4 8A - Tuesday, September 29, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4 Rodriguez says Forcier should play vs. MSU SAID ALSALAH/Daiy Sophomore Darryl Stonum ranks 15th in the country with more than 32 yards per kick return. The Wolverines' special teams unit is vastly improved from last seasonA Don't overlook the special teams et's take a look back to a dark time, one that most Michigan fans would like to erase from their memories forever. In South Bend last sea- son, the Wol- verines muffed and lost two consecutive kickoffs within 10 minutes of each other, giv- ANDY ing Notre DameR D a 14-point hand- icap that helped it coast to a 35-17 victory. The coaching staff mixed up the returners the next week. And the next week. And the next. None of it helped. The special teams unit repeat- edly put the team in perilous situations, which obviously didn't help the struggling defense, a downcast bunch that had to march back on the field immedi- ately after forcing a rare punt. Nowadays, Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez doesn't like to talk about last season or make comparisons between the 2008 and 2009 versions of his team. He'll rarely respond fully to a question that makes any reference to the numbers three and nine. But he let one comment slip when asked about the special teams. "Last year we couldn't even catch the kick from what I remem- ber," Rodriguez said during his weekly Monday press conference after the Notre Dame game this year. "We were happy to catch a kick and fall down." Rodriguez couldn't contain him- self - not when the special teams have made such leaps and bounds in just a year. And of course, it's the offense that's garneringthe atten- tion for bailing out the defense after a porous performance against Indiana. That makes sense, especially with the emergence of Tate "The Great" Forcier as the face of the program. But don't forget about the returngame, which has quickly gone from one of the team's glaring weaknesses to arguably its biggest strength. Darryl Stonum is ranked 15th in the country with more than 32 yards per kick return, no doubt bol- stered by his 92-yard touchdown in the first half against Notre Dame. Against the Hoosiers, Stonum was rarely stopped inside the 30-yard line, relievingsome of the pressure on Forcier and giving him, and the offense, stellar field position all game long. But even that isn't good enough for Stonum. "He's probably going to be disap- pointed, because he was probably within one trip-up, two or three times, of taking it the distance," Rodriguez said after the game. And that's with Stonum trying to recover from a slight hamstring stinger. There is no unit in football that is hung out to dry more when things aren't going smoothly. I mean, think of the old adage - what's the only time anyone care about the long snapper? Yep, when he screws up. The Wolverines clearly discov- ered that last year, when Michi- gan fans held their breath before every opposing-team punt. But it's not all negative. Special teams can make the highlight reel, too. Just ask Frank Beamer. The head coach at Virginia Tech has preached solid funda- mentals in the kicking game since he took over in 1987, and since then, more than 25 different play- ers have scored special teams touchdowns on his squad. In fact, the Hokies led the nation in blocked punts through the 1990s, while Beamer and his special-teams-heavy "Beamerball" helped bring the Virginia Tech program to national prominence. Special teams is key if the Wol- verines want to keep winning this season, especially with a young quarterback and a few injury con- cerns on the line, which means the offense is going to sputter at points this season. With a solid return game - and not to mention, one of the best punters in the nation, which is a great field-position booster, too - the Wolverines can easily swing momentum ina single play. Honestly, what's more exciting than a kick return? Remember Steve Breaston? - Reid can be reached at andyreid@umich.edu ByRUTH LINCOLN DailySportsEditor Tate Forcier winced in pain as a teammate gave him a congratu- latory shoulder pat last Saturday during the Michigan football team's win over Indiana. From Forcier's expression in the You- Tube clip, one NOTEBOOK could infer the shoulder injury looked painful. But the Wolverine faithful can breathe a sigh of relief. Michi- gan coach Rich Rodriguez said yesterday that Forcier should be cleared to play Saturday against Michigan State. At the same time, protect- ing the freshman quarterback's 6-foot-1, 188-pound frame remains a hot topic. Rodriguez said Forcier is generally honest about his injuries. "He's a tough guy, but he'll tell you, too." Rodriguez said. "Tate will have a little drama, once in a while, and tell you what is going on. But he loves to compete and he loves to play." Forcier's smaller size gives him quickness, which he has shown with his two running touchdowns this season. But his physicality and health remain concerns. Rodriguez said he expects Forcier and fellow freshman quarterback Denard Robinson to add muscle mass as they evolve in Mike Barwis' strength and con- ditioning program. In the mean- time, preventative measures will have to do. "When a big hit is inevitable, you don't have to take it," Rodri- guez said. "If you've already got the first down, you can take a quick step out of bounds. If you're downfield, and you've already got the first down, there are ways to slide or get down." But even sliding could backfire for Forcier. Former Tulane quar- terback Shaun King, who played under Rodriguez when he was the Green Wave's offensive coor- dinator from 1997-98, found the technique wasn't a fit. "He was the worst slider there was," Rodriguez said with a laugh. "He almost hurt himself sliding, so I said, 'Shaun, you can just roll or something.' " CLOSE THE DOORS: It's rivalry week, and at Schembechler Hall, the Michigan coaching staff isn't taking any chances. To prepare for Satur- day's game, Rodriguez said the Wolverines will tighten media availability, closing off Wednesday's open practice to allow his team to focus on the upcoming game. "I want our guys to know how much focus goes into this ball game," Rodriguez said. "I don't think I have to do that, particu- larly with our older guys, but our younger guys need to know it is a little different." The Wolverines' outdoor prac- tice field is visible from the Sta- dium Drive bridge, just south of the field. Rodriguez said on a typ- ical day, associate athletic direc- tor Scott Draper and other staff members will watch the bridge for outsiders. With the Wolverines being just an hour away from East Lansing, Rodriguez wants to take extra precautions. "Being coaches, being para- noid ... I trust you all, but maybe somebody snuck in there from Lansing. I don't know," Rodri- guez said with a laugh. MOLK UPDATE: When fifth- year senior David Moosman filled in for redshirt sophomore David Molk Saturday, it took just a few botched snaps to remember Molk. "They were a little off here or there, but you get spoiled when David (Molk) was there, because it looked like just about every snap was just right," Rodriguez said. Molk had foot surgery last Monday, and is expected to be out three to five more weeks. Rodri- guez said Molk has a pin in place and access to a "bone stimulator" which can be applied for hours to accelerate the healing process. According to Rodriguez, Molk has been using the device "every chance he can." "He says it doesn't hurt at all," Rodriguez said. "Knowing David, he has a great pain tolerance. He'll be out as soon as he can. But we're not going to put him out there with any risk of further injury." THE HUNT FOR OCTOBER: The Wolverines are an impres- sive 404-117-13 all time in the month of October. But under Rodriguez, not so much. The Michigan coach went 0-4 in his first October last season, losing to Illinois, Toledo, Penn State and Michigan State. In his seven seasons at West Virginia, Rodriguez posted a 16-8 record in the month of October. I 4 4 4 Beilein stops by Maize Rage's meeting 0 By JOE STAPLETON Daily Sports Writer It's no surprise that at its mass meeting last night, the Maize Rage ran out of chairs. "We thought we were going to get 60 to 75 people," said junior Nick Mattar, the Michigan basket- ball student section president. "We put up 80 chairs, and we got maybe 120 people." Last year, with the Wolverines coming off a 10-win season, 480 students bought tickets. But after last season's second- round finish in the NCAA Tourna- ment, nearly 2,000 more student tickets have been sold. In order to make sure Crisler Arena doesn't encounter the same seating issues as the Maize Rage did at their meeting, the athletic depart- ment overhauled the ticket policy. The ticket policy for the student bleachers will be on a first come, first serve basis. For the students sitting elsewhere in Crisler Arena, seating will be assigned. An impor- tant twist to the ticket policy is that the students who come to the most games will receive priority seating in the bleachers for the Connecticut and Michigan State games. But the Maize Rage as a group has more issues to deal with than just seating. Mattar mentioned the need for more organization within the group on game days, citing times last year when the different parts of the student section chanted different phrases simultaneously. To tackle that problem, Mattar has instituted section leaders, experi- enced group members that will lead a specific group of the student sec- tion in chants duringthe games. "We are going to make an effort to make this one, unified group," Mattar said. So far, the group has succeeded in attracting new members. "I love being a fan, and if there's a way to get more fans involved through more organization, I'm there," he said. Would he still have joined the group if the team had been worse last year? "Of course." The Maize Rage will have almost 2,000 more students than last season. Even Michigan coach John Beil- ein showed up, saying that when he was asked to make an appearance at the meeting, it was a "no-brainer." He was met with raucous applause and thanked all those in attendance. Beilein stressed how he wants the Maize Rage to be more con- nected to the players, even saying he would be able to get some play- ers to come to a few of the Maize Rage's weekly meetings. Beilein spoke briefly about Mich- igan's exceedingly difficult sched- ule to begin the season, saying it was "one of the toughest in the country." The team's early-season schedule includes games against Boston College, Utah and Kansas, as well as a game against Connecti- cut in the middle of Big Ten play. "It helps when they have not only their fans behind them, but their friends behind them," Beilein said. GREAT LAKES WATER QU A LITY IV h rj Weather dominates Blue at Invitational By SCOTT SUH ed out the top three for the Wol- For the Daily verines, with scores of 232 and 233, respectively. The weather stole the spotlight Most notable in the extended from the Michigan women's golf tournament was the lack of sub- team and the field of competition 300 overall team scores in the in the two-day Lady Northern final round. As Purdue was the Invitational. only team to post a score under After unplayable weather con- 300, which was a stark contrast ditions pushed back the comple- to the opening round, in which tion of the second round from golfers played in better weather Sunday afternoon to early yes- and five teams posted scores terday morning, rain and wind under 300. persisted throughout the day at "Sometimesyoujusthave abad the University Ridge Golf Course tournament, and it's one of those in Madison. The poor conditions things that you have to putbehind led to high scores for each of the you," Stacy said. "But I think all 15 teams competing in the tour- the girls know that they have to nament. work harder to get better. A lot of Despite the uncertain condi- us need to work on hitting more tions, the Wolverines battled greens to take off a little more through 27 demanding holes yes- pressure and not have to scramble terday en route to a 10th place to get up and down all the time." finish. Purdue won the tourna- The Wolverines will return ment with a team score of one- to the same course in April for over par 865. the Big Ten Championships. But Senior captain Ashley Bauer before they focus on that, Michi- once again led the way for the gan will turn its attention to Wolverines, posting the team's Northwestern's 54-hole Windy lowest score. Bauer's score of 222 City Collegiate on Oct. 5-6. They held her just out of the top 10, as will travel to Chicago on Sunday she tied for 11th overall, in preparation for the two-day "Ashley had a good tourna- tournament. ment, though I think she was "This year is just going to be a little disappointed, because I a building year, and we have to know her expectations are very be as positive as we can," Stacy high and she was trying to win said. "But ultimately, the golf- the tournament," Michigan coach ers understand what Michigan's Cheryl Stacy said. expectations are, and they know Junior Min Yean Tan and that they are going to have to sophomore Meagan Bauer round- work harder to get better."