The Michigan Daily I michigandaily.com October 5, 2009
STATE-MENT MADE
MICHIGAN 20, MICHIGAN STATE 26 (OT)
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CLIFREEDER/Daily
Michigan State running back Larry Caper runs for a touchdown during overtime of Michigan's 26-20 overtime loss to the Spartans. Michigan State beat the Wolverines in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 42 years.
MSU beats Blue in two straight 'M' dominated
forfirst iniasince,1967 season iT.3.P. attic
By COURTNEY RATKOWAK rarely used redshirt freshman Roy Dantonio said he told his team in East Lansing, the Wolverines'
Daily Sports Editor Roundtree. before overtime. "We're going paltry 20 minutes and 14 seconds of
EAST LANSING - It's appar- sealed a tie instead of a win. And thought they caught us. We are were forced to go three-and-out on
entlyimpossibleto stop believingin in overtime, the quarterback who going to snatch it right back." too many drives, not because they By MICHAEL EISENSTEIN dominated time of possession in it
this year's Wolverines, even when everyone has said doesn't play like The Spartans did just that, and were striking quickly. The offense Daily Sports Editor six-point overtime victory, holding
they're down by 14 in the fourth a freshman finally made a fresh- the Wolverines' almost-comeback looked flustered and disjointed, onto the ball nearly twice as long at
quarter of a miserable, rainy game man mistake. made Saturday's real story even with receivers unable to hold onto EAST LANSING - During Michigan (a 39:46 to 20:14 advan-
against their third-biggest rival. It was an over route by sopho- more strikingly clear: Michigan's the ball and the running game Fielding Yost's long Michigan ten- tage). The discrepancy was even
Tate Forcier has made sure of more wide receiver Martavious success this year has depended nonexistent.: ure, he was known for building the worse in the first half: Michigan
that. The Wolverines have been Odoms, a miscommunication and and will depend on show-stopping Without any signature breakout Big House, making the Athletic State had possession for 15 minute
down late in three of this season's a throw directly to Spartan cor- offensive plays. And Saturday, it plays, the Wolverines (4-1) man- : Department financially indepen- and 20 seconds longer than the
five games. In all three, the fresh- nerback Chris L. Rucker in the end just couldn't muster up enough of aged just negative three rushing dent and coaching the Wolverines' Wolverines, who ran just six offen-
man quarterback has coolly found zone. On Michigan State's ensuing them - which made the loss even yards inthe first half. Forcier's only "point-a-minute" football teams. sive plays in the opening quarter.
a way to get his team back into the overtime drive, Michigan State's more demoralizing. complete pass in the first quarter, Michigan kept the tradition of "We got to get off the field on
game. own freshman hero - running This year's team has relied on where the Spartans (2-3) kept the : those teams alive Saturday. The third down, obviously," redshir
This time, with two minutes, 53 back Larry Caper - shook off Wol- speedy, explosive offensive drives. ball for a little less than 13 of the only problem was that it had the junior linebacker Obi Ezeh said
seconds and no timeouts left in the verine tackles to run for a 23-yard Goinginto the game, Michigan had 15 minutes, was a three-yarder to ball for just 20 minutes, and 20 "We were on the field for a loooong
game, the magic came in the form touchdown and the 26-20 win. lost the time of possession battle in Carlos Brown. The freshman was points was not enough to outscore time."
of a 92-yard drive and a third- "We're going to snatch it from three of its four games even while pressured early and often, and on the Big Ten's best offense. Ezeh put it perfectly. Time o
down, last-gasp touchdown pass to 'em," Michigan State coach Mark outscoring opponents 150-91. But See SPARTANS, Page 3B Michigan State absolutely See TIME OF POSSESSION, Page 3B
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Hagelin leads Wolverine
offense in season opener
VOLLEYBALL
Hard-nosed liberos play tough in
Michigan's first conference stumble
By MICHAEL FLOREK
Daily Sports Writer
After spending six months
thinking about how Air Force shut
out their team in a shocking first-
round NCAA Tournament loss,
the Wolverines needed just 13 sec-
onds of their new season to score
a goal. Sophomore defenseman
Brandon Burlon took a pass and
snuck a wrist shot into the back of
the net almost immediately after
the start of the Wolverines' first
exhibition game against the U.S.
National Team Development Pro-
gramUnder-18 team.
"Itwas agood confidence boost,"
Burlon said. "You saw that later on
in the game. We were playingwell,
we were playing strong and feed-
ing off of that first goal."
What didn't immediately
change from a year ago was the
inconsistency on the power play.
Last season was the program's
worst power play in 25 years, con-
verting at just 15.8 percent.
Michigan went just 1-for-7 in
Saturday's 4-2 winbefore rebound-
ing with a 3-for-7 performance
By MARK BURNS
Daily Sports Writer
During the middle of the second
set Saturday against No. 12 Illinois,
Michigan volleyball libero Sloane
Donhoff took a line-drive kill off
her left cheek that reverberated
all the way to the Cliff Keen Arena
press box.
The monstrous blast left the
Louisville, Ky. native stumbling
backwards but she shook off the
hit and helped the sixth-ranked
Wolverines defeat the Fighting
Illini 25-22 in the frame to give the
team a commanding2-0 advantage
heading into the intermission.
"We knew coming in that it was
going to be one of those matches
where there wasn't going to be
much room for error," Michigan
coach Mark Rosen said. "The first
two games, we played exceptional.
We played hard on defense and we
seemed to find ways to dig balls
and create scoring opportunities
off those."
But after the 12-minute break,
Michigan stumbled on its offensive
opportunities. According to Rosen,
the Wolverines "got a little too
comfortable" and sat back in the
late stages of the match.
The relaxed state and inability
to cash in on the offensive attack
cost the team as Illinois came from
behind and defeated Michigan (3-1
Big Ten, 15-2 overall) in a heart-
breaking five-set match.
"We played well tonight, and that
is why it stings," senior right side
hitter Megan Bower said. "When
you play against good teams and
the caliber of our conference - it
is the little things that matter and
that is what bit us tonight."
Because the Wolverines weren't
at their prime offensively against
the Illini (2-2, 10-3), it's hard not
to look at this match as purely a
heartbreaking defeat.
Bower and Donhoff - the two
leaders in digs on the team - dis-
played why they are two of the
best defensive specialists in the Big
Ten.
The two had 18 digs each in the
losing effort. Both players show-
cased their grittiness by keeping
balls alive at the net, diving on the
floor and getting hit in the face
every now and then, as Donhoff
did.
Donhoff is attempting to replace
libero Kerry Hance, who gradu-
ated last year, and she is filling the
position well. The sophomore is
currently No. 2 in the Big Ten with
4.40 digs per set.
"(Sloane) is a defensive libero,"
Rosen said. "Kerry Hance was a
much more passing libero. That
was her strength and she played
good defense, but passing was
when she was really going to do her
work. Sloane does both."
But despite the hard-nosed
efforts by the two players, the
offense just wasn't there, hitting at
a .163 clip. The offensive attack will
need toresurface as Michigantakes
the road this upcoming weekend to
face Iowa and Wisconsin.
"When you're playing well
enough to win a match, and it slips
away, there is nothing more frus-
trating for an athlete," Rosen said.
"We don't want this to create a
mentality that is, 'Oh my god, the
sky is falling.' We didn't do enough
to win a match and next time out,
we have to finish it."
SAID ALSALAH/Daily
Junior Carl Hagelin scored four goals in Michigan's opening weekend.
against the University of Wind- istry and who's really ready and in
sor last night. The fourth-ranked sync right now," Michigan coach
Wolverines beat the Lancers 6-2 to Red Berenson said. "Some play-
round out their exhibition slate. ers might play better two months
"I think it will take a few games from now than they'll play right
where we get a feel for the chem- See LANCERS, Page 2B
I,
Why college football's extra session a The Michigan men's soccer team fought
makes for a better game - even against ° its way through five yellow cards en route to a
Michigan State. Page 2B. 3-0 shutout over Wisconsin. Page 2B.