The Michigan Daily - michiga.ndaily.com
Friday, November 12, 2010 - 7
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, November12, 2010 - 7
'M' has edge aganst
reeling Purdue 'O'
Blue tops Michigan State,
moves on to Big Ten semis
By TIM ROHAN
Daily Sports Editor
If there's an offense in the Big
Ten that the Michigai defense
would want to face this week, it is
probably Purdue's. The Boilermak-
ers' have already lost starting quar-
terback Robert Marve, No. 1 wide
receiver Keith Smith and top run-
ning back Ralph Bolden to injuries
throughout the season. And in the
past three weeks Purdue has scored
a total of 23 points against Ohio
State, Illinois and Wisconsin.
Those Big Ten foes -have scored
a combined 127 points against Pur-
due.
Michigan (2-3 Big Ten, 6-3 over-
all) enters the contest coming off
its sixth win of the season, a triple-
over time victory over Illinois that
made the Wolverines bowl eligible
for the first time under Michigan
coach Rich Rodriguez. Offense was
not a problem for the Wolverines as
they scored 67 points against the
AItL BOND/Daily
Sophomore quarterback Denard Robinson averages almost 350 yards per lame.
ByJOHN EPPLER
For the Daily
STATE COLLEGE - Just 10
days ago the Michigan men's soc-
cer team beat Michigan State, 3-2,
in a hard-fought rivalry game in
Ann Arbor. Yesterday, the Wol-
verines (12-4-3) accomplished the
same feat with only 10 men on the
field for the majority of the second
half, beating their in-state rival,
2-1, to advance to the Big Ten
semifinals.
As Michigan senior forward
Justin Meram was sent off the
field with a second yellow card for
excessive celebration, the heart
of an already anxious team sank
a little.
They were tied in the second
half of a single-elimination Big
Ten Tournament matchup. The
scene seemed all too familiar, mir-
roring the last meeting between
the two sides.
"At halftime, I thought our
guys were a little antsy," Michi-
gan coach Steve Burns said. "I had
to assure them that this is exactly
the kind of game that we wanted
to have and expected to have."
Just minutes into the second
half, Meram scored, but his cel-
ebration earned him a red card.
After Meram's goal and dismissal
from the game, the team showed
energy and maturity, rallying
around its dynamic duo - the
Saad brothers, Hamoody and
Soony.
"It was definitely difficult to
adjust to being a man down,"
freshman forward Soony Saad
said after the game. "But that
being said, I think we did really
well when it came to our defend-
ing and keeping our discipline."
Being a man down made a dif-
ference, but not the one that peo-
ple expected.
"I thought that it really hurt
Michigan State, because they
expected themselves to carry the
Illini - but the
in the barnburnE
defense allowed 65
er.
MICHIGAN RUN OFFENSE VS.
PURDUE RUN DEFENSE
Michigan sports the nation's
ninth-best rushing attack led by
Robinson who still leads the NCAA
in rushing yards despite running
for a season-low 62 yards last week
againstthe Fighting Illini.
The Wolverines had quality
contributions from Vincent Smith,
Mike Shaw and Stephen Hopkins
last week - the trio carried the load
that Robinson usually shoulders.
Purdue defensive end Ryan
Kerrigan is a standout, but Michi-
gan has been able to run on every
team it has played this year -don't
expect anything to change this
week.
EDGE: MICHIGAN
MICHIGAN PASS OFFENSE VS.
PURDUE PASS DEFENSE
Sophomore quarterback Denard
Robinson threw for a career-high
305 yards on just 10 completions
last week. He threw two intercep-
tions in the first quarter but con-
nected with redshirt sophomore
Roy Roundtree on two big comple-
tions in a high-scoring second quar-
ter.
Purdue's secondary will have
a hard time handling Roundtree,
Stonum and redshirt junior wide
receiver Junior Hemingway on the
outsides, especially with Robinson
returning to action.
EDGE: MICHIGAN
PURDUE RUN OFFENSE VS.
MICHIGAN RUN DEFENSE
Purdue could get a boost from
the absence of Michigan linebacker
Jonas Mouton, who is questionable
for Saturday's game with a strained
muscle in his chest. The Boilermak-
ers'only redeeming asset on offense
could be their running game, which
averages more than 175 yards per
game behind leading passer Dan
Dierking- a fullback.
With the loss of Bolden due to
an injury, the Boilermakers have
resorted to using multiple backs
and quarterbacks to get the job
done.
Michigan looked like it was
swarming to the ball against Illi-
nois and gang tackling running
backs.
But the Wolverines still strug-
gled to slow down Jacob Ford and
Mikel Leshoure.
and three interceptions against the
Badgers last week and the Fighting
Illini held him to 52 yards on 7-of-
20 passing. Illinois allowed more
passing yards to Michigan on the
Wolverines first play from scrim-
mage..
This could get ugly for both sides.
EDGE: PUSH
SPECIAL TEAMS
The negative attention has shift-
ed in recent weeks from Michigan's
kicking woes to the Wolverines'
defensive inefficiencies. But Michi-
gan is still 4-of-11on field goals and
its long is 37 yards.
Purdue kicker Carson Wiggs
has connected on 10-of-14 field
goals all season, including both of
his attempts from farther than 40
yards, and Cody Webster averages
more than 42 yards per punt.
EDGE: PURDUE
INTANGIBLES
Sophomore forward Hamoody Saad, shown here against the Spartans on Oct. 30,
and his brother, Soony, make up one of the Big Ten's best scoring duos.
play," Burns said. "It pulled State celebrate."
really out of their play." The Wolverines' 10-man
Finally, their hard work paid defense held on to the lead to beat
off when Soony Saad earned a free f Michigan State (11-7-1).
kick at the top of the box. Soony "It was a very mature win from
- the forward who scored game- our guys - a group that we typi-
winners from 40 and 60 yards this cally start five or six underclass-
season - tood over the ball looking men," Burns said. "Its always
at a 19-yard free kick to take the satisfying to see a team growing
lead. up in front of your eyes."
"After the foul, Hamoody Today, the team will play for a
looked at me and he said,'Take it, chance at the Big Ten title against
it's yours,' then started laughing," Wisconsin, which won in penalty
Saad said. "It made things easier kicks against Ohio State yester-
on me and it was good the team day.
had confidence in me. Right when "We are going to play our 4-4-2
I hit it, I knew it was going in the and we are going to play the best
top corner. I didn't even see it hit way we know how to play," Burns
the back of the net, I just ran to said.
PURDUE PASS 0
MICHIGAN PAS!
Just when you
Michigan secondary
younger, redshirt so
nerback J.T. Floyd wa
ing practice last week
the remainder of thes
Experience is hardI
the Wolverines, but:
true freshman Sean
quarterback. He has:
as the starter the la
against Illinois and W
, Robinson threw f
EDGE: PUSH Though this game is on the road,
Michigan has a sliver of momen-
FFENSE VS. tum in West Lafayette. After last
S DEFENSE Saturday's win, Rodriguez's mes-
thought the sage was that the final three games
couldn't get of the season would determine the
phomore cor- quality of a bowl that Michigan
s injured dur- receives.
and is out for With Purdue reeling, the Wol-
eason. verines have their best chance to
to come by for get another win this weekend. It
Purdue starts won't come easily against Wiscon-
Robinson at sin or Ohio State.
n't impressed EDGE: MICHIGAN
S Sm
st two weeks
isconsin.
or 141 yards
FINAL SCORE:
MICHIGAN 45, PURDUE 21
Wolverines' tournament quest
starts with host Oklahoma State
By PATRICK FIRLIK
For the Daily
The wait is finally over. Four
years, 1,460 days, 35,040 hours,
2,102,400 minutes or 126,144,000
seconds; whichever way you mea-
sure it, the Mich-
igan women's Mf gat
soccer team has
waited a very
long time to make Matchup:
it back to the Michigan
NCAA Tourna- 10-4-4; OK
ment. St. 17-3-2
Tonight, they When: Tonight,
take on No. 6 830 P.M.
Oklahoma State Where: Cow-
(11-2-1 Big 12, girl Soccer
17-3-2 overall) Complex
on the Cowgirls
home field in Stillwater, Okla.
At the beginning of the season,
Michigan coach Greg Ryan met
with his players and together they
set a goal for the season: make the
NCAA Tournament. In previous
years, such an aspiration might
have seemed bold and nearly
impossible to achieve, consider-
ing their inexperience and recent
trend of losing seasons.
Ryan said his teams of the past
simply "lacked the attacking tal-
ent to go after teams," comparing
them to a "boxer on the ropes, play-
ing defensively and trying to keep
games tight."
But this is a new year.
"The culture and chemistry of
the players this year has been fan-
tastic," Ryan said. "We have a huge,
very talented freshman class that
has blended seamlessly with a tal-
ented group of returning players.
The combination just turned into
an outstanding season."
The season has been highlight-
ed by an abundance of nail-biting
games, seven of which went into
double overtime. If the team wants
to continue its success, it will have
do so on the road.
"We're just going to play our
game," Ryan said. "They're going
to go after us and we're going to
go after them. I don't think either
team is going to back off."
Ryan hopes the Wolverines (5-3-
2 Big Ten, 10-4-4) will continue the
aggressive style that has been their
trademark all year.
"Going forward, we're going to
pretty much play an attacking style
of soccer and go after our oppo-
nents, regardless of what they're
ranked," Ryan said.
Emotions were running high
Monday after the team was chosen
second to last during the selec-
tion show for the tournament. The
team erupted at the announce-
ment, jumping up and down in ela-
tion.
"They are so happy to have taken
the team back to the NCAA Tour-
nament, to have rebuilt a strong
program at Michigan," Ryan said.
"But they're still very focused and
determined to win this weekend."
Regardless of how his team per-
forms in the tournament, Ryan is
extremely proud of what they have
accomplished already.
"One of the big things for me as
a head coach and for the rest of the
team was to send our seniors out
as winners, as players that worked
their way back into the NCAA
Tournament, an achievement that
they have never experienced,"
Ryan said. "We are so happy that
this senior class can go out and
know they helped rebuild Michi-
gan into a great soccer program
once again."
But there is still an opportunity
to continue the memorable season,
starting tonight at 8:30 p.m. The
winner will play on Sunday against
the winner of the Memphis/Ore-
gon State matchup.
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More big stories for this weekend on MichiganDaily.com
I
BLUE OPENS
SEASON WITH
USC UPSTATE
After a close victory over
Saginaw Valley State in their
exhibition opener, men's
hoops takes on a team that
might rival its youth.
FIELD HOCKEY
ENTERS NCAA
TOURNEY
With a high-powered
offense, led by freshman
Rachael Mack, Michigan
heads to Chapel Hill, N.C. to
take on Old Dominion.
ICERS TAKE ON
CCHA LEADER
NOTRE DAME
The Wolverines take on the
Fighting Irish in a weekend
home series that could
shake up the conference
standings picture.
a -'