Blue earns verbal from top prep defensive end

By Stephanie Offen

Daily Sports Editor

Paul Massey, a defensive end at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, verbally committed to Michigan as a defensive end for next season, The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported yesterday.

The 6-8, 245-pound Massey is regarded as one of the top 50 recruits in the nation and has the ability to play on both sides of the line.

The lineman was in attendance at Michigan's victory over Wisconsin on Saturday and said that that trip confirmed his belief that Michigan has a great tradition, coaching staff and exhumes academic and athletic excellence.

He could have an immediate impact on next year's squad, as Michigan graduates two starters on the defensive line, Jake Frysinger and Eric Wilson - both currently out of the lineup with injuries.

Wild 'Cats: In yesterday's Big Ten teleconference, coaches from around the conference emphasized their amazement with Northwestern's surprising Big Ten start - knocking off Wisconsin and Michigan State on the road in its first two conference games.

The Wildcats have defeated their opponents with their new spread offense and no-huddle approach. This is a complete change from last year's, which only produced 12 points a game. This season the Wildcats are racking up over 34 points.

"The spread offense is new to this league. They run their offense with no huddle," said Michigan State coach Bobby Williams, who lost 37-17 to Northwestern last weekend. "All their skill players get to play and they run it at fast pace without letting players get on and off the field."

Michigan may fall victim to the new style of offense this weekend against Purdue. Purdue coach Joe Tiller says his offense is similar to Northwestern's.

"We aren't looking forward to playing" Northwestern, Tiller said. "But we applaud them because now when we get some of their tapes, we can see how others defend the spread offense, since our two offenses look very similar."

Speaking of the no-huddle offense, Northwestern coach Randy Walker said it is something he used to run at Miami (Ohio) back in the early 1990s.

"We ran some no-huddles back in the early '90s in Miami and we got most of that from the Cincinnati Bengals," Walker said. "Each coach tries in his own way to control the tempo of the game. We quit doing it at Miami for a few reasons, but we were talking here last winter and decided to reinvestigate it.

"It's not as big a deal as people make it out to be, but we will play as soon as the referee blows the whistle. People don't pay to come and see a huddle."

Fallen Lion: Adam Taliaferro, the 18-year-old cornerback who suffered a severe spinal injury in Penn State's Sept. 23 game at Ohio State, is currently listed in stable condition.

Taliaferro was taken off a ventilator this past Thursday and has been breathing on his own ever since, Penn State coach Joe Paterno said.

"He has a tough road ahead of him and it will be a miracle if he can walk," Paterno said. "But he is doing better than people thought he would do. He is breathing now without any help but he has a long road ahead of him."