0 8A - Wednesday, October 3, 2012 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com ICE HOCKEY Wolverines to host Blue/White Game ERIN KIRKLAND/Daily Fifth-year senior wide receiver Roy Roundtree and the Michiganfootball team's offense had 23 missed assignments in a 13-6 loss to Notre Dame. 'Unbelievably high' number of missed assignments plague By ZACH HELFAND Daily Sports Editor The worst part of film study, Jordan Kovacs said, is when you know you messed up. Those glar- ing missed assignments, when you should've done one thing but did the other, and all you can manage now isto pray thf coach- es stop the film. "It's not fun," the fifth-year senior safety said with a laugh. "Sometimes you get in those meetings and you know the play is coming, and you're thinking 'Oh God, here it comes. Please don'tshow it, please don't show it. What is coach goingto say?"' Against Notre Dame, the Michigan offense had 23 of those missed assignments, according to redshirt junior tackle Tay- lor Lewan, a number he called "unbelievably high." The mis- takes could range from missed blocks to improper reads to poor communication. "You should have one or two maybe in a game," Lewan said. "I've never seen (23 missed assignments) happen before, per- sonally." Senior quarterback Denard Robinson and his five turnovers have received most of the blame from Saturday's loss, but the rest of the offense struggled with even the smallest of details. Wide receivers ran past unblocked linebackers or didn't block at all. Linemen got beat. Runners made the wrong reads. Minus the Hail Mary at the end of the first half, Robinson was pressured or hiton all of his.inter- ceptions. Lewan said the offense even failed to communicate the proper play call. Offensive coordinator Al Borges called plays on several occasions that never made it onto the field. "It's not just Denard," Lewan said. "There's plenty of guys who messed up." Michigan coach Brady Hoke calls those missed assignments "game spasms," his word for mistakes that never happen in practice but can derail an offense during a game. A few happen in every game, but Michigan tends to suffer more on the road. Think Michgian State or Iowa or even Virginia Tech last year, or Ala- bama or Notre Dame this year. When not in Michigan Stadi- um, the number of missed assign- ments rises and the Wolverines' total yardage falls. This year, Michigan has aver- aged 504 yards of total offense per game at home but just 284 yards away from Ann Arbor. Granted, the level of competition - Alabama and Notre Dame - was much higher on road games this year, but last year's trend was similar. At home in 2011, Michi- gan averaged 450 yards. On the road, the Wolverines averaged 332 yards. Borges said he used the bye week to review his own perfor- mance on the road. He looked at his play calls from the past two seasons on the road, every single call, and evaluated his decisions. He codified each play into three. categories. One, where the call gave an advantage to the offense, the type of play that should be' successful; two, where the call could be successful but required more execution; and a third where a call gave the defense the advantage. Borges declined to say spe- cifically what he learned form his analysis, but the fact that he reviewed his road play-calling at all is revealing. "As a play-caller, believe me, as hard as the fans are on me, I'm about eight times harder on myself," Borges said. Robinson didn't have an answer for Michigan's road strug- gles, and jokingly noted, "I don't think I had a bad game when I was at Notre Dame my sopho- more year," as an understatement.. Lewan said it wouldn't happeni again. Kovacs blamed a lack of cohesion. "It comes down to communi- cation and just feeling comfort- able with the guys that you're out there with," Kovacs said. By MATT SLOVIN and LIZ NAGLE Daily Sports Editor and DailySports Wrter The Michigan hockey program will host its annual Blue/White Game, featuring several alumni, at Yost Ice Arena on Sunday. The scrimmage will feature current National Hockey League players Mike Knuble, Jack Johnson, Matt Hunwick and Andy Hilbert. The puck is scheduled to drop at 4:50 p.m. Michigan NOTEBOOK coach Red Berenson said on Tuesday's "Red Berenson Radio Show" that the game will be a great opportunity for fans to catch a first glimpse of the renovated rink. This summer, Yost underwent a major facelift, which most nota- bly included new windows at both ends of the arena. The entire rink is now outfitted with metal bleachers, and luxury boxes have been added where the press box used to sit. The concourses were also renovated and are now more spacious. Johnson, who was the first alumni guest of the season on the radio show, said he's excited to take part in Sunday's scrim- mage. He's been skating in Ann Arbor during the NHL's lockout - Johnson, who has been in the NHL since 2007, is a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets. "It's a great way to stay in shape," during the NHL lockout, Johnson said. HERE COMES THE... DP?: This _summer, Red Berenson strolled into a wedding reception to find a familiar face behind the disc- jockey booth - junior defense- man Mac Bennett. "He's pretty good, so you guys watch yourselves," Berenson told the hosts of the radio show, which - airs weekly on WTKA. Former Michigan hockey play- er Danny Fardig chose Bennett to man the turntables, as he has been known to do, for his summer wed- ding. "I think that's a one-time thing," Bennett said. "Literally, I did not sleep for four nights before the wedding. All I could think about was that if I mess this up, everyone's going to know. But it went well." Bennett added that the wed- ding was a perfect match for him because the bride enjoyed techno house music - Bennett's special- i ty. PRESEASON AWARDS: Tues- day, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association released its preseason all-conference teams, which included four Michigan hockey players. Junior defenseman Jon Merrill was chosen as the lone Wolver- ine on the first team. Sophomore forward Alex Guptill and senior defensemanheLeecMoffie were posted to the second team, and senior forward A.J. Treais was named an honorable mention. Merrill earned a preseason accolade for the second-straight year, tallying eight first-place votes and 44 total points amongst the CCHA's head coaches. The Brighton, Mich. native notched seven goals and 18 assists in his rookie campaign. After missing the first 22 games last year due to suspension, Merrill posted 11 points, including four multiple- point games. Last season, Guptill accumu- lated a handful of conference awards en route tobeing named CCHA Rookie of the Year. He tied for the team-high with 16 goals, including five power-play goals and four game-winners. In his first three seasons, Mof- fie registered 61 points, includ- ing last year's team-high of 25 assists. He was selected for the All-CCHA Tournamentteam and received a trio of first-place votes on 2012-13 preseason ballot. Treais, this year's team cap- tain, led Michigan with 134 shots on goal last season, scoringon 15. FOOTBALL Defense gains confidence entering Big Ten season Barnes Arico excited for season By LUKE PASCH Daily SportsEditor Following an underwhelming 2-2 start for the Michigan foot- ball team this fall, the team's rhetoric has not changed: The goal for the season is to win the Big Ten Championship. "Why not?" asked fifth-year senior safety Jordan Kovacs on Tuesday. "I'm not discouraged at all by the way things have started. We're undefeated in the Big Ten right now, right? Aren't we undefeated?" Reporters w chuckled. The Wolverines are the only team in the Legends division of the Big Ten to not play a conference opponent. So, yes - they have statistically as good a chance of winning the Big Ten title as any other team. "That's what I thought," Kovacs said. That glass-half-full mental- ity was apparent from most of the personnel that spoke with the media on Tuesday, espe- cially from the defensive play- ers. Even defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, who is never sat- isfied with his defense's perfor- mance, seemed proud of how his unit played against Notre Dame before the bye week. To be clear, no Wolverine left South Bend two Saturdays ago feeling content with the 13-6 loss to the Fighting Irish. But Mattison still recognizes good defense when he sees it. The offense turned the ball over six times at Notre Dame Stadium, and his players still surrendered just 13 points. That's impressive, regardless of the outcome. "Well, I'm encouraged that it re-emphasized that if we play really hard, if we run to the foot- ball - and that was tusing in that gar that we mets to only wa tison sa this bef were go they rea ly work game p they ha The. its succ translat games i Kova The bi against the tea get to th A A nE me that stood out to me, doesn't like it in the trenches?" really had a lot of hel- Kovacs' presence - in the the football - that's the trenches may have been why y we can play here," Mat- Michigan defended the run id. "And I told the players particularly well against Notre ore the game: I felt they Dame. The unit gave up 94 yards sing to play well because on the ground, but it took the ally prepared. They real- Fighting Irish 31 carries to get ed at understanding the there. lan, understanding what That's a vast improvement d to do." compared to the cumulative defense is confident that 721 rushing yards the Michigan ess at Notre Dame will defense allowed over the first te 'into more high-effort three weeks of the season. n Big Ten play. "I think that we're starting to cs agrees with Mattison. get better," Kovacs said. "We're ggest factor of success starting to stop the run, start- the Fighting Irish was ing to keep the ball inside and in .m's collective effort to front of the defense. I'm excited he ball, and he mentioned about the way we're headed."" At this point, the secondary seems to be playing exceed- ingly well, as Michigan's pass defense ranks first in the Big Ten, allowing opponents just 155 passing yards per game. But .nd this is a players have taken that statistic with a grain of salt. ew season." Alabama didn't really need to pass - its stable of running backs effectively ran all over Michigan's front seven. Pass- coaches ran a number of ing is rarely a part of Air Force's drills leading up to the game plan. And Massachusetts Dame game. He also had just wasn't talented enough to ortunity to get to the ball truly challenge the Wolverine ten because coaches had defensive backs. ing up in the box more But there's no denying that ual. the Michigan secondary com- much time Kovacs pletely befuddled Notre Dame with the front seven is starting quarterback Everett ent on a given week's Golson, who was replaced by an, but with his nose for Tommy Rees. 1, he fully embraces the Ultimately, the Notre Dame game has appeared to give con- ou're down there you fidence to a defensive unit that ave to worry about get- severely needed some. at deep," Kovacs said. "Obviously the last game n just play football once wasn't exactly what we wanted," down in the box. That's Kovacs said. "But we did make kyard football. some steps. And this is a new a football player. Who season." By GREG GARNO and DANIEL FELDMAN Daily Sports Writers Michigan women's basketball coach Kim Barnes Arico stood in the William Davidson Player Development Center with a smile splashed across her face, stand- ing relaxed and waiting to begin practice. You didn't need to see her demeanor, though, you could hear her excitement in her voice. "We're all extremely excited to be here, from the staff to the players down, to the support staff," Barnes Arico said. "I think the culture that we're creating is extremely exciting. Everybody wants to be a part of it and get started." Though just two days of offi- cial practice have passed, Barnes Arico's upbeat personality has already carried over to the court. Barnes Arico enters her first season as head coach at Michi- gan, replacing former coach Kevin Borseth. Before coming to Ann Arbor in April, she capped her 10-year tenure at St. John's with three-consecutive NCAA Tournament berths. In her final season at the helm of the Red Storm, she guided the team to the Sweet 16. While her expectations are high for her new program, Barnes Arico said she isn't focused on buildingoff of last season - Mich- igan's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 11 years, which ended with a loss to Oklahoma in the first round. Instead, she is building an entirely new founda- tion for the 40-year-old program. "Ithinkoneofthebigthings for me is not to compare it to things they've had in past," Barnes Arico said. "It's a new time for them as players, it's a new time for our program and it's a challenge for me." Michigan returns 11 years this year, including five seniors. Among them is senior center Rachel Scheffer, the team's lead- ing scorer in 2011-2012. a Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico is preparing for her first season in Ann Arbor. that the pursuit Notre E the opp more of him lin than us How spends depend game p] the bal role. "If y don't h ting be "Yo. 'a you'rec like bac "I'm Known for running a fast- paced offense and a strong defense, Barnes Arico was also clear abouther plans for the 2012- 2013 squad. "We would like to get up and down (the.court) - we would like to be the best-conditioned team in the country as well as the team that works the hardest," Barnes Arico said. "That's what we're really stressing early on - just going hard in everything you do." Barnes Arico has also had 'to adjust to life off the court in Ann Arbor with her husband and three children. From coaching clinics to speak- ing at the student watch party at Michigan Stadium before Michi- gan football's season opener, she has quickly immersed herself in the city and the University com- munity. "I would have only left (St. John's) for something incredibly special - and that is Michigan," Barnes Arico said. "It's an incred- ible place. Everything about the place - from the facilities to the academic reputation, the nation- al reputation, the resources, but even the entire community. In her free time, Barnes Arico a trains and runs on the streets of Ann Arbor. Her training may be an effort to run another marathon. after completingher first, the New York City Marathon, last year. Her goals also extend beyond the court as well, as Barnes Arico said she hopes to enhance the reputa- tion of Michigan women's basket- ball inthe community. "I think the number one thing is for the community to feel con- nected," she said. "They need to feel a relationship with us and I think it's partof my job is to go out and build that relationship. (We want to) promote the program and what these young ladies stand for and how much they work and how we're building a champion- ship year for the women's basket- ball program." If the animated Barnes Arico has one setback in her outstand- ing career, it may be working late into the night. "I'm just a high-energy per- son," Barnes Arico said. "Unless you catch me after nine, then I'm not really high energy. That's a bit of a problem." Someone should warn her about the 13 night games she plays this season, then. & A J A