The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com November 23, 2009 - 3B GAME Frst Down Rush/Tds passing Yards Corp/ATA/ItS Offensive Play Total Offense Kick resturn/ YdSR Punt returns/ Yds Punrs/Avg Fumbles/Lost Penalt s/Yads PASSING/ Forciers Robins..on, D. Totals RUSHING ** Sh-w 0* s g RECEIVING Player , N Mathews Smith, V. Grady, Km. Hemingway 13rom.C Shaw Totals 2 PUNTING PMayer N Totals KICKOFF RETURNS Playsr I Stonum Totals PUNT RETURNS PIFFI, Plaer Odoms Totals TACKLES Play., BI N Graham Ron VaP Begen Campbell Blinks Herr.. PASSING Player Pry.r, Totals RUSHING player A H-ronD. 1 RECEIVING Posey Totals 5 PUNTING Player N Thoma 5 Toi q K1KIFRETURNS Playr I Totals PUNT RETURNS Player I Sma Total TACKLES Homan Hine, Roslle Worthington Spitler Coleman William Chekwa~ Heyward Wilson Oliver Denlinger Small - STATISTICS OhioSa te Michigan PR 16 S3/2SS 31/8U 67 229 9/17/1 25/42/4 70 73 318 309 2/39 3/63 2/9 4/6 9/37.9 6/38.2 1/P 3/1 6/0 3/25 32:5N 27:04 Warren says he'll come back M I C H I G A N C-A Yds 23/38 226 2/4 3 25/42 229 TD 1 Int 4a 0 4' Att 7 6 31 No. 9 6 3 2' 1 1 1 25 Yds 31 32 7 10 80 Yds 116 67 28 7 10 6 5 -4 .6 229 Avg 1.0 1.7 26 Avg 124 11.1 9.3 3.5 5.0 -4.0 -6.0 9.2 Lg TD 10 0 5 0 11 0 17 0 Lg TD 43 0 23 0 18 1 5 0 10 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 43 1 No. Yds Avg Lg 6 258 43.0 53 6 258 43.0 53 No. Yds 3 63 3 63 Avg Lg TD 21.0 36 0 21.0 36 0 No. Yds Avg Lg TO 2 0 0.0 1 0 2 6 3.0 5 0 4 6 1.5 5 0 Solo Asst Tot 3 6 9 5 2 7 5 2 67 3 4 57 5 1 26 1 4 5 2 1 13 1 1 2 H1 0 1T 9- 1 67 1 1 9-17 67 1 1 Att Yds Avg Lg TO 19 96 5.1 23 0 s3 2s1 4. 29 1 By RUTH LINCOLN Daily Sports Editor During Ohio State week, Dono- van Warren decided he wanted one more shot at the Buckeyes. Following Michigan's 21-10 loss to No. 10 Ohio State, the junior cornerback was asked if he would return next season instead of leav- ing to enter the NFL Draft early. "Uh, yeah," he said before turning to sign autographs out- side Michigan Stadium. Warren may have been caught up in the moment after NOTEBOOK the game, but he sounded much less certain about his future at last Monday's press c conference. "I'm going to look into where I stand," Warren said on Nov. 16. "If it's the best thing for me to do for my family, then I'll have to decide that. But if it's not, then I'll be here helping Michigan." Easily the Wolverines' most talented member of the class of 2011, Warren was tied this season for fifth in the Big Ten in inter- ceptions (four) and was sixth in pass breakups (seven). ESPN.com's NFL DraftTracker has the 6-foot, 185 pounder listed as the No. 4 cornerback and the 42nd-best prospect, making him a potential second-round pick. Throughout the Wolverines' defensive woes this season War- ren remained a stabilizing force. Should he enter the draft, he would leave a young and inex- perienced secondary in an even worse position. Big Ten opponents outscored the Wolverines this season 266- 177, with many of those points coming off big plays downfield that were made possible by the secondary's mistakes. Michigan is set to return its entire back four, but without Warren, a year of experience may not be such a step forward. FORCIER From page lB said of Forcier's inconsistency. "You can't praise one and be mad at him on the other one. You just kind of teach on both of those." Michigan coach Rich Rodri- guez re-emphasized after the game that it is a rarity for true freshmen to play at the college level, let alone as a starting quar- terback. And next year, Forcier will be likely be the poster child for what experience can do for a team. But for now, the decision to put Robinson in for Saturday's final five minutes showed that even after a year of experience, Rodriguez may still be looking for an answer at quarterback during crunch time. The Robinson-led offense went three-and-out on Michigan's final offensive drive. He finished with 31 yards rushing on 10 attempts, and was just 2-of- 4 for three yards in the air. "The boy was bouncing off the walls the last three or four weeks, inching to play, wanting to play. And we just wanted to utilize him today," Magee said of Robinson. "I think we used him how we wanted to, how we planned to." Warren clearly understands how Michigan's 5-7 season will affect his future. "I feel like I'm right up there with some of the best in the coun- try, but a lot of times, it's not a matter of individually, it's a mat- ter of the team's success," Warren said. "But personally, I feel like I'm one of the top in the country with my confidence and just my ability." Senior defensive end Brandon Graham was in Warren's shoes last year - the talented junior contemplated leaving for the NFL after the Wolverines' woeful 3-9 performance. But Graham elect- ed to stay another year to help rebuild a program and, as he puts it, "not grow up too fast." Although Graham's senior year fell short of his expectations DEFENSE From page 1B said. "We tried our hardest. We gave it our all." For the seniors walking U the Michigan Stadium tunnel one last time, it was the hardest climb in the 5-7 rollercoaster season. But when they ran out on the field before the game, it was clear the defense and its leaders were ready for a special game. "They were inspired," red- shirt junior Stephen Schilling said. "We kind of knew they were going to have a big game." Graham moved into second on Michigan's career tackles- -for-loss list with a sack and four takedowns behind the line of scrimmage. Two of them came in the third quarter with Ohio State poised to score. Graham barely seemed to notice the offensive tackle in his path. And swarmingbehind him was Brown. Three of the linebacker's seven tackles Saturday came on third down. Overall, the Wolverines stopped the Buckeyes on 11, of 15 third downs. "I'm glad for Brandon Graham and Stevie Brown and the seniors without a bowl appearance and an abysmal U-7 Big Ten record, his 25 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks garnered him attention from NFL scouts and bolstered his image. He's projected as the 24th-best prospect in the first round by ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper. Warren said Te must get bigger, faster and stronger to compete at the next level. Like Graham, the extra yearlof college football would do him more help than harm. "The game has slowed down a lot, but for it to slow dowiT a lot more, and just evei slower, another year would definitely help," Warren said. RECEIVER UNION: During the final minutes of Saturday's loss, Greg Mathews sat solemnly on TAn equipment chest on the sideline. on the defense that we were able to come out and play a pretty full game together like we did," Vanl Bergen said. "I have no bad feel- ings towards the way our defense played." Mouton, who has played inconsistently all year, uncharac- teristically led Michigan with 11 tackles and picked off Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor's first pass in the second half. S The turnover temporarily sparked the offense, which took advantage of the turnover t- score its only touchdown of the game. Freshman running back Vincent Smith's 18-yard reception was just the Wol- verines' second touchdown in three years against the Buckeyes. Highly touted junior cor- nerback DoAiovall Warren, who said after the game that he would be back with the Wolverines next year, post- ed seven tackles and tipped Pryor's intercepted pass. And two walk-ons - line- backer Kevin Leach and safety Jordan Kovacs - were second and third in tackles. "We did our assign- ments," Van Bergen said, Junior Donovan Warren pursues Ohio State's Terrele Pryor on Sunda aCk racked p seven tackles Saturday- Redshirt freshman slot receiver Roy Roundtree walked over and gave the senior wide receiver one last gametime high five. Roundtree had just completed his second 100-yard receiving per- formance this season. Mathews, meanwhile, finished his Michigan career without ever reaching the, century mark.in a gaie. When Roundtree arrived at Michigan, Mathews immedi- ately took the Trotwood, Ohio native under his -wing. This sea- son, Roundtree displayed mTuch of the same promise Mathews shlwed as a sophomore when lie played behind former Wolverines Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington. After sophomore Martavious Odoms was injured In the second half of the season, Roundtree filled describing the change in the defense this week. "We put a lot more time into it and we had a lot more cleaner game as far as assignment football. When you do that, you're always going to be a little bit better, and I think that's what was the big differ- ence tod ay." The Wolverines held Ohio State to fewer yards than any of their other Big Ten opponents. Just two of the Buckeyes' drives lasted longer than six in effortlessly. He finished as the Wolverines' leading receiver with 32 receptions and 424 yards. At just 170 pounds, Roundtree will need to bulk up if he wants to transition to an outside receiver, as some suspect he will next sea- son. Should lie move, he would fill Mathews' spot. "It's just working in the weight - room in the offseason," Round- tree said. "I'm really going to pick up some more weight. I don't know if they'll put me outside or keep me at the slot, but I'm going to be ready for next year." BOREN BLUNDERS: If one Buckeye was bound to receive a harsh welcome, it was Justin Boren. Saturday's game marked the former Wolverine's first return to the Big House since he played against Ohio State in 2007. Boren transferred after Rich Rodri- guez was named Michigan's head coach, and as he left the program, he famously talked about the team's "eroding family values." Boren received his fair share of Rack from the Michigan fans and players. But after the game, he seemed as calm as ever. "He was a bigger man by not turning around and not giving ST to whoever was taking shots at him," Ohio State center Michael Brewster said. Saturday's game was the first in the Big House for Boren's younger brother, Zach, a freshman for the Buckeyes. And Brandon Graham wasn't letting the brothers off easy. "I said, 'Yeah boys, y'all got hard hitting,' " Graham said. "Because when we made that tackle on Pryor, I don't know what happened, but I seen Boren, he bump into (his brother), and I was like, 'Yeah Boren, you still, you still a Michigan Man, you still trying to tackle Ohio State play- ers.' But I tried to joke around a little bit." plays. But as good as Michigan's defense was, the scarlet-and-gray one was better. After the Wolverines crept within four points, Ohio State held Michigan to a three-and- out, intercepted three passes - includingone in the end zone - and forced a turnover on downs to end the game. Somehow, in the end, those fourteen points were just too much for Michigan. No. 5 2 1 9 Yds 38 17 11 67 Avg 7.6 8.5 11.0 74A Lg 13 12 1 13 TD 0 0 0 o. Yds Avg L 9 347 38.6 54 9 347 38.6 5 No. Yds Avg g TD 2 39 19.5 22 0 No, Yds Avg tg TD 2 9 4.5 7 0 2 9 4s 7 0 Solo 5 4 3 3 4 1 2 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 . i i t 1 0 0 0 Asst 7 5 6 4 1 4 2 3 3 3 3 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 Tot 12 9 9 7 5 5 4 4 4 4 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 H--, OK Jayhawks too much for Michigan BIG TEN STANDINGS Team B - BigTen Overall Ohio State 7-2 10-2 Iowa 6-2 10-2 Penn State 6-2 10-2 Wisconsin 5-3 8-3 Northwestern 5-3 8-4 Michigan State 4-4 6-6 Purdue 4-4 5-7 Minnesota 3-5 6-6 Ilinois 2-6 3-7 Michigan 1-7 5-7 Indiana 1-7 4-8 Big Ten Results Ohio State 21, Michigan 10 Penn State 42, Michigan St. 14 Purdue 38, Indiana 21 Northwestern 33, Wisconsin 31 lowa 12, Minnesota 0 WRITE FOR DAILY SPORTS. ANDYREID@UMICH.EDU By AMY SCARANO Daily Sports Writer Five minutes into the second half of yesterday's game, the Michigan women's basketball team cut No. 19 Kansas' lead to four. But after rallying from a 17-point halftime deficit, the Wolverines' surge didn't equal success. Michigan lost to the Jayhawks 77-66 in Lawrence, Fsan., for its first loss of the sea- son. The Wolverines shot nearly 50 percent from behind the arc in the second half, but it wasn't enough to make up for the defensive mishaps that snapped the team's three-game win streak. "Defense is something that helps you win the game," junior guard Veronica Hicks said. "I think our effort was there, but we made mistakes and they were able to capitalize on them." Yesterday's game in Allen Fieldhouse marked the Wolver- ines' first on the road this sea- son. It was also the first meeting between the teams in program history. The game offered the Wolver- ines a chance to see what kind of competition they could be up against once Big Ten season begins., "I think it put us in a good situation, because the first three games we didn't face this, where we were coming back from a deficit," Hicks said. "Losing and coming back, and we had some bright spots in there and that's all a part of what we are doing. That's something that we need to do." For a team known for its strong defensive ability last sea- son, yesterday's performance was uncharacteristic. Michigan coach Kevin Borseth knows all too well that half-court bas- ketball is dangerous, but in the past, he has had to worry about a lack of offensive performance, not defensive. "You've got to get early offense because it's too hard to just play half-court basketball for 40 minutes," Borseth said after Michigan's first win of the season against Ball State, in which the Wolverines were impressive on offense, "We tried that for the last two years, and it was hard for us." But against Kansas, defense was the problem. The effort was there, but Kansas capitalized on too many Michigan mistakes. "We were just passing up easy stopping and our defense was not what we expected it to be," freshman guard Dayeesha Hol- lins said. "That's pretty much how we lost. "We were just having a hard timne rotating, and wherever their main scorer was, we just weren't.' It was Hollins's first collegiate away game, and she struggled to call plays above the loud oppos- ing crosid. But Michigan's comeback effort could be promising for the future. Although they couldn't stop a 21-11 run by Kansas with less than 15 minutes remaining in the second half, the Wolverines learned from their season's first deficit. in addition to struggling defensively, rebounds proved a challenge for the teai, with the exception of freshman guard Jenny Ryan's career-high eight. Redshirt senior Ashley Jones contributed six rebounds. Michigan has a long road ahead, with seven more away games before they return to Crisler.