BY ANDY REID
Daily Sports Editor
Published April 11, 2009
Wearing a white jersey with a bright red No. 5 on it, Tate Forcier trotted onto the Michigan Stadium turf to thunderous applause — even though he’s never played in a game.
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The early-enrollee freshman’s appearance in the Michigan football spring game was clearly the most anticipated event of the day. And every one of the estimated 50,000 fans in attendance (a program-record crowd for the spring game) paid close attention to the quarterback.
Forcier didn’t disappoint. On his first drive, Forcier swiftly led the offense down the field, completing his first pass in the Big House and showing off his agility and speed with several quarterback scrambles.
On third and goal, Forcier took off toward the right sideline, slicing past defenders into the endzone. He leaped into a teammate’s arms in celebration.
Forcier often scrambled too quickly, missing open receivers to run the ball himself. But he did show flashes of greatness. Late in the scrimmage, on his first play back after the third-string offenses and defenses played a drive, Forcier sat in the pocket, planted his feat and launched a 50-yard bomb to redshirt freshman Roy Roundtree for a touchdown.
Forcier also hit Roundtree on a five-yard dump-pass to the right-side flats for another touchdown. After working with the Wolverines for just 14 practices, Forcier hit senior Greg Mathews on a 10-yard fade route in the corner of the endzone, a play that requires great skill, accuracy, communication and timing.
Senior running back Carlos Brown, who has battled various injuries his entire career, also impressed the crowd with an 80-yard sprint to the endzone. After a quick cut, Brown raced up the sideline untouched.
The festivities went beyond the field. The line for the public tours of the locker room stretched from the Victors Parking Lot, around Crisler Arena, down Stadium Blvd. and halfway down Main St. Fans also enjoyed an alumni flag football game, student field goal kick challenge and nice, albeit windy, weather.
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