The Michigan Daily'- michigandaily.cam
November 21, 2011- 3B
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom November 21, 2011 - 3B
GAME
STATISTICS
Robinson puts together complete game
Team Stats
First Downs
Rush/Yds
Passng Yards
Offensive Plays
TotalOffense
Kickreturnss/ Yds
Puntreturs/ Yds
Comp/Att/Int
Punts/Avg
Fumbies/Lst
Pealties/Yards
Time of Poss
MICH
24
61/238
80
418
3/70
5/33
11/19/1
4/36.8
0/0
5/45
41:13
NEB
11
31/138
122
54
260
7/159
1/11
9/23/0
6/46
4/3
8/73
18:39
M I C H I G A N
PASSING
Player C-A Yds TD Int
Robinson, D. 11-18 180 2 1
Gardner, D. 0-1 0 0 0
Totals 1119 180 2 1
RUSHING
Player Att Yds Avg Lg TD
Toussaint 29 138 4.8 31 2
RAbinson 23 83 3.6 16 2
Hopkins 2 15 7.5 12 0
Dleo 1 4 4 4 0
Odoms 1 1 1 1 0
Shw 2 0 A 2 0
RECEMVNG
Payer No. Yds Avg Ug TD
Odoms 2 47 23.5 38 1
Hemingway 2 34 17 26 0
04142471t 2 4 2 7 0
Roundtre 1 46 46 4 0
DAeo 1 1s 1s 15 0
Totals 11 180 16.4 46 2
PUNTING
Player No. Yds Avg 1 5
Hagerup 4 147 36.8 50
Totals 4 1 363 s0
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player No. Yds Avg Lg TD
COdoms1 2 7 0 233 2 0
152ta18s 2 7 0 233 2 0
PUNT RETURNS
Gallon 4 0767 1
Furman 1 6 6 0 0
Totals s 33 6.4 17 0
TACKLES
Player Solo Asst Tot
Kovacs 7 0 7
Morgan 1 4 s5
Simmons 3 0 3
Hawthorne 2 0 2
Floyd 2 0 2
Van Bergen 2 0 2
Countess 1 1 2
Henne * 2
Avery 1 0 1
Robinson,T 1 0 1
Cavanaugh 1 0 1
Gordon 0 1 1
Woolfolk 0 1 1
Totals 3s s8 5
N E B R A S K A
By MICHAEL FLOREK
Daily SportsEditor
For some fleeting moments,
Denard Robinson looked like
the same inconsistent quarter-
back who has been at the helm
of the Michigan football team's
offense all season. For all the
other moments,
he just looked NOTEBOOK
fleeting.
In Michigan's 45-17 win over
Nebraska, Robinson passed and
ran for a combined 263 yards and
four touchdowns and threw just
one interception.
The typical "Denard, No!"
moments were there. His screen
pass in coverage that was batted
into the air and intercepted led to
a Cornhusker field goal that knot-
ted the game at 10 points. But for
every one of one of those, there
were two plays similar to his
14-yard touchdown run: finding
the hole, cutting back and outrun-
ning defenders into the endzone.
Robinson's 83 rushing yards
were his highest total since he
eclipsed the century mark-against
Northwestern. The biggest differ-
ence, though, came in the passing
game. He completed 61 percent of
his passes, his highest completion
percentage in three weeks.
One of Robinson's touchdown
passes was a bullet into redshirt
sophomore Jeremy Gallon's hands
with a defender on Gallon's back.
The deep balls that were over-
thrown against Iowa and Illinois
connected on Saturday. Robinson
had four completions of over 20
yards, including the touchdown
pass that put the game away.
Already up 31-17, Michigan had
a third-and-six on Nebraska's
38-yard line early in the fourth
quarter. Robinson lofted a throw
to senior wide receiver Marta-
vious Odoms, who had beaten his
cornerback and snuck behind the
safety. The throw led Odoms into
the back of the endzone, away
from defenders, but it gave him
enough room to get his feet in
bounds for the touchdown.
"That was as good a throw as
I've seen him make, especially
on a long ball," said Michigan
coach Brady Hoke. "It was a great
catch by Martavious, but that was
where he had to put the ball."
RACE OF THE CENTURY:
Odoms probably wouldn't call
it a comeback, but the receiver's
resurgence in recent weeks cer-
tainly looks like it.
As a freshman, Odoms led
the team in receiving. Battling
injuries, his numbers steadily
declined in his sophomore and
junior years. After breaking his
left arm in fall camp this season
and practicing with a cast, Odoms
didn't make a catch in Michigan's
first eight games.
But in the past two weeks,
Odoms has increased his role,
catching four passes for two
touchdowns, including Saturday's
catch. Finally healthy, Odoms is
back to full speed.
"Me and Martavious had a race
(two years ago)," Robinson said.
"So, I've seen that he can run. And
he ran right past the defenders
and I put it in the air."
As for who won the race?
"You go ahead and tell them,"
Robinson told Odojms at the post-
Junior quarterback Denard Robinson tied Tom Brady for seventh on Michigan's all-time career passing touchdownsNlist.
game press conference.
"I ain't going to tell them,"
Odoms responded. "You tell 'em."
"He beat me," Robinson said.
"He got the win there."
CLOCK CRAZIES: Early in the
game with Michigan inside the
Cornhuskers' 10-yard line, Rob-
inson was called for a delay-of-
game penalty. It wasn't that he
lost track of the 25-second clock,
it was that he didn't have one.
Shortly before the game,
Michigan Stadium's power went
out. Auxiliary generators pow-
ered the north scoreboard, but
there wasn't enough electricity
to power the south, which was
the end of the field the Michigan
offense was facing.
The back referee started a
countdown with 10 seconds
remaining when the play went
off, but Robinson was confused
on which official was actually sig-
naling. By the time he figured it
out, he didn't need to. The student
section began screaming a count-
down.
"Yeah you could hear it, 'Five,
four, three,' " fifth-year senior
offensive lineman Mark Huyge
said. "I'm like, 'Snap the ball. Snap
the ball."'
Though there was one moment
where the crowd crescendoed
at "two," Michigan didn't have
another delay of game.
"I appreciate the fans helping
us out because we really needed
it," Robinson said. "Shout out
to the fans and I hope they'll be
ready next week."
NOTES: Former Michigan
coach Lloyd Carr was honored
before the game for his induc-
tion into the College Football
Hall of Fame.
SPECIAL TEAMS
From Page 1B
extra-point snap against Iowa;
his emphasis on technique led
to picture-perfect tackles on the
returns.
"It's probably as well as we've
played with all three phases,"
Hoke said after the game. Spe-
cial teams included.
Pelini was beside himself.
"Not locking the ball, not put-
ting the ball away when you're
carrying the football, dropping
the punt," Pelini said. "The
punter dropped the punt. You
can't do those things. I don't
know why they happened. I
don't know why we dropped the
ball.
"I don't know."
Leading up to the game, Hoke
praised Nebraska's return game
- Ameer Abdullah was the
nation's fifth-best kick returner
(31 yards per return) and 34th-
ranked punt returner (nine
yards per return). Hoke warned
against neglecting the "hidden
yardage" won and lost on special
teams.
It was still a 17-10 game when
Michigan kicked off to start the
second half. It was just like any
other kickoff.
Freshman kicker Matt Wile
drove the ball to the goal line
and backup wide receiver Ter-
rence Robinson manned his
lane.
Nebraska returner Kenny Bell
found some open space and cut
back toward Robinson, who had
squared his shoulders waiting
for Lane to come to him.
Robinson exploded toward
Bell, who never saw the 5-foot-9,
179-pound Robinson until he got
blindsided by him.
"And he fumbled the ball!"
the press box announcer shout-
ed, sounding surprised. "Michi-
gan's got it at the 33."
"I'll take it any day of the
week," said fifth-year senior
right tackle Mark Huyge. "Great
field position for an offense."
Eight plays later, junior quar-
terback Denard Robinson ran
into the endzone. 24-10.
It was still a two-touchdown
game when Nebraska lined
up to punt on its next posses-
sion. The ball was at midfield.
There was plenty of time left
for a comeback, and a good punt
from Nebraska's Brett Maher
could bury the Wolverines deep.
Maher dropped the snap.
Josh Furman, a safety who
only sees the field on special
teams, burst through the line
and blocked Maher's late punt
attempt.
"It's huge," Pelini said.
"You're just talking about giv-
ing away possessions and giving
them short fields and field posi-
tion changes. It hurt us."
On the ensuing drive, Michi-
gan stalled inside the five-yard
line. Hoke sent his field-goal
team onto the field. With a
make, Nebraska would only have
to overcome three additional
points.
But Hoke called a fake. Dileo
caught the snap, hopped up and
had plenty of room to pick up the
first down.
"It was the one that Penn
State used against us in '95,"
Hoke said of the fake. "Drew
Dileo, having him as a holder,
he's such a smart football player
and did a tremendous job with
it. If (you've) got it, you might as
well use it."
Pelini agonized.
"We had it covered," he said.
"We actually practiced that
fake. ... Somebody didn't do their
job."
The next play, redshirt sopho-
more running back Fitz Tous-
sasint scored a touchdown.
31-10.
It was again a 14-point game,
31-17, early in the fourth quarter
when Nebraska stopped Michi-
gan again on third down.
But after Will Hagerup
punted it, a flag came flying in.
Nebraska special teamer Wil
Richards was one of eight rush-
ers Pelini sent to try and create
some magic of his own. Rich-
ards couldn't block the kick, and
he landed underneath Hagerup
as his foot came down, causing
the punter to fall. The game's
momentum hung in the balance
- a "running into the kicker"
call only gave Michigan five
yards, but a "roughing the kick-
er" call would give them a first
down.
It was the latter.
"After that happened it pretty
much just shut everything off
with us," Pelini said. do
Eight plays later Michigan
scored again. 38-17.
Of course, Nebraska fumbled
the ensuing kickoff.
"Another special teams blun-
der, as the Huskers are cough-
ing it up and giving Michigan
the game," the TV announcer
roared.
Hoke said he didn't emphasize
anything new in practice. There
was no new strategy. He simply
challenged his special teams to
out-compete the guys the lined
up against - as he always does.
"They were what they're sup-
posed to be: special," Hoke said.
PASSING
Player C-A Yds
Martinez 9-23 122
Totals 19-23 122
RUSHING
Player Att Yds Avg
Marlowe 1 23 23
Abdullah 2 19 9.5
David 1 6 65
Totals 31 138 4.s5
Int
0
0
L9
23
16
65
23
Lg
12
15
8
54
TD
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
TD
0
0
1
0
0
RECEIVING
Player No.
Marlowe 3
Enunwa 3
Reed 1
Bell 1
Totals 9
Yds
24
21
15
8
122
Avg
8
54
15
8
18.4
HUSKERS time of possession, churning up (the offense) on the field." dium. Big Ten Legends division title,
over 41 minutes off the game The crowd of 113,718 at Mich- "We've won two in a row, but the Wolverines don't mind
From Page 1B clock, compared to Nebraska's igan Stadium began a "Beat right?" Hoke said. "There's taking the conceding that prize
18:47. Ohio" chant with six minutes another one to go win." for now.
Hoke credited the Wolverine "You play really good defense remaining in the fourth quar- Michigan's victory, coupled Because in the Cornhuskers'
offense for keeping the defense when you get to watch your ter and the Wolverines leading with a 55-3 Michigan State win first visit to the Big House as a
prepared and rested. Michigan offense," Hoke joked. "One of 45-17. Michigan plays Ohio State over hapless Indiana in East member of the Big Ten, Michi-
thumped the Cornhuskers is our best defensive calls is having next Saturday at Michigan Sta- Lansing, gave the Spartans the gan left Nebraska in the dark.
PUNTING
Playr
Maher2
Totals22
KCOFFtETRN
Player
Marlowe1,4
No. Yds Avg Lg
6 276 46 69
6 276 46 69
THE GAME
From Page 1B
No.
4
1
2
7
Solo
14
5
5
5
5
4
2
3
2
2
2
2
2
0
1
1
1
1
1
68
Yds
88
33
38
159
Asst
3
4
2
1
1
0
2
0
1
1
1
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
18
Aug
33
Lgs
28
33
30
Tot
17
9
7
6
6
4
4
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
76
lowing in a seven-game losing
streak - the Wolverines' longest
ever against Ohio State. Adding
insult, the Buckeyes have won
the past four Games by a score of
114-27.
Saying there's been an empha-
sis placed on beating Ohio State
would be an understatement.
Hoke refuses to wear red - a
tradition that's lasted his whole
coaching career, which included
stops at Ball State and San Diego
State, and both of those teams
wear red. He won't call his the
Buckeyes by their full name,
"Ohio State." Instead he says,
"Ohio."
The players have picked up
Hoke's term. So did the fans
who chanted after the Nebraska
game.
"That's what he calls them, so
that's what we call them," Kovacs
said.
When the players walk into
Schembechler Hall - which has
voluntarily become their home
away from home - countdown
clocks are posted as a reminder.
They've been up ever since Hoke
took over.
"Every day," said redshirt
sophomore running back
Fitzgerald Toussaint.
"We walk in that building and
it's right there," added Huyge.
"Right in your face," Tous-
saint interrupted. "Can't miss it.
In red."
The reeling Buckeyes lost
against Penn State on Saturday,
dropping their record to 6-5.
Michigan is 9-2, with a potential
at-large BCS bowl bid on the line.
The previous 11 games this sea-
son say change is afoot.
The last time Michigan had a
better record entering The Game
was 2004. The last time the Wol-
verines had a winning streak lon-
ger than two games entering The
Game was 2006.
"Well it does give us a lot
of confidence," Huyge said of
the team's two-game winning
streak. "In the past - I don't
want to bring up past seasons -
but we haven't been playing well
in November."
That's one difference. Another
is the emphasis the coaches have
placed on improving each week,
Huyge said. After every game,
win or lose, the coaches have
focused on getting better. And
Saturday's 28-point win over a
ranked Nebraska team could be
considered the Wolverines' best
game in years.
"We knew if we got better in
November, we'd be playing better
wll"
C..
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FILE PHOTO/Daily
Former Michigan running back Chris Perry Celebrates after Michigan last beat Ohio State in 2003.
football," Huyge said. five years. "And really, playing this great
All the while, Hoke holds an "Everyone knows how big this game of football in the month of
appreciation for how the Ohio game (is)," Martin said. "That's November, is just, it can't get bet-
State game always caps that all- what makes it such a great game, ter than that. This week has to be
important month. A win Satur- because of how much time is put one of our best weeks of prepara-
day would give Michigan its first into it - how much it means to tion, period. That's what it needs
winning record for November in each program. to be."