Career Days from Askew, Bell Lead Michigan Past Miami

Saturday, September 1

Ann Arbor, Mich.

3:30 PM

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Miami (Ohio)

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Miami (Ohio)

Michigan

Career Days from Askew, Bell Lead Michigan Past Miami

9/1/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The 10th-ranked University of Michigan football team opened its 75th season in Michigan Stadium with a 31-13 victory over Miami (Ohio) on Saturday (Sept. 1). In front of 109,676 fans, B.J. Askew (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain HS) and Calvin Bell (Simi Valley, Calif./Simi Valley HS) had career days to lead Michigan to victory.

Askew finished the game with a career-high 20 rushes for a career-best 94 yards with one touchdown and had two receptions for 29 yards. Bell had career highs of five catches for 26 yards and two carries for 36 yards and his first career touchdown. Redshirt sophomore John Navarre (Cudahy, Wis./Cudahy HS) made his first start of the season and had a strong day, finishing 19-for-32 for 205 yards and one touchdown.

Michigan took the opening drive of the season 16 yards before the drive was stalled after Miami's Michael Adams made an open-field tackle on Bell just short of the first-down marker. A Hayden Epstein (Cardiff, Calif./Cardiff HS) 41-yard punt pinned the RedHawks inside the 10-yard line. Miami opened its season with a two-yard pass, as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hit Ryan Hawk along the right sideline. Luke Clemens took the next play 33 yards up the field after Roethlisberger pitched him the ball. Michigan's Carl Diggs (Warren Ohio/Warren HS) ended the drive after he intercepted Roethlisberger's next pass and returned it to the Miami 41-yard line.

Michigan capitalized on its next possession as Askew dove over the goal line for a one-yard score, his second career touchdown, to give Michigan a 7-0 lead. Highlighting the drive was a 39-yard pass over the middle to Marquise Walker (Syracuse, N.Y./Henniger HS) that left the Wolverines with a first-and-goal from the two-yard line.

Miami began its second drive on its own 25-yard line as Milt Bowen returned the ball 19 yards off Epstein's kickoff. Clemens took the first play and ran five yards off the left side, leaving Miami with a second-and-five. Clemens again carried on third down and gave the RedHawks their second first down of the season on a hard-fought carry up the middle. Miami was unable to capitalize on its next set of downs, as U-M's Shantee Orr (Detroit, Mich./Denby HS) broke up a third-down swing pass to force Miami to punt.

Michigan opened up a 10-0 lead on its next possession after an Epstein 22-yard field goal that capped off a 67-yard, 11-play drive. The Maize and Blue's second scoring drive saw Navarre and Ronald Bellamy (New Orleans, La./Archbishop Shaw HS) hook up twice on key third-down conversions with receptions of 15 and 19 yards. Navarre went 3-for-5 on the series for 36 yards.

The Michigan defense again stopped Miami on its next drive as Zach Kaufman (Claremont, Calif./Claremont HS) leveled wideout Jason Branch, causing the Roethlisberger pass to fall incomplete. Miami lined up as though it was going to go for it on fourth down, but Roethlisberger pooch-punted the ball 27 yards to the Michigan 15.

On Michigan's next drive Askew had a career-long 16-yard burst up the middle, but the drive would stall, giving the ball back to Miami. The RedHawks scored their first points of the season as Roethlisberger connected with Eddie Tillitz for a 20-yard touchdown pass, but Michigan's Orr blocked the extra-point attempt, leaving the score 10-6. The RedHawk offense traveled 64 yards on six plays.

Defense was the theme of the next two drives as both teams were forced to go three and out. Miami's defense stood tall once more, as it stopped Michigan on fourth and one. Michigan's defense answered back, as Brandon Williams (Omaha, Neb./Central HS) snared his first career interception, giving the Maize and Blue the ball on its own 30-yard line.

The Wolverine offense responded, going 70 yards on eight plays as Navarre hit Bennie Joppru (Wayzata, Minn./Minnetonka HS) for a touchdown on a fourth-and-goal play-action pass with 24 seconds remaining in the half, giving Michigan a 17-6 lead. The drive began with Navarre finding Bell for nine yards. Askew then took the ball over left tackle for 15 yards, breaking into RedHawk territory. A pass interference call on Miami gave the Wolverines 15 more yards. Two plays later Askew took a Navarre screen pass 30 yards to Miami's two-yard line. After Askew was stopped for a one-yard gain and Navarre threw an incompletion, the Wolverines then hit Joppru for the score.

Having only 24 seconds to work with, Miami's Bowen took Epstein's kickoff and ran it up to the RedHawk 40-yard line. Tillitz caught Roethlisberger's first-down pass along the right sideline and stepped out of bounds to stop the clock. Roethlisberger's next two passes went incomplete and the half ended with Michigan ahead, 17-6.

Miami opened the half with Hawk at quarterback and showed signs of a no-huddle offense. Michigan's defense came out firing though and held the new quarterback to three plays and out. Miami countered, holding Michigan to three plays and an Epstein punt. Roethlisberger reentered the game on Miami's second possession of the third quarter and completed four of his first six passes before the Michigan defense stiffened. A key holding penalty moved the RedHawks into a long third-and-20, with a Larry Stevens (Tacoma, Wash./Woodrow Wilson HS) sack then pushing Miami back another five yards forcing a punt.

But again Miami stopped the Wolverines on their next drive, forcing Epstein to punt for the fifth time, and Tillitz returned it 19 yards to the Michigan 41. The RedHawks appeared to score on the first play of the drive, but a costly holding call negated a 41-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger to Tillitz. On second-and-20, following a Roethlisberger incompletion, Clemens caught a nine-yard pass, leaving Miami in a third-and-long passing situation. As Roethlisberger dropped back to pass U-M's Cato June (Washington, D.C./Anacostia HS) came off the right side and made his eighth career sack, forcing Miami to punt.

After a short run and two incompletions, Michigan had to punt again. On the return the Michigan punt team was called for a two-yard radius violation. On Miami's second play, Victor Hobson (Mt. Laurel, N.J./St. Joseph's Prep) recorded his first sack of the season, as he dumped Roethlisberger for a five-yard loss. One play later, placekicker Andy Brumbergs came up short on a 51-yard field goal attempt, giving Michigan the ball on the 34-yard line.

On the ensuing possession, Michigan drove down to the Miami 34 until a Navarre fumble, forced by a Kurt Mester sack, ended the drive and the third quarter. Miami rolled down the field to open the fourth quarter, as Roethlisberger completed passes of 17 and 24 yards. But the drive was stopped as the Wolverines recorded their third interception of the game as a streaking Jeremy LeSueur (Holly Springs, Miss./Holly Springs HS) had his first career pick in the end zone, shutting the drive down.

With the momentum on its side, Michigan took the ball 80 yards on nine plays, increasing the score to 24-6 after Bell took a reverse 12 yards into the end zone, keyed by a Navarre clearing block. Following a Miami punt, the Wolverines again drove the length of the field as Walter Cross (Fort Washington, Md./Oxon Hill HS) scored his third career touchdown on a one-yard run up the middle to move the score to 31-6. The 75-yard, 15-play time-consuming drive, included David Underwood's (Madisonville, Texas/Madisonville HS) first collegiate action as he carried the ball five times for 19 yards.

Miami countered with a 14-play, 78-yard drive to score with eight seconds left in the game on a Roethlisberger pass to Chauncey Henry for 16 yards. That would conclude the scoring as the Wolverines ran the final eight seconds off, preserving the 31-13 victory.

The Wolverines travel to Seattle, Wash., Saturday (Sept. 8) to take on No. 14/15 Washington at Huskie Stadium. The game is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. EDT start and will be broadcast on ABC.