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8 - Tuesday, October 13, 2009

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com


Forcier suffers concussion at
Iowa as shoulder injury lingers

After disappointing
opener, 'M' offense
wakes up Saturday

By MICHAEL EISENSTEIN
Daily Sports Editor
As freshman quarterback Tate
Forcier left the Michigan locker
room following Saturday's 30-28 loss
at Iowa, he walked slowly with his
eyes almost fully covered by a white
Michigan beanie.
At the time, he just looked upset
about the loss. But Michigan coach
Rich Rodriguez said Monday that
Forcier suffered a light concussion
on his last play, an incomplete third-
and-14 pass where he was pressured
by Iowa defensive end Adrian Clay-
born.
If Forcier is medically cleared by
Wednesday, he will start against
Delaware State this Saturday, Rodri-
guez said.
"I don't think it was a severe one,
but he still has a headache today,"
Rodriguez said. "I know everyone
wants to talk to him after the game,
but when you're a true freshman and
you've got a pretty good headache
and tough ballgame, I hope y'all can
realize you need a few days to deci-
pher that."
Rodriguez won't know until today
the severity ofthe concussion.
The concussion did not affect
Rodriguez's decision to play fresh-
man quarterback Denard Robin-
son on the Wolverines' final drive,
because Rodriguez did not know Freshman Tate Forcier suffered a mild con
about the injury at the time. der. Even though it limited the signal
However, Rodriguez had noticed caller in practice on Mondays and
something different in Forcier's Tuesdays leading up to Michigan
demeanor. Forcier had led three State and Iowa, he still started each
comeback drives in five games, but game.
the bright lights of a night game are But Forcier's brother and room-
particularly hard to deal with after mate, Jason, said Monday that the
sufferinga concussion. shoulder may be a bit more of a con-
"On his last play, he got hit pretty cern than it has been thus far.
good," Rodriguez said. "So he wasn't "His shoulder is more injured than
- you could tell he was not quite I think the public realizes," Jason
himself afterwards. ... You could tell said. "It's the same thing (Oklaho-
a little bit on the sidelines at the end ma quarterback) Sam Bradford did.
of the game, and again, today this Maybe not as severe, but an AC joint
morning, he came in for treatment is an AC joint. Once you injure it, it's
and still had a little bit of a head- hurt for the rest of the year."
ache." Bradford sprained the AC joint in
Injuries have hampered Forcier his throwing shoulder in the Soon-
since Michigan's last win against ers' season opener on Sept. 5 and did
Indiana,-during-which-h injured not returnuntilthis past Saturday.
his right - and throwing - shoul- "(Tate)'s being tough," Jason said.

ing number of them in football as
a whole. Earlier this year, the NFL
publicly acknowledged for the first
time its players' cognitive declines
due to head injuries.
"I don't know if there's anything
more you can do," Rodriguez said.
"The helmet manufacturers are
doing all they can to havea safer hel-
met. But I think what's happening is
these youngguys are gettingsomuch
bigger, stronger and faster.
"And when you get these young,
strong athletes hitting each other at
full speed, it's like a car wreck. I don't
want to say it's - it's never going to
be completely unavoidable."
CISSOKO SUSPENSION: Rodri-
guez also clarified the suspension
of sophomore cornerback Boubacar
Cissoko, who started Michigan's first
four games but did not travel with
the team to Iowa.
After the game Saturday, Rodri-
guez said Cissoko was "suspended
for a violation of team rules."
"When he comes back, it's really
up to him," Rodriguez said. "He's
got certain things he's got to do, on
and off the field, academically and all
that, and if he does that, he'll be back
sooner rather than later."
On Monday, Rodriguez clarified
that it was more than just an aca-
demic issue.
"It's a couple of other things, but
that's part of it," Rodriguez said. "It's
important to him, I know that. Play-
ing football is important to him. And
I think his academics are important.
But to what level? It has tobe at the
right level.
"Talking to our academic folks,
and he was doing things he's sup-
posed to do there for the most part.
But it's a daily thing, so we'll see."
Last week, Cissoko ran drills with
the practice squad, and was "pretty
good," according to Rodriguez.
"He'll continue to do that until he
does all the things that he has to doto
get unsuspended," Rodriguez said.
Junior cornerback Troy Wool-
folk is confident Cissoko will return,
though he didn't talk about the rea-
sons behind Cissoko's suspension.
"He's a fighter, he'll be back,"
Woolfolk said.

Five
in 6
ma
ANC
ing nea
for a w
Michig
of a s
in trou
been sh
iar CC]

Wolverines score video after (Friday's) loss, you
could tell when we passed the
i-1 blowout after puck, we weren't moving after.
We weren't getting open. We
ngajs ents weren't making it easy to get the
puck back."
By TIM ROHAN Five different Wolverines
Daily Sports Writer scored Saturday, and Michigan
was 2-of-3 on the power play
HORAGE - After travel- after going O-of-2 against the
rly 3,000 miles to Alaska Nanooks.
ceekend tournament, the The vast amount of players
an hockey team's hopes who pose a threat of scoring for
uccessful weekend were the Wolverines' this year could
ble. The Wolverines had prove to be their biggeststrength.
sut out Friday by a famil- Michigan had six players score
HA foe, goals in the

MAX COLLINS/Daily
ncussion in Saturday's loss at Iowa.
"But he's playing against guys that
are over three times his size."
Jason told Tate to "be smart"
when it comes to dealing with his
shoulder injury.
Rodriguez assessed Forcier's
shoulder a bit differently Monday.
"His shoulder really limited his
practice time the lastcouple of weeks,
but it didn't bother him too much in
the game," Rodriguez said. "Even in
warm-ups, because it's a little chilly
out there, I thought Tate would take
a while to loosen up. But really in the
warm-ups, he said it felt pretty good.
Even though he got treatment on it
after the game, I don't think it both-
ered him as much as it did the week
before."
In light of Forcier's concussion,
Rodriguez discussed the grow-

Alaska-Fair- double digits
banks, in their "To like last season.
season opener. play "Guys were
So what we played doing their
did they do? W"" y responsibili-
Michigan took (Frida ) ties and doing
matters into rl ay was what they were
its own hands, embarrassing." supposed to
got aggressive * do," Summers
and dominat- said. "I think
ed Saturday that makes a
againstAlaska- huge differ-
Anchorage - something the Wol- ence, when you got a guy on any
verines just couldn't do Friday. given line that can go out every
"We weren't really paying the shift and give it their all and get
price to score," Michigan coach back off the ice and wait for their
Red Berenson said of Friday's turn again."
loss. Berenson said that the team
The Wolverines certainly certainly played with more
cashed in on Saturday. intensity Saturday night. The
Michigan scored two goals team was matching Alaska-
by being active. Senior forward Anchorage hit for hit. A lack-
Brian Lebler deflected the puck luster performance Friday had
into the net off a shot from senior the Wolverines reeling, but a
captain Chris Summers, and few adjustments later, Michigan
freshman forward Chris Brown matched the aggressiveness of 0
knocked in his first goal as a Alaska-Anchorage and gener-
Wolverine off of a cross-ice shot ated an offensive spark.
from junior defenseman Tristin Everyone was relieved to sal-
Llewellyn. vage the weekend.
Unlike Friday, Michigan made "We made a long trip up here,"
it a point to screen shots in the Berenson said. "And to come up
second game. The team was mak- and play like we played (Friday)
ing things happen around the was embarrassing for our team.
crease. And they knew that. And I knew
."When we didn't have the that. And it was easy for me to
puck, I thought we were moving," remind them and to remind them
junior forward Matt Rust said -f of- Wt have to ptffto-'1re
the offense Saturday. "Watching good team."

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