Rose Bowl notebook: Michigan s Woodley top defender
1/2/2005PASADENA, Calif. Michigan s LaMarr Woodley had a team-high 11 tackles and was name the outstanding defensive player of the Rose Bowl. But it hardly seemed to matter.
The Wolverines switched from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 and moved Woodley from outside linebacker to end in an attempt to slow down talented Texas quarterback Vince Young.
It didn t work.
Young accounted for 372 of his team s 444 total yards and a Rose Bowl-record five touchdowns as the Longhorns beat the Wolverines 38-37 last night in a shootout.
It wasn t a shock at all what Young did, Woodley said. Seeing him on film, he s been doing that all year. I m disappointed that our tackling was so poor. I m disappointed that our defense played so poorly in key situations.
We had him on the run in the backfield a couple of times, but we couldn t wrap him up and he broke free. We just let him make too many big plays.
Young, the game s offensive MVP, is just the latest in a long line of mobile quarterbacks who have given Michigan s porous defense fits this year. He joined a list that includes Michigan State s Drew Stanton and Ohio State s Troy Smith.
If you saw the game, it was obvious he was difficult to tackle, Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said.
You re going to be disappointed when you lose, Woodley said. You look back at mistakes that you know you shouldn t have made and that s disappointing. I am mad because I wasn t able to send the seniors out on a good note. You can look at this game for a day or two, but you gotta get ready for next year.
CHALK TALK: Texas coach Mack Brown agreed to a 10-year contract extension worth more than $25 million a few days before the Rose Bowl.
Brown s new deal left two coaching legends Michigan s Bo Schembechler (75 years old) and Texas Darrell Royal (80) scratching their heads.
I was born too soon, Royal said, jokingly.
Schembechler said he and Royal coached in an era when money and job security weren t a big issue.
Schembechler s Wolverines compiled a 194-48-5 record and won or shared 13 Big Ten championships from 1965-89, while Royal s Longhorns went 167-47-5 with three national titles from 1957-76.
We re probably the last two guys who coached an entire career without a contract, Schembechler said. We never had a contract. We got a letter of employment each year, the same as any other faculty member on the campus. That s how we got paid.
I remember I told Bear Bryant that one day and he called me the dumbest coach in football. We didn t worry about it in those days. Maybe we were more secure in our jobs.
BREASTON DAZZLING: He doesn t have the speed of Ohio State s Ted Ginn Jr., but Michigan s Steve Breaston is fast enough.
He accounted for 315 all-purpose yards to shatter the Rose Bowl record of 276 set by O.J. Simpson in 1969.
Breaston had 221 yards on kickoff returns, 77 receiving, 15 rushing and two on punt returns. He caught three passes, including a 50-yarder for a touchdown.
Breaston was slowed by a stress fracture in his left foot and a broken left ring finger most of the year.
I felt good and I think it showed, he said.
ODDS & ENDS: All-American strong safety Ernest Shazor may have played his last game in a Michigan uniform. The junior, who had seven tackles, is contemplating entering the NFL draft. I hope to have a decision in the next couple of days, he said. ... Carr s bowl record dropped to 5-5, including a 1-2 mark in the Rose Bowl.