Toledo Blade: Article by Joe Vardon

Graham has new target to squeeze
Illinois’ Juice will be tougher to catch

By JOE VARDON
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

ANN ARBOR — Nearly 110,000 people on their feet, shaking the Big House with their screams.

Linemen blocking, receivers running, cheerleaders … cheering.

Then, through all the noise, all the clutter of Wisconsin’s frenzied, late, fourth-quarter near-comeback … CRASH.

Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham crunches Badgers’ quarterback Allan Evridge inside the Wolverines’ 10, causing a fumble. The sound of the hit was deafening.

That vicious collision with Evridge was one of Graham’s three sacks last week and went a long way toward the Wolverines’ 27-25 triumph. He also forced another fumble, had six total tackles, and was named the Big Ten’s defensive player of the week.

So he bowled Evridge over with his brute strength and turned the conference’s head with his statistics.

To get to his own coach, new UM boss Rich Rodriguez, well, Graham took a different route.

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