MINNEAPOLIS - In terms of his quarterback situation, Michigan coach Lloyd Carr has been quite sensitive all season.
He has been sensitive about sophomore Scott Dreisbach's shortcomings, and he has been sensitive about criticism against Dreisbach. Saturday against Minnesota, Carr may have taken steps to smooth out both by limiting Dreisbach's pass attempts.
While Minnesota quarterback Cory Sauter threw the ball 36 times, Dreisbach threw it only 11. And while Sauter completed 23 passes for 283 yards, Dreisbach was more productive in both percentage and scoring. He threw for 184 yards and a touchdown.
"Scott is coming along," Michigan tight end Jerame Tuman said. "He threw very well, even though he didn't throw a lot of passes. He's doing a good job."
Michigan was not expected to throw the ball much against the Golden Gophers, because running the ball takes up time, and the Gophers' potent offense had to be kept off the field. But 11 pass attempts still seemed low for Dreisbach. And when Carr was asked if that was an indication of Dreisbach's confidence, he was very clear that it was not.
"Scott Dreisbach has never lost any confidence," Carr said. "He has been very good for us, and he will continue to be very good for us."
Questions persisted, however. Of Dreisbach's eight completions, only two were on truly long passes. In the first quarter, Dreisbach went over the middle to Tai Streets for 36 yards and a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, Dreisbach hit Tuman for 63 yards, setting up a one-yard touchdown run by John Anes.
Both were nice passes, yes. But on the first, Streets was wide open, and on the second, the defensive back assigned to Tuman slipped and fell.
The two times Dreisbach threw long passes into tight coverage, he threw incomplete, and the other long passing plays he was credited for were due more to the receivers' running than his passing. For example, Dreisbach's first pass of the game didn't come until Michigan's ninth offensive play, and the five-yard toss to Mark Campbell became a 27-yard reception only after Campbell's run. Later, the same thing seemed to happen again. Dreisbach threw a short pass to Tuman that became a 33-yard catch after the run.
It wasn't surprising, because often, Dreisbach looks like an option quarterback without options. He rolls out, taking several precious seconds to find a receiver, and when he finds one, he either throws too late or too high.
Dropping back and firing never seems to happen. In fact, when freshman Tom Brady and junior Brian Griese rotated at quarterback at the end of the game, both looked sharper than Dreisbach.
Brady dropped back and rifled six- and seven-yard passes to Aaron Shea, and both were quicker than anything Dreisbach had thrown. In addition, Griese hit Marcus Knight for a 40-yard touchdown, having been warmed up only by holding the ball for the kicker much of the game.
So considering Dreisbach's poor performance last week against Indiana - 17-for-35 for 218 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions - some asked whether the few short passes were planned to help his psyche.
Carr denied it strongly, citing the many facts on his side. Through all of the criticism, Dreisbach wins. He was 10-1 in both his junior and senior seasons in high school, and he is 10-1 as a starter at Michigan. And until Saturday, Dreisbach had a streak of four consecutive 200-yard games, which included his so-called disappointing outing against Indiana.
"He has played extremely well," Carr said. "Remember, he's a young quarterback. Many young quarterbacks have bumps in the road. Some people want to treat him like he's a 10-year veteran - and he isn't. It's not fair."
Tuman defended Dreisbach as well.
"Not everything is the quarterback's fault," Tuman said. "Against Indiana, I didn't look soon enough on one play, and our timing was off. A lot of it is communication problems, little things. People should give him a chance. It'll all come together."
JOE WESTRATE/Daily
Michigan tailback Chris Howard was ready to take a handoff from quarterback Scott Dreisbach on this play. Dreisbach handed the ball off often against the Golden Gophers. As for passing, well, he only put the ball up 11 times, completing eight of those. He also hit receiver Tai Streets for a 36-yard touchdown.