The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, October 26, 2012 - 5A
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, October 26, 2012 - 5A
Wolverines end
regular season at
home vs. Illinois
MARISSA MCCLAIN/Daily
Senior quarterback Denard Robinson will have to out-play Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez for Michigan to pull out the victory on Saturday.
Michigan-Nebraska matchup
has Big Ten title 1mplications
By LUKE PASCH day."
Daily Sports Editor Martinez sits behind Rob-
inson and Ohio State quarter-
Saturday's matchup between back Braxton Miller in rushing
Michigan (3-0 Big Ten, 5-2 over- yards this season, but Nebraska's
all) and Nebraska (2-1, 5-2) will offensive attack tends to be a bit
feature one of the best dual- more balanced than Michigan's.
threat quarterback showdowns Martinez doesn't have to take
this college football season has to on quite the same load of carries
offer. with a very effective tandem of
Wolverine Michigan tailbacks in sophomore Ameer
senior' Denard NAbdullah and senior Rex Burk-
Robinson and Nebraska head.
Cornhusker Matchup Burkhead is questionable for
junior Taylor Michigan 5-2; Saturday's game after he aggra-
Martinez have Nebraska 5-2 vated a former ACL sprain last
been leading weekend, so the Wolverines will
their respec- urday $ p.m. be focused on Martinez and
tive offenses Abdullah in the Cornhuskers'
very effectively Where: run-heavy offense.
in conference Memorial "(Abdullah) is very fast," said
play this sea- Stadium defensive coordinator Greg Mat-
son, and both TV/Radio: tison. "He's more of an edge guy.
have their ESPN2 He can get on that edge and he
teams in the can go. He's broken some big
thick of Big plays for them. He's going to be a
Ten title contention. fast guy that we're going to have
"(Martinez is) a great quarter- to contend with."
back, he's a great runner," Rob- Michigan's front seven will
inson said. "So he's a dual-threat certainly have its hands full stop-
quarterback and I enjoy watch- ping Abdullah and Martinez.
ing that. So, we'll see on Satur- Nebraska's rushing attack is tops
in the Big Ten, statistically, and it
may be the best the Wolverines
have seen since Week 1 against
Alabama, if not all season.
Still, the Wolverine- second-
ary must be ready, especially
if sophomore cornerback Ray-
mon Taylor isn't ready to go
after hurting his arm last week.
Nebraska coach Bo Pelini has
become adept at using the run to
set up the occasional play-action
pass over the top.
This year, Michigan's rush
defense has been mediocre,
allowing 143 yards per game,
but it has fared much better in
recent weeks. In its three confer-
ence games, the Wolverines have
surrendered just 91 yards on the
ground per game.
On the other side of the ball,
Nebraska's front seven hasn't
done as great a job, and Robin-
son should see some open field
on Saturday. The Cornhusker
rushing defense ranks lOth in the
Big Ten, giving up 188 yards per
game. And being that Nebraska's
secondary is very effective, Rob-
inson should be more inclined
either to keep it himself or hand
off to redshirt junior running
back Fitzgerald Toussaint on
most snaps.
"I don't think they play a
high-risk, high-reward type of
defense," said offensive coordi-
nator Al Borges. "They're basi-
cally in the right position most of
the time. Their coverage is sound.
They don't do anything that you
look and say, 'Oh my God, we can
take advantage of that."'
But Borges was able to take
advantage of Nebraska's defense
last season, when Michigan
toppled the Big Ten-newcomer,
45-17, at the Big House. Robinson
and Toussaint combined for 221
rushing yards and four touch-
downs, and.Robinson added two
more touchdowns through the
air.
One of the biggest factors
in Saturday's game will be the
gameday atmosphere. As Michi-
gan fans found out last season,
Nebraska fans, dubbed the Sea
of Red, travel very well - an
indication that they'll show up
in droves for a key home match-
up against the Wolverines. And
Michigan hates the color red.
Michigan could
finish unbeaten at
home with win over
Fighting Illini
By ALEJANDRO ZUNIGA
Daily Sports Writer
It's a scene that has played out
at every home game this season.
The catchy tune of the latest
pop hit blasts through the crisp
fall air at the U-M Soccer Com-
plex. On the pitch, members of
the Michigan women's soccer
team bounce from left to right,
dancing and
laughing. loi
Minutes OlSat
before kick- Michigan
off, they are Matchup:
relaxed, con- Illinois 8-7-
fident and 2; Michigan
composed. But 13-3-2
when the whis- When: Satur-
tle blows, they day 4 P.M.
dominate.
This season, U-MrSoccer
the Wolverines Complex
(7-1-2 Big Ten,
13-3-2 overall)
are undefeated at home. In the
process, they have outscored
opponents 21-3, recorded six
shutouts, and they have defeated
three opponents in overtime.
On Sunday night, No. 24
Michigan will host Illinois in
the friendly confines of the U-M
Soccer Complex with a chance
to guarantee the No. 2 seed in
the Big Ten Tournament. With
a win, or a tie, the Wolverines
will become just the second
team in the program's history
to complete an undefeated home
schedule.
For the Wolverines to beat the-
Fighting Illini, they will have to
slow down Vanessa DiBernardo.
The midfielder leads Illinois
(5-4-1, 8-7-2) with six goals and
an assist this season, including a
hat trick against Michigan State
earlier this month.
At just 5-foot-4, the diminu-
tive junior won't pose much of
a threat in the air, but her speed
will force Michigan's defense
to be cautious when she has the
ball.
When the Wolverines attack,
they will face a struggling back
line that has surrendered two or
more goals in four of its last five
contests.
During that stretch, the
Fighting Illini dropped three
games and fell to sixth in the
conference. The defense is led
by goalkeeper Steph Panozzo,
the 2011 Big Ten Tournament
defensive MVP.
If Michigan earns a win, it
will finish second in the confer-
ence - its best result since 2002.
If it loses, it will finish third,
unless Ohio State also loses its
game at Indiana. And if the Wol-
verines tie, it will take a Buck-
eye victory to drop Michigan to
third.
But regardless of Sunday's
result against the Illini, the
match will mark the last home
contest of a successful 2012 cam-
paign. Just as it's done all year,
the team will face the stands and
begin to chant "The Victors."
The fans who pack the U-M
Soccer Complex will join them,
their breath visible in the chilly
October air.
As the Wolverines jog into
their locker room for the last
time this season, children will
hold handmade signs over the
railing and ask for autographs,
just as they have all year.
Parents will smile and wave
and yell their congratulations.
Music will blare out of the
speakers.
And as the minutes pass, the
music will shut off, the parents
will escort their children out to
the parking lot, and the mur-
mur of the crowd will lessen
until silence and a brightly illu-
minated soccer field are all that
remain.
Ime a vvsvv mt
Little attention given to
'M' at.Big Ten Media Day
Cardinals fan Beilein, 'U' alum
Matheny strike up friendship
By GREG GARNO Barnes Arico, the program's
Daily Sports Writer fjrst-year coach, will have time to
adjust before it matters, though,
ROSEMONT, Ill. - After plac- as Michigan takes on preseason
ing seven teams in the NCAA favorites Nebraska, Penn State
Tournament last season, pre- and Ohio State in three of its last
season honors would be hard to four regular season games.
come by at the Big Ten Media MIXED REACTIONS: Three
Day on Thurs- NOTEBOOK days after Connecticut women's
day. basketball coach Geno Auriem-
So it came as ma spoke about his idea to lower
little surprise when the Michi- rims in college basketball seven
ganwomen'sbasketballteamwas inches, BigTen coaches and play-
given little recognition. Michi- ers provided their reaction to the
gan coach Kim Barnes Arico said hot topic.
she didn't pay any attention to it, Auriemma, who supports
though. lowering the rim to 9-foot-5,
"For myself, I don't think I cited the difference between the
can worry about (preseason height of the net in men's and
polls)," Barnes Arico said. "I women's volleyball as a reason-
think all we're concerned about ing behind the idea to draw more
is Michigan's women's basket- fans to games.
ball, which is getting better "You have to look at chang-
each and every day. We have a ing things if you feel like they're
great players in our league and not working," said Northwestern
it's just getting better and bet- coach Joe McKeown. "I'd like.to
ter." see us use a big ball again and I
Penn State was projected to think we miss a lot of lay-ups. I
win the conference by both the don't know about lowering the
media and coaches after finish- rims, but I do think we shouldn't
ing first in the Big Ten last sea- beintimidatedby change,either."
son with a 13-3 record. Michigan State junior guard
The Nittany Lions also boast Klarissa Bell, who had yet to hear
one of two of the coaches' pre- about the idea, was indifferent
season player of the year picks in toward the topic but was con-
senior guard Alex Bentley - who cerned about the logistics of it all.
aims for her third straight All- "I think that it would be inter-
Big Ten honor this year. esting because a lot more girls
Nebraska junior forward Jor- could actually dunk," Bell said.
dan Hooper, Ohio State senior "I couldn't imagine having to
guard Tayler Hill - the other change my shot seven inches
preseason player of the year lower and making a lay-up - I
selection - and Penn State think my ball might go over the
junior guard Maggie Lucas were backboard."
all members of the All-Big Ten Barnes Arico was not sup-
team last year also. portive of the idea, describing it
The Wolverines finished 8-8 as another distraction she would
in conference play last year,and rather ignore.
hope to improve upon that mark. "I don't know how I feel about
it," Barnes Arico said. "I would
probably say I don't really have
a strong feeling about it. Right
now I'm worried about my team
and coaching my team."
Auriemma also spoke about
maintaining an annual location
for regional sites in the NCAA
Tournament and moving the
final two games to a Friday-Sun-
day format, rather than a Tues-
day-Sunday format.
Ohio State coach Jim Foster
noted that he hasn't spent much
time thinking about the subject,
though, he did echo the senti-
ments of Barnes Arico about the
Huskies' man at the helm.
"Geno has a got a team that
allows him to have escapist
moments," Foster said. "The rest
of us are spending a lot of time
trying to get our team better."
INJURIES: Barnes Arico enters
the season with three of her play-
ers recovering from ACL inju-
ries, but she isn't alone amongst
coaches who are also working to
overcome injuries.
Nebraska, picked second in
the preseason poll, will have to
overcome a variety of injuries
early in the season to fulfill those
projections. ,
Perhaps the team that will.
suffer the most is rival Michigan
State, who coach Suzy Merchant
expects won't be at full-strength
until mid-December. Merchant
listed freshman guard Brandi
Agee as the most notable of her
injuries, which will make the
Spartans overcome a lack of
depth as well.
"It's really about getting the
entire team back to healthy and
ready to go for Big Tens," Mer-
chant said. "We fully anticipate
that happening."
By DANIEL WASSERMAN
Daily Sports Writer
ROSEMONT, Ill. - In 1968,
when John Beilein was living
in upstate New York, he never
would've predicted he'd one day
be rooting for the Detroit Lions
in a World Series.
The Tigers had just broken his
10 year-old heart by knocking
off Bob Gibson and his beloved
St. Louis Cardinals. Beilein, who
decided to become a Cardinals
fan five years earlier in 1963,
also had no idea that one day
he'd become close friends with
the St. Louis manager.
Beilein, still a devoted Cardi-
nals fan, has struck up a friend-
ship with St. Louis manager and
former Michigan baseball player
Mike Matheny. When the Car-
dinals visited Comerica Park
this summer during interleague
play, Beilein paid a visit to the
ballpark to spend time with his
friend, and the two remained in
contact even through Matheny's
recent playoff grind, which
ended in a Game 7 loss to San
Francisco earlier this week.
"One of the texts I sent him
after a game - they'd won a
big game - and I said, 'Now
you've got to hurry to get home
to watch the Michigan football
game,' " Beilein said Thursday
at Big Ten Media Day. "He loves
Michigan, but he does a good job
with the Cardinals."
Matheny played three sea-
sons in Ann Arbor before
leaving in 1989 to pursue a pro-
fessional career. In the midst of
his 13-year career, he won four
Gold Gloves and holds the MLB
catching records for most games
(252) and chances (1,565) with-
out committing an error, but he
accomplished one of his proud-
est feats off the field.
Michigan coach John Beilein is a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan.
Matheny returned to Ann
Arbor in each of his first two
off-seasons asa professional and
completed his final 42 credits,
becoming the first person in his
family to earn a degree from a
major university.
"I didn't want to throw all
that away, and I knew as I got
older, it'd be harder to come
-back," Matheny said in 2011
after speaking at the Michi-
gan baseball team banquet. "Of
the things that I've been able
to accomplish in my life - and
some of them were bigger than
I ever thought I would - I can't
tell you how many times I've
gone into a conversation and
stuck my chest out a little bit
when somebody asked me where
I went to school.
"When I see their reaction, I
know that I was right inthe deci-
sion that I made. I truly want the
message to ring clear that this is
a very, very special place, and it's
developing very special people"
Beilein said that as he watched
the Cardinals this year, he
noticed that leadership attribut-
ed to Matheny's Ann Arbor days
remained instilled in how the
first-year coach manages.
"He's such a great representa-
tion of what a Michigan Man is,"
Beilein said.
"Just watch his press confer-
ences and how he talks to the
press, how he deals with his
players, it's Michigan. It's just
Michigan. He has a great calm-
ing influence on his players, and
his team plays with great confi-
dence because of it."
Beilein, who has also gotten
to know former St. Louis man-
ager Tony LaRussa over the
years, didn't close the door on
the possibility of Matheny pay-
ing a visit to the basketball team
in Ann Arbor.
But don't expect anything to
materialize before the Wolver-
ines kick off their season in a
week.
'3