2B - November 22, 2010
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 40
2B - November 22, 2010 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom 6
Goodbye to the Big House,
don't forget the good times
As a left my house for the
Big House before the final
home game of 2010on
Saturday, the
nostalgia hit
me like a brick
wall.
Instead of y.
taking Fifth
Street straight '
toward the sta-
dium, I took a-RYAN
detour. It was a KAT
pretty special KARTJE
day after all -
my lastgame in
the Big House as a student, every
senior's last game in the Big House
as a student - soI headed for State
Street.
Like many of you seniors, my
mind immediately flashed back to
freshman year. The first time I saw
State Street at its finest. The first
time I walked past Bongo man.
The first time I took a beer bong
from the third story of a stranger's
apartment.
It was still the spectacle on
Saturdaythat it was before that
first game, when we all excitedly
walked to see Michigan - the No.
5 team in the nation at the time -
blow out a 1-AA school from Boone,
North Carolina that I'd only briefly
heard of during the 2000 NCAA
Men's Basketball Tournament.
And when that didn't happen,
we all survived Black Saturday. We
survived when Michigan lost the
next game to Oregon and started
its season 0-2 for only the second
time in our lifetime. And we sur-
vived when we lost one of the ugli-
est Ohio State games in the history
of the rivalry.
And to think, Michigan finished
that season 9-4.
We've all done a whole lot of
surviving in the past four years.
And none of it has been easy.
When Lloyd Carr left, it was
supposed to be Les Miles who
held the reins of Michigan's most
beloved athletic program. Then, it
was supposed to be Greg Schiano.
But finally, it was Rich Rodriguez,
Fir
Is
The Michigan football team has compiled a
of the program.
a spread offense genius from the
heart of Appalachia.
It was a fiasco of a coaching
search that left us all wonder-
ing where Michigan football was
going. Then, when we saw the
direction, most of us wished we
could turn back.
The next few seasons went by
at a painful snail's pace. We sur-
vived a 3-9 team led by a quarter-
back who didn't fit in Rodriguez's
offense and a defense that looked
like it couldn't get worse.
And then Tate Forcier, an
18-year-old signal caller from San
Diego, was deemed "savior" of the
program. He led Michigan to a4-0
start last season as a true fresh-
man. He was on Heisman watch
lists all over the country. And we
all watched as the wheels fell off in
the season's second half.
5-7. Two straight seasons of
below-.500 football, and we were
still there when Michigan kicked
off against Connecticut this sea-
son. Still there when they lost to
SAM WOLSON/Daily
16-14 record at Michigan Stadium, shown here from a helicopter, in the last four years
Michigan State, then Iowa, then
Penn State. And as we left the Big
House for the final time on Satur-
day, we left having endured four of
the most painful years in Michigan
football history.
But we made it.
Now that the experience is over,
there's absolutely no reason to sulk.
So what if Michigan finished 16-14
at home during your four years.
With the exception of a few Sat-
urdays in the last football season
(I'm looking at you, Northwestern
2009), you probably had a great
time at Michigan Stadium, win or
lose.
Sure, the football team owes us,
its loyal following, a whole lot of
appreciation for the last four years.
But what would your college expe-
rience have been without Denard
Robinson? Without a 112-point,
triple-overtime win over Illinois?
or without a last-second failed
two-point conversion to beat Wis-
consin in 2008?
What would it have been with-
out the "We Own Penn State"
chant when we beat the Nittany
Lions in 2007? Or Tate's final drive
to beat Notre Dame last season? Or
the look on Tim Tebow's face when
Michigan smashed Florida into the
ground in the Capital One Bowl?
I know there's little hope of me
convincing you that the last four
years have been a success. Even I
would be kidding myself if I told
you that.
But when all is said and done
and the Wolverines leave Colum-
bus next week, win or lose, don't
feel sorry for yourself. Don't talk
about how unlucky you were to see
the worst four years in Michigan
football history.
Instead, remember those few
moments when that team, your
team, made you feel like no other
sports team can.
Because, in the end, win or lose,
few others have fought as hard as
we have tobe Michigan fans.
And for that, you should be
pretty damn proud.
ARELcBOND/Daily
Sophomore Kevin Lynch had two goals on Saturday, including the game-winner.
Since being reunited with his line, he's scored four goals in four games.
Balanced'0'
leads Blue to ee
With members of Fab Five in attendance,
Morris leads Wolverines to blowout victory
By LUKE PASCH nin' Bulldogs (3-2).
Daily Sports Writer Sophomore guard Darius Mor-
ris spread the ball effectively at
The Michigan men's basketball the point, registering the team's
team kicked it old school on Sun- first double-double of the season
day after- with 21 points and 10 assists. He
noon. GARDNER-WEBB 58 also shot an impressive 80 percent
In MICHIGAN 80 from the field.
game two Michigan coach John Beilein
of the Legends Classic against continued to praise his young
Gardner-Webb, the team paid floor general for improved transi-
homage to a few of the program's tion play - Morris did a fabulous
greats by donning their maize jer- job pushing the ball up the court
seys along with black sneakers and throughout the contest. He also
socks, a look that was popular- showed off his range, as he was
ized by the "Fab Five" in the early 2-for-2 from 3-point territory.
1990s. "I will tell you all year long -
And the Wolverines (3-0) played that young man shot a lot of shots
like it was the early '90s, showing in the offseason," Beilein said after
little mercy on either end of the the game. "And he's very often the
court in an 80-58 rout of the Run- last one out on the court. ... That's
a big thing for us. Last year, when
people starting guarding him dif-
ferent and doubling off of him, that
changed a lot of the ways we can
score. (But) they have to respect
him right now."
Freshman center Jordan Mor-
gan dominated underneath and
continued to assert himself as the
team's top center option. Morris
targeted him in the paint often
against a weak Gardner-Webb
frontcourt, and Morgan tallied a
season-high 20 points and eight
boards.
The Detroit native showed
much improvement in his ability
to finish off opportunities, as he
scored both over defenders in the
paint and falling away from them
in the post.
I
THE UNITED STATES & GLOBAL
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT:
POLITICS, POLICY, & PRIORITIES
A 2010 CITIGROUP FOUNDATION LECTURE
"He's come a long way," Beilein
said. "He's learning how to fake,
he's feeling the people around him
and he's a very intelligent player.
He's an engineering student, doing
very well. I like his growth."
Morgan looked solid on the
defensive end as well, stifling a
number of drives to the hoop. Late
in the first half, Gardner-Webb
forward Josh Henley received
a pass in the paint, but Morgan
was right there to blanket him. As
Henley struggled to find options,
he was called for a 3-second viola-
tion, and Morgan earned a stand-
ing ovation from the Wolverine
faithful.
Freshman forward Tim Hard-
away Jr. also had a solid day with
15 points, including two buckets
from behind the arc. But for the
second straight game, he found
himself in a bit of foul trouble
early on.
Just a couple minutes into
the game, he picked up his first
personal foul and temporarily
checked out of the game.
"I'm not getting frustrated
- it's just a learning process,"
Hardaway said. "(The coaches)
probably just want to teach me
a lesson to not foul because that
was a stupid foul."
Ironically, the Wolverines
shot a season-high 52.4 per-
cent against the Bulldogs, even
though their veteran leader
- junior shooting guard Zack
Novak - was 0-for-4 from the
field.
Then again, Beilein said all
offseason that the team would
embrace a wide variety of scor-
ing options following the depar-
ture of All-Big Ten stars Manny
Harris and DeShawn Sims from
the program.
"It's a good feeling," Novak
said. "I think that just helps
everybody to be that much more
relaxed when they're shooting
because you know if you're not
hitting, it's going to be tough
to stop everybody on this team
from hitting."
With the win, Beilein picked
up his 600th career victory,
with Michigan greats Jalen Rose
(1992-94), Jimmy King (1992-95)
and Ray Jackson (1992-95) of the
infamous "Fab Five" in atten-
dance.
Lynch's threeg
lead the way a
12 forwards rec
point in sei
By CASANDRA PA
Daily Sports Write
When freshman def
Jon Merrill buried a p
hole on Lake Superior Sta
man '
goalie LAKE SUPERI
Kevin MICHIGAN
Kapalka
for the LAKEtSUPERI
first MICHIGAN
of the
game on Friday, the c
Yost Ice Arena roared.
Fans of the No. 10 1
hockey team haven't se
lamplighters on Frida
this season, but Merri
less than five minutes
first period rejuvenated
verines and the crowd a
Getting the first goa
weekend series with th
was impor-
tant, but how
Michigan
responded
after the Lak-
ers netted the is
equalizer less
than a minute sto:
later was more
noteworthy.
The Wol-
verines (7-2-1-
0 CCHA, 8-3-3
overall) didn't
just respond with anot
They exploded offensive
ing their second sweet
season after beating La
rior State 7-2 on Friday
on Saturday.
Friday night's victo
the Lakers snapped Mi
streak of tying or losinj
four game-one matchup
"Last year, we start
little bit slow and we w
change that around th
sophomore forward
Lynch said. "A couple o
night losses, we didn't
make it another last year
this weekend is a steppi
for the games to come."
Lynch, who only ha
goals this season head
the weekend series,
his career best with two
Saturday's game after t
goal and an assist on Fri
But Lynch wasn't t
Wolverine who found1
this weekend.
Every Michigan forw
played in the weeken
recorded at least on'
while Merrill and def
junior Brandon Burlon
out the balanced scorin
with a goal apiece.
After this weekend's
Michigan now has a four
for the team lead in goal
junior forward David V
and senior forwards Ca
lin and Scooter Vaughan
six goals this season.
"We know we play a
ter with the first goal,"
goals said after Friday night's victory.
"And even though they got one
s all back right away, we stuck with
the game plan and played hard
ord a all night."
The Michigan coaching staff
es challenged the Wolverines in
practice this week to turn up
GNI their speed and intensity and
,r to play three full periods each
night of the weekend.
enseman And Michigan proved it was
uck five up to the task, scoring four even-
tefresh- strength goals in the first period
on Friday - its first four-goal
3R ST. 2 period of the season en route
7 to notching its 500th victory at
Yost Ice Arena.
R ST. 2 The Wolverines didn't stop
3 there, though. They outshot the
Lakers 77-60 on the weekend
fortheir first home sweep of the
rowd at season.
Michigan's goaltenders
dichigan deserve due credit for the vic-
en many tories, as well. Senior netmind-
y nights ers Shawn Hunwick and Bryan
ill's goal Hogan gave up two goals each
into the and made a combined 56 saves to
the Wol- keep the Wolverines in the game
like. both nights.
i in the "That's a big win for (Hun-
e Lakers wick), too," Michigan coach Red
Berenson said
after Friday's
game. "A lot
his weekend of the Friday
night, Satur-
a stepping day night talk
is centered
ne for games around goal-
ies. And I try
to come." to diffuse
that because
I don't think
that's been the
case, but it's
her goal. still a reality. We've got to win
ly, earn- on Fridays."
p of the On Saturday, the Wolverines
ke Supe- took a one-goal lead into the
and 3-2 third period but kept the puck
in the Laker zone for most of the
'ry over frame, keeping Lake Superior
ichigan's State (3-6-1-0, 5-7-2) from pull-
g its last ing their goalie in the final sec-
s. onds and getting a chance at the
ed off a equalizer.
anted to "I thought they had one good 0
is year," scoring chance in the third,"
Kevin Berenson said. "Our team played
f Friday better defense. We played hard.
want to We played team hockey. That
r. I think last shift was a great way to fin-
ng stone ish the game. You just don't let
the other team pull their goalie
d three and get the extra man on the
ing into ice."
matched The Wolverines face road
goals in tests at No. 15 Wisconsin and
allying a Minnesota this Friday and Sun-
day. day. Taking care of business at
he only Yost and getting six points on
his shot the weekend comes as a relief for
the Wolverines, who don't have
ard who a true home game - besides The
d series Big Chill at the Big House - until
e point, their Jan. 8 matchup against
enseman rival Michigan State.
rounded "We were so mad about the
ig attack Friday night games, so I was a
little concerned about how we
sweep, would respond to a Friday night
r-way tie win," senior alternate captain
s. Lynch, Louie Caporusso said after Sat-
fohlberg urday night's win. "I was pretty
rl Hage- happy with it. It wasn't great,
all have that's for sure, it was still sloppy
in the first period, but at least
lot bet- we got the win, and that was the
Hagelin biggest thing."