Michigan Creates New Pregame Plan

When Michigan Coach Lloyd Carr said his players would have a 9 p.m. curfew leading up to the Jan. 1 Rose Bowl game against Texas -- and said he meant 9 p.m. Eastern time -- he was joking.

But not much.

Players say that Carr has adopted a business-first approach, convinced that they spent too much time away from home and too much time gazing at celebrities at their Beverly Hills hotel a year ago before their 28-14 loss to USC.

A year ago, the Wolverines arrived Dec. 20 and stayed in Dana Point while practicing twice a day until Christmas. They then moved near Rodeo Drive, where fellow hotel guests included musicians, NBA players and other celebrities.

They changed their itinerary to prepare for sixth-ranked Texas. The 13th-ranked Wolverines checked into their Westside hotel Wednesday night and will practice at the Home Depot Center in Carson only once a day starting today, except for a day off on Christmas. Their last practice was Saturday in Ann Arbor. Curfew won’t be 6 p.m. local time, but it won’t be much later.

“If you can’t enjoy the Rose Bowl, then something’s wrong,” Carr said as players and staff filed into their hotel Wednesday night. “I think everybody’s excited to be here and there’s a lot to do ... but obviously you have to be focused when you are meeting and you’re practicing and you have to be smart about getting rest and studying your opponent.”

Carr said three players making their own travel arrangements had yet to arrive in Los Angeles because of weather delays.

Senior tight end Tim Massaquoi said players were “a little star-struck” a year ago, a feeling they are determined to avoid. They also want to avoid a repeat of the outcome.

“It makes you a lot hungrier,” he said of having lost to the Trojans. “The thing about it is, you have one more game to play, in a great bowl game, in the Rose Bowl. Hopefully we will play our best game.”

Massaquoi said Texas didn’t compare to any opponent the Wolverines faced this season. “They’re in a different conference, so they play different football,” he said. “The main thing is they have a lot of speed on that defense.”

Losing their season finale to Ohio State, 37-21, might be the biggest motivating factor for the Wolverines to take care of business on Jan. 1.

“The desire to compete and to get better, and to end any season on a good note, I think that’s where our focus is,” Carr said.

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Mike Kolodziej will start at offensive tackle in place of junior Adam Stenavich, who was arrested in Marshfield, Wis., last month and charged with disorderly conduct.... Larry Harrison, a sophomore defensive end who started six games, did not make the trip. He was charged with indecent exposure this month in Ann Arbor and reportedly is a suspect in 14 other cases of indecent exposure in neighborhoods near campus since August.... Defensive end Jeremy Van Alstyne (foot surgery) also won’t play.