The Michigan Daily I michigandaily.com I September17, 2012
Michigan blows Saturday afternoon, manhan-
dling FBS newcomer Massachu-
out Minutemen setts from start to finish.
On the first drive of the day, the
in return trip to Wolverines looked like they were
playing against a scout team.
Ann Arbor Massachusetts kicker Brendon
Levengood booted the ball out of
By LUKE PASCH bounds on the opening kickoff,
Daily SportsEditor and senior quarterback Denard
Robinson led Michigan 65 yards
in the midst of a grueling regu- to the house in just five plays.
lar season schedule, the Michigan From there, the rout was on.
football team caught a break on Michigan beat down Massachu-
setts 63-13.
Robinson completed two pass-
es on the first drive - a 16-yard
toss to fifth-year senior tight end
Mike Kwiatkowski and a 26-yard
touchdown strike to freshman
tight end Devin Funchess. With
those completions, he moved to
sixth on Michigan's all-time pass-
ing yards list, passing current
New England Patriots quarter-
back Tom Brady.
Later in the first quarter,
Michigan was finally able to get
redshirt junior running back
Fitzgerald Toussaint going. He
had a rough start in his return
to the backfield last week when
he picked up only seven yards on
eight carries after he served a one
game suspensionthe week before.
Against the Minutemen, Tous-
saint matched his rushing total
from last week on his first carry
of the game. And on Michigan's
second scoring drive, he slipped
a couple of tackles on an 11-yard
scamper to the end zone.
Toussaint finished the con-
test with 85 yards on just 15 car-
ries, and this may have been the
bounce-back performance that
coaches say he needed to get back
in a rhythm.
On the Wolverines' next scor-
ing drive, early in the second
quarter, Robinson completed a
quick pass to wide-open junior
receiver Drew Dileo in the mid-
dle of the field, who ran the ball
another 50 yards after the catch
down to the Massachusetts five-
yard line.
"I did think I was going to
score," Dileo said. "But I guess
that's why they call me, 'the white
receiver.'
On the play, Robinson moved
up another spot on Michigan's
all-time passing last, jumping
current San Francisco 49ers head
coach Jim Harbaugh for No. 5.
"To be honest with you, the
only thing I think about is just
winning and going out there and
See UMASS, Page 3B
Notre Dame outlasts
Michiganindouble OT
By JEREMY SUMMITT
Daily Sports Writer
Coming off a disappointing
loss to No. 17 Marquette (6-0)
on Friday night, the Michigan
men's soccer team had high
aspirations coming into Sun-
day's home match against No.
8 Notre
Dame NOTRE DAME 1
in Ann MICHIGAN 0
Arbor.
Those aspirations seemed to
become more real as the match
progressed - until the 103rd
minute, that is.
The Wolverines (2-4) fell to
the Fighting Irish (7-0) early in
the second period of extra time
off a 30-yard cross delivered
from Notre Dame senior mid-
Redshirt junior running back Fitzgerald Toussaint finished with 85 yards and a touchdown against the Minutemen.
Hoke not satisfied
Redshirt sophomore goalie Adam Grinwis directs traffic in front of the net.
fielder Dillon Powers to senior tory.
forward Ryan Finley, who head- Michigan had its chances,
ed the ball in the left corner to but so did Notre Dame. The
give the Fighting Irish a 1-0 vic- See IRISH, Page 3B
with running
By BEN ESTES goal line, the play concluded with
Daily Sports Editor Toussaint crashing in for No. 17
Michigan's second touchdown of
It was when Fitzgerald Tous- the afternoon.
saint paused that the inevitable It was a sign of things to come.
outcome became clear. After putting up a mere 57 yards
It happened late in the first in the first two games of the sea-
quarter on Saturday, when the son and looking lethargic in doing
redshirt junior running back so, Toussaint and the rest of the
broke a tackle after having running backs broke out against
bounced to the outside. Toussaint the Minutemen. He, fifth-year
stopped briefly to regain his bal- senior Vincent Smith and sopho-
ance. Upon recovery, he found more Thomas Rawls combined
himself about 10 yards from the for 149 yards on 24 carries, almost
end zone. There were no Massa- tripling their collective yards-
chusetts defenders in immediate per-carry average from the initial
sight. two games.
After a sky-high dive across the Finally, someone other than
game
senior quarterback Denard Rob-
inson was getting it done on the
ground.
"We took a step forward in just
getting off the ball in our running
game and getting a good push up
front, but we still need work,"
Smith said. "We'll just continue to
strive in all areas."
As is the case in such uneven
matchups like the one between
Michigan and Massachusetts on
Saturday, the outcome was decid-
ed well before time expired in the
Wolverines' 63-13 victory.
That meant that Michigan was
even able to get its backups in on
See RUNNING BACKS, Page 3B
FOOTBALL
Cooper Barton reigns as
king of Michigan Stadium
By ZACH HELFAND
Daily Sports Editor
A 5-year old held court in the
press box of Michigan Stadium
on Saturday. About 15 reporters
gathered around Cooper Barton,
the boy from T K
Oklahoma NOTEBOOK
City with a
thick mane of blonde hair. He
wore a painted Wolverine claw
and a timid smile on his face and
toyed nervously with the thing
that got him here in the first
place: a Michigan t-shirt.
On the fieldMichigan scored,
and then it scored some more,
and by the second half, the atten-
tion span for most of the fans
matched Barton's. The game
was never really in doubt, and
even in the first half, the crowd
had been more concerned with
Barton - the kindergartener
who, last month, was forced to
turn his Michigan shirt inside
out at school - than the game.
Maybe the fidgety 5-year old
is too young to long remember
much of Saturday. Maybe in a
few years, the game will be as
lost to him as it will be to the rest
of the 110,000 fans on hand. His
parents will have to remind him
of the time he was the king of
Michigan Stadium.
For one break in the action, he
See BARTON, Page 3B
. HEART OF BAND 115 IRISH FIGHT ON
U The Michigan Marching Band has - Michigan couldn't topple No. 8 Notre
endured much more than you probably Dame at home on Sunday, but there were
know. It's time to find out. Page 2B some promising signs. Page 2B