The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 -7A
Graham gears up for final home game
By MICHAEL EISENSTEIN
Daily Sports Editor
Throughout Michigan coach Rich
Rodriguez's tumultuous two-year
tenure, one player has almost always
been able to flash a smile, even in the
toughest of stretches.
Senior defensive end Brandon-
Graham jumps at any opportunity
to make someone laugh.
This week, with the Wolverines
in the midst of a six-game confer-
ence skid, Graham was asked what
he would tell his children about the
Michigan-Ohio State rivalry.
"I don't want to talk about no kids
right now," Graham said, letting out
a jocular laugh.
It's not that Graham - who leads
the nation with 21 tackles for loss -
doesn't take Michigan's struggles
seriously. Rather, he's excelled and
turned into a surefire first-day NFL
Draft choice because of his attitude.
"Brandon would probably be the
best player I ever coached for one
reason: He made the game fun," said
Tim Hopkins, Graham's high school
coach at Crockett Technical. "He
always had fun playing football."
This season, Graham became the
second Wolverine ever to post back-
to-back seasons with 20 tackles for
loss. He will likely pass LaMarr
Woodley in career tackles for loss
Saturday (he needs just 1.5) to move
into second place all-time. He also
moved into second place for career
sacks with 27.5.
Statistically, Graham is second to
just one player in Michigan's vaunt-
ed defensive history: Mark Messner.
"For somebody to be able to be as
dominant, regardless of what team
you play on, to be as dominant as he
is at times is just a heck of a person-
al feat," said Messner, a Michigan
defensive lineman from1985 to 1988.
"The talent level across the board
in college football and beyond is so
close that when you have somebody
that can take it to the next level like
he has, that's a real shiningstar."
But in some ways, it may notseem
too difficult to be a shining star on a
defense that gave up the most points
ever last season. Furthermore, that
record could be brokenby this year's
defense if the Buckeyes score 39
points Saturday.
"Sometimes, when you're deal-
ing with a defense that seems to
be a little bit porous, it opens up
some doors for you to come in the
back way," Messner said yesterday.
"So realistically, I think he's in an
advantageous situation where they
don't just have to focus on stopping
him, they can go somewhere else
and have success."
But the paradox of Graham's suc-
cess and the unit's failings isn't on
Graham's mind, and the talkative
senior essentially clams up when
asked about it.
"I ain't think about it," Graham
said. "I'm a team player. We all had
a bad year 'cause our goals weren't
fulfilled. My personal goals was
okay, but it's not about me."
Graham says it's not about him,
but he's one of the few players to
excel under Rodriguez since he
arrived in Ann Arbor - and is a posi-
tive reflection of Rodriguez's strong
focus on conditioning. Graham
"didn't realize how out of shape he
was until Rich Rodriguez came in,"
according to Hopkins.
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel
thinks Graham's choice to forgo the
NFL Draft is a testament to Rodri-
guez and his staff.
"Quite honestly, I was hoping
a year ago he'd go out early to the
NFL," Tressel said yesterday. "It
says something about his character
and his relationship with his staff
that he wanted to be a part of this
building process."
Though Graham may have one
game left as a part of that process,
the team's vocal leader has been
the one to stay positive through this
year's emotional rollercoaster.
"He's a leader in a way that losing,
winning, down or up, he plays like it's
the last play of his career," redshirt
sophomore Ryan Van Bergen said.
"That's really amazing, especially
for a guy in his position that has the
future he's probably going to have."
Yet the realization that his Michi-
gan career is almost over is one of
the few times Graham's smilebriefly
disappears.
"It's kind of sad," Graham said.
"Growing up, you've been dream-
ing for this moment in your life. And
now it's gone. This is my last game.
I'm tryingnot to cry right now."
C G' t REER/Daily
Senior Brandon Graham is excellint on the field despite the team's struggles.
The Greatest Rivalry in Sport
Suck it up, Fat Boy
From the Editor: We hope
you're enjoying our look back at the
Daily's game coverage from famous
Michigan-Ohio State games. Here's
the Daily's, um, interesting column
from Blue's 1969 upset of OSU. And
yes, that headline actually ran in '69.
A11 the pain and hurt that
wasbuilt up over a year has
ended. Thanksgiving has
come early at Michigan and Stuffed
Woody was the order of the day.
True, the score was only 24-12
and true, Michigan lost numerous
chances to rack up more points.
Butastill, the Buckeyes htmiliation
is greater than anything that 50-14
could do. Michigan didn't have
to go for two points to rub salt in
wounds, all they did was belt Ohio
State all the afternoon.
Offensive guard Dick Caldaraz-
zo put it best when he said, "We
went out there and stuck them. We
out toughed them. They haven't
been hit like that all year." And
Wayne Woodrow "Fat Boy" Hayes
was forced to agree. "We just got
outplayed and outpunched," was
one of the few comments that the
irascible, insufferable coach would
make after his supposedly Number
One team was destroyed.
"Fat Boy" immediately retreated
into the lockerroom and wouldn't
talk anymore after that, but no one
really cared. It had been expected
that he would show his typical atti-
tude after the defeat and the real
story was Michigan anyway.
The story of yesterday is more
than just Ohio State being knocked
from its perch and Michiganclinch-
ing the Rose Bowl; the real story is
a group of proud, inspired Wolver-
ine athletes who crammed a cocky
Buckeye team into Tartan Turf.
"We were ready to play and we
took it from them," exulted Wolf-
m'an Tom Darden, a native of Ohio.
"Nothing in the world could be bet-
ter than beating Ohio State." Quar-
terback Don Moorhead echoed
Darden's statements and typified
the attitude of the squad when he
said, "We were really high for the
game and when you're playing like
that you can do almost anything."
Moorhead actually was slightly
wrong; the Wolverines did every-
thing, not almost anything. The
offense stuck to the ground the
way Bo Schembechler wanted to
and they punched out24 points.
But the real heroes were the
members of the defensive platoon.
An inspired group of 11 men con-
tinually pounded and hounded Rex
Kern and his vaunted offensive
teammates. The super secondary
stole six passes, missing a Big Ten
record by one, and Cecil Pryor
recovered a fumble. In addition,
the heralded Larry Zelina rolled up
a fantastic minus five yards rushing
while the Wolverine tacklers kept
smashingevery Buckeye assault.
Henry Hill demonstrated to
Jim Stillwagon just who is the best
niddle guard in the conferenceas
he made 13 tackles. Pete Newell,
Marty Huff, Mike Keller and Pryor
also join in the fun as they harried
Kern continually,, finally drove
him out of the game and then pro-
ceeded to work over substitute Ron
Maciejowski.
And then there were the pass
defenders. They were, to say the
least, veritably inimitable. Tom
Curtis, Barry Pierson, Brian Healy
and Tom Darden put on an exhibi-
tion of pass coverage that was sen-
sational. Curtis grabbed two errant
tosses, Pierson three and Darden
one. Curtis returned one intercep-
tion 26 yards and set an NCAA
record for career yardage in inter-
ception returns.
But all the details are just mun-
dane matter. It was the feeling of
the Wolverines and the attitude
tat was conveyed to the 103,588
fans that mattered. Michigan was
a team with a mission, a club that
wouldn't be denied.
"We were on fire all day," said
an overjoyed Schembechler. "We
were ready to play this one. We
were so emotional we would've
won no matter what. I don't care
what happened on the field, if we
had been three touchdowns down
we still would've won."
The rookie coach's attitude was
typical of his team. The Wolverines
just would not be denied. All week
long they approached the game
with but a single purpose, winning,
and they reached their goal.
NowtheRose Bowllies aheadbut
no one really cares at the moment.
The only sentiment voiced by the
Michigan team is that of Schem-
bechler's, that of going as cham-
pions. "That's the way we wanted
to go," said Bo. "I guess we saved
them the trouble of the vote."
No longer do Fat Boy's comments
on the best team going to the Bowl
matter. Michigan has proved to be
the best club and no one can ever
take that away. Bo Schembechler
will go to Pasadena in his first year
as a head coach and Fielding Yost is
the onlyother man who has done so.
"It's unbelievable, really," comment-
ed Scheibechler, and most people
are inclined to agree with him.
Michigan is in euphoria and
everything else besides the game is
disjointed. Ann Arbor started on a
drunk last night and it may not be
over yet. The contents of this story
probably prove that, but who gives
a damn? I don't. All I'm going to do
is grab another beer and enjoy the
hell out of myself.
Good-byWoody, it was funwhile
it lasted.
YES, WE
REALIZE THIS
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CANCER
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Conversations with partners and close
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LEO
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Co-workers might disappoint you
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SCORPIO
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It's easy to feel discouraged today; this
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Life is hard today. Situations around
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