Carr blames self for second loss

Frysinger will not return this fall

By Mark Francescutti

Daily Sports Editor

Michigan coach Lloyd Carr furiously strutted into his media luncheon yesterday looking more frustrated than he has all season.

"Winning is about finishing," Carr said in his opening statement. "What I saw in the second half (on Saturday), I don't like. And what I saw is a direct reflection of the way I coached.

"I don't like that either."

Carr was short with his comments and even shorter with his answers. But the coach did have some strong words and strong emotions about Michigan's 32-31 loss to Purdue. The coach took the blame upon himself for the ugly second-half turnaround - an intense, skilled first half turned into a laid-back, conservative second half.

"I don't like the way we played - I don't like the way I coached," Carr said. "I don't like anything about it."

Play-calling by offensive coordinator Stan Parrish seemed to slim from a diverse playbook to a 3x5 index card in the last 30 minutes.

The Wolverines passed half as much and to fewer people. Michigan tried to run the ball to no avail.

Go down the final stats and the Wolverines' numbers change more rapidly than teams jumping ship out of the top 25.

Anthony Thomas in the first half: 13 carries, 115 yards - second half: Eight carries and only 15 yards.

The Michigan receivers and tight ends had 15 catches for 139 yards in the first half. In the second, they had four catches for 29 yards.

"We've probably never played better than we did in the first half," Carr said. "Too bad they only played for two quarters."

The times down on the Michigan practice field outside Schembechler Hall this week sure won't be like a Slip'n Slide on a summer day.

"It's not going to be a fun week," Carr said. "We've got a lot of work to do, and a short time to make a lot of corrections and improvement."

As for what this team must do now, senior cornerback James Whitley was mostly at a loss for words. Meanwhile, wide receiver Marquise Walker flat out described a lack of effort on the part of the Wolverines.

"I think we got a lazy on offense and defense in the second half," Walker said. "They came out in the second half and we didn't. We have to now forget about it; that game is over. We should have put more points on the board and our defense could have stepped up a little more. The whole team was to blame."

While the mistakes were all-around, the 22 points Purdue put up on the board were the fault of a defensive scheme that put zero pressure on Drew Brees and allowed easy catches for a total of 321 yards of offense.

Michigan also gave up 179 yards on the ground in the second half, most on missed tackles and missed assignments.

"We need to see some intensity (on defense)," Carr said. "We need to see some tackling. We need to be able to stop the run."

Walker said that the "team needs to come together," even if it's midway through the season.

"We can still do it," Walker said.

Frysinger out for season: Senior defensive lineman Jake Frysinger, who reinjured his right foot early in the Bowling Green game, will not return this fall.

"That injury is not healing to the extent that will enable him to come back," Carr said.

Frysinger will not have to petition for a fifth-year of eligibility. Under NCAA rules, petitioning is required only for the sixth year.

"This is a tremendous disappointment for Jake, and yet the good news is he does have another year of eligibility that he can use," Carr said. "It's a disappointment for all of us."

The bone in Frysinger's foot is not broken and won't facilitate surgery unless it fails to heal down the road.

Quarterback Drew Henson has a similar injury, which Carr hopes won't reinjure like Frysinger's.

Injury update: Carr said "We'll see" regarding whether or not David Terrell, Eric Wilson and freshman running back Chris Perry will play this weekend.

Prior to Carr, Walker said that Terrell described the injury to him as just a bruise and that he was 100 percent for Indiana. Terrell hobbled on the field for much of the second half.

Close calls: For the fourth-straight game, Michigan's fate came down to the final few plays. Normally a standout in tight contests, Carr has found his team drop two out of the last four.

Last season Michigan was 6-1 when the game was decided by five or less points.

Fire alarm: The fire alarm continued to go off during the early morning hours at the hotel where Michigan slept on Friday night.

As to whether the annoyance had any effect, Walker said the fire alarm was not the cause of their second-half performance on the field.

FILE PHOTO

Coach Lloyd Carr said yesterday "I've never had a good loss. If I am ever involved in a good loss then its time for me to quit."