8 - Tuesday, September10, 2013 S ports

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom

---------.

Donuts
planned for
cakewalk
By ZACH HELFAND
Daily Sports Editor
Now, inevitably, comes the
letdown. A noon game against
Akron follows a night game
against Notre Dame. It's natural.
The Michigan football team
showed up ready for a game
against a weaker opponent in
Week 1 against
Central Michi- NOTEBOOK
gan. And they
may very well do that again
against Akron on Saturday, but
they will not be tested against
the Zips like they were against
the Fighting Irish.
And that's how it will go for
much of the next seven weeks
until a Nov. 2 game at Michigan
State kicks off the heart of the
Big Ten slate. This is the easiest
five-game stretch of Michigan's
schedule. The Wolverines will
likely be double-digit favorites in
each of those games should they
continue to win, with the pos-
sible exception of Penn State.
This stretch is about avoiding
disaster, and about improving for
a finishing stretch that includes
away games at Michigan State,
Northwestern and Iowa and two
at home against Nebraska and
Ohio State.
To wake up a groggy student
section, Michigan coach Brady
Hoke has promised a glazed-
donut giveaway.
"Well, it's a glazed-donut
game," Hoke said at his Mon-
day press conference. "Starts at
noon. We like those games. Our
team has been pretty focused on
ourselves and what we need to
do. Like I said, there's enough
out there that we need to do in
all three phases where we'll go
back and have a great workday
(Tuesday), and a great workday
on Wednesday."
So what specifically will
Michigan focus on?
First, Hoke said, is the inte-
rior line, the three new start-
ers Michigan has used this year.
Hoke was concerned about
Notre Dame's ability to blitz up
the middle to pressure redshirt
junior quarterback Devin Gard-
ner.
Michigan rushed for 166
yards, but many of those were
picked up on stretch plays to the
perimeter. That's not necessarily
a bad thing, and that was partly
due to Notre Dame's space-eat-
ing defensive interior. Still, Hoke
said, Michigan's ground attack

Catching up with
'M' fan 'Lloyd Brady'

Michigan coach Brady Hoke said a glazed-donut giveaway could entice students
to show up to games that start early, like Saturday's noon game vs. Akron.

must improve.
On the defensive side of the
ball, Michigan mnust prove it can
stop the run. Notre Dame coach
Brian Kelly dialed up pass plays
often on Saturday, but when he
ran, Notre Dame had success.
The Irish averaged 5.1 yards a
carry against Michigan, which
used a seven-man front. Michi-
gan would like to avoid using an
eighth man in the box, mean-
ing defenders have to show they
can win one-on-one battles with
blockers.
"You will be in some seven-
man fronts and really a five-man,
six-man box," Hoke said.
Akron, which spreads the
field, could show something.
BEHIND THE DEFENSIVE
NUMBERS: Michigan's defen-
sive performance against Notre
Dame wasn't pretty at times.
Notre Dame threw six easy
hitches for completions. The
Fighting Irish gained 410 total
yards. Notre Dame quarterback
Tommy Rees threw for 314 yards.
Some of that, Hoke revealed
Monday, was by design. Let's
start with what wasn't part of
the plan: Notre Dame, again, ran
the ball too easily. The pass rush
didn't generate enough pressure.
But Michigan's softer defen-
sive approach in the secondary
was meant to neutralize Rees'
strengths. And mostly, it did.
Those six easy hitches? The
coaching staff was prepared to
allow those to protect against the
long fade. And Michigan tackled
well enough to minimize yards
after the catch: Hoke said Notre
Dame gained just four yards after
the catch on those six passes.
"That was a big part of that
offense, but no coordinator is
going to sit there and throw sev-
en-yard hitches up and down the
field," Hoke said.

Hoke explained that the
Fighting Irish make sure Rees is
not under pressure. That means
using six men in protection or
using shorter routes. So instead
of dialing up blitzes, defen-
sive coordinator Greg Mattison
dropped more men in coverage.
Ideally, Michigan would have
the personnel and experience to
impose its defensive style on an
opponent. But for now, a good
barometer of success is the red
zone, where Notre Dame scored
just 60 percent of the time Sat-
urday.
"The field shrinks, so now it's
a little harder to find the room
in there," Hoke said. "I thought
we really played well in the red
zone when we had to. That was
playing the run with seven, and
making sure we had good depth
in the passing lanes."
INJURY UPDATE: Sophomore
tight end A.J. Williams went
down with an ankle injury Sat-
urday. Hoke said the team will
monitor his progress this week.
Hoke said he doesn't expect
any of the other injured players
to miss time. Fifth-year senior
wide receiver Jeremy Gallon
injured his hamstring in the
game, but he was able to play.
Senior safety Courtney Avery
was able to see limited action
against Notre Dame, and Hoke
said "that battle continues."
Hoke said Avery was able to
practice Wednesday and Thurs-
day, and felt good after playing
Saturday.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE: Hoke
was asked about Gardner's
decision-making, and if at times
his athleticism can give him a
"Superman complex."
"I think that's part of it," Hoke
said. "But Superman has to be
smart too. He doesn't eat Kryp-
tonite."

By EVERETT COOK
Daily Sports Editor
David Kazmierski is a pretty
normal Michigan graduate.
Two years after graduating, he's
about halfway through his MBA
at University of Michigan-Flint
(which allows him to keep his
season football tickets as well).
He's also a freshman football
coach at his alma mater, Saginaw
Nouvel Catholic Central.
Normal, except that Kazmier-
ski has strangers come up to him
almost everywhere he goes to
ask for a picture, not because of
anything he necessarily did, but
because of an Internet thread on
a popular fan blog three years
ago.
A MGoBlog.com user noticed
that Kazmierski looks a lot like
a cross between former Michi-
gan quarterback Tom Brady
and a character from the movie
"Dumb and Dumber" named
Lloyd Christmas.
And thus, Lloyd Brady was
born, spawning an unlikely rise
to Internet fame, the effects of
which Kazmierski is still feeling
today.
Monday, the Daily caught up
with Kazmierski.
The Michigan Daily: How's the
coaching going?
David Kzmierski: I coached
most of last year as well, helping
outwithbasketball andsoftball. I
enjoy it, giving back to my school
and teaching kids what I know.
I'm the offensive coordinator.
TMD: Did the ability to get
season tickets play into your
graduate school decision at all?
DK: It played a little bit in
thinking about it, but I always
wanted to keep pursuing having
my name on a Michigan degree.
That's a big deal for me. But get-
ting season tickets is definitely a
perk (laughs).
TMD: It's interesting to me
that you go from you know, you,
to this whole other character
that spawned out of just your
appearance and nothing that you
necessarily did.
DK: I was just going to the
game, having a good time and
enjoying myself. It's hard to
explain. I still get recognized
most places I go. I was walk-
ing around campus on Sunday,
and some kid just walked up to
me and said, "Hey Lloyd Brady,
how's it going?" The funniest one
from this weekend was that the
attendant at the top of the stairs
at the Notre Dame game said that
I looked a lot like Lloyd Brady. I
told him, "Well, I am." First time
I heard that one before.
TMD: It's funny that he said
you looked like Lloyd Brady
because-
DK: I know. Lloyd Brady isn't

0

ERIN KIRKLAND/Gaily
David Kazmierski (right) sneaks into another photo after the 2012 Michi-
gan State game, Kazmierski is known on the Internet as "Lloyd Brady."
an actual person. MGoBlog and said that we aren't
TMD:Is it every day that peo- making fun of you. We are com-
ple are recognizing you, or is it paring you to Tom Brady, which
only in Ann Arbor? How often is not a bad thing. It's a great
does this happen? thing. Basically, I took it on from
DK: When I was coaching there. They contacted me on the
freshman football, I was also side and wanted to do a personal
substitute teaching last year. I interview with me, started mak-
had most of these kids in class, ing Lloyd Brady T-shirts, and I
and a couple of them knew the said, "Well, alright, that sounds
story. That was right around good to me." I enjoyed being pos-
football season, so I was a big itively associated with Michigan
promoter of the University and and people coming up to me and
taught most of the kids about talkingabout Michigan athletics.
Lloyd Brady and myschool. That That's what I grew up on.
was an extra subject I taught, After that, people started to
Michigan football. associate me with all the good
TMD: Did any of them try and things that have happened to
call you Lloyd? Michigan. It really ended up flip-
DK: Yes. That did not end up ping the role of what I thought
well for them. Mr. Brady, that this was going to be. When
slips out sometimes. A couple of people see me on TV, they don't
them went out and bought my really tell me anymore. They're
T-shirt from Underground Print- used to it.
ing. TMD: You graduated two
TMD: Did they wear them to years ago. How much longer do
class? you think this will be a thing?
DK: No, they can't because it's PK: It just kind of happens
a private school and they have randomly. With the Central
to wear uniforms, but one of the (Michigan) game, I took a pic-
kids brought it out at football ture with someone, It's alot less
practice the other day. than what it was when I was an
TMD: To be fair, saying Mr. undergrad, but it still happens
Brady is easier than saying Mr. more than I expected it to hap-
Kazmierski pen two years out. I don't know
DK: It's a long one. Most peo- how much longer it will last, but I
ple, I'mOK with them calling me definitely will have some stories
that. It's a little shorter, and I'll to tell.
respond to it. When I get intro- TMD: Big question: are you
duced to people, it's like, "This is glad this happened to you? Was
David, Kaz, or Lloyd." Not every- this a good thing?
one calls me by my real name. DK:Yes. I'mvery happy it hap-
I don't know how to introduce pened. Itgave me somethingthat
myself to most people. will really help me remember
TMD: How long did it take you college. When people ask what
to embrace this almost persona? it was like to be a student at the
DK: At first, I felt like they University of Michigan, I have a
were using my image in a really specific story to tell everyone. I
negative way, and I said, "I don't bring it up in job interviews, and
want that to be me. I don't want all the people I get interviewed
people to associate my face with by all s that it's incredible.It's
a negative connotation. But hilarious and a great conversa-
then, Brian Cook (founder of tion piece. It just gave me some-
MGoBlog) put me on the front of thing to talk about forever.

VOLLEYBALL
Freshmen ready for big stage

By BEN FIDELMAN
For The Daily
With campus maps tucked
away inside a stiff, new back-
pack, lanyards dangling from
their necks and class schedules
firmly in hand, freshmen all
around campus are ready to tack-
le their first semester of college.
Now throw in evening practices,
expectations of Big Ten - if not
national - championships, along
with the new beast of college
schoolwork, and you'll get some
idea of what's facing freshmen
volleyball players Gabbie Bulic,
Abby Cole and Cindy Zhou.
While many Michigan athletes
attend summer term - which
allows them to practice as ateam
throughout the offseason - the
volleyball team has no such lux-
ury.
Players had about three weeks
to prepare for their first collegiate
matches, according to Michigan
coach Mark Rosen.
Despite such a short amount
of time to prepare, the Wolver-
ines already have a tournament
sweep under their belts, as well as
a sweep of Oregon State and No.
8 Oregon in last weekend's Big
Ten/Pac-12 Challenge.
of the three freshmen on the
roster, Cole has played the most
sets at 13. She also has the most
kills, 43, which is good for the
third highest total on the team.
Bulic has also gotten on the court
through the early parts ofthe sea-
son, totaling four sets played and
has chipped in 10 kills of her own.

Zhou plans to redshirt this year.
Because of the team's quick
start, it's easier for some to appre-
ciate their free time.
"Not coming (for summer
term) was a good thing for us,"
said Bulic, who plays middle
back. "Because we got our final
summer at home, but (as a con-
sequence) we have to jump right
into our season when we get
here."
While getting one last summer
at home has its advantages, mak-
ing up for a summer without prac-
tices does have its consequences.
"It's difficult, there's a lot of
training," said Cole, who also
plays middle back. "It wears
down your body for sure. I think
that was the toughest thing for
me. Coming in, I was really ner-
vous, I know the other two fresh-
men were as well, and the other
girls have helped make every-
thing so much easier."
This accelerated preseason
would be difficult for nearly every
freshman athlete, but these two,
plus Zhou, a setter, have been tak-
ing it in stride.
"All three really fit that mold
to be exactly what we are looking
for," Rosen said. "Not just to fill
our needs athletically, but to fit
academically, socially and cultur-
ally too."
These intangibles, along with
the class' physical size (only four
of the 16 players listed on the
roster are taller than any of the
freshmen) are reason enough for
Rosen to be chomping at the bit to
get the players on the court.

Rosen called the group
"incredibly tall" before pointing
out that both Bulic and Cole are
6 feet, 5 inches tall, and Zhou is
right around 6-foot - unusually
tall for a setter.
After the team graduated only
one senior from the 2012 squad
that made its first Final Four
appearance, expectations remain
high for the Wolverines.
"Some people say that it puts
more pressure on us, but I think
it's exciting to come in and play
with all those high expectations,"
Zhou said. "Because now we have
something to strive for - goals
that we want to meet."
Added Bulic: "Coaches and
the girls are really good with just
getting you in and making sure
you know what's going on and
adjusting. It's a lot faster than
high-school volleyball, but they
wouldn't put me in any situation
that they didn't think that I could
succeed in."
The season - and careers -
of these student athletes are just
starting, but there is a long road
ahead.
"This is really living the
dream," Zhou said. "I have people
come up to me and be like, 'Wow,
you're playing volleyball at a D-I
college, you're so lucky!' And
when you think about it, I really
am lucky to be here and to have
this opportunity."
Look for the freshman class
to continue impacting games as
the Wolverines travel to College
Station, Tex., for the Texas A&M
Invitational this weekend.

a

CEDO ,

"M.Ksng +C~ maig EKeemesosaeeeWsta
the Dudwamd Owewtram SW amb r 12-20, 2012

I