SPORT ^A Mondav Auast 16. 9004 - The Michigan Dailv .- 15 .S irivIIualr r UEUoL LJ, d'-vv-r - I I IU ivi I%, 1 116011 vaily - LJ RedHawks set to make opening tilt a tough task aiy Sport Editor The Miami defense centers around a strong set of linebackers, Terry Hoeppner implements his three-plays-and-out rotation to featuring two outside linebackers - Tema Nande and John Busing keep his backs fresh. known to be fast and hard-hitting. That said, the Michigan's linebackers are the deepest unit on the defense and Conventional wisdom would tell you that superior size and talent of the Wolverines should feature All-Big Ten performer Pierre Woods on the outside. The Michigan's first test will come on September win out in the end. defensive line is very talented and centers around two 300-pound l1th when it travels to South Bend to take on Advantage: Michigan. tackles in Gabe Watson and Larry Harrsion. Against a revamped Notre Dame. But upon closer inspection, the offensive line, expect those two to plug up the middle and let Mich- Wolverine's opener against Miami (Ohio) - a igan's playmakers run to the ball. team that has been overlooked ever since quar- MICHIGAN PASSING DEFENSE VS. MIAMI PASS- Advantage: Michigan. terback Ben Roethlisberger took his services to ING OFFENSE: Miami returns virtually all of its the NFL - will provide a good challenge. ,$ talented group of receivers, but question arise The first reason this game won't be a laugher is that Michigan will be breaking in a new quar- terback and running back after losing Chris Perry and John Navarre. The second is that the RedHawks return 17 starters from a team that went 13-1 last season. :; MICHIGAN PASSING OFFENSE vS. MIAMI PASS- ING DEFENSE: The good news for Miami is that nine defensive starters return, including all four defensive backs. The bad news is that Michigan may boast the best receiving corps in all the land. Although Miami's secondary is good, Braylon Edwards, Jason Avant and Steve Breaston will find openings in any defense. The fact is these receivers are in a different league than the RedHawk's defensive backs (and not just because they play in the MAC). The potential problem for the Wolverine's passing game is that their quarterback will be making his first collegiate start. Matt Gutierrez, the likely starter, will probably experience some grow- ing pains in the opener, but not enough to prevent him from finding his talented targets. In addition, Miami must replace two starters on the defensive line, giving the Michigan offensive line the advantage in pass protection. Advantage: Michigan." , MICHIGAN RUSHING OFFENSE VS. MIAMI RUSHING DEFENSE: The Wolverines will have new starters at center and right tackle, as well asa new starting tailback in David Underwood. However, Michigan might get off to a slow start with all the new faces in the running attack, but they should get on track before too long. as to who will get them the ball now that Big Ben is gone. The answer, RedHawk fans hope, is junior Josh Betts. Last year, Miami dominated in the air, scoring 40 touchdowns through the air and averaging 43 points per game. The offensive line must replace three starters, so protecting the newcomer Betts will be key to Miami moving Guiterrez the ball down the field. Michigan's pass defense only surrendered five passing touchdowns before being torched for four more by USC. The Wolverines look to improve on last year's performance as Marhn # Jackson returns to corner after a year at safety. Marlin should return to form as a smothering lock-down corner, which will only help the Wol- verines bring more heat on Betts. Add return- ing starters Markus Curry at corner and Ernest Shazor at safety and Michigan should prevent the Redhawk receivers from busting loose for big plays. Look for Miami to pass underneath, rather than go deep. Advantage: Michigan. -S MICHIGAN RUSHING DEFENSE VS. MIAMI RUSH- ING OFFENSE: If you thought Miami was a one-dimensional offense, think again. Mike Smith leads the rushing attack for the RedHawks after racking up 802 yards and 17 touchdowns in his junior season when he split time with two other backs. He should get the bulk of the carries but don't be surprised if head coach SPECIAL TEAMS: Michigan returns placekicker Garret Rivas and punter Adam Finley, giving the kicking game a measure of stabil- ity. All-world punt-returner Steve Breaston will be breaking ankles again this season. Miami returns its steady placekicker Jared Parseghian and punter Mike Wafzig. Return-man Ryne Robinson turned in a 235, two- touchdown performance against lowly Buffalo last year - the sec- ond best day for a punt returner in NCAA history. Advantage: Even. INTANGIBLES: Michigan is ranked in top ten is both polls, while Miami barely cracked the top-50 in either the media or coaches poll. But with their returning talent, an upset isn't totally out of the question. It isn't exactly likely either. Miami might catch the Wolverines looking ahead to their September-11th meeting with Notre Dame. Michigan is notoriously tough at Michigan Stadium and has never lost to a MAC team. Coach Carr will keep his team focused on the task at hand. Michigan has not lost their season opener since 1998. Following the nation- al championship the Wolverines dropped their first two Carr games to Notre Dame and Syracuse. Advantage: Michigan. MICHIGAN 34, MIAMI 17 LINEMEN Continued from Page 14 only returning starter, will book end the line with Woodley. "Pat Massey, I think, is doing an exceptional job and stepping into a role as a leader," Carr said. "Massey is 6- foot-7, 6-foot-8, he's a big guy and has now grown into his body and he's much stronger than he was a year ago." Juniors Gabe Watson and Larry Har- rison are set to take over the inside and replace Bowman and Heuer. Both were a big part of the defensive line's rotation last year, but with alack of experienced backups, they will be relied on to plug up the middle. Carr will also rely on Harrison and Watson to stay healthy. "We've got some younger, inexperi- enced guys, but the biggest concern I have is that we've got to stay healthy." The rest of the rotation will include junior Rondell Biggs and senior Alex Ofili, both of whom were mentioned by Carr as keys to the success of the defen- sive line. Behind Biggs and Ofili are a slew of inexperienced underclassmen, including sophomore Will Paul, fresh- men Marques Walton, Alan Branch and Will Johnson. The younger players will be expected to contribute in back up roles and in goal-line situations. This year's defense boasts tremen- dous speed, which will put a lot of pressure on the defensive line, espe- cially the tackles, to free up Michigan's playmakers to pursue the ball. "(Defensive line) coach Sheridan is always telling us that you can't 'get ;stne'lbdI;ed'P'Massey said. "If you're getting single-blocked that means someone else is getting double- teamed. You have to be the one to get to the quarterback. We always have the mindset where we have to beat that single block and that goes for every- one on the defensive line." For the ends, there is a renewed emphasis on getting to the quarterback - part of an overall defensive scheme that puts a premium on attacking and disrupting the opposing offense. "Coach Hermann told us he is going to put our best 11 players on the field and that's what he's done. He has ath- letes in the secondary, the front seven and all the way around. He's definitely devised some schemes that can take advantage of our speed," Massey said. "There are cornerbacks, safeties, line- backers, linemen - everybody has an opportunity to get to the quarterback. It's fun to play on a defense that's fly- ing around and doing different things. I'm never just going straight ahead. It's definitely a lot of fun to play in that kind of scheme." The competition over the spring and summer has not only been between players on the line, but since they practice against each other every day, it has also been between the lines themselves. "Going up against them every day is a task in itself," Branch said. "Those guys are huge, they have great footwork and they are hard competitors. Everybody is here to make everybody better." MR Xll::V..........*. . 8-M.; Classes on Monday? Make Monday a Friday! Exam on Tuesday? Make Tuesday a Friday? At TGI Friday's it's Friday every time you come in, no matter what day of the week it happens to be! 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