ANN ARBOR - Michigan coach Lloyd Carr squashes the notion that John Navarre s legacy as the Wolverines quarterback will be determined by what happens between noon and 3 p.m. on Saturday against Ohio State.
“I don t think any game defines you as a person,” Carr said. “Your character does that.”
Carr is right, of course. And wrong.
It has been called a “100-yard war,” and it will soon officially become a “100-year war,” and, yes, reputations and legacies are cemented or shattered during the annual meeting between the Buckeyes and Wolverines.
No one questions Navarre s character. And no one questions the fifth-year senior as a quality person, which you might note is the tack Carr chose to use.
But this game defines players. And Navarre takes an 0-2 record as UM s starting quarterback against Ohio State into Saturday s game.
Has any Michigan quarterback lost three straight to the Buckeyes? Not since the mid-1930s, if then. So this is what s on the line for Navarre come Saturday afternoon.
“Does it hinge on that? His legacy? It probably does,” said UM defensive tackle Grant Bowman. “It s probably unfair, but that s the way it is.”
Navarre was intercepted four times and sacked on three occasions in OSU s 26-20 upset win at Michigan Stadium in 2001. Last year, in Columbus, Navarre threw for 247 yards, but UM was held without a touchdown and the Wolverines last-ditch attempt to win was thwarted by an interception at the goal line by Will Allen as time expired. Ohio State won 14-9 to complete an undefeated regular season.
“The pick at the end wasn t the reason we lost,” said the 6-6, 230-pound Navarre earlier this week. “We didn t capitalize on the opportunities we had. We didn t score touchdowns. We didn t minimize turnovers. And those are all the same things we have to do this weekend.”
That and make a stand, a statement, after back-to-back losses to the Buckeyes.
“Definitely,” Navarre said. “I don t want to say it s pressure though. It s excitement. It s exciting for this team after the way we ve prepared all season for this moment. You just go in and play your best.”
And if it isn t enough?
“I m not even considering that,” Navarre said.
Nor is he considering what is on the line for him as an individual.
“It s not about that,” he said. “We need this win because it defines our season and our goals. It s for the Big Ten championship. It s for a trip to the Rose Bowl. It s against our rival. That s how much we need this win.”
In many ways Navarre has already written his legacy. He is 30-10 as the starter, and only Rick Leach among all those UM quarterbacks through the years garnered more wins. If Navarre manages 218 passing yards against Ohio State he will become the first quarterback in Michigan history to throw for 3,000 yards in one season.
This season Navarre has completed 58.7 per cent of his passes and leads the Big Ten with 21 touchdown passes.
“John has had an outstanding season,” Carr said. “Any time you get to be the starting quarterback for a program like this one as a sophomore, there are bound to be ups and downs. But he has matured into an outstanding quarterback and leader.
“There is no tougher man anywhere than John Navarre.”
Fairly or unfairly, whether others share that opinion will be determined, in large part, Saturday afternoon.
“This shouldn t determine John s legacy,” said his friend and roommate Tony Pape, the Wolverines offensive right tackle. “John has done everything he s capable of doing. He s a winner. He has become the best player he is capable of being, and we re playing our best ball right now because John is making the players around him better.
“This is our third time together in this game and, unfortunately, we haven t won it yet. But we know what it takes. John knows what it takes. I feel fortunate to be on his side.”
Navarre remembers that Jim Tressel, upon being introduced as Ohio State s coach during the winter following the 2000 season, knew exactly how many days it was before kickoff of the next OSU-Michigan game.
“We always know how many days it is too,” Navarre said. “We don t talk about it as much, maybe, but we know.”
This, of course, means he knows it is two days until he writes the last chapter, the one that will define the legacy of John Navarre, Michigan quarterback.
First Published November 20, 2003, 2:19 p.m.
