The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Thursday, October 8, 2009 - 5A

Student section
holds first- ever
group meeting

Senior Brandon Minor has been battling injury through the first five games this season His carries should increase in Kinnick Stadium this Saturday.
Healthy Minor shou-
play larger role, at bym

Yost
be the
Michig
son.
At la
ing for
dent se
were th
Andth
relucta
heard i
tions fr
Accc
ers of t
Chuck
games
son, Sa
Ohio a
SAID ALSALA H/Daily aso py
ter ~ ~ fo tohlpst hpEe
tourna
Detroit
"Son
depend
get an
want t
said. "I
that wi
it's onl
The
with t
which i
xiguez said after the grc
gan game. "So we tation
out of there." and Bc
diana the next Arena N
t-win situation, fans a
e injury and ran the end
ter to help set up Eve
ing touchdown. attende
Id Minor that the is conl
:o get a first down amoun
un out the clock interest
,the senior fol- plays it
game a
y may have a guy Foge
fety, and you're ister th
n over him. And nizatio
kay, Coach, we'll interest
ndhard;"" Rodri- - tion na
win. "There's no narmef
los and Brandon, decide(
are,-the two guys "Childi
t crunch time as and "Y
Thrc
six games into compai
ipposed to be his men's I
Minor may finally

By NICK SPAR Maize Rage group that formed
Daily Sports Writer over a decade ago. But Fogel
thinks his newly formed hockey
Ice Arena definitely won't group has an advantage Maize
only place to find rowdy Rage didn't have.
an hockey fans this sea- "They (Maize Rage) came in
at a time when basketball wasn't
tst night's first mass meet- really popular, which was prob-
the Michigan hockey stu- ably a good thing for.them," Fogel
ction, plans for road trips said. "But anyone who has been to
te main topic of discussion. Yost has already been involved and
te Wolverine faithful isn't knows the cheers. So it's not really
nt to make their voices necessary for us to come in and
n even the farthest of loca- start dictating what people do."
om Ann Arbor. Fogel and Boyer agreed that as
trding to junior co-found- co-founders of the group, their
he group Jamie Fogel and mains.goals are to serve as noth-
Boyer, organized trips to ing more than spokespeople for
in East Lansing, Madi- the group and to ensure the inter-
ult Ste. Marie and Toledo, ests of the entire student section
re in the works. The group are preserved, not just the inter-
uns to have buses available ests of a few.
Great Lakes Invitational The group plans on holding
ment at Joe Louis Arena in meetings every one or two weeks
on Dec. 29. to discuss arrangements for road
me of this will obviously trips and ideas for home games.
I on how involved people One thought for a home game was
d whether or not people to try to mimic the Block'M,' which
o take the initiative," Fogel was a success in Michigan Stadium
But this is also something for the football team's game against
ill eventually grow because Notre Dame last month.
y the first year." But the main obstacle with
group has been in contact trying to create a Block 'M' for
:he Athletic Department, the hockey student section - it
is willing to help publicize doesn't have nearly as much space
Dup and arrange transpor- to do so as the student section in
for the road games. Fogel the Big House does.
Dyer also think Joe Louis The possibility of a Block 'M'
would be willing to provide would be greater if the student
way to get into Detroit for section was expanded, which is
I-of-the-year tournament. also being explored by the group
n though only 15 people due to a number of students with
ed the meeting, the group student-tickets not being able to
fident that an increasing sit in the sections closest to the
t of people will express band on the east end of the arena.
t when No. 4 Michigan Boyer plans on addressing the
*s first regular season home situation to the Athletic Depart-
gainst Niagara Oct. 22. ment so all fans with student tick-
l is trying to officially reg- ets have the same amenities.
ie group as a student orga- "Now that we've heard the
n, which would also create complaints, we wantto talk to the
t but requires an organiza- Athletic Department and start
ame and a constitution.,A some sort of dialogue," Boyer
for the group hasn't been said. "Hopefully we can make
d, but three possibilities are the system better so this type
ren of Yost," "Hailstorm" of problem won't happen in the
ostmen." future. That's one of the main
oughout the meeting, a few goals of this group going forward
risons were made to the - creating that dialogue for the
basketball student section students."

I
t

Denard Robinson Freshman quarterback Den-
ard Robinson was paired with
takes reps at first-string running back Brandon
Minor, and redshirt junior backup.
running back quarterback Nick Sheridan next ran
the play with sophomore running
in practice back Mike Shaw.
On the third team was freshman
By COURTNEY RATKOWIAK quarterback Tate Forcier, who has
Daily Sports Editor started all five games this season,
running the drill with fifth-year
Thanks to two talented veterans senior running back Kevin Grady.
and a crop of emerging underclass- Forcier originally came out on the
men, running back has been one of field Wednesday wearing a green
the Michigan football team's deep- jersey, signifying limited action, but
est positions, changed into a regular jersey before
And during yesterday's practice, walkthroughs.
four daysafterseniorsCarlosBrown In the last rotation, Forcier ran
and Brandon Minor combined for the play at quarterback again, but
a miserable 17 yards on 10 carries with Robinson at running back.
against Michigan State, the position Though it wasn't practiced during
got a little more interesting. the first part of practice, the play
Brown, who has been forced to could potentially give the opportu-
step up this season with Minor lim- nity for Robinson to pass the ball to
ited by injuries, was wearing a red a receiver off the pitch.
jersey (signifying an injury) and Robinson's speed - coupled with
sweatpants at yesterday's practice. Forcier's quick success and the fact
He watched his fellow running that the country's No.1 quarterback
backs from the sidelines as they recauit, Devin Gardner, is poised to
stretched and broke off into posi- join the Wolverines next season -
tion groups. has constantly raised questions of
In a rotation that was repeated if Robinson may eventually move
about four times, a quarterback and to slot receiver or running back. But
running back lined up to practice a this season, both he and Michigan
simple outside pitch play. Though coach Rich Rodriguez have contin-
the play was basic, the pairings ued to maintain that Robinson is
were different than usual. solely a quarterback.

"I'm a quarterback. I'm not just a
running back. That's the only posi-
tion I play," Robinson said after the,
team's win over Eastern Michigan.
With Brown potentially lim-
ited on Saturday, it looks like both
Robinson and the running backs
will need to get creative against
Iowa's ferocious defensive line. The
Hawkeyes have not allowed a rush-
ing touchdown in over eight games,
which means the Wolverine run-
ning backs will need to be at the top
of their game to break through.
And that starts with Minor. The
idea of the senior taking reps with
the first team, as he did Wednes-
day, was taken for granted before
the beginning of the season. But
his limited play this season in both
practices and games due to a nag-
ging ankle injury has spoken for
itself. He is known for consistently
underplaying the severity of his
injuries in order to get in the game
and grind out plays, but his senior
year has been a disappointment
thus far.
Minor sat out the team's open-
ing game against Western Michi-
gan. Against Eastern Michigan two
weeks later, the senior had three
carries for 21 yards before his ankle
pain again forced him out of the
game.
"He tried to go a little bit, then
after a few series he said, 'Coach, it's

really sore,' " Rod
the Eastern Michig
said we'd hold him
But against In
week, in a mus
Minor ignored the
in the fourth quart
Michigan's winni
After Rodriguez to
team needed him t
to help Michigan r
in the 36-33 win,
lowed through.
"I told him, they
in the hole, a sa
going to have to ru
he said, 'That's ok
do that,' so he ra
guez said after the
question that Carl
our two veterans,
we want in there a
much as possible."
This weekend,
a year that was su
breakout season, I
have the chance t
potential. Rodrigu
day that this week
probably been Mi
fall camp.
"Tuesday pract
physical practice,a
went through the
Rodriguez said. "I
to him, it's the bes
eral weeks."

:o show his true
uez said yester-
's practices have
nor's best since
ice is our most
and yesterday, he
whole practice,"
Probably, talking
t he's felt in sev-

Tatsuno nets two victories in individual play

By ALEX HERMANN
For the Daily
Fall play for the Michigan
women's tennis team gives indi-
vidual athletes an opportunity to
improve their worth before the
season begins in January.
The Wolverines, in their bid for
high individual rankings, sent four
participants to the Intercollegiate
Tennis Association All-American
Qualifying this week. The tour-
nament features some of the best
competition from across the coun-
try.
Rika Tatsuno, with a pair of

wins on the opening day of play,
did the most to help her cause.
After defeating her first oppo-
nent, William & Mary senior
Ragini Acharya, in three sets (6-4,
2-6, 6-4), Tatsuno faced another
tough challenger in Texas Chris-
tian senior Megan Alexander.
The No. 111 player in the country
put up a tough battle, but Tatsuno
advanced in a very tight three-set
match (2-6, 6-4, 7-6).
"In the second set, Rita changed
.it up and started stepping up on
the court," Michigan coach Ronni
Bernstein said. "She fought it out
today and did a good job of fighting

the whole time and playing really
well."
Going into yesterday, Tatsuno
needed to beat Southern Cal fresh-
man Danielle Lao to advance past
the qualifying rounds. Lao started
out hot in the pre-qualifying tour-
nament by rattling off three wins,
all in straight sets, and then made
quick work of her two opponents
in straight sets again on Tuesday.
In the showdown between Tat-
suno and Lao, Tatsuno jumped out
to an early lead, taking the first set.
But she couldn't hold on as her foe
took the next two (4-6, 6-2, 6-4).
The Wolverines' doubles teams

didn't see the same success as Tat-
suno did in singles play. Tatsuno
and junior partner Whitney Taney
lost to the top-seeded duo from
Mississippi, while senior Tania
Mahtani and freshman Mimi
Nguyen fell in a very close match,
9-7.
But both pairs bounced back
yesterday, each winning two con-
solation matches.
Four other players and assistant
coach Teryn Ashley-Fitch will
head to the Kentucky Invitational
Tournament this weekend to bat-
tle against players from 12 differ-
ent universities.

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