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f The Michigan Daily I michigandaily.com I September19, 2011
31, Eastern Michigan 3
(Top) Redshirt sophomore running back Fitz Toussaint dives for a goal line touchdown against Eastern Michigan.
Defense allows
fewest points since
shutting out Notre
Dame in 2007
By STEPHEN J. NESBITT
Daily Sports Editor
The first time Eastern Michi-
gan's football team battled
Michigan to rule the roost in
Washtenaw County, it was 1896.
The Wolverines' opponents
were the Normalites, not the
Eagles. And Eastern Michigan
still was named the Michigan
State Normal School.
On Saturday, it looked like the
Eagles, riding a 2-0 record, had
a chance to topple the giant. But
in Michigan's 31-3 victory Satur-
day, defensive coordinator Greg
Mattison's defense just may
have set the Eagles' progression
back to the Normalite days.
It was all run and no pass,
just like in 1896. Though passing
is now a legal part of the game,
Eastern Michigan hardly tried
it.
But it was the Michigan
defense that looked disastrous
from the beginning. That was
almost expected.
Just as Western Michigan
and Notre Dame sliced up the
Wolverines (3-0) for opening-
drive touchdowns in the first
two weeks of the season, East-
ern Michigan quarterback Alex
Gillett opened the game by com-
mandeering an easy drive into
Michigan territory.
His solution was easyenough:
run the ball. It was the same plan
the Eagles used in weeks one
and two to average 331 rushing
yards per game. Michigan got a
heavy dose of two backs whose
names conveniently match the
Eagles' school colors: Greene
and White.
Running backs Javonti
Greene and Dominique White,
a substitute for injured starter
Dominique Sherrer, that is.
But Greene met Black and
things turned in Michigan's
favor.
After the Eagles (2-1) rushed
for 55 yards into enemy terri-
tory, sophomore defensive end
Jibreel Black jarred the ball
loose from Greene. Redshirt
sophomore safety Thomas Gor-
don recovered the fumble and
ended the defense's early-game
woes.
But then, for the third time
this season, the Michigan
offense failed to record a single
point in the first quarter.
Eastern Michigan's jet sweep
series continued to give the Wol-
verine defense fits.
On the ensuing Eagles' drive,
Gillett and the backs - who
combined for 119 rushing yards
in the first quarter alone -
marched inside the Michigan
one-yardw line facing a fourth
down.
Redshirt junior safety Jordan
Kovacs beat his man to the edge
and made the tackle with his
back to the goal line.
"Every defensive player
wants to be in a fourth-and-one
See DEFENSE, Page 3B
ERIN KIRKLANDOANDCHRIS DZOMBAK/Daily
Even in the most
boring games,
Robinson excites
Robinson's legs make up for his poor passing
t has to be one of the best
deals in Michigan football
ticket-selling history.
I saw it on my walk to Michi-
gan Stadium Saturday morning
before the Wolverines' 31-3 vic-
tory over Eastern Michigan. A
student stood outside of a State
Street fraternity househoping
to get rid of his seat at the Big
House.
Third row.
Forfree.
To put this
in perspec-.
tive, that.
ticket could.
have been
sold for over KEVIN
$500 last RAFTERY
week against
Notre Dame.
I don't care if the Wolverines
are playing the Little Giants
with a 100-point spread. A third
row ticket should never just be
tossed away like a bad batch of
cookies.
And if somebody is crazy
enough to give away that seat
to a random person for nothing,
there better be blood, sweat and
tears as people fight to get it.
There wasn't. In fact, no one
even flinched.
They're playingEastern Michi-
gan, you mightargue. It's going
to be a boringgame.
Well, you're right. It is going
oib ebring'gamde t was #bor-
ing game. One-hundred twenty
four total passing yards between
both teamswill tend to cause
that. So will a lopsided match-
up that probably really only
inrigued familyand frien sof
the Eagles.
But with this Michigan team,
no matter who it's playing,
there's always a reason come to
Ann Arbor.
That reasoncomes inthe form
of two sparkling brown eyes
(they really do sparkle), a smile
that never seems to go away and
feet that move faster than Fred
Flintstone starting up his car.
The reason is Denard Robin-
son.
Even in a game in which noth-
ing seemed exciting - there
See RAFTLERY, Page 38
By MICHAEL FLOREK
Daily Sports Editor
Eastern Michigan coach Ron
English was asked whether he
had a good game plan in defend-
ing Michigan junior quarterback
Denard Robinson Saturday.
English paused, then let out a
hearty laugh.
"Oh shoot, you know?"
Not many people have expla-
nations for what Robinson can
do anymore.
Robinson completed less than
50 percent of his passes for the
second-straight game. But in
Michigan's 31-3 win over East-
ern Michigan, his running left
more people than Englishlaugh-
ing at what he could do.
Robinson used 26 carries
to gain 198 yards. A quarter of
those yards came on one play.
After their first three drives,
the Wolverines found them-
selves behind, 3-0. Robinson's
first four carries netted him just
19 yards. After getting the ball
back on Michigan's three-yard
line, Robinson kept the ball on a
read option and ran up the mid-
dle. He cut to the sideline and
took off.
Eventually, Robinson was
stuck in between redshirt junior
wide receiver Roy Roundtree
and the sideline. He slowed and
tried to cut back but was swal-
lowed up after 52 yards.
"I was kind of being patient,"
Robinson said. "I thought
(Roundtree) was going to prob-
ably push the guy down or some-
thing and I should've just sped
up and just got him and took a
side."
The rest of the drive consist-
ed of four more Robinson rushes
and two passes. It ended with
Robinson faking the read option
and throwing a quick pass to
senior tight end Kevin Koger.
The Eagles couldn't stop Rob-
inson on the ground. Michigan
realized it and gave him the ball
21 more times as they went on
to score 31 unanswered points,
putting away a game that ended
See ROBINSON, Page 3B
WHERE HART THOU?
Mike Hart started his coaching career
at Eastern Michigan, ending his playing
career prematurely. Tim Rohan asks how
soon he will end up at Michigan. Page 2B
MICHIGAN'S OT BLUES
The Wolverines dropped a pair of
extra-time games to No. 22 Notre Dame
and Marquette. Page 4B