The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Thursday, November 20, 2008 -5A Facing familiar foe,'M' confident SETH PERLMAN/AP Ohio State freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor, pictured here against Illinois last week. The Buckeyes won the game, 30-20. This Saturday, we'll all be thinking 'what i...' By NATE SANDALS Daily Sports Editor f the question hasn't already Ipopped into your head this fall, it probably will on Satur- 0 day: What if Ter- relle Pryor had chosen Michi- gan? It's been hard to avoid that "what if" this season, especially as NATE the Wolverine SANDALS offensehassput- tered under the direction of quarterbacks Steven Threet and Nick Sheridan. Less than a month into the sea- son, Pyror elevated himself to the top spot at Ohio State over return- ing senior starting quarterback Todd Boeckman. If Pryor had the talent to win the job over Boeck- man, there's little doubt he would have started the season for Michi- gan, even with just a few weeks of fall camp. The scary thing is that Pryor fits better in Rich Rodriguez's offense than he does in Ohio State coach Jim Tressel's. Pryor is a true dual- threat quarterback. He has the size and speed to succeed not just at the college level, but as a professional, too. Weknowthisnow because we've seen it on the field all fall - a much more convincing display than his high-school highlight reel. Just take a look at the numbers: 1,125 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions passing; 116 carries for 560 yards and six touch- downs. Those are some great stats, especially for a freshman, and even more impressive when stacked up against Threet and Sheridan (1,631 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 inter- ceptions combined). Certainly, Pryor has benefited from an extremely experienced Ohio State offense, in particular the offensive line. The Buckeyes' veteran group stands in stark con- trast to Michigan's unit. Pryor has experienced help at skill positions, too, including senior running back Beanie Wells, an outside Heisman Trophy con- tender. In the Buckeyes' 30-20 win over Illinois last week, Pryor threw just 10 passes. But he also rushed the ball 10 times for more than 100 yards and a touchdown. It's Pryor's breakout potential on the ground that could have made the biggest difference for the Wol- verines. There's no denying Pryor's speed (at or close to a 4.4 second 40-yard dash) would have been a key asset to Michigan's offense. The offense Rodriguez wants to run at Michigan, the one he had so much success with Pat White at West Virginia, is the spread option. To be truly explosive, that offense needs a speedy quarter- back like Pryor or White. When Threet or Sheridan keeps the ball on the option, they sometimes break for a first down, but except for a 58-yard Threet rush against Wisconsin, they haven't broken free for much more than that. That's why freshman Justin Feagin has seen the field this sea- son. Despite his weak arm, he can break for a big run to invigorate the offense. Don't bother asking Rodriguez to explore this hypothetical. Time and time again he's avoided talk- SCHILLING QUESTIONABLE FOR OHIO STATE GAME By Dan Feldman, Daily Sports Editor The Michigan football team INJURY UPDATES: Redshirt obviously faces a daunting freshman quarterback Steven challenge as three-touchdown Threet didn't practice Tuesday, underdogs at Ohio State on Sat- and Rodriguez confirmed red- urday. The Wolverines (2-5 Big shirt sophomore Nick Sheridan Ten, 3-8 overall) already have will start. the most losses in school his- Rodriguez said he likely tory, and thel10th-ranked Buck- wouldn't know Threet's avail- eyes have won four straight ability for Saturday until Thurs- against Michigan. day. And Michigan's chances of Freshman Justin Feagin pulling off the upset dimmed a is the backup right now, but little more Tuesday. Threet would assume that role Redshirt sophomore right if healthy. tackle Stephen Schilling, the Rodriguez also said junior Wolverines' only returning running back Brandon Minor starter on the offensive line will play. from last season, tweaked his "He's such a tough guy," knee in practice and is ques- Rodriguez said. "I don't know if tionable for Saturday. he's going to be 100 percent, but Schilling is one oftwo return- he's going to battle and compete ing offensive starters from last in there." year and the only- one on the Freshman running back Sam offensive line. Michigan coach McGuffie attended a funeral Rich Rodriguez described him Wednesday, and Rodriguez said as "the rock" of the unit. He has he hoped the Cypress, Texas, started every game this year. native would be back that night. Redshirt freshman Perry McGuffie could be available Dorrestein, Schilling's backup, Saturday, but he won't play as has started three games at left much as the players who prac- tackle this season. ticed all week, Rodriguez said. For more information, log on to www.michigandaily.com By JASON KOHLER Daily Sports Writer With 14 minutes left to go in a game last December, Michigan was leading the No. 8 team in the nation. A team that would later go on to make its third consecutive Final Four appearance. A team that has won a record 11 NCAA National Championships: Michigan UCLA. at UCLA Although the Matchup: Wolverines hung Michigan 2-0; with the Bruins UCLA 2-0 for most of the game, they were Ton outscored 41-18 in the final 14 min- Where: utes.'Madison "That's the best Square Garden 4-8 team in the TV: ESPN2 country," UCLA coachmen Howland said of Michi- gan after the game. "They are going to be very good." Michigan didn't live up to How- land's praise, racking up a school- record 22 losses last season. Tonight, the Wolverines will get another shot at the Bruins in the semifinal round of the 2K Sports Classic. But they will face a vastly different squad. No. 4 UCLA lost four of its top players fromlast year's squad, including do-it-all big man Kevin Love, who dominated Michi- gan with 17 points and 16 rebounds last season. Lastyear, the Bruinsoutrebound- ed Michigan by 19, but they also lost their top four rebounders. The Wol- verines have also struggled in the paint and in their first two games against lower-tier opponents, they were outrebounded by 15 on the offensive glass. A lack of experi- enced rebounders for UCLA should give Michigan's frontcourt a better chance. Despite the roster differences, the coach on the UCLA bench is the CENT SAID ALSALA H/D Sophomore Manny Harris, seen here against Northeastern, averages 28 points a game heading into the Wolverines'matchup with No. 4 UCLA tonight. same man Michigan coach John Beilein has faced throughout his career. Beilein has played UCLA each of his the past three seasons. He won his first two matchups while at West Virginia, and then almost upset the Bruins last year. "The offense that he runs is very intricate," Howland said. "There's a lot of nuances that ... players who have been in the system for more than a year pick up. It's really advantageous and very difficult to defend." The Wolverines won their first two games by an average of 21 points, while the Bruins snuck by Miami (Ohio) 64-59 to advance to Madison Square Garden. The Wol- verines aren't just looking to hang around the elite teams like UCLA. They want to beat them. "UCLA, Duke, North Carolina, those all teams that when you look at them 'Selection Sunday' they want to know who you played," junior forward DeShawn Sims said. "Those are teams are always going to be a key win." Beilein knows that after last year, the Bruins won't overlook Michigan. "I think our kids will have a little bit more to believe in themselves as they go in there," Beilein said. "At the same time, I think UCLA would never take us lightly because of that." Regardless of how UCLA views the matchup, the Wolverines are confident. They've played the Bru- ins before and almost pulled off the upset. "You live for games like this," sophomore forward Manny Har- ris said. "They're a good team, but we've gotten' a lot better than last year, and anything can happen." LATE FRI-SAT 11am-i 521 E. Libert y v (ne xoMichi an Theater) H734) 997-7100 Be a part of a mission that's larger than all of us. 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