,, ,. u , The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Friday, Semptember 16, 2011 - 9 Breakdown: EMU run game worrisome for 'M' ByKEVIN RAFTERY Daily Sports Editor Eastern Michigan is 2-0 for the first time since 1989. For- mer Michigan football players Kurt Anderson, Mike Hart and Steve Morrison are now part of the Eagles' coaching squad, and long-time Michigan assistant coach Ron English is now the Eagles' head coach. Will the for- mer Wolverines be able to work up some old magic to help give the Eagles their first-ever vic- tory against Michigan? There's a chance, but not a very good one. Here's a breakdown of Saturday's matchups: Michigan pass offense vs. East- ern Michigan pass deferse In victories against Howard University and Alabama State, the Eagles gave up an average 171 yards per game in the air. They're not horrible numbers, but when you consider the opponents East- ern Michigan faced (both are FCS schools), the numbers aren't exactly eye-popping. Sophomore defensive back Marlon Pollard, a transfer from UCLA, has been a nice addition for the Eagles and has already snagged one inter- ception. Senior defensive back Latarrius Thomas, a transfer who started as a true freshman at Louisville, has also improved the defense, The Michigan offense has seen some troubles of its own through the air, as junior quarterback Denard Robinson has completed just over 50 percent of his passes and has thrown'three intercep- tions, often having trouble with his footwork and accuracy. At times, the receivers have shown an inability to hang onto balls that they should have caught. But you can bet that the Eagles have never faced a versatile quarterback quite like Robinson (except for Rob- inson himself in 2009), and he should be successful as long as he stays poised. Edge: Michigan Michigan rush offense vs. East- ern Michigan rush defense For the most part, the Michi- gan running backs have strug- gled so far this season. Redshirt sophomore Fitzgerald Toussaint appeared to have taken hold of the starting job after his 80 yards and two touchdowns against Western Michigan, but a shoulder injury kept him sidelined against Notre Dame last weekend and his role on Saturday is up in the air. Senior Michael Shaw stalled in the starting role last week, tallying two carries for minus-three yards. Sophomore Stephen Hopkins didn't fare much better, with just 10 yards on five carries and one fumble. Junior Vincent Smith has shown flashes of potential, but it appears he will be primarily used as a third-down back. The Eastern Michigan defense excels against the rush. The Eagles have given up an average of just 41.5 yards per game on the ground, including minus-13 yards in their 14-7 victory over Ala- bama State. Pollard and Thomas received preseason All-MAC rec- ognition, and senior defensive end Brad Ohrman leads the MAC with three sacks already this year. But Michigan still has the most dan- gerous rusher on the field in Rob- inson, who is averaging 77 yards per game and can break loose at any point. That's enough to give the Wolverines a slight edge. Edge: Michigan Eastern Michigan pass offense vs. Michigan pass defense The Eastern Michigan passing game has been far from stellar this year, but then again, so has the Michigan pass defense. Eagles quarterback Alex Gillett has com- pleted just 47 percent of his passes for 176 total yards, three touch- downs and two interceptions. His longest completion went for just 25 yards. The Wolverine defense has given up an average of 249 yards per game in the air - over a third more yards than Gil- lett has passed for in two games. But Michigan has forced three interceptions so far, and Gillett is a prime subject to toss up a few more. Edge: Michigan Eastern Michigan rush offense vs. Michigan rush defense The Eagle running backs have proven to be a two-headed mon- ster so far this season. Asa whole, Eastern Michigan is averaging 331 yards on the ground in two games. Redshirt junior Dominique Sherer and sophomore Javonti Green crossed the century mark in each of the Eagles' first two games. Green is averaging 133 yards per game, and Sherrer is averaging 115. That could spell trouble for the Wolverines, who are tenth in the Big Ten in rush defense and have given up an average of 147 yards on the ground per game. Redshirt junior safety Jordan Kovacs is tied MARISSA MCCU Senior defensive tackle Mike Martin and the rest of the defensive line will be tested Saturday against tastern Mich with reds Kenny De (18), mean ning back through ti and into tI - someth to avoid on Edge: E In seven Eastern It Jay Karut inside the and he's p better pun Michig: punter Ma for suspen Will Hage at times, :hirt junior linebacker punt. mens for most tackles Eastern Michigan sophomore ing the opposing run- kicker Kody Fulkerson, who sur- s have often made it prisingly snagged the job away he initial line of defense from redshirt junior and for- he Wolverine secondary mer starter Sean Graham at the ing Michigan will hope beginning of this season, has Saturday. been solid so far, going 7-for-7 on astern Michigan extra points and 2-of-3 on field goal attempts. Special Teams The Wolverine field goal kick- ers have yet to attempt a field n attempts last Saturday, goal. Michigan would probably dichigan junior punter like to keep it that way. Its kick- z pinned Alabama State ers finished 4-for-13 on field 20-yard line five times, goals last year - good for last in roven to be one of the the nation. ters in the MAC. But you've got to believe the an freshman kicker/ Wolverines will have to attempta att Wile, who took over field goal eventually, and there's nded sophomore punter a good chance it won't be pretty. rup, has looked decent Edge: Eastern Michigan averaging 39 yards per Intangibles Coming off an incredible 35-31 comeback win over Notre Dame last Saturday night, Michigan's biggest concern could be avoid- ing a letdown against Eastern Michigan in an ordinary noon game. But Michigan coach Brady Hoke has stressed many times that he will not let his team take the Eagles lightly, and he'll have the Wolverines ready. Redshirt sophomore Tay- lor Lewan echoed Hoke's com- ments and tabbed Saturday's game as another opportunity for Michigan to improve its record. In -Hoke's 100th career game as a head coach, the Wolverines won't let him down. Final Score: Michigan 38, Eastern Michigan 14 VOLLEYBALL Rosen plans to open up offense for Dannemiller Freshman setter finding her groove entering last preseason tourney By MATT SPELICH Daily Sports Writer Mark Rosen may not be work- ing at Baskin Robbins, but he is hard at work adding new flavors to his offense for freshman set- ter Lexi Dannemiller. "We are still running a very vanilla offense," said Rosen, the Michigan volleyball coach. "It's starting to get a little chocolate swirl, but we need to get to the point where it's got whipped cream and a cherry and the whole bit. We are a long way from that, but we're getting there. "We are confident that we can probably be successful this weekend with the stuff we're running, but we are going to need to have more tricks in our bag to compete in two weeks at the Big Ten level." While Rosen's metaphors may be strange and may bring about a hankering for some- thing sweet, his logic holds ~true. Dannemiller's ability to spread the offense has been a cornerstone to Michigan's success this year. Rosen sim- ply knows that Dannemiller is going to have to become more creative with her sets to com- pete in the upcoming weeks. His veteran women's volley- ball team has proven that it is capable of executing complex offenses under three-time All American Lexi Zimmerman. Big Ten Athlete of the Week Dannemiller will have to step up the flavor of this Wolver- ine sundae. But for now, as Rosen often says, "It's a work in progress." Coming off their Dayton Flyers Classic victory, the 18th-ranked Wolverines are preparing for the Michigan/ Adidas Invitational in Ann Arbor this weekend. Michigan will face Toledo and Xavier on Friday, and Texas A&M on Saturday. Each team will bring its own unique challenges. Xavi- er plays a fast game that may prove difficult to contain. Texas A&M is the only other team in the tournament with an unde- feated record. And Toledo has shown an aptitude for kills despite its los- ing record, which indicates that the Rockets are capable of going on major runs. Toledo was also one of the few teams to beat Michigan last year. As the last tournament of the preseason, the Wolverines will look to make the final adjust- ments to Dannemiller's game, specifically how she weaves middle blockers sophomore Jen- nifer Cross and senior Courtney Fletcher into the offense. The job of the middle blocker is multi-faceted and is integral to both the offensive and defen- sive sides of the net. The main responsibility, though, is in the name - block- ing, a skill Michigan has been looking to improve since the start of the season. "Jen and I take a lot of pride in our blocking," Fletcher said. "It's definitely not our best skill, it never has been. But before every match we look at each other and say, 'We are going to go block some balls.' We also just adopted swing blocking, and while it was a little rough in the beginning of the season, I thought last weekend was the best it's been so far, and it will continue to get better." Added Cross: "No one wants to be a middle blocker. We're constantly going from pin to pin. It's a hard job, but some- body's got to do it." Cross and Fletcher also share the same favorite kill spot - a complex set they call an "A." It's a set in which the setter fakes to the outside, getting the blockers in motion, before set- ting it behind her head for the middle blocker to, as Cross says, "Take that ball to pound town." Both middle blockers are waiting for Dannemiller to per- fect this play, but they are confi- dent it will come in time. No one can be sure what this is all going to amount to, but it is clear that Rosen has a definitive picture in his mind. For now, it would appear that he has astrong base and all the toppings to make this a delicious season, though only time will tell. Financial aid is available to assist U-M students participating in U-M study abroad programs. - View instructions to apply for study abroad aid at: www.finaid.umich.edu/Abroad. - If you will be enrolled in a study abroad program sponsored by the University of Michigan, you will be considered for all aid programs except Work-Study. Note: You must apply for aid by completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and other forms as noted on the web page above. - If you will enroll in a study abroad program sponsored by another institutionlagency, contact the Office of Financial Aid immediately to review your options. I