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Brian Calhoun (2) gets a lift by his teammates after scoring in the fourth quarter to give Wisconsin a 16-13 lead.Michigan: Notebook
Avant takes blame for loss
Senior receiver says dropped pass at start of second half was the 'biggest play of the game.'
Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez is all smiles after defeating Michigan coach Lloyd Carr for the first time.
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MADISON, Wis. -- Jason Avant didn't need to search for words.
He knew exactly what he wanted to say.
"I lost the game on third-and-(8)," Avant said after Michigan's 23-20 loss to Wisconsin on Saturday night in its Big Ten opener. "I dropped the ball. ... That was the biggest play of the game, and I dropped it."
Avant dropped a pass from Chad Henne during Michigan's first possession of the third quarter. The Wolverines were held to 2 yards on three plays.
Wisconsin began its momentum-building first drive of the second half on its 37 and ended it with a field goal to cut its deficit to 13-6.
Michigan coach Lloyd Carr also pointed to the dropped pass as a critical mistake.
"(That's) something Jason Avant just doesn't do," Carr said. "That would have given us good field position. They took the ball and they began to move the chains a lot better."
While Avant had no problem blaming himself, he said he can't figure out why Michigan's offense has misfired so frequently during the first month of the season.
"It's a position I've never been in since I've been at Michigan," Avant said. "It's the worst feeling. We have to go back to the chalkboard. We've been practicing well, and to have a letdown like this is really disappointing."
Why the field goal?
Michigan was in touchdown range in the final seconds of the first half, but after a false start made it third-and-6 on the Wisconsin 11, Carr said confusion led him to his decision to go for a 28-yard field goal, which Garrett Rivas made with four seconds left for a 13-3 halftime lead.
"I talked to the officials right after the half because the clock ran down ... there was a flag for delay of game, but the game clock went down to six seconds, and they marched the penalty off, and with six seconds, we were not going to chance having the clock run out," Carr said.
"We substituted when they began to march the penalty off, and there were six seconds on the clock. By the time I knew they were putting three seconds back on the clock, we were already on the field, so we would have faced another penalty if we had to substitute everybody in and out."
Hart sits again
Sophomore tailback Mike Hart made the trip to Wisconsin but he was out of action for a second straight game.
Hart, last season's Big Ten freshman of the year, has not played since injuring his left hamstring in the first quarter against Notre Dame in Week 2.
He warmed up with the team before Saturday's game and was on the sideline in uniform. But there was never a hint of him playing against the Badgers.
Back on the scene
Tight end Tim Massaquoi played against Wisconsin after missing two games because of a broken right arm. He played with his hand and wrist heavily taped.
Oops
After Max Martin's 29-yard gain during Michigan's first series of the game, he jumped up to celebrate and chest-butted left tackle Adam Stenavich.
Martin is 6-foot-1, 216 pounds. Stenavich is 6-5, 325.
The impact sent Martin to the field on his backside.
Rowdy stadium
Camp Randall Stadium is recognized in the Big Ten as one of the rowdiest and toughest places to play.
Certainly, it is one of the loudest. Henne frequently had to back off from the line to yell calls to his backs and linemen.
The Wolverines said any stadium other than Michigan Stadium is hardly a welcoming environment.
"Any time that you go and you're playing away from home, you're dealing with an element where you're not the favorite team," Michigan receiver Carl Tabb said. "It's usually just the team against the city basically."
Playing at Camp Randall was a first for the Michigan players because the teams had not played each other because of the Big Ten rotation.
"It's a wild environment ... fans jumping, stadium shaking," said U-M defensive lineman Rondell Biggs. "It's just crazy ... people throwing stuff at you."
Moving around
Adam Kraus arrived at Michigan as a tight end. Then he moved to guard. Then he moved to center.
Kraus started the season at center, but because of injuries on the offensive line, he has had to play at right guard. He was back at center Saturday because Matt Lentz, who did not play against Eastern Michigan, was back in the starting lineup at right guard.
"I'm used to playing guard, so it wasn't that big of a deal," Kraus said.
His transition to center has been smooth.
"You're getting hit a lot quicker at center because the nose guard is right over you," Kraus said. While at guard, you have a little more time to react. Also, they have a little more time to react to what you're doing. I think that's the biggest thing, just the timing."
Honor roll
Justin Boren of Pickerington, Ohio, one of the nation's top offensive linemen who has made an oral commitment to Michigan, has been named a 2006 U.S. Army All-American. Boren will play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl -- an East vs. West matchup -- on Jan. 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
He is one of 400 players nominated nationally and one of 78 selected to play in the All-American Bowl. Boren plays tackle in high school and is expected to move to guard at Michigan.
You can reach Angelique S. Chengelis at angelique.chengelis@detnews.com.
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