A year after throwing a record-tying four touchdowns in the Rose Bowl as a true freshman, Michigan quarterback Chad Henne has played below expectations in his 2005 campaign. Still, coach Lloyd Carr insisted Tuesday that Henne is unaffected.

“I think the only thing that he’s concerned about is the way he’s evaluated by (quarterbacks coach) Scot Loeffler,” Carr said. “I’ve told him he doesn’t have anything to worry about except maintaining confidence in himself.”

After injuries forced him into the lineup a year ago, Henne led the Wolverines to a share of the Big Ten title and their second consecutive Rose Bowl appearance. Henne finished the year with 2,743 yards and 25 touchdown passes, but this year he is on pace to throw for almost 500 fewer yards and five fewer touchdowns.

Expected to improve on last year’s performance and help the team contend for a national championship, Michigan has had a rocky season in Henne’s second year at the helm.

The quarterback has improved some aspects of his game. Henne is on pace to throw nine interceptions, as opposed to 12 in 2004, and he is on pace to be sacked 18 times, 11 fewer sacks than what he surrendered a year ago.

“There are a lot of people out there who are miserable. They want perfection, and when they don’t get it, they complain,” Carr said. “But I have great confidence in Chad Henne, and he has great confidence in himself, and that’s the only thing that’s important.”

Teary goodbyes

Saturday’s matchup between Penn State and Wisconsin, the two leaders of the Big Ten, will be the last meeting between Penn State coach Joe Paterno and Wisconsin’s Barry Alvarez. Alvarez is retiring after this season to focus full time on his duties as Athletic Director.

“I don’t like to see him leave,” Paterno said. “I think he’s been an outstanding football coach in all the right ways.

“He’s been something special for college football.”

Before their many meetings as opposing coaches on the gridiron, Alvarez caught Paterno’s interest as a high schooler in western Pennsylvania.

Paterno eventually decided not to recruit him.

“Joe thought I was short,” Alvarez said. “But I was also slow.”

Alvarez never made a name for himself as a college player, but in his 15 years as Wisconsin’s coach, he has led the Badgers to over 100 wins and three victories in the Rose Bowl.

Alvarez joked on Tuesday that his success has had little to do with Paterno.

“Obviously I didn’t know how Joe recruited since he didn’t recruit me,” Alvarez said. “That didn’t have a factor on me as a coach.”

Paterno was quick to retort.

“If you didn’t have that big fat rear end of yours, I might have recruited you,” Paterno said.

Illini On Probation

Illinois coach Ron Zook addressed his program’s probation on Tuesday.

“The probation is nothing,” Zook said.

The Illini were put on probation for one year last week because of payments made by a booster to a recruit in 2003 and 2004.

While most major violations typically last two years, Illinois was given a lighter punishment because of its long record of good compliance. The probation will not limit the school’s scholarship offers or its postseason eligibility, but Illinois is still considering an appeal of the decision to make it a major violation.

Because of its classification as a major violation, Illinois is now subject to harsher penalties – including bans on competition – if it commits another major violation in the next five years.

“It will have absolutely no effect on our recruiting,” Zook said. “It doesn’t affect bowls, so it will have no affect on us.”

Zook has other concerns in terms of bowl eligibility. Illinois is currently winless in the Big Ten.

Reach David Kalan at [email protected].