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| | Sunday, September 3 Can Henson play a little defense, too? | |||||
| By Jeff Potrykus Special to ESPN.com Michigan Wolverines 1999 record: 10-2 (6-2 Big Ten) Coach: Lloyd Carr. Returning starters: 12 (7 offense, 5 defense) Outlook In many ways, Carr's plight is similar to that of 1997, when the Wolverines had numerous holes to fill on defense. Twelve victories later, the Wolverines had a share of the national title. Michigan possesses enough weapons on offense to score points on any defense in America, but will have to do it without star QB Drew Henson for at least the season opener after Henson had foot surgery Aug. 24. However, for the Wolverines to make a run at the national title they must run the ball better than they did a year ago, when they managed just 121.8 yards per game, the lowest total in 37 seasons. In addition, the anonymous faces on defense must develop quickly so the offense doesn't feel the need to score on every possession. Keep an eye on ... Drew Henson. Can the junior quarterback's performances match the hype that has been building over the last two seasons? More importantly, how will he play when he returns from foot surgery? Henson, who suffered a foot injury Aug. 23, had surgery the following morning and will miss at least the opener. Henson played in 18 games last year while serving as understudy to Tom Brady and clearly is a tremendous athlete. However, will his devotion to pro baseball in the summer hurt his quarterback play in the fall? And, will he be the leader and performer under pressure that Brady was? "He's had some ups and downs but I think through those ups and downs he has learned a lot," Carr said of Henson. "He's had great experience in pressure situations and I expect him to be an outstanding quarterback." It's a good season if ... Forget about all that talk about how wonderful it was to play in the Orange Bowl last season. No one in Ann Arbor will be happy unless the Wolverines win the Big Ten title, which hasn't happened since '97. Jeff Potrykus covers the Big Ten for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |
ALSO SEE Big 10 preview: A toss-up for title | |||||