I "S + w 0 0 FORCIER From page 5B REACHING THE V STRETCH You're about to see a very underwhelming team that has one marquee win over a high-profile Midwestern opponent and one crippling loss to a terrible team from the state of Illinois. That's Michigan, right? Well, the Purdue Boilermakers are in the same boat, snatching a season-saving win against Ohio State after losing to Northern Illinois earlier this year. And both teams need a win Saturday to salvage a disappointing '09. Michael Eisenstein " Ruth Lincoln Courtney Ratkowiak a Andy Reid HIGHLIGHTS Last year's Boilermaker matchup was painful, but the Wolverines' woes in that game look similar to now. Here's why it's time for Michigan to play with desperation if it wants to turn its season around. Tate Forcier is an athlete, a goofball, a little brother and 4 student of the game of football -and after growing up in a family of athletes, he just happened to wind up at his dream school. It's best to know the enemy, right? Read about members of the opposing team in our weekly Q&A feature. Up this week is Boilermaker junior wide receiver Keith Smith. 2009 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Sept. 5 vs. Western Michigan: Before this win, it had been a while since Michigan fans had anything to cheer about during opening weekend. Sept.12 vs. Notre Dame: Hey, Chuck Weis, how about winning a rivalry game this weekend? It'd be a new feeling this season. Sept.19 vs. Eastern Michigan: The Eagles put up a good fight in the first half, but 'a. ,. Michigan again proved there's only room for one football team in Washtenaw County. Sept. 26 vs. Indiana: Wait, what? Indiana still has a football team? We'll believe it when we see it. And we didn't see it this year. Oct. 3 at Michigan State: So the Spartans beat Michigan for the second year in a row. Whatever. Keep Paul Bunyan. That thing is butt-ugly anyway. Oct.10 at Iowa: Kinnick Stadium would rank as one of the best in the Big Ten - ', if their fans didn't storm the field after a win against an unranked team. t~L Oct. 17 vs. Delaware State: As if Michigan students needed more motivation to skip this game, the Athletic Department scheduled it during Fall Break. Oct. 24 vs. Penn State: Little-known fact: Joe Paterno is the only active college football coach who participated in the Revolutionary War. Just kidding. He is really old, though. Oct. 31 at Illinois: The Fighting Illini showed very few signs of fight in 2009 - that is, until Michigan made Juice Williams look like a Heisman candidate. Again. Nov. 7 vs. Purdue: Think the Wolverines still have that hook-and-ladder on their minds? Expect them to come out swinging with one more win needed for bowl eligibility. Nov. 14 at Wisconsin: It's still a week away, but we can already smell the beer sold in the student union and, of course, the cheese curds. Oh, Madison. Nov. 21 vs. Ohio State: The sweater vest -perfect for when your torso is ice cold but your arms still need to breathe. Seriously, Tressel, what is up with that wardrobe? UNIVRSIT OF IIGAN "That's the two years kids probably need the most super- vision," he said. "That's when they can make bad decisions and stuff. Well, fortunately, he didn't make any bad decisions, other than not doing his home- work." But Forcier resolved to catch up, and with a renewed sense of motivation and a love for foot- ball, he refocused and chose his best option - dual-enrolling at Scripps Ranch High School and San Diego Charter School, a home school that allows stu- dents to have a more custom schedule. Forcier took almost double the required amount of credits in his first few years there, Mike said, because he wanted to sur- pass his schoolmates in order to possibly graduate early for col- lege football purposes. "We just wanted to put Tate in the best situation possible," Jason said. "Especially if you're good enough to play as a fresh- man, (enrolling early) is really your only opportunity. It ben- efits you that much more, espe- cially if you're in a QB battle." , But graduating early meant more than just loading up on classes. In California, high school seniors are assigned a large report in December that they have to present by May, when they graduate. It involves a paper about a specific profes- sion, creating a resume, shadow- ing jobs, conducting interviews and spending a lot of extracur- ricular time to work on it. "Basically, it's so kids realize, 'You're becoming a young man now,' " Suzanne said. "You're 18 now, and you're left to do this thing all on your own." It takes most kids all semester to finish the project. But because Forcier wanted to graduate early and move on to Michigan - his self-proclaimed "dream school" - he worked day and night, fin- ishing the project in less than three weeks. Bet you can guess what Forci- er's theme was. "He chose to do his project on being a professional foot- ball player," Suzanne said. "He picked that because that's what he knew the most about, and that s what he wanted to be.' And he had come a long way from the seventh grader who was quickly falling behind and the struggling Catholic school- boy. His project was so good that the school kept a copy as an example for future students. Although the Forcier family took some flak for putting their kid in home school, it's becom- ing a more and more common occurrence for many football recruits around the country, including Florida poster boy Tim Tebow. The home-school route also allowed Forcier to have a more flexible schedule. He used the time to work out with his train- er, former NFL offensive guard Marv Marinovich, a man who Mike said is like a grandfather to Forcier. He also used it to take official and unofficial visits to schools and build up QBForce.com, all of which helped him get the name Tate Forcier out into the college football world. And that has been a key to the Forcier family's success,'Jason said. "Most recruits don't real- ize this, but you're your own product, and you're your own brand," he said. "Tate Forcier is his own brand, and his quarter- backing is the product. If you're good enough for them to find you, why not go advertise your- self a little bit? Pepsi and Coke still do it, and everyone knows what Coke is." It may not have been the most normal childhood - with the family of star quarterbacks, the home school, the self-promot- ing website - but that hasn't affected Forcier too much. "He's just a regular kid," Jason says with a shrug. A FACE IN THE CROWD Even when he was five or six, Forcier has displayed the swag- ger that has become synony- mous with his style of play. "When we were in Pop War- ner, he'd say, 'My brother's going to kick your butt and run all over you,' and stuff like that," Jason said. "But that was just him being really proud of us." But behind the confidence - which Jason carefully explained is what cocky people fleetingly attempt to emulate - is a regu- lar college kid. He declined to doan interview for this story, because, accord- ing to a member of the Ath- letic Department, he thought the attention should go to an upperclassman or "someone who deserved it more." When he goes to class, he pulls a hoodie or a beanie over his head. Because of his small stature, he can slip through the Diag without getting noticed. He volunteers every Thurs- day at Motts Children's Hospi- tal after practice, as do many Michigan athletes. And when the scare-tactic movie "Paranormal Activity," a surprising hit among the college crowd, came out, he went with some friends only to find out that it was sold out. "He's not the type to go up to the manager and say, 'Do you know who I am? I'm the Michi- gan quarterback,' or whatever," Jason said. "He'll go home and check another time or make other plans. He doesn't think he should be getting special treatment or anything. He's just another regular kid." But for Jason, who over- shadowed Tate for so long, it's a humbling experience to see his brother lead a come-from- behind drive against Indiana or be worthy of the lead photo on ESPN.com. "It's like, I'm almost in that position now, where I'm always happy to gloat about him, pretty much" said Jason, who lived with Forcier in Ann Arbor for a few months before moving back to California to find a job. "I joke around with my friends that I'm like Drama in Entourage. ... I'm just happy to see him come full circle." Now one of the most recog- nizable names in college foot- ball, not much has changed for Tate Forcier since the days he threw his baby bottle across the room. It's just that, instead. of his family being impressed by his arm, it's a national audi- ence that is watching him throw touchdown passes. After all, he is, and always will be, a quarterback - as simple as that. PHOTOCOURTESY OF SUZANNE FORCIER Freshman Tate Forcier played football, basketball and baseball as a young child. Invitation to Submit Comments The University of Michigan - Ann Arbor (U-M) invites you to be an active participant in its resiew for re-accreditation by submitting your comments about the University to the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), its regional agency for accreditation. TheC k-M has been accredited by the ILC/NCA since 1913. On March 15-17, 2010, the U-M will undergo a comprehensive evaluation visit by a team appointed by the HLC. The team will review the U-M's ongoing ability to meet the HtIC's criteria for accreditation and the Uiversity 's special emphasis study on the toli of internationalization. More information is available at wsww.accreditation.umicli.edu. The ILC seeks comments that address substantive matters related to the uality of the t -Mc and its academic programs. To submit comments online: (click on "Fle Third Party Comments") Or send written comments to: Public Comment on the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ythe Higher LearnimniCommission 30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400 Chicago, IL 60602-2504 Youmustprov/deyourti7i17a, address and te/ephone number. The HL/C doesnottreat cosinentsfrom thepub/icas c /sdentia/l. A// commentsmustbe receivedbyFebruary1, 2010. Freshman Tate Forcier has led the Wolverines to late-game coieback wins over Notre Dame an Indiana.