The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MICHIGAN FOOTBALL MICHIGAN PLAYERS KNOW THEY HAVE A CHANCE The somber mood in the Michigan locker room following a painful 23-9 loss at Nebraska didn't last long. The misery gave way to determination and a realization that the Wolverines' sea- son remains far from over. We've got to do what we do best." Fifth-year senior captain and safety Jordan Kovacs didn't even look that far down the road. He insisted that for the Wolverines to do anything, it has to be one step at a time. Even shortly after the game had ended, players began looking ahead to continue chasing a championship. "We've lost what, one in the Big Ten?" noted fifth-year senior wide re- ceiver Roy Roundtree. "We've just got to move on to Minnesota after today. We'll move on to Minnesota, and we'll see what happens. We've got to finish. We've got three losses for the season, and we've got to do better. Last year, we were 11-2. "Our hopes are still high. We can still get to the Rose Bowl, still get to the Big Ten championship. It's in our hands. Great Game Performances Offensive Triumvirate Lifts U-M To Win In 1995 Little Brown Jug Tilt Michigan met Minnesota in Minneapolis Nov. 3 with the two historic rivals once again competing for The Little Brown Jug. Almost two decades ago, in head coach Lloyd Carr's first season on the sidelines, the Wolverines took care of the Gophers with relative ease thanks to standout offensive performances from tailback Tshimanga Biakabutuka, wide receiver Amani Toomer and quarterback Brian Griese. In his first season as U-M's starter, Biakabutuka had rushed for 801 yards and seven touchdowns in Michigan's first seven games. He exploded for 196 yards in the 52-17 demoli- tion of Minnesota, including a 52-yard touchdown run that opened the scoring for the Maize and Blue. Biakabutuka would score from 16 yards out just a minute later after a bloop kickoff ended up in the Wolverines' clutches. Before the first quarter came "We're just trying to win the Big Ten. If my numbers sag for us to win the Big Ten, then they'll do that. You have to love it when you're a big part of the offense, though." Griese, meanwhile, recovered "It was a big game coming in," Ko- vacs assured. "It was a huge game. It's a tough loss, but like I said after the Alabama game, you can't let Nebraska beat you twice. You have to move on. If we take care of business, we'll still be in it, and we have to take it one game at a time, starting with Minnesota." Fifth-year senior offensive lineman Patrick Omameh concurred, noting that no matter how devastating the loss to Nebraska, nobody is declaring the end to Michigan's campaign. "This wasn't the last game," Omameh said. "We anticipated a win, but the Big Ten season is halfway over. We still have four games to go." With two days of further perspec- tive, their teammates sounded much the same message during an Oct. 29 press conference at the Junge Family Champions Center. They ranged from combative to quietly assured, but the message re- mained constant: it's time to take care of business, from Minnesota to the end of the season. "We have to win our games," red- shirt junior offensive tackle Taylor Le- wan insisted. "You come to Michigan to win games and Big Ten champion- ships. The message yesterday is we have to finish. Ten championship. This week it's Min- nesota. The Brown Jug is a nice trophy. I want to win it. I want to keep it at Michigan, but I'm focused on a Big Ten championship and winning one game at a time." u "I'm playing football to win a Big from a poor showing against Northwestern two weeks ear- lier in which he completed only 41.2 percent of his at- tempts and was picked off twice, to connect on 14 of 19 passes (73.7 percent) for 271 yards and a career-high four TDs. "Brian learned from some of the mistakes he made in the Northwestern game, "He is setting up extremely well, delivering the ball and taking care of the football. "I think his teammates have a lot of confidence in him, and I think his confidence has grown." With the three proving un- " Carr said. to a close, Griese and Toomer hooked up for a 75-yard touch- down completion, and Toomer finished the day with five catches for a career-high 177 yards and two scores. The senior wideout entered play with only 20 catches. "I don't really look at my numbers, 44 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2012 Running back Tshimanga Biakabutuka rushed for 196 yards, includng touchdown runs of 52 and 16 yards, in leading Michigan to a 52-17 rout of Minnesota on Nov. 3, 1995. " a selfless Toomer said. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN said. "That's why I am so happy we were able to score 52 points. We showed we are able to play. stoppable, Michigan would finish with 623 yards of total offense, while the defense sur- rendered only 252. "I love our defense, but the offense can play too," Griese " — Michael Spath