.4B - November 10, 2008 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 48 - November10, 2008 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom GAME STATISTICS' Tam Stt First Downs Rush/Yds PassingYards OffensivePlays Total Offense Kick retrs/ Yds Punt retuns/ Yds Comp/Att/Int Punts/Avge Fumbes/Losgt Penalties/Yards Time of Poss MICH 20 42/232 203 72 435 3/60 3/20 18/30/0 3/36.0 3/1 2/10 34:13 MINN 8 28/83 105 52 188 7/147 0/0 13/24/1 7/41.9 3/0 7/51 25:47 6 6 6 PSSIN Plyer Sheridan Totals RUSHING Payr Shmaw MinorA PIFeagi Sian Plaer Odom, Mathew ClmonsI HNHAteNR Stamm8 ShawK, Totals PUNTIG Moen Toal M I C H I G A N C-A Yds TD 18-30 203 1 18-30 203 1 I Int 0 0 TD' Att 8 14 7 8 3 1 1 42 No. 7 6 2 1 1 1 18 Yds 71 53 49 33 16 7 3 237 Avg 8.9 3.8 7.0 4.1 5.3 7.0 3.0 5.5 Avg 6.1 13.2 13.5 39.0 10.0 5.0 11.3 Lg 48 40 34 0 8 0 14 0 7 0 3 1 48 1 Yds 43 79 27 39 10 5 203 Lg9 15 28 20 39 10 5 39 TD 0 1 0 0 0 No. Yds Avg Lg 3 108 36.0 49 3 108 36.0 49 No. Yds Avg 1 21 21.0 2 39 19.5 3 60 20.0 Lg TD 21 0 36 0 36 0 Left: SAID ALSALAH/Daly, Right: RODRIGO GAYA/DAILY (Right) Redshirt sophomore Nick Sheridan and (left) freshman Justin Feagin each run from the quarterback position in Michigan's 29-6 win over Minnesota on Saturday. Sheridan and Feagir-to~ step up No. Yds Avg Lg TD 3 20 6.7 13 0 3 20 6.7 13 0 Soto 6 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 t t 0 38 Asst 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 Tot 7 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 i 1 1 1 1 1 48 By DAN FELDMAN Daily Sports Editor MINNEAPOLIS - In the same blue warmups he wore the entire game, redshirt freshman quar- terback Steven Threet emerged from the locker room after the Michigan football team's 29-6 win over Minnesota on Saturday. He looked to his right, then to his left. "There he is," Threet said, grinning and pointing at redshirt sophomore quarterback Nick Sheridan. As the starter against the Gold- en Gophers, Sheridan turned in the performance everyone in the Michigan program has been looking for lately. He played an efficient game, made the smart throws and led the team to a win. It's clear both quarterbacks like each other. But what does Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez think? Is the competition back open between Sheridan and Threet, who missed Saturday's game after suffering a concus- sion at Purdue last week? "We haven't even taken a shower yet, so let's not start a controversy," Rodriguez said. Sheridan threw for 203 yards Saturday - the Wolverines' most in five games. He completed 18 of 30 passes. It was the first time in the last three games Michigan's quar- terbacks completed a majority of their passes. And his eight-yard touchdown pass to junior Greg Mathews late in the first half, coupled with no interceptions, marked the first game all season he threw more touchdowns than picks. But until Saturday, Sheridan had thrown five interceptions and one touchdown this year. And although Rodriguez said Threet's status for this week was "to be determined," he said he thought Threet would be ready to play. The quarterbacks competed for the starting job during spring practice, and Threet came out ahead. But Sheridan outper- formed Threet during fall camp and started the Wolverines' opener against Utah. Until Saturday, Threet had started every game since Utah, and many wondered how Sheri- dan, a former walk-on who had no scholarship offers out of high school, earned that first start. He showed why at Minnesota. "That's exactly who we saw in camp," quarterbacks coach Rod Smith said. "Nick's fine. He's just got to keep making good deci- sions. If he makes good decisions, play(s) within (himself), Nick's got a chance." Sheridan didn't want to talk about whether his game Satur- day, which included 33 rushing yards on eight carries, meant he could start next week against Northwestern. MORE INFORMATION For new on the quarterback situation from Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez's pressconference tomorrow, check wwwmichigandaly.com "I hope it says I'm a fighter, and I'm a competitor," said Sheridan, who added his biggest concern was that Michigan won. Michigan also used another quarterback who took advan- tage of a shot many thought he wouldn't get. Most schools recruited freshman Justin Feagin as a defensive back or wide receiver. But Rodriguez didn't have a running quarterback on the ros- ter when he took the job in Ann Arbor, so he offered Feagin a spot at quarterback, even though he had never seen him play in per- son. Feagin ran the ball each time he took a snap against the Gophers. He had seven carries for 49 yards. "It felt real good because Coach told me he was going to give me a shot and he came through," Feagin said. "He really let me go have fun today." Feagin only appeared to look to throw on one play, butrunning a limited package didn't bother him. "That's what got me here, run- ning the ball," Feagin said. The Deerfield, Fla. native moved to slot receiver earlier in the year after struggling at quar- terback in practice. He made his college debut playing special teams at Purdue last week after he asked the coaches to-burn his redshirt. "Next year, when I come out, I already feel like I have a step on someone," Feagin said. The question now is whether Sheridan has a step on Threet. MINNESOTA C-A Yds TD 13-24 105 0 13-24 105 0 Att 11 2 1 1 13 28 No. 3-. 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 13 Yds 80 6 2 -2 -3 83 Yds 20 36 14 30 9 3 0 -3 -4 105 Avg" 30 20 30 Avg 180 .0 30 0.0 Ls 26 4 2 0 9 26 L9 11 19 7 30 9 3 0 0 0 30 TD 0 0 0 0 0 0 TD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lopata ties record with five field goals Saturday No. Yds Avg Lg 7 293 419,9 60 7 293 41.9 60 w No. Yds Avg Lg TD 6 128 21.3 30 0 7 4 10 30 0 No. Yds Avg Lg TD 0 0 0 0 0 Solo Asst 7 3 3 6 7 1 6 1 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 3 2 2 0 4 2 1 2 0 2 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 47 30 Tot 10 9 8 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 77 ByCOURTNEYRATKOWIAK Daily Sports Editor MINNEAPOLIS - The first was redemption. The sec- ond, third NOTEBOOK and fourth were routine. And the fifth put Michigan place kicker K.C. Lopata in the record books. "They weren't the pretti- est balls in the world, but first and foremost, did they go in?" Lopata said. One that didn't go in this season was likely still fresh in his mind. Since missing a 26-yard kick with four seconds left against Toledo last month to secure Michigan's shock- ing 13-10 loss, Lopata had kicked just one field goal in the last three games: a 27-yarder against Penn State on Oct. 18. But he made up for that by scoring 17 total points Satur- day and tying the single-game school record with five field goals. The last Wolverine to kick five was J.D. Carlson against Illinois in 1990. Lopata made 44- and 34-yard field goals in the first quarter, a 26-yarder in the second and 48- and 28-yard kicks in the third quarter. And instead of kicking in the 30-degree, snowy Minnesota weather, he couldn't have picked a more advantageous place for his kicking game to shine - the cozy confines of the Metrodome. "I was really proud of K.C.," Michigan coach Rich Rodri- guez said. "Some of, those balls he kicked looked really ugly, you know? He was really driving the ball pretty good. I would think if you're a kicker or punter, there ain't nothing better than kicking indoors." Lopata didn't have to brave the elements, but he had to deal with the crowd. The noise from the 55,040 fans at the Metrodome, combined with the marching band and announcer's voice, echoed off the dome's ceiling. "It's always a bit of an adrenaline rush when you step on the field," Lopata said. "You don't always feel totally comfortable with it, which I like. I like the rush going out." STILL EMPTY: Because the Wolverines won't play Minne- sota again until 2011, Minne- sota coach Tim Brewster can probably remove the empty Little Brown Jug trophy case from its motivational spot in the players' lounge at the Gophers' football complex. "It's a daily reminder of what we don't have," Minne- sota sophomore quarterback Adam Weber told the Minne- sota Daily three days before the game. "I think it needs to be filled." But it was the Wolverines who were eying the Jug near the end of the game as it sat behind the Michigan bench with less than a minute left on the clock. And as soon as the game ended, the players flocked to the trophy. Safety Brandon Harrison pretended to drink out of the Jug on the field. Linebacker Obi Ezeh and wide receiver Greg Mathews walked to the edge of the stands and pointed to the cheering Michigan fans in the upper bowl in celebration. The Wolverines took home the trophy for the third straight season and haven't lost the trophy in Minnesota since 1977. And this year's win had to feel three times as good for the Wolverines. "Oh, man," safety Charles Stewart said. "That means so much. My senior year, going out, bringing it home. We lost a couple of rivalry games. That sucked. But to win this rivalry game and get that jug, it's huge. It's huge." INJURY REPORT: Running on the field and laughing with his teammates after the win, redshirt freshman quarter- back Steven Threet looked as excited as if he had started the game. He watched Saturday's game from the sidelines, wearing a headset and warm- ups, while still recovering from a concussion suffered in the fourth quarter against Purdue. Rodriguez said Threet's status for next week against Northwestern is "to be determined," but then said he thought Threet would be OK to play. Two Wolverines who sat out last week - freshman running back Sam McGuffie and red- shirt freshman safety Michael Williams, who both suffered concussions against Michigan State - returned to the field Saturday. Michigan junior running back Brandon Minor went to the locker room near the end of the third quarter with a pos- sible separated shoulder, and spent the rest of the game on the sidelines without pads. Redshirt freshman cen- ter David Molk injured his toe near the end of the game, forcing redshirt junior guard David Moosman to shift to center. NOTE: With 43 receptions, wide receiver Martavious Odoms now holds the Michi- gan record for the most recep- tions by a freshman. Odoms had seven catches for 43 yards Saturday, and during the first quarter, he broke Steve Breas- ton's record of 38 receptions in 2003. GOPHERS From Page 1B Minnesota's six points were the fewest allowed by the Wolverine defense since the Toledo game last month. The Gophers' eight first downs were the fewest -Michigan has allowed this season. Playing four down-linemen was a significant switch from the Purdue game, and it led to increased pres- sure on the quarterback. The Wolverines went with a three-man front against Purdue, and the line failed to record a sack. Junior defensive end Brandon Gra- ham said several players asked to switch back to a four-man front during thatgame. Michigan's line looked more comfortable Saturday. Graham had two sacks and the unit consistently pushed into the Minnesota back- field. "They're both good fronts, but I think a lot of people like the four- man," fifth-year senior defensive tackle Will Johnsonsaid. "Especial- ly because more D-linemen play. In our room, that's the highlight." The Wolverines' secondary ben- efited from the increased pressure. Michigan entered the game with the Big Ten's worst passing defense, but it held Minnesota's third-ranked aerial attack to just 105 yards. Defensive coordinator Scott Sha- fer made some significant personnel changes in the defensive backfield. Sophomore Donovan Warren returned to cornerback after play- ing as a deep safety last weekend. Senior Brandon Harrison was dom- inant as the nickel back close to the line of scrimmage and recorded his first career solo sack. "They had me at linebacker this week (in practice)," Harrison said. "I always wanted tobe a linebacker, but I was too short. So I got to live out a little dream today." The defensive improvement set the stage for a steady offense, led by redshirt sophomore quarterback Nick Sheridan. With starting quar- terback Steven Threet sidelined by a concussion, Sheridan was depend- able in relief, going 18-for-30 with 203 yards and a touchdown. Freshman Justin Feagin took his first snaps at quarterback, running each time. He finished the game with 49 yards on seven carries. Michigan's defense finally got running again, too. For a 3-7 team still ranked near the bottom of the conference in defense, the improve- ment wasn't a culmination, only a step in the right direction. Shafer had heard increasing criti- cism in the weeks leading up to the game as the defense appeared to regress. Those voices should be qui- eter, at least for now. "Until I get to the film, right now the satisfaction could be described as relief," Shafer said. BIG TEN STANDINGS Team Big Ten Overall Michigan State Penn State Ohio State Minnesota Northwestern Iowa Illinois Michigan Wisconsin Indiana Purdue 6 1 5 1 5 1 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 4 2 5 1 5 1 5 9 9 8 7 7 6 5 3 5 3 3 2 1 2 3 3 4. 5 7 5 7 7 ROBINSON From Page lB any of his previous appearances. But was that an anomaly, or has he actu- ally progressed as a quarterback? Michigan played inspired The offense, defense and special teams didn't make the mistakes against Minnesota that cost the team in previous games. And when one of those phases made a mistake, another one picked up the slack. Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said Saturday his team was solid in each of those phases and played well the entire game. It outscored its opponent in all four quarters for the first time this season.. Lookingforward, will Michigan stay inspired? Rodriguez says every week that his team makes progress Sunday to Friday, but it hasn't shown up on Saturdays. This Saturday, progress showed. But the question is wheth- er that was genuine progress? It's something new for Wolverine fans to think about - to see a team make this kind of progress through the season, to have a defense go from allowing sevenctouchdowns last week to allowing none this week. - Fans expect Michigan to start strong and continue throughout the season. But as teams from less suc- cessful programs willtell you, when the realisticgoal isn't a national championship, you haveto embrace the smaller victories. And for this year's Michigan team, that's what the Minnesotagame represents. -- Robinson can be reached at irobi@umich.edu. THIS WEEKEND'S RESULTS Michigan 29, MINNESOTA 6 Ohio State 45, NORTHWESTERN 10 Wisconsin 55, INDIANA 20 MicHIGAN STATE 21, Purdue 7 WEsTERN MIcHIGAN 23, llinois 17 Penn State 23, IOWA 24