The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
September 21, 2009 - 3B
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom September 21, 2009 - 3B
GAME STATISTICS
TeamStats MICH E.MICH
Rinso says he's ot jst a runner
FistDons
Rush/Yds
Passing Yards
Comp/Att/Int
Offensiv'ePlays
Total Ofese
Kikreturn/ Yds
Puntreturn/ Yds
PuHn/Avg
Fmbles/Lost
Pnalties/Yads
TimeB of PossN
17
39/380
68
7/17/2
56
448
3/60
1/-2
4/45.5
1/0
2/20
19:58
M I C H I G A N
C-A Yds
7-13 68
0-4 0
7-1 68
177
48/179
106
15/26/1
74
285
6/81
1/6
7/424
1/1
4/30
40:02
PASSING
Player
Forcir
Robinson
Totals
RUSHING
Player
Brown
Robinson
Shaw
Odoms
Smith
orcier
RECEIVING
Player f
Odoms
Grady, Kel.
Stonum
Hemigwy
Totals
PUNTING
Player
KCKOFF RETURNS
Player
Stonum '
Totas
PUNTRETURNS
Player
Mathews
Totas
TACKLES
Player
Leach
Ezeh
Ga
Willams
Herron
wooPlk -
Martin
assoko
Simmons
Johnson
Smith, V.
Panks
Smith,B.
Fitzgerald
Campbell
Koger
Ea
PASSING
Payer
Totals
SHING
Priest
Gillett
Schmitt
SSherer
we"ch
Tem
Totals
RECEIVING
Player
VSanders
Gage
Priest
,her-r
Twtals -
PUNTING
Totals
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player
Totas
PUNT RETURNS
Player
Tta
TACKLES
Hatchet
Downrd
Ohran
Mwa
Cordick
Hicks
Gowns
Palsrok
Mulumba
Rose
Leonard
Totals
TD
0
0
0
Att
13
3
9
2
3
1
2
6
38
No.
2
2
1
1
1
7
Yds
191
60
53
31
21
13
10
5
190
Yds
33
14
10
7
4
68
Avg
14.4
20.0
5.9
5.0
.8
5.0
Avg
16.5
7.0
10.0
70
10.4
Lg
90
36
22
24
13
13
10
21
32
Lg
26
11
10
7
4
26
int
0
2
2
TD
2
2
1
0
0
1
0
0
2
TD
0
0
0
0
0
0
No. Yds Avg 28
NK HAN 45I. GB5 T
No. Yds Avg lg TD
3 60 20.0 25 0
3 60 20.0 2s5 0
No. Yds Avg lg TD
1 -2 -2.0 -2 0
1 -2 -2.0 -2 0
Solo
3
2
4
2
4
2
1
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
40
astern
C-A
13.22
2.4
15-26
Asst Tot
7 10
7 9
4 8
5 7
2 6
4 6
4 5
1 4
1 4
2 4
2 4
2 4
2 4
0 2
0 2
1 2
2 2
0 1
0 1
0 1
1 1
1 1
1 1
1 1
50 90
n M i c h i g a n
Yds TD
97 0
9 0
106 0
Att
27
6
5
5
t
2
1
1
48
No.
4
4
2
2
t
1
1
75
Yds
91
36
26
3
-3
41
179
Avg
3.4
6.0
5.2
15
-30
3.7
Avg
8.0
7.75
7.0
9.0
7.0
134
Lg
11
14
24
2
24
L9
14
10
12
9
7
14
Int
1
a
1
TO
1
0
1
a
0
0
0
0
2
TO
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
By COURTNEY RATKOWIAK
Daily Sports Editor
Quarterback Denard Robinson's
blazing speed has already beer
well-documented and highly publi-
cized. But after having almost foul
fewer months than fellow fresh-
man quarterback Tate Forcier tt
learn the offensive playbook, Rob-
inson's passing game hasn'tobeen ir
the spotlight.
"Denard always wants to prove
he can throw the ball," Michigar
coach Rich Rodriguez said afte
Saturday's 45-17 win over Easterr
Michigan. "He
made a couple NOTEBOO}
decisions today
that maybe
weren't the best, but he can make
all the throws. As coaches, we have
to remember he's only three games
into his career."
Robinson disagreed with Rodri-
guez's assessment.
"I'm not trying to prove noth-
ing," Robinson said. "I'mnot trying
to prove to nobody, just myself"
When Robinson tried to thros
in this week's game, the results
weren't pretty. He finished 0-for-4
with two interceptions Saturday
though his best pass was one tha
was negated. He currently has a
-6.10 passer rating through three
games.
The freshman came in at quar-
terback with Michigan up 24-10
late in the first half and lofted a
beautiful 24-yard pass to wide
receiver Martavious Odoms, who
caught the ball before running ou
of bounds. But when the play was
reviewed, Odoms was found to nol
have full possession of the ball and
the catch was overturned.
Robinson tried again, this time
throwing a pass about 35 yards
down the field for Odoms. But East-
ern Michigan defensive back Chris
May leaped in front of Odoms fo
the interception, and the Eagles
scoredontheensuingdrivetobring
the game within seven by halftime
His other interception came again
at the hands of May with about fou
minutes left in the game.
"One of them was a misread, and
one of them wasn't," quarterbacks
coach Rod Smith said of the inter-
ceptions. "But like Isaid,that's how
you cut your teeth. He's going to be
'D' looks
in sluggis
By COURTNEY RATKOWIAK
Daily Sports Editor
Judging by the scoreboard at
halftime Saturday, it seemed like
Michigan still hadn'tgotten over
its Notre Dame hangover.
By the end of Saturday's first
half, the Wolverines led Eastern
Michigan by just seven points.
The Eagles had 11 first downs to
Michigan's nine. After averag-
ing 106 rushing yards through
their first two games, Eastern
Michigan had already racked
up 128 rushing yards in the first
half alone.
It seemed like the Wolverines
were primed for a letdown after
all of last week's hype following
Michigan's 38-34 comeback win
against the Fighting Irish.
But listening to redshirt
junior linebacker Obi Ezeh, it
sounds like the slow start simply
might be because the Wolver-
ines aren't morning people.
"You try to avoid it, but it
was an early game," Ezeh said.
"We've been used to these 3 p.m.
games. I don't want to use that
as an excuse, but guys get used
to things, and you change it up
and you have to give them time
to grow accustomed to it. I'm
glad we survived this one, but
we have to be ready in the first
quarter next time."
Regardless of the underlying
mental reasons, the Wolverine
defense was missing reads, hav-
ing difficulty anticipating plays
and not controlling gaps in the
first half. The Eagle offense ran
plays the Wolverines hadn't seen
on tape, and the defense was ini-
tially slow to adjust.
One of those missed reads led
to Eastern's first touchdown,
on a play-action fake from the
Michigan 11-yard line. Eagles
quarterback Andy Schmitt faked
a handoff to Eastern Michigan
running back Terrence Blevins,
and as senior defensive end
Brandon Graham fell for the
play, Schmitt rolled to the right
and easily ran into the corner of
the end zone. The touchdown
tied the score at 10 with 11 min-
utes left in the first half.
"We was killing ourselves,
we was missing assignments
early in the game," Graham said.
"We was thinking too much out
there. We went out there, we
weren't calm."
After the defense's uninspired
first half, it came out in the third
quarter ready to play. The Wol-
verines held the Eagles scoreless
with just 51 rushing yards and
six first downs in the whole sec-
ond half
Late in the third quarter,
Schmitt, under pressure, threw
the ball as Obi Ezeh flew toward
him. Ezeh's hit knocked the ball
S
1
r
i
1
r
i
K
a
S
or
s
t,
Freshman Denard Robinson ran for 60 yards and two touchdowns on three carries agairst Eastern MiChigan Saturday.
Yds
32
31
14
9
7
106
i fine, and we'll keep working him
and getting him ready."
Robinson came to Michigan
partially because it was one of the
- only schools that recruited him as a
quarterbackandplannedtousehim
a for more than just his speed. Fol-
lowing Forcier's big game against
Notre Dame last week, Rodriguez
t insisted that Robinson would con-
s tinue to take snaps at quarterback
t and that the team has no plans to
I make him a slot receiver.
"Oh, yeah, yes. I'm a quarter-
back, I'm not just a running back,"
A said Robinson after Saturday's
- game, when asked if he was pre-
s pared to throw 15 to 20 passes in a
r future game. "That's the only posi-
s tion I play."
But Robinson looked like he
. could easily play the part of a star
a running back Saturday, with 60
r yards and two touchdowns on just
three carries. The scores came
I when the game was already out of
s reach, but Robinson ran the ball in
- the end zone both times in impres-
sive fashion.
On a third-and-two on the East-
weak
h start
off course and freshman Craig
Roh fell on the ball for the inter-
ception, which gave the Wolver-
ines possession at the Eastern
Michigan 21-yard line. The Wol-
verines scored a few plays later to
make the score 38-17 and put the
game effectively out of reach.
As the Wolverine defense
made adjustments and the explo-
sive Michigan offense scored 21
unanswered points, the Eagles
felt forced to rely more on their
passinggame.
"It took us out of our running
game," Eastern Michigan coach
Ron English said. "We just felt
that we needed to catch up, so
we had to throw the ball a little
bit more than we wanted to."
But the Eagles could only
muster 62 yards in the air during
the third and fourth quarters.
And on what ended up being its
last legitimate scoring chance of
the game, with about 11 minutes
left in the fourth quarter, the
Michigan defense overpowered
Eastern Michigan's running
game, too. The Eagles couldn't
score after reaching the Michi-
gan 9-yard line on a first-and-
goal. With third down and two
yards to go for a touchdown,
Eagles running back Dwayne
Priest was stuffed behind the
line of scrimmage by four Mich-
igan defenders. Eastern Michi-
gan ended up turning the ball
over on downs.
Michigan coach Rich Rodri-
guez said after the game he
wasn't particularly concerned
about the defense's play, since
the team needs to improve on
all three phases. Still, after a
sluggish second quarter by the
Wolverine defense and an over-
matched secondary against
Notre Dame last week, this
week marks the second in a row
that the Michigan defense hasn't
dominated for all 60 minutes.
Before Saturday's game, the
Wolverine defense was second-
to-last in the Big Ten in total
defense, allowing 301total yards
to Western Michigan and 490 to
Notre Dame. Though Saturday's
game could overall be consid-
ered an improvement on paper -
Eastern Michigan racked up 285
yards - the defense's tendencies
to miss reads and not fill in the
gaps could still be a major con-
cern come Big Ten season.
"They were doing some things
to us that we hadn't repped, and
that we hadn't seen all week,"
Ezeh said. "So we just had to
make some minor adjustments,
you know, and eliminate a lot of
the big plays that you saw in the .
first half.
"We came out in the second
half with a kind of renewed
energy and just really resolved
on stopping Eastern Michigan."
ern Michigan 13-yard line, Robin-
son came into the game, kept the
ball off the snap and shook off four
separate Eastern Michigan tackle
attempts en route to the goal line.
His second touchdown was a dis-
play of pure speed as he zig-zagged
through the Eagles defense for a
36-yard score.
Through three games, Robin-
son is the team leader in rushing
touchdowns and second in rushing
yards.
LEACH SURPRISES: Another
week, another walk-on standout.
Last week, it was open tryouts
walk-on Jordan Kovacs, who came
in during the second half of the
tight game against Notre Dame
after safety Mike Williams was
injured. This Saturday, walk-on
linebacker Kevin Leach started,
for the Wolverines after linebacker
Jonas Mouton was suspended for
one game.
Mouton appeared to punch
Notre Dame center Eric Olsen in
the face during last Saturday's
game. The act was a point of con-
tention all week, with Rodriguez
his tackle total from last year in
just one game Saturday, leading the
team in tackles with 10 (three solo
and seven assisted).
One of his notable tackles came
on a third-down Eastern Michigan
stop and another helped preserve
the Michigan defense's second-half
shutout after Eastern Michigan had
a first-and-goal in the fourth quar-
ter with the Wolverines up 38-17.
Leach and freshman Craig Roh
stopped quarterback Andy Schmitt
at the six-yard line, and the Eagles
eventually turned the ball over on
downs at the Michigan five-yard
line.
INJURY REPORT: With right
guard David Moosman already
out against Eastern Michigan, the
offensive line couldn't afford to lose
another starter.
That's why Michigan coach Rich
Rodriguez sounded so concerned
during the post-game press con-
ference when he said center David
Molk may have suffered a serious
foot injury.
Molk told coaches his foot was
bothering him in the first half of
Saturday's game and left the game
inthe second half.IfMolk can't play
next week against Indiana,redshirt
freshman Rocko Khoury or Moos-
man may take his place.
At running back, Carlos Brown
got the start over senior Brandon
Minor on Saturday. Minor had just
three carries for21yards, all on the
Wolverines' first touchdown drive
of the game. Minor has had a frus-
trating senior season so far - a nag-
ging ankle injury also kept him out
of the Western Michigan game.
"He tried to go a little bit, but
after a few series he said, 'Coach,
it's really sore.'So we said we'd hold
him out of there," Rodriguez said.
As he has all season, though,
Minor discounted the idea of any
possible injuries.
"Oh, yeah," he said, when asked
after the game if he is in good
health.
Safety Mike Williams also left
the game with an injury, and fresh-
man quarterback Tate Forcier was
momentarily stunned on the field
after a play in the third quarter but
played the next offensive series.
Rodriguez said after the game that
Forcier was bruised and had the
wind knocked out of him.
denying he had seen any wrong-
doing during Wednesday's press,
conference. Michigan lineback-
ers coach Jay Hopson said during
Thursday night's radio show that
the referee was right in front of
the play and would have called it
if there was an issue, but Big Ten
officials announced Friday that the
league was punishing Mouton for
one game.
Leach said the Michigan coach-
ing staff told him Thursday after-
noon that he would get the start.
"I call him the second Kovacs
because he came in and he didn't
lose a step just like (Kovacs) last
week," junior strong safety Troy
Woolfolk said. "Actually, Kovacs
came in again and did his thing. So
we have two good second-string
people who can play just like the
first string."
Though Leach played in six
games last year, two of those at
linebacker, this Saturday's game
was the first he played from start
to finish.
Last season,he finished with just
two assisted tackles. He quintupled
MAX COLLINS/Daily
Sophomore Mike Shaw ran for 53 yards and a touChdown on nine carries.
B. VAN Avg IA
7 297 42.4 54
No. Yds Avg Lg TD
4 VA 10. G7 7 0
6 81 13.5 19 0
No. Yds Avg L.g TD
Sob
4
5
b
2
3
3
t
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
0
35
Asst
5
3
0
3
0
0
2
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
16
Tot
9
8
6
5
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
51
EAGLES
From page 1B
it's a big momentum-booster,"
sophomore running back Mike
Shaw said. "And it's also letting the
Big Ten know, 'Hey, don't just worry
about the freshman quarterback.
We got a running game that can put
up 350 yards'"
Senior Brandon Minor, who is still
nursing an ankle injury, took limited
carries against Eastern Michigan.
But the Wolverines pounded the
ball with Carlos Brown. Then Mi-
nor. Then Mike Shaw, Denard Rob-
inson, Vincent Smith and Michael
Cox. Even wide receiver Martavi-
ous Odoms got into the fun, taking
an end-around reverse in for a 13-
yard touchdown.
It didn't matter who carried the
ball - the Eagles couldn't slow any
of them down.
"We wanted to try to get as
many guys in as we could," Michi-
gan quarterbacks coach Rod Smith
said. "You know, get their feet wet,
and get them some playing time.
That's important. We think we
have a great stable of tailbacks, and
we're deep."
All told, Michigan posted 380
yards on the ground - the most in
the Rich Rodriguez era - and eight
players registered at least one dou-
ble-digit gainer. The Wolverines av-
eraged an outstanding 9.7 yards per
rush which was boosted by Carlos
Brown's 90-yard scamper, the third-
longest rushing play in Michigan
football history.
And that's exactly how the Wol-
verines planned it.
"We wanted to come in and es-
tablish the run from the beginning,"
sophomore wideout Darryl Stonum
said. "We studied a lot of film and
we saw that they left the middle of
the field wide open, so that's where
all our big runs came from. We just
wanted to~gash the middle of the
field, and that's what we did today."
The Eagles (0-3) have been weak
against the run all season, giving up
300 yards on the ground to triple-
option heavy Army in an opening-
week loss.
The offensive line took advan-
tage, opening large gaps all game for
the running backs to get to the sec-
ond level. Once they were there, the
Eagles had no answer.
"Some of our fast guys did a great
job of hitting it north and south,
pulled away from defenders and
showed some speed, which was
nice to see"Rodriguez said. "Butwe
weren't particularly sharp throwing
the ball, so it was a good thing we
could run.'
Through three games, the Wol-
verines arethe No.1rushing offense
in the Big Ten, averaging more than
270 yards a game. That will give op-
ponents nightmares as conference
play begins next week.
"We love it," said Shaw who
posted 57 yards and a touchdown.
"When (Brown) is in there, we're
cheering him on, and then he comes
to the sideline and tells us what the
defense is doing. Then when it's our
time to go, we do what we can do.
And we just keep rotating and keep
each other fresh.
BIG TEN STANDINGS
Team Big Ten Overall
Michigan 0 0 3 0
Indiana 0 0 3 0
Iowa 0 0 3 0
Penn State 0 0 3 0
Wisconsin 0 0 3 0
Minnesota 0 0 2 1
Northwestern 0 0 2 1
Ohio State 0 0 2 1
Illinois 0 0 1 1
Michigan State 0 0 1 2
S Purdue 0 0 1 2
Big Ten Results
Michigan 45, Eastern Michigan 17
Notre Dame 33, Mich. St. 30
Ohio State 38, Toledo 0
Indiana 38, Akron 21
Penn State 31, Temple 6
Iowa 27, Arizona 17
Wisconsin 44, Wofford 14
Northern Illinois 28, Purdue 21
California 35, Minnesota 21
Syracuse 37, Northwestern 34
LINCOLN
From page 1B
Brown exploded in the Wolverines'
eighthloss ofthe season for115 yards.
But as the cold mix of rain and snow
fell over Michigan Stadium with a
bowl game already out of reach, his
breakout game went relatively un-
noticed.
What made his performance Sat-
urday so special was the way it hap-
pened. With a rushing outburst that
earned him Big Ten Offensive Player
of the week honors, Brown was fi-
nally in the center of it all.
Whether he embraced it or not,
Saturday was Carlos Brown's day.
And for his sake, you have to feel
good for him.
Although he started because of
an ailing Minor, Minor's physicality
was not missed Saturday. Instead, it
was Brown's characteristic elusive
speed and breakout power that drew
cheers.
Rather than running straight to
the locker room following the game,
it was Brown who was swarmed by
reporters. And he answered every
question with the same consider-
ation and compassion that's kepthim
around Ann Arbor for four years.
Following his freshman year,
Brown considered transferring. As a
high school quarterback turned run-
ning back, Brown wasn't sure how
he fit in with former Michigan coach
Lloyd Carr's offense.
"I knew my heart was here and
Coach (Carr) always told me pa-
tience was a virtue," Brown recalled.
"And that iflI waited one day, I would
get a shot to play here."
Brown's playing opportunities
have been few and far between. But
he's used his time in the shadows to
be a player Michigan fans could be
proud of.
Before a 2008 Capital One Bowl
team event, Brown befriended a
five-year old boy named Lonnie and
laughed and played with him for the
better part of two hours. Lonnie was
blind, and that had a special meaning
for Brown.
"We had a little special connec-
tion, because when I was younger,
my little brother (Angelo) lost sight
in one of his eyes," Brown told The
Ann Arbor News in December 2007.
"My little brother was younger than
that when it happened..It was an
accident. He was like 3 years old....
He's got one eye, but now I think he
sees better than I can."
Brown may have been destined
for the spotlight when he came to
Ann Arbor. He was supposed to be
the one to make 110,000 fans in the
Big House feel good. But in passing,
he's always been a Michigan Man on
the sidelines.
It's time for us to feel good for
Brown. He's certainly done enough
to deserve it.
- Lincoln can be reached
at lincolnr@umich.edu.
'.