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From page 5B
a behemoth. He's the only one out of
the three who actually looks like he
plays football. But Will is right-his
personality is bigger than life. Had he
not injured himself in the spring, he
would be getting significant playing
time at defensive end, where he spelled
Brandon Graham last year and played
all 12 games. And he'd-be a media dar-
ling, Will is smart, thoughtful and likes
to talk about almost anything, espe-
cially Michigan football.
"I watched every game growingup,"
Will says. "I can still remember a lot
of games - well, almost every game,
probably."
Will, of the three subjects of this
story, was the pioneer. A prodigious
baseball talent in high school, Will
played football for fun and to spend
time with his teammates, who includ-
ed Pat and Russ. Growing up, baseball
was his focus. But his passion was
Michigan football.
"Michigan football was everything
to me growing up," Will says. "We'd
play there (Holloway Field) Friday
nights and couldn't wait for Saturday
morning when you'd get up and watch
the game or go down to the Stadium.
You'd look across the street sometimes
during warm-ups and just dream, but
actually playing there wasn't realistic."
After Will's senior football season,
Noah Hurwitz, the guardian of one of
Will's teammates at Pioneer, Cameron
Joplin (who now plays tight end for
Northwestern), told Will he could play
football in college and that he'd make
him a highlight video. Will was doubt-
ful, but Hurwitz persisted.
"He said, 'You're big, you're fast,
you could walk on - a lot of schools
would love to have you.' So he made a
highlight tape and sent it to Wisconsin,
Northwestern and Michigan."
Will went to Schembechler Hall to
drop his tape off - "The coolest thing
I had ever done." - and the director of
football operations told him he'd hear
back in a week.
"So I was like, 'Well, that's the last
time I'll see them:"
But of course it wasn't. Will called
the team after not hearing anything for
a week and they were surprised no one
had contacted him before. They told
him they would love to have him on the
Breakdown: Despite trend of FCS wins,
Michigan should run over Massachusetts
team, and to report for camp in August.
Will dropped the phone. He had
a decision to make: play baseball for
Michigan, the sport he'd committed
the better half of his life to and clearly
his better sport, or take his chances
playing for a team he had worshipped
as a kid, and still did.
In the end, his love for Michigan
football and the chance to play in the
Big House, practice with Chad Henne
and Mike Hart and Mario Manning-
ham and go up against Jake Long on
the line, won out.
"It turned out to be probably the
best choice Iever made," Will says.
And so the fan, the kid who couldn't
wait to get to Michigan Stadium on
Saturday afternoons, became the play-
er. He wasn't alone.
"I remember working at Russ's try-
out," Linkner says. "I was literally the
person shooting jugs to him and seeing
himworkout. It's justfunnyto seeyour
high school and middle school class-
mate show up and make the team."
In Ann Arbor, the name Furrha is
synonymous with football. It seems
like every year, there's a new batch of
Furrha football standouts ready to step
in. In fact, there used tobe two Furrhas
on Michigan's roster - Russ's younger
cousin Nader was a quarterback on the
team until he transferred this year to a
junior college. Russ has three cousins
currently playing college football: Fadi
plays for Toledo, Odeh plays for Indi-
ana State and Esham plays for Saginaw
Valley State.
Making Michigan's team as a walk-
on was the end of a long road for Russ.
But he stresses that for him, playing
football at Michigan is only one of
Minutemen pose a
decent threat on the
ground, 'M' shouldn't
overlook FCS team
ing yard
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Last
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ARIEL BOND/Daily
(ABOVE) Pat Collins, Russ Furrha and Will
Heininger at the field they once played on
at Pioneer High School.
two major life goals. Being a student
at Michigan was at least as important.
But make no mistake: Russ's goal is to
see the field, maybe on special teams.
"Some, like my uncle and stuff, are
like, 'Great, you're on the team. So,
what's next?' " Russ says. "You should
always be progressing and not be nos-
talgic. You've got to create more goals
for yourself."
But his family, however football-
intensive it may be, always stresses
that school comes first.
"Their expectations are school
first," Russ says. "But they'd definitely
love to see me on the field and I'd love
to see myself on the field."
"Besides goingto Michigan State my
freshman year, I went to Allen Elemen-
tary, which is off Stadium (Boulevard),
I went to middle school at Tappan,
which is off Stadium and then Pioneer
which is off Stadium," Pat says. "So
outside of that one year at State, I not
only lived in Ann Arbor but lived right
in the shadow of Michigan Stadium."
AsPatexplains it,thetwochoices for
him out of high school were to either
play at one of the numerous smaller
schools that were giving him attention
or go to Michigan State, where some of
his best friends were going and where
he would havea realistic shot at study-
ing business. So Pat went to State. But
he didn't ever, he wants to stress, go
green.
"At no point was I ever a Michigan
State fan for anything," Pat says. "My
dorm room, I had two big Michigan
flags. The thing that sucks is we went
around our dorm freshman year and
introduced ourselves, and when I said
I was from Ann Arbor, people wanted
to know if I was a State fan now, and
I said, 'No, I'm a Michigan fan and I
always will be."
Although the truth, it wasn't the
smartest thing to say. A major upset
in the Big House that first weekend of
Pat's freshman year made that Satur-
day... challenging.
"t just heard a stampede coming
down the hallway so I closed my door
and locked it."
While Pat was stranded in the land
of the Spartans, he kept in touch with
Will, who was back in Ann Arbor
redshirting for the Wolverines. Will
told him about some of the other play-
ers walking on at Michigan, how a
lot of them were guys the two had
played against in high school, guys Pat
thought he measured up well against.
Pat had stayed in great shape while at
Michigan State, and he felt like he was
the strongest he'd ever been. Finally,
Will suggested to Pat that he should
transfer and try out for the team.
"I talked to the director of football
operations and said my friend is a real-
ly good athlete and will do what's right
for the team and he's a smart kid," Will
says. "And he said, 'Well, let's bring
him down for a tryout."'
"Will was like, 'You should try to
come, you should try to come,"' Pat
says. "And I was like, dude, I would
give anything to do that but it's not
realistic."
Pat spent the first semester of his
sophomore year in East Lansing, with
Will in his ear the whole time. Finally,
in October of his sophomore year, Pat
handed in his applicationtogo to Mich-
igan. He was so sure he wouldn'tcget in,
let alone play on the football team, that
he didn't tell a soul he applied.
Over winter break of his sopho-
more year, Pat got an e-mail that said
he'd been accepted to Michigan. He
ordered a U-Haul truck to retrieve all
of his belongings from Michigan State
and dropped all of his classes.
"It literally happened, like, over-
night," Pat says.
He tried out that winter for the team,
at the same tryout as redshirt sopho-
more safety Jordan Kovacs, and made
it in time for spring ball that same year.
"I feel like I haven't realized what's
happened yet," Pat says. I feel like I
don't have time to sit down and think
about it. But I'm afraid if I do that I'll
get complacent, which is what I'm
most afraid of"
With Pat back where he belongs,
the three kids who grew up going to
the Big House every Saturday still do-
except now, instead of watching the
winged helmets, they wear them.
Back at Linkner's apartment, Will
describes the Michigan football team's
connection to Ann Arbor like this:
"People definitely live through the
team. Regardless of what kind of peo-
ple they are, religiously, demographi-
cally, almost everyone cares about the
football team. And Ann Arbor's a dif-
ferent city; there are a lot of different
people living here. But everyone seems
to tune in and at least care about how
the team is doing. It's kind of this con-
nection that brings everyone together.
Growing up, I was in the shadow of
it, it was more important than almost
anything. It really instills a love for the
team in you, and I think that's helped
me a lot where I'm at now."
It's nearly impossible to grow up in
Ann Arbor and ignore Michigan foot-
ball. It's an atmosphere. It worms its
way into nearly every facet of autumn
life - conversations, traffic, local
news, everything. It hovers over every-
thing just as the Big House hovers over
Holloway Field.
There's something desperate about
the hold young Ann Arborites have on
the football team. For them, there is
something so thrilling about rooting
for a team that is all theirs, for a team
so important, for a team so delightfully
national that remains all their own.
Russ Furrha, Pat Collins and Will
Heininger were all once those boys.
Now, they're Wolverines.
By NICOLE AUERBACH and man Ste
TIM ROHAN 13 times
Daily Sports Writer andDaily Sports Editor down. T
ries Rob
It's been a week since Michigan's The N
thrilling 28-24 victory at Notre the weal
Dame, and Ann Arbor has been con- that wi]
sumed by a single theme - seven expense
days of Denard Robinson mania.
The sophomore quarterback, who
put up a record-setting 502 total
yards last weekend, will once again MIC
be the center of attention against MASSA
Massachusetts.
How many carries will Robinson The N
get? Will he play the whole game? ing offe
Could he get injured? yards in
Those answers will come in the inson ho
Big House. Let's look at some other of findin
questions as the Wolverines take on downfie
the Minutemen, their only Football If the
Championship Subdivision opponent on track
of the season. have toi
son & C.
MICHIGAN RUN OFFENSE VS. the top
MASSACHUSETTS RUN DEFENSE againstI
cut.
When your team's quarterback is Junio
the nation's leading rusher, you've Odoms,
got to feel pretty good about your Roundtr
run game. Robinson's 455 total rush- seem to
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Is top the best running back
ation, Oklahoma State's Ken-
nter, by 41 yards.
o Robinson can run - that
we know. But what about
n's running backs?
week, junior Mike Shaw,
ore Vincent Smith and fresh-
phen Hopkins ran the ball
for 30 yards and one touch-
hat's fewer than half the car-
inson had.
Wolverines need to spread
th in the running game, and
ll come at Massachusetts's
Robinson.
Even though the Minutemen
have stifled FCS opponents' passing
attacks, Robinson has matured as a
passer in just two weeks as the start-
ing quarterback.
Massachusetts's defense won't be
better than that of the Huskies or the
Fighting Irish..
EDGE: MICHIGAN
MASSACHUSETTS RUN
OFFENSE VS. MICHIGAN RUN
DEFENSE
HIGAN P
CHUSET
tinuteme
nses to
their fir
as shown
ng open I
ld.
Wolverin
k early, N
respect t
o. will loc
- justl
Notre Da
r wide re
redshirt
ee and jur
have bu
EDGE: MICHIGAN The Wolverines corralled the
Fighting Irish's running backs last
week and have allowed 292 total
ASS OFFENSE VS. yards all season.
TS PASS DEFENSE Michigan let Jordan Todman rush
for more than 100 yards in week one
m have held oppos- and Armando Allen rushed for 89
319 total passing last week.
st two games. Rob- Massachusetts has experienced
that he's capable success on the ground game, and
Michigan receivers have amassed over 220 rushing
yards per game.
nes' run game gets It's possible that running backs
Massachusetts will Jonathan Hernandez or John Griffin
he run and Robin- of Massachusetts could run for more
ok to throw it over than 100 yards. But the Minutemen
like Michigan did probably won't be running much,
sme and Connecti- especially if Michigan gets off to a
fast start and builds an early lead.
ceiver Martavious The Wolverines' front seven has
sophomore Roy been active and tackling well during
nior Darryl Stonum the first two weeks.
ilt a rapport with Redshirt sophomore Jordan
Kovacs and fifth-year senior Jonas
Mouton seemed to be in the middle
of every pile last week. But those two
will probably have to drop back in
pass defense instead..
EDGE: PUSH
MASSACHUSETTS PASS
OFFENSE VS. MICHIGAN
PASS DEFENSE
The Minutemen average 258 yards
per game through the air, and Michi-
gan's secondary is still its biggest
question mark.
That's not the best combination
for the Wolverines, who allowed
Notre Dame (without its No. 1 quar-
terback for nearly half the game) to
pass for 38
This m:
venting ai
magnitudE
Massachu
won't be e
Redshir
had a toug
Irish rece
him to bou
utemen.
Redshir
bons miss
half field g
1 yards. The Big House is an intimidating
atchup will be key in pre- place to play - just ask Delaware
nother Appalachian State- State - so there's no underestimat-
e upset because a strong ing the "awe" factor.
setts rushing performance of course, there's the Appalachian
nough to do it. State exception, and that gives hope
t freshman Cam Gordon to teams like Massachusetts. But
;h day against the Fighting there's a difference between being a
ivers last week, so expect perennial FCS powerhouse and hav-
ance back against the Min- ing a hot 2-0 start.
The Minutemen will be over-
EDGE: MICHIGAN matched and overwhelmed by the
louder Big House.
And Michigan has learned its les-
SPECIAL TEAMS son about dealing with FCS oppo-
nents.
t freshman Brendan Gib- EDGE: MICHIGAN
ed two makeable second-
oals (at 39 and 40 yards) to FINAL SCORE: 49-14
keep Notre Dame in the game.
The Fighting Irish took those six
missed points and the lead with less
than four points remaining in the
game. True freshman Will Hagerup
didn't get a lot of reps against Con-
necticut, but against the Fighting
Irish, Hagerup had plenty of punting
opportunities - but there were more
shanks than booming punts.
Special teams won't be a factor
against an FCS school, unless it's
close. And if that happens, special
teams will be the last of Michigan's
worries.
EDGE: PUSH
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