The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Friday, October 1, 2010 - 5 Breakdown: Blue should expect shootout at Indiana JAKE FROMM/Dai Michigan coach Red Berenson begins his 27th season as the Wolverines coach on Saturday. Berenson to go for 700th win in M season opener Se ha Cha w Mic Beren season years:. non-se may s a rath and esting tic, b senior Hagel Capor and M on th bodes Beren is one of No. For that h perfor and b indivi hopes title si "We an NC Capor nior-heavy team capable of doing that. We don't want to throw that away. We s eyes on NCAA want to maximize that oppor- tunity, and we have talked as a mpionship, starts senior class about how powerful this team can actually be." ith Mercyhurst Berenson will have the chance to become the sixth member of By MARK BURNS collegiate hockey's 700-win club Daily SportsEditor tomorrow night. Michigan faces Mercyhurst in the Wolverines' higan hockey coach Red regular-season home opener, fol- son will enjoy a luxury this lowed by an exhibition contest on n that he hasn't had in 13 Sunday against Western Ontario. he returns all of last year's While the Wolverines cer- eniors. It tainly possess a deep senior class eem like with nine returnees, Michigan er simple Mercyhurst has a slew of underclassmen to uninter- at Michigan complement the experienced statis- crop of players, with defenseman Macup: ut having Indiana 17 7 Jon Merrill headlining the new s Carl Michigant7-9 Wolverines. in, Louie "Merrill has the chance to play usso When: Salon- in our top four," Berenson said of Matt Rust day at 4 p.m. the 6-foot-3 freshman, who was he roster Where: selected in the second round of well for Crisler Arena the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the son, who Live Blog: New Jersey Devils. win shy michigandaily. Caporusso added that it's fairly 700. com reassuring to know the coach- a team ing staff can call on any number as under- of players - even those who are med in the past three years younger and less experienced, roasts a talented trio of like Merrill. duals as leaders, Michigan The coachingstaff is restricted to claim its first national to two hours of practice per week nce 1998. until Oct. 2, so Berenson said he e understand that we're would know a lot more about the AA-Championship team," makeup of his team after this usso said this week. "We're weekend when his younger play- ers could showcase their talent in an actual game setting. He also said that he expects everyone to receive playing time in the first two games of the sea- son, including both netminders. After practice on Wednesday, it was announced that senior Shawn Hunwick will receive the starting nod over senior Bryan Hogan against Mercyhurst. Based on Hunwick's finish last season, when he led the Wolver- ines to a CCHA Tournament title and a trip to the NCAA regional final before losing to Miami (Ohio), the tenured coach said he thought Hunwick "deserved" the start. "I wouldn't say week-to-week, but month-to-month, we'll keep reviewing (the goalie situation) and see where we are," Berenson said. "We're trying to win games, and it's not about being fair, it's about what's best for the team." NOTES: Senior forward Ben Winnettt was hit in the head with a puck last Thursday and hasn't been practicing ... Beren- son said he "probably won't play Saturday, but maybe Sunday"... Freshman defenseman Jacob Fallon suffered concussion-like symptoms last week after taking a hit in practice. Fallon was taken to the hospital for precautionary measures, and Berenson said he "could play one of the games this weekend." By TIM ROHAN Daily Sports Editor Everyone is predicting that Sat- urday's game between Michigan and Indiana will be a shootout. The Wolverines have sopho- more quarterback Denard Rob- inson and an offense that has produced on average more than 560 yards per game and more than 330 yards of rushing - both of which rank second in the country. And the Hoosiers have seasoned veteran Ben Chappell back at quarterback, who threw for nearly 3,000 yards in 2009. But Chap- pell hasn't really had a tough test just yet this season. Do Towson, Western Kentucky or Akron scare anyone? Well, that's what Michigan fans thought of Massachusetts, too. Indiana has an offense that might be able to keep up with Michigan. In a battle of two poor defensive units, the game could come down to who lasts. MICHIGAN PASS OFFENSE VS. INDIANA PASS DEFENSE Robinson only played for about 10 minutes against Bowling Green, before bowing out with a minor injury. But he has been cleared to start Saturday, and he'll play as long as it's not a blowout in Michi- gan's favor. Robinson has developed con- nections with several Wolverine receivers through the first four games; junior Darryl Stonum, red- shirt sophomore Roy Roundtree and junior Martavious Odoms each have had the hot hand in dif- ferent weeks. The threat of Robin- son and the other running backs has opened up the opportunities for the receivers on the outside. And Indiana's rush defense hasn't held up against lowly competition to start the season. Expect them to emphasize stopping the Wolverine ground attack - this could be a big day through the air for Michigan. EDGE: Michigan MICHIGAN RUSH OFFENSE VS. INDIANA RUSH DEFENSE Any time an aspect of your game ranks second in the coun- try, it has to be a strength against any opponent. Michigan has an experienced offensive line and plenty of weapons to carry the ball - starting with Robinson. He ripped off runs of 46-and 47-yard runs against the Falcons last week and has topped 100 yards in each of the Wolverines' first four games. And while jun'ior Mike Shaw and redshirt freshman Fitzgerald Toussaint are doubtful against the Hoosiers, the Wolverines still have sophomore Vincent Smith, who has started two games this season, redshirt sophomore Mike Cox and freshman Stephen Hop- kins. Indiana has allowed an aver- age of 177 yards rushing per game. Robinson could have a field day, even without Shaw and Toussaint to hand the ball off to. EDGE: Michigan INDIANA PASS OFFENSE VS. MICHIGAN PASS DEFENSE The statistics are impressive: Indiana averages more than 300 yards per game. Chappell has thrown nine touchdown with- out any interceptions, and he has completed 72 percent of his passes - but once again, that was against Towson, Western Kentucky and Akron. Chappell had allof2009 tocome into his own and the Hoosiers have three quality receivers returning in 2010 in Damarlo Belcher, Tan- don Doss and Terrance Turner. The good times for Indiana could continue to roll. After all, Michigan sports the worst pass defense in the Big Ten. EDGE: Indiana INDIANA RUSH OFFENSE VS. MICHIGAN RUSH DEFENSE If this game goes as expected, Indiana might not have time to run the football. The Hoosiers' run game isn't as big of a threat as Michigan's, and in a shootout, Indiana might have to rely on its passing game to catch up. Darius Willis is Indiana's lead back, but he has taken a backseat to Chappell and the passing game so far this season. The Wolverines' rush defense has been shaky, but not as much as their pass defense. Michigan's front seven could con- trol the line of scrimmage and make things hard on Willis. The defensive line play was one of the many bright spots in the Wolverines' big win over Bowl- ing Green last week and it's been somewhat of a constant on an overall porous unit. EDGE: Michigan SPECIAL TEAMS Indiana has a significantly bet- ter situation on special teams than Michigan as Big Ten season begins. The Wolverines are still trying to find a placekicker. The Hoosiers have one. Nick Freeland is a perfect five- for-five this season for Indiana, but he hasn't attempted a kick lon- ger than 36 yards. Michigan has missed four of its five attempts, and true freshman punter Will Hagerup is going through some growing pains. We'll see how he matches up this weekend with his brother, Chris, who punts for the Hoosiers. EDGE: Indiana INTANGIBLES Last year, Tate Forcier threw a late touchdown pass to top Indi- ana in the Big House. And Bill Lynch famously threw his gum after a call didn't go his way on a ruling related to a Donovan War- ren interception. Indiana probably has had this game circled since summer camp started. It's the first game of the Big Ten season. Michigan's offense looks good and its defense doesn't. Dur- ing Rodriguez's first two years, this might have been a letdown game. But with Robinson under center, his explosive potential is enough to keep it even. EDGE: Push FINAL SCORE: Michigan 56, Indiana 38 SARAH SQUiRE/Daiy Junior wide receiver Martavious Odoms has played a signiticant role in the Wol- verines' pass attack this season, along with Darryl Stonorm and Roy Roundtree. WHAT'S YOUR CUP OF TEA? The antioxidants in tea help keep your brain younga nd healthy. Iced tea was invented in America when a lea merchant wanted to make his Lym OOLON( Sit Back RPeix product more appealing during a very hoot first World's Fair in St. Louis. 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