8A - Thursday, October 23, 2014

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The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com


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Student ticketing process
similar to 2013-14 policy

PAUL SHERMAN/Daily
Offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeler is in his first year at Michigan, but he has experienced the MSU rivalry firsthand.
Nuss no stranger to rivalrv

By LEV FACHER for unused claimed tickets only
Daily SportsEditor apply to the third claim period,
as opposed to each period
When the Michigan men's successively.
basketball program announced Lenience for missed claims
a complete overhaul of its has also increased. Students
student-ticket policy prior to will be allotted three chances to
the 2013-14 season, it was met return claimed tickets, as long
with massive outrage from a as the return is made at least 24
student fanbase that felt it had hours prior to tipoff.
been deliberately misled. Ticket sales - after
More than ayearlater, the dust the Athletic Department
has settled and the policies have announced last spring the price
been vindicated, and Michigan's would remain $200 - dropped
oft-discussed "claim" system is to 3,250, a 350-person decrease
back for another run. from last season.
After overselling the student "I don't think anybody would
section in 2013-14 - the Athletic ever complain about prices going
Department sold 3,600 tickets down," Tallarico said. "But I'm
for a 3,000-seat student section very satisfied with the product,
- a policy was instituted forcing so I'm willing to pay $200 for it."
students to claim the right to The student section's size
tickets in six subdivisions of has stayed at 3,000 seats for
home games. all games that take place while
Despite the opposition, the class is in session. For games
policy worked spectacularly. during academic breaks, the
The number of student tickets student section will shrink
claimed never exceeded to 403 seats, the size of the
availability, and the Athletic courtside bleacher section on
Department was left with the west side of the arena,
ample time to sell unused seats, There's one exception:
ensuring a mostly full student In response to higher-than-
section throughout the season at expected demand last season
Crisler Center. for games that took place during
"We really didn't ask for Spring Break, Michigan has set
too much to be changed," aside 1,000 tickets for the March
said Engineering junior 3 contest against Rutgers,
Christian Tallarico, president Despite general satisfaction
of the Maize Rage, Michigan's with the policy tweaks, the
student cheering section for Maize Rage was disappointed
men's basketball games. "In on one last front, After
my opinion, everything that advocating for increased
changed from last year to this seating in Crisler Center's lower
year was positive." bowl, which currently holds
This season, the number of less than a quarter of student-
periods in which student season- section seats, the seating layout
ticket holders are asked to claim went unchanged.
games they wish to attend has "We brought it up," Tallarico
been reduced to three. And said. "But we don't expect much.
unlike last season, penalties We understand that Crisler just

got renovated and there are a
lot of donors that paid for those
good seats. We're very happy
with the atmosphere, and.we're
making the most of it as it is,
but we wouldn't say no to more
seats."
The Athletic Department's
basketball ticket policy from
last year, while initially
unpopular, might have had only
a single flaw: communication, or
lack thereof.
Michigan's - marketing
department was faced with the
difficult offseason decision in
2013 to turn away prospective
freshman ticket-buyers or
oversell the student section.
The department made sure,
once again, to keep Maize
Rage representatives at least
somewhat in the loop the second
time around.
"They came up with what
they thought the best idea was,"
Tallarico said. "Then we met
with them probably about two or
three weeks before (the updated
policy) was announced.
"They ran it by us and (asked),
'Anything you liked, disliked
about this, what would you
change?'"
The meetings took place with
Maize Rage representatives
and members of the Athletic
Department marketing staff,
including Chief Marketing
Officer Hunter Lochmann, who
had a principal role in dealing
with the aftermath of last year's
ticket-announcement fiasco.
The first student-claim
period begins this Tuesday, Oct.
28, at 8:30 a.m., and includes
an exhibition and seven non-
conference matchups, most
notably a Dec. 2 clash with No.
24 Syracuse.

'M' offensive overtime just draped in glass."
During an interview with the
coordinator was Dailyin2012, Pro Bowl offensive
MSU QTT coach tackle Jake Long pointed to this
MSi~U QB coach game as his favorite during his
from 2003-05 five years in Ann Arbor, in part
because of the enormity of the
comeback.
By ALEXA DETTELBACH So while Nussmeier is new to
DalysportsEditor this side of the rivalry, he has
been a part of some of its biggest
There's kind of a big football games.
game to be played on Saturday "It's one of the classic
when Michigan travels to No. rivalries in all of college
8 Michigan State. And while football, and I'm very excited to
Michigan coach Brady Hoke be a part of it," Nussmeier said.
and defensive coordinator "Any time you play in a game,
Greg Mattison have been here whether it be an in-state rivalry
for years and game or a conference rivalry
know what the NOTEBOOK game, and some are out-of-
rivalry means conference rivalry games, the
to both programs, first-year important thing is the focus of
offensive coordinator Doug the game itself, and you can get
Nussmeier knows firsthand, caught up and lost in the things
too, that go around the game."
Nussmeier was the
quarterbacks coach for the WINNING THE GROUND
Spartans from 2003-2005, and GAME:
during his three years, he never
beat Michigan, But the most Last year's blowout loss to
memoabl Y tchup of ,that Michigan State was highlighted
tenure came in 2004, when the by Michigan's minus-48
Wolverines topped Michigan rushing yards, the worst ground
State ina triple-overtime affair. performance in program
He recalls history.
the Spartans From start to
being up 27-10 finish, it was
with less than "It's one of the a disaster in
nine minutes the trenches.
to go. classic rivalries The running
"We're in of colege backs got
sitting in the lnall OfC~e e nothing going,
box, and one and fifth-
of our coaches football." year senior
got really quarterback
excited, and Devin
it was back Gardner spent
when those glass windows more time on the ground than
rolled up, and he jumped up upright.
and goes, 'Yeah!' " Nussmeier Hoke said Wednesday that
said Monday. "The next thing the offensive line was a "little
you know, we're sitting there deer in the headlights" during
and glass just (rains down) last season's game. But this
everywhere. So we spent the year, he maintains the offensive
rest of the fourth quarter and line is more prepared, and the

players agree.
"I would saythe biggest thing
is just to do what we know how
to do," said junior center Jack
Miller on Monday. "Last year,
I think as an offensive line, we
went out there and just kind
of let go of techniques and
fundamentals and things like
that and just kind of played
chaotic, if you will."
With starting sophomore
back Derrick Green out for
the season after breaking his
collarbone against Rutgers,
sophomore De'Veon Smith
and junior Justice Hayes will
need to improve off their
64-yard performance against
Penn State. In 41 of the last 44
matchups against Michigan
State, the team with more
rushing yards won the game.
So the key to Michigan
pulling the upset will be in
the ground game. Luckily for
the Wolverines, since Gardner
resumed his role as the starter,
he has shown his mobility. But it
all starts in the trenches.
Notes: Hoke said Wednesday
that freshman wide receiver
Drake Harris is back in
practice, but only on a limited
basis. The freshman reinjured
his hamstring in fall camp after
sitting outhis last season of high
school with the same injury....
In Sports Illustrated's second
NFL draft big board released on
Tuesday, junior wide receiver
Devin Funchess ranked 13th on
the list. He would be the first
Michigan wide receiver taken
in the first round since Braylon
Edwards in 2005.

FILE PHOTO/Daily
The Maize Rage won't have a larger allotment of seats in the lower bowl, but it was pleased with ticket-policy changes.
WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING
'M' carries mantra into meet'*

Michigan to host
Indiana, Louisville,
Texas in home
opener
By ALEX PODGES
For theDaily
Back at it for another season,
Michigan coach Mike Bottom is
employing the slogan, "One team,
one heartbeat."
After months of intense
practice, the Michigan women's
swimming and diving team is
eager to showcase its progress
against college swimming's best.
No. 13 Indiana, No. 11 Louisville
and No. 6 Texas come to Ann
Arbor this weekend for the
Wolverines' home opener, and
they are ready for the challenge.
Bottom said he thinks the
small adjustments the team has
made since August will make
crucial differences in timing, and
his swimmers will appreciate the
tweaks once they get in the water.
"Ifwe canget themto race with
those changes, get their hands on
the wall and get ahead of some of
these great swimmers," Bottom

said. "Some of these ladies will that's really great."
feel pretty good about the work There is little doubt about the
they've done." early success of the first-year
Along with the long hours in swimmers. Last week, freshman
the pool, building camaraderie Clara Smiddy took first in the
amongst the team has been an 100-meter backstroke and
ongoingeffort. earned Big Ten Freshman of
For a sport heavily reliant on the Week. Freshman Hannah
individual performance, Bottom Moore won both the 500-yard
believes the "one team, one freestyle and the 1,000-yard
heartbeat" mantra will create a freestyle.
collective ferocity in the team. Surrounded by the cheer and
"We're chasing these leaders," dance teams aswell as supportive
Bottom said. fans, the
"And there's team's home "
a point where opener should
they just need "It'stooing tO be a festive
to beat with one atmosphere
heartbeat and~ reallyfun no matter the
keep chasing havingthuas come.
these leaders, e fans
because that's i 5, really
how we're in the stands. excited,"
going to get said senior
there." co-captain
The Molly
Wolverines have wholeheartedly Schaefer. "Michigan is always
adopted the saying, even the a great support base, and it's
talented freshman class. going to be really fun having
"Not just in the water are the fans in the stands cheering
(the freshmen) excelling," said us on."
senior co-captain Claudia Lau. Bottom said he just hopes the
"But they are cheering everyone team's mantra helps lead to as
on, being part of the team and much success in the water as it
pushing people forward, and does in practice.

GERALD R FORD SCHOOL OF PUBUC POUCY
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

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