The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
GAME
STATISTICS
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October 19, 2011 - 3B
J fl/
Team Stats
Fist Downs
Rush/Yds
Passing Yards
Otfensive Plays
Total Ottense
Kick returns/Yds
Punt returns/Yds
Comp/At/Int
Punts/Avg
Fumbles/Lost
Penalties/Yards
lime oftPoss
MICH
20
36/82
168
67
2500
2/32
2/2
12/31/1
7/32
2/0
5/40
29:27
MS
16
39/213
120
63
333
3/47
1/13
13/24/0
5/41
2/2
13/124
30:33
Int
1
0
1
PASSING
Player C-A Yds TD
RobinsonD. 9-24 123 1
Gardner, D. 3-7 45 0
Toas 12-31 168 1
-
MARISSA MCCLAIN/Daily
Michigan coach Brady Hoke had his perfect record tarnished in the Wolverines' 28-14 loss to Michigan State on Saturday in East Lansing.
Hoke looks to rebound from first loss
fRUSHING
O Player Att Yds Avg Lg TO
Robinson, D. 18 42 2.3 15 1
Gallon 1 0 t.0 0 0
emig 3 3 14.3 20 0
Totals 36 82 2.3 26 1
RECEIVING
Player No. Yds Avg Lg TD
Roundtree 4 66 16.5 34 1
"emn"ay 3 3 143 2
Galalo 7 22143 032 42
Koger 2 16 8.0 12 0
Totals 12 168 140 34 10
PUNTING
Player No. Yds Avg Lg
Hagerup 7 223 31.9 42
Totals 7 223 0 42
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player No. Yds Avg Lg TDO
Odoms 2 32 16.0 17 0
Totals 2 32 16.0 17 0
PUNT RETURNS
Player No. Yds Avg Lg TD
Galln 2 2 1 1 28
coamla 2 22 10 1
TACKLES
Plr Solo Asst To
Kovacs 6 0 6
Roh 4 2 6
Martin 2 3 5
Floyd 3 1 4
cMoranul 1 3 1
Van Bergen 1 2 3
Hawthorne 1 2 3
Woo folk 2
Campbell 0 2 2
Simmeons 1 0 1
Black 0 1 1
Cavaag 0 1 1
M I C H I G A N S T A T E
PASSING
SPlayer C-A Yds
Cousins 13-24 120
*otals 1324 120
RUSHING
Player Att Yds Avg
Baker 26 167 6.4
Martin 3 20 6.7
el 7 20 3.
Fowler 1 6 6.0
"oal 39 213 5.
RECEIVING
Player No. Yds Avg
Cunningharm 4 39 9.8
Unthicun 2 22 11.0
Nkchol 2 20 10.0
Totals 13 120 9.2
TD Int
2 0
2 0
L.g
25
11
8
6
Lg
13
15
11
16
TD
1
0
0
0
0
1
TD
0
2
0
0
0
0
2
BySTEPHENJ. NESBITT
Daily Sports Editor
Michigan coach Brady Hoke's
first loss was bound to come
sooner or later. But that loss com-
ing to Michigan State certainly
didn't make it any easier to stom-
ach.
The 18th-ranked Wolverines
fell to the Spartans,28-14, in East
Lansing on Saturday, catapulting
Michigan State
ahead of Michi- NOTEBOOK
gan in the Big
Ten Legends Division.
The Wolverines (2-1 Big Ten,
6-1 overall) now have a bye week
to refocus after the defeat. But
it'll be the head coach who needs
the most time to recover.
"I have to shift myself first
probably," Hoke said on Monday.
"But the seniors now will get
together tomorrow and have a
very good conversation. They're
a prideful group. Kids are more
resilient than we are, period, and
so we'll move forward."
The senior captains - center
David Molk, defensive tackle
Mike Martin and tight end Kevin
Koger - all emphasized the
importance of players supporting
each othet through a bye iseek
instead of sitting on the previous
game. Last season, Michigan lost
two-straight games entering the
bye week, then emerged with a
poor showing in a 41-31 road loss
to a 4-3 Penn State team.
"That's really what's going to
STATE
From Page 1B
set.
When junior quarterback
Denard Robinson turned away
from the handoff, Adams - the
"Pony" - broke loose knocked
him back halfway to Tuesday.
"We've gotten many first
downs with that play, same play,
where the guy jumps and you
send one guy in motion," Michi-
gan coach Brady Hoke said.
"I saw the 25-second clock
rolling to zero. I think we got
away with one, to be honest with
you."
In hindsight, a delay of game
penalty would have been a gift.
After a Michigan State punt,
Robinson had a chance at
redemption.
He took the first snap, had a
linebacker in his face, and threw
a dart right on the numbers to
cornerback Isaiah Lewis, who
returned the only Michigan turn-
over of the day for a touchdown
ROBINSON
From Page 1B
"You can put a fear in the
quarterback's eyes, cause him to
make mistakes," said Michigan
State defensive tackle Jerel Wor-
thy. "He's a guy, you know he's a
competitor. But at the same time,
he's not that big.You don't want to
keep getting crunched by a 300-
pound defensive lineman all the
time."
Narduzzi told the ESPN
announcers that his plan was to
have nine defenders up close to
the line of scrimmage at all times,
playing his cornerbacks tight
to the line, clearly zeroing in on
Robinson's ability to run. In 2010,
Narduzzi's plan forced three Rob-
inson interceptions and held him
to 4.1yards per carry, injuring the
quarterback in the process.
From that point on last season,
make this team different than
all the teams in the past that I've
played on and started," Molk
said. "It's time for me, along with
my senior group and fellow cap-
tains, to step up and take con-
trol of the emotional level of this
team and stride on.
"We can't let one loss set us
back for the entire season and
really make us feel like it's over
just because we have one loss.
That's not goingto happen."
The bye week is also crucial to
allow Michigan's injured players
some much-needed rest from the
grind of the season.
Hoke pointed out fifth-year
senior cornerback Troy Woolfolk
and junior quarterback Denard
Robinson as two players who will
surely benefitfrom the bye week.
"Football is a physical game,
and guys are going to get bumped
up, get sore," Martin said. "I
know we have some guys that are
feeling that a bit, so having the
bye week is key. I think it comes
at the perfect time."
Michigan's seniors have
already set their sights on the
next game - an Oct. 29 home-
coming matchup with Purdue.
But the loss to Michigan State
isn't out of their minds just yet.
They're letting it hurt just a
while longer.
"This game is going to sting for
a bit - I think it has to," Martin
said. "This team has to remem-
ber the taste in our mouths. It's
not good, but we have to move on.
"We're at the halfway point
of the season, and we have five
more guaranteed opportunities
as a football team. For us to be
able to prepare longer for Purdue
is also going to help. I think it's
going to show up on Saturday."
FOURTH AND NONE: It was
unquestionably the final turning
point of the game. With one play
call gone wrong, the Paul Bunyan
Trophy settled right back into
the Spartans' hands.
On fourth-and-one from the
Michigan State nine-yard line
in the fourth quarter, Michigan
offensive coordinator Al Borges
called for a play-action fake out
of an I-back set. No one ever
learned what the end of the play
was supposed to look like.
By the time Robinson took the
snap and faked to sophomore
running back Fitzgerald Tous-
saint, Spartan cornerback John-
ny Adams was in Robinson's face,
untouched off a corner blitz for a
game-saving sack.
On Monday, Hoke explained
that the call was supposed to
leave Koger open for the score.
"If we execute the play,
Koger's in the endzone," Hoke
said on Monday. "We don't make
a block that we need tomake.-
"That's part of their defense,
bringing their corners especially
when you get into two tight ends.
A lot of people will do that to the
weak side of it. Again, he was
accounted for if we executed."
Instead of a chance to tie up
the game, 21-21, the ball was
handed back to the Spartans.
Koger doesn'thave any regrets
about the play call, saying the
team runs it every week in prac-
tice. He also didn't even know if
he was open on the play.
"It's hard to say," Koger said.
"When I whipped my head
around, Denard was being tack-
led. So it's hard to say if I was
open or not. We just have to exe-
cute. We have to block better on
that play, no matter what the call
is. If we had executed, the play it
would have worked."
WOE IS WILLIAM: Michigan
State is conducting an internal
review into possible "sportslike
conduct violation" by defensive
end William Gholston in the
Spartans' win over Michigan.
Michigan State athletic direc-
tor Mark Hollis released a state-
ment Tuesday sayingthe Big Ten
had been notified of Gholston's
potential violations.
"We are thoroughly review-
ing the entire game and utiliz-
ing all of the available resources:
coaches' video from midfield and
end zone cameras, TV copy as
well as still photographs," Hol-
lis's statement read. "Once the
internal reviewisamopleoi eln
will forward a writen report on
to the Big Ten."
If Big Ten commissioner Jim
Delany disagrees with the Spar-
tans' assessment, he has up to
three business days to make a
decision.
FOURTH DOWN
From Page 1B
tioned immediately. But fifth-
year senior David Molk is one of
the best centers in the Big Ten
and Robinson hadn't had a prob-
lem gaining only a single yard in
the past. He converted on a 4th-
and-1 earlier in the drive. Com-
ing into the game Michigan had
converted on 3-of-4 fourth down
attempts on the season.
Each came through running
the ball, including two by Rob-
inson. The only failed conver-
sion came when Robinson threw
an interception against Eastern
Michigan.
So why run a play action?
"We've gotten many first
downs with that play, same play,
where the guy jumps and you
send one guy in motion," Hoke
said. "A bunch of touchdowns
too. ... We've been very success-
ful, really in the las two years on
the same play."
Although the play ended
Michigan's best opportunity,
it wasn't the Wolverines' last
opportunity. The Michigan
defense got a three-and-out after
forcing an incompletion on a 3rd-
and-4.
After struggling the entire
"We've gotten
many first
downs with
that play."
game, Robinson had a chance to
redeem himself. He had 65 yards
in front of him and 4:40 left in
the game. On the first play of the
drive, Robinson took the snap
in the shotgun. Michigan State
brought another blitz, this time
up the middle. Robinson hurried
in his throw to junior running
back Vincent Smith, who was in
the slot.
The ball sailed past Smith
before he could turn his head
around, and went right into the
hands of Spartan safety Isaiah
>Lewimse u 10 snmt
Lewis stormd ""down the
sideline and into the endzone to
give Michigan State their final
14-point lead.
With two offensive plays the
comeback remained unfinished,
but Michigan was.
State attack proved too power-
ful for Michigan's offensive line.
Robinson and sophomore quar-
terback Devin Gardner were
sacked a season-high seven times.
Following the Roundtree
touchdown, the Michigan
defense forced a fumble and got
the ball right back within strik-
ing distance of the endzone.
Then came Adams's fourth-
down sack of Robinson. Then
came the interception. Then the
final horn and raising of the Paul
Bunyan Trophy.
In the end, the jerseys didn't
play a role in the outcome. And
the Michigan offense did its best
to be a non-factor.
Ultimately, the Spartans won
the one-upmanship battle by
claiming the Paul Bunyan Tro-
phy for yet another season. And
that feeling will last long after
the season ends.
"For the rest of our lives, well
walk the streets of this state,"
Spartan quarterback Kirk Cous-
ins said. "For the rest of our life.
It's satisfying."
cerned with how his offensive
line blocked than the play of his
quarterback. The unit whiffed on
picking up a key cornerback blitz
on a 4th-and-i in the red zone late
in the fourth quarter that would
have extended the potential
game-tying drive. And Robinson
and Gardner were sacked a com-
bined seven times.
What you saw against Michi-
gan State - Robinson at the helm,
with Gardner running a few key
plays - seems to be the plan going
forward. If the Big Ten follows
the Spartans' scheme, Robinson
may be forced to evolve or Gard-
ner could see more time.
Borges said last week that he
wasn't one to pull a quarterback
after a few bad throws.
How poorly would Robinson
have to play to force Hoke's hand?
"I wouldn't even speculate,
because that's a point that's way
out there," he said.
PUNTING
Player No. Yds Avg Lg
Sadler 5 205 41.0 45
Totals 5 20s 41.0 4s5
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player No. Yds Avg Lg
Celek 1 7 70 7
Totals 3 47 15.7 21
Planer No, Yds. Avg Lg
Martin 1 13 130 13
Totals 1 13 13.0 13
TACKLS
Player Solo Asst Tot
Norman 6 4 10
Bullough 2 6 0
Allan 3 4 7
Robinson 5 1 6
Lewis 1 5 6
Adams 4 0 4
Pickelman 2 2 4
Drummond 3 0 3
Rush 2 1 3
Gholston 1 2 3
Worthy 1 1 2
Dennard 0 2 2
Gainer 1 0 1
Elsworth 1 0 1
Gardiner 0 1 1
(Totals 32 30 62
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and a commanding 28-14 lead.
Robinson had blitzing line-
backers in his face all day, and the
numbers showed his struggle in
the face of a rush. He finished the
game with just 165 total yards.
"He made some things hap-
pen," said Michigan coach Brady
Hoke of Robinson. "And there
were a couple times..."
Hoke trailed off. It's hard to
describe a 9-for-24 passing out-
ing.
"He always plays excited, with
a lot of energy," Hoke continued.
"The interception, I don't know
what he saw, but I thought he
held in there."
Robinson held in there until
he was knocked out of the game
after a roughing-the-passer call
on the Spartans.
Robinson's day didn't end so
comfortably, but in the day of the
duelinguniforms, the Wolverines
tallied first.
on the opening drive of the
game, Robinson shook a defender
in the backfield and scrambled
for 15 yards into the endzone to
finish an 80-yard drive.
But the highlight of the drive
came two plays earlier when
sophomore wide receiver Drew
Dileo, the kick-team holder, ran
a bootleg around the ride side
on a fake field-goal attempt and
stretched just inches beyond the
first-down marker.
It wasn't quite "Little Giants"
- the name of Michigan State's
fake field goal call that toppled
Notre Dame in overtime last sea-
son - but Hoke had cast the first
stone.
'Anything you can do," the
fourth-down call seemed to say.
Michigan's opening drive took
over six minutes off the clock.
Just like the legacy uniforms, it
was old-school Michigan football
- at first, anyway.
The Spartans struck back with
a touchdown drive that took half
as long as Michigan's drive.
But nerves, weather and
defensive pressure put the offen-
sive outburst to rest. The swirling
wind turned Spartan Stadium
into a relative maelstrom.
Michigan's offense went cold.
After the opening-drive touch-
down, seven consecutive drives
ended in punts. Worse yet,
though the field position was ter-
rific, the last six punts came from
inside Michigan State territory,
just outside of field-goal range.
"We had a lot of opportunities
to come back in the game and just
keep the game within reach, and
we just didn't execute," Robinson
said.
Not until early in the fourth
quarter, nearly 45 minutes after
Robinson's openingscore, did the
Wolverines finish a drive with a
score.
With 9:56 remaining in the
game, trailing 21-7, Robinson
found junior wide receiver Roy
Roundtree on a slant. After a
broken tackle, Roundtree went
into the endzone to cap a seven-
second drive and pull within a
single score.
With plenty of time left, the
Wolverines were barely one-
upped - just seven points away.
But the vaunted Michigan
Robinson looked like a different
quarterback than the one that
dominated non-conference play.
A few games later, former Michi-
gan coach Rich Rodriguez started
rotating Tate Forcier in at quar-
terback because he liked Forcier
better running certain passing
plays. Once Michigan fell behind
in games, the Wolverines needed
Forcier and his passing-oriented
playbook to come back.
The Spartansmayhave started
a chain reaction of events again.
In the 2011 version, Robinson
set a career-low for completion
percentage and exited the game
with a bruised back as questions
arose for the first time whether
he should be replaced by Gard-
ner - the taller, supposedly more
polished passer.
Gardner saw action in the past
two games in a package featur-
ing both Robinson and himself
on the field at the same time. But
against Northwestern and Mich-
igan State, Gardner took a hand-
ful of snaps without Robinson on
the field. About a month ago, it
seemed implausible that Gardner
would see playingtime with Rob-
inson still struggling as a passer.
"All these questions about
Denard Robinson are all fair
questions," Borges said on Sept.
20. "Denard Robinson is not
going to develop any of these
skills with Devin Gardner in
the game. That's bad and good,
because God knows I'd like to
get Devin in the game. It's just
hard to do unless you're going
to commit to a two-quarterback
system, which we're not going to
do. We're going to wait and find
instances we can get him on the
field."
Hoke explained that they had
three plays they liked for Devin
to run, but Gardner's role has
expanded in each Big Ten game.
Most critics of the two-quar-
terback system point to a lack of
consistency and rhythm that hurt
the starter. Hoke denied that sub-
bing Robinson out for those three
snaps, and the handful with Rob-
inson lined up out wide, added to
his inability to get going.
"That would be similar to tak-
ing a defensive end out and rotat-
ing him," Hoke said of putting
Gardner in for a few plays. "When
you think about it, because they
both have fundamentals and
techniques and things that they.
have to do, when you look at
it schematically from a defen-
sive standpoint. So I don't know
what the difference is, besides he
touches the ball every time."
Clearly, Robinson had neither
consistency nor comfort Saturday
as he completed just 9-of-24 pass-
es, but the Spartans' plan can take
most of the credit for that.
Hoke seemed more con-