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| 10-22-2004 | Previous edition: 10-21-2004 |
         
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Printer-friendly version Starter re-enters lineup, leads defense
Assistant Sports Editor Antwaun Rogers has seen Michigan wide receivers for five years now. They’re still the same. "At that certain position, they’re always good," the senior cornerback said. "They’re probably the most talented at wide receivers in the Big Ten." When No. 12 Purdue (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) plays No. 13 Michigan (6-1, 4-0) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Ross-Ade Stadium, the Boilers’ pass defense will be tested again after two games in which opposing teams have had success against the Purdue secondary. Senior Braylon Edwards, who’s already caught 53 passes this year — 15 more than senior Taylor Stubblefield — leads the Wolverines at receiver. Edwards, who has 781 yards and eight touchdowns as well, has the look of a scout’s idea of perfection at 6-foot-3, 206 pounds, with speed to get down the field as well. He’s not much different than their other receivers, either, Rogers said. Junior receivers Jason Avant and Steve Breaston have combined for 39 catches, 396 yards and touchdown. "They’re all fast, they all can catch, they’re good wide outs," he said. "They’re big on going up and getting the ball. They’ll take it away from you if you’re not aggressive." Rogers, who’ll return to the starting lineup this week, won’t draw coverage on any specific receiver. He and the rest of the defensive backfield will defend simply whichever receiver lines up across from them. Michigan coach Lloyd Carr thinks Edwards is such a "difference maker" that he might defend him with more than one man. "If we’re playing Braylon Edwards, if we were playing ourselves, we would either double cover him or we would want to put our best corner on him," Carr said in his weekly press conference. In addition to the passing game, Michigan has added another facet to their offense over the past month with the emergence of freshman running back Michael Hart. Coach Joe Tiller thinks the Wolverines were more one-dimensional earlier this season. Now that Hart is third in Big Ten rushing yards with 730 on 154 carries, Purdue may be misfortunate in playing Michigan in October rather than September. "They are a much more dangerous team today than they were a month ago," Tiller said. "Michigan offers the ultimate of challenges. I think this particular team offensively presents some challenges unlike perhaps any other team on your schedule." The Wolverines were similarly dangerous last year. A year ago, Purdue went into Ann Arbor, Mich., and played its worst game of the season — a 31-3 shellacking. In the game, senior quarterback Kyle Orton threw two interceptions to Wolverine cornerback Leon Hall. Tiller said the defensive backfield is the strength of Michigan’s defense because it has a pool of about 12 players they can play at the four positions. "They’re at the top of their game with the abundance of talent in the secondary," he said. "I think they have an exceptional secondary." With the success Michigan had last year, especially against Orton, there’s likely little to change about the Wolverine game plan. "We underwhelmed them with three points," Tiller said. "I don’t think the Michigan people think they need to change much against Purdue based on the success that they had a year ago." This year’s game will be broadcast on ABC and on 95.3 FM. Printer-friendly version |
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