From traditionalist coaches, a dose of special teams trickery

By David Den Herder

Daily Sports Editor

COLUMBUS - Michigan coach Lloyd Carr called Saturday's battle with Ohio State "a typical, hard-fought, hard-hitting football game."

Hard-hitting it was. But typical it was not - at least in terms of play-calling. Both Carr and Ohio State coach John Cooper brought their bag of tricks into the newly-renovated Horseshoe, and both had the occasion to use them.

Trickery was put to its usual task in several key play-action passing plays as well as the game-ending bootleg to Drew Henson.

"When I'm laying on the ground, I look over and I see Drew crossing the goal line," Michigan offensive lineman Steve Hutchinson said of the roll-out. "It is a great feeling."

But true gimmicks on special teams - especially two fake field goals and one fake punt - may have ultimately decided the outcome.

Ohio State got the drop early when Nate Clements faked a reverse on the opening kickoff, returning the ball to the Michigan 20 and setting up Ohio State's first touchdown.

But after two Michigan touchdowns, the Buckeyes were down 14-9 and forced to answer in the second quarter. Facing a foutth-and-three on his own 38, Cooper called for the fake punt - snapping to punter B.J. Sander for a forward pass.

Sander did his job, but Ohio State's Donnie Nickey dropped the pass, yielding the ball to Michigan on downs.

Despite such great field position, the Wolverines could manage to advance the ball to only the 21-yard line before the field-goal unit was called on.

But leading by five with six yards to go for a first down, Carr employed what Michigan players call the "fire" play. The ball was snapped to holder John Navarre, who placed it for the swinging leg of Hayden Epstein.

A split-second before Epstein made contact, Navarre tucked the ball away and rolled out as if he were scrambling for a loose ball, which appeared to have been blocked on its way to the goalpoast.

In reality, Navarre was scrambling for the first down. Unfortunately for him, the Buckeyes figured it out one yard before he reached the marker.

Sometimes with trick plays not all offensive players know the fake is on, but Michigan long snapper Jeremy Miller said that on that play, all 11 Wolverines knew the drill.

"We have to have communication with the tight ends," Miller said.

The failure of Michigan's first special teams gimmick did not deter Carr from pulling another rabbit out of his hat.

On Michigan's first possession of the second half, the Wolverines were faced with a 47-yard field goal option or a pooch punt on fourth-and-two. The coaches chose neither, instead calling a highly unorthodox fake that caught everybody in the stadium off guard.

Navarre was again back to hold, but a second after he extended his arm to accept the long snap, Navarre sprinted up to the line and took an I-snap from Miller, handing off to the B.J. Askew, who bullied his way for two yards and the first down.

"I had made up my mind if we had a situation (where we needed) two yards or less I wanted to use that play," Carr said. The ensuing play was a 32-yard strike to David Terrell for Michigan's third touchdown.

Two fake field goals in one game is unusual for the traditionally conservative coach, who said he was wary of the way Michigan matched up defensively with the Buckeyes.

"I was not sure how we would play defensively," Carr said. "What I wanted to do was steal a couple possessions."

The Wolverines succeeded in stealing one possession. And one victory on the road.

DAVID KATZ/Daily

Michigan defenders picked off Ohio State quarterback Steve Bellisari three times on Saturday, they said partially because he looked at his target "the whole game."