger Pay the price to jump higher Pay the price to stay the same. This message is on a sign above the door from the Michigan weight room to the practice fields in Oost- erbaan Fieldhouse. His parents have paid this price. His father worked 16-hour shifts in construction - often through the night. His mother would stay at school five hours after it closed.. Early on, Mike learned the importance of putting in the nec- essary effort. "No matter what he was engaged in, he gave 110 percent," Greg said. "He was raised that way, that you only got out what you put in." In academics, .he graduated summa cum laude from West Virginia. Over the summer in high school and college, he either worked construction with his father to earn some money or took classes. During college, he would work on the weekends or take jobs that required him to wake up at 5 a.m. At Michigan, Mike regularly works 15-hour days. But if a play- er needs help with anything, he won't hesitate to stay even lon- ger. Whether it be in the training room, movement science home- work or assisting with their per- sonal life, he doesn't hesitate to lend a helping hand. "The kids see that, and so they are willing to give everything they have because he sacrificed for them," Autumn said. At the end of the day, Mike comes home from work and spends time with his 16-month- old son, Ray. "I'm not going to be the guy who goes home at night and looks in the mirror and says I let any- body down," Barwis said. "That's not going to happen." BREAKDOWN From page 3B will continue being in bad spots. Jason Gingell took-over on kick- offs for K.C. Lopata against Wiscon- sin. He was impressive, especially on a booming kick into the endzone after Michigan cut the deficit to five points in the fourth quarter. Edge: Push Intangibles Last year, the Illini blew an 11-point lead to the Wolverines on a nationally televised Saturday night game. They're also coming off a tough road loss at Penn State last week. Illinois already has two loss- es, and a third will send this highly hyped team on the road to a disap- pointingseason. The Wolverines are coming off the first big win of the Rich Rodri- guez era. The question will be whether they can ride the momen- tum from the second-half comeback or come out deflated. JEREMY CHO/Daily Edge: Push Redshirt freshman quarterback Steven Threet will be tested by the Illinois secondary Saturday. Prediction: Michigan wins 27-24 A: Ci Cleveland Clinic nCASEWESTERNESERVE Molecular Medicine PhD Program Make an impact on tomorrow's health discoveries! This program integrates medical knowledge into graduate training to produce scientists trained in translational research - the application of basic or applied research to understanding, preventing, and treating human diseases. Graduates will be well prepared to collaborate with physicians to translate scientific observations from the research bench to clinical care. - Supported by the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute * Students receive a stipend and free tuition throughout their graduate training - Students receive a free laptop and textbooks for the core curriculum * Students work with a Research Thesis Advisor and a Clinical Mentor For more information and application instructions see www.lerner.ccf.org/molecmed/phd/ How will the Wolverines handle Illinois quarterback Juice Williams? Will the impact of last week's lossto Penn State give the Fighting Irish the energy they need to win in the Big House? Read the breakdown to find out. Director of strength and conditioning Mike Barwis has become a Michigan football leg- end in just nine months. You've heard the myths about cage fighting, pet wolves and the Wolverines' workout regimen, but now you can learn about the man behind it all. The Michigan Daily football writers give 12 bold predictions for tomorrow's game. Some are safe, some are daring - and some are just outlandish. Junior running back Brandon Minor was Michigan's leading returning rusher. Slowed by injuries, * his season didn't start the way he planned. Learn more about how his season is just now starting to come together.