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The Michigan Daily - Orientation Edition 2006 - 31
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'M' shucked in Alamo Bowl Controversial rap
By Ian Herbert ever played in. Some Michigan play- "I can't fumble the ball," Avant
Dec. 28, 2005 ers claimed that Titus Brothers, the said. "I never fumble the ball.... I put
player who tackled Ecker, was not a lot of blame on me because that took
SAN ANTONIO - It resembled
California vs. Stanford in 1982 - but
without the fairytale ending.
Down by four with two seconds
left, Michigan lined up on its own 36-
yard line.
Michigan never considered throw-
ing a 60-yard pass, instead opting for
a hook-and-ladder-style finish.
Chad Henne to Jason Avant to Steve
Breaston, and so on. All Michigan's
key offensive players were involved,
including Mike Hart and Mario Man-
ningham, but in the end - with
players and coaches, fans and media
members all on the field - Tyler
Ecker, who was tackled 13 yards shy
of the goal line, was the last player to
touch the ball.
The Wolverines went home losers
of their third straight bowl game -
this time a 32-28 defeat in the Alamo
Bowl at the hands of Nebraska. The
game capped off a nightmare season
for Michigan (5-3 Big Ten, 7-5 over-
all), which ended the worst football
season in more than 20 years with
two straight losses.
"Things happened at the end that
need to be looked at on film," Michi-
gan coach Lloyd Carr said. "Our play-
ers deserved better."
Avant, a senior co-captain, called it
the most poorly officiated game he'd
originally a part of the final play, but
review showed that he was in fact one
of Nebraska's deep defensive backs.
But even without the confusion at
the end, Michigan had its chances.
After a seven-yard touchdown run
by Henne early in the fourth quarter,
Nebraska trailed by 11. It looked as if
the game was out of reach. With less
than 12 minutes to play, the Wolver-
ines needed to protect the football
and move the chains to pick up their
first bowl game win in three years.
But that proved to be a monumental
task.
First, it was the Michigan defense
giving up a 31-yard touchdown run to
running back Cory Ross, who finished
with 165 yards and a score en route to
offensive MVP honors.
Then, Nebraska made it a three-
point game, 28-25, on a suc-
cessful two-point conversion.
On the ensuing possession, the Wol-
verines drove down the field and into
Nebraska territory - bouncing back,
but only for a moment.
Avant, after finding a seam in the
Nebraska zone and picking up a first
down, fumbled the ball. And even
though the Cornhuskers were forced
to punt just a few plays later, Avant
said he put a lot of blame for the loss
on himself.
away field position and momentum
and gave it to Nebraska."
Henne also lost the pigskin, a mis-
take that put Nebraska on Michigan's
17-yard line and set up the final score.
It was a 13-yard strike from Nebraska
quarterback Zac Taylor to sophomore
receiver Terrence Nunn that put the
Cornhuskers ahead by four and forced
Michigan to attempt a last-minute,
come-from-behind drive for the sixth
time this season.
The Wolverines' drive included
five complete passes - all to Avant
- along with runs by Hart totaling
24 yards and three incomplete pass
attempts inside the 20.
Hart finished the game with 83
yards but no touchdowns. He strug-
gled to find seams early in the game
but finished with 40 yards in the final
quarter.
Henne finished strong as well, but it
was his earlier heroics that stood out.
He tied Alamo Bowl records with
three passing touchdowns and four
total touchdowns - one rushing. He
was 21-for-43 with one interception,
and also had a handful of long runs
for first downs.
"I haven't seen the stats, but I think
Chad did some great things," Carr
said after the game. "He gave us a
chance to win at the end."
By Scott Bell
Feb. 24, 2006
The athletic department is investigat-
ing a derogatory rap song about a female
University student allegedly recorded by
three Michigan football players.
Athletic department spokesman
Bruce Madej has confirmed the investi-
gation, but would not comment on who
is suspected to be involved.
Juniors Jerome Jackson, Tyrone Jor-
dan and Landon Smith are allegedly
members of the group that recorded the
song, according to several sources.
Madej said no players have been dis-
missed from the team.
"We will pursue all appropriate disci-
plinary action," he said.
Jackson refused to comment. Jordan
and Smith could not be reached.
But friends of the players said the
rap was created, in part, as a response
to Xanga.com journal posts that some
have construed as threats by the woman
who is the song's subject. The friends
said the song stemmed from personal
conflicts between the two parties.
The song, titled "Measly Penny," was
brought to the athletic department's
attention sometime this week. The
Michigan Daily has also obtained a
copy of the rap, which alludes to threats
against the female student.
The group calls itself the "Mean
Team."
Jackson is a three-year letter winner
for the team. He scored the game-win-
ning touchdown in overtime against
Iowa last October before recording i&si
only career 100-yard rushing game,
against Northwestern.
Smith has seen action in three games
during his career at Michigan.
Jordan has played in one.
The University's Statement of Stu-
dent Rights and Responsibilities, which
all students are expected to follow,
prohibits "sexually harassing another
person" and "stalking, or harassing
another person."
A similar incident at the Uni-
versity of Miami grabbed national
headlines last fall.
Miami suffered a blow to its reputa-
tion when a song surfaced by the 7th
Floor Crew, which included several
members of the 2004 Hurricane foot-
ball team, along with at least one player
still on the team.
The 7th Floor Crew's song con-
tained multiple offensive comments
about women and minorities, as well
as references to group sex and other
demeaning topics.
- Jack Herman and Karl Stampfl
contributed to this report.
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