ANN ARBOR Michigan's Perry playing for 'Mom'

Each game, Chris Perry pays tribute to his mother who has breast cancer.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- Before each game, Chris Perry writes "MOM" with a black marker on a white wristband and wraps it around his left biceps.
After each game, the Michigan running back wonders if his mother -- who has breast cancer -- saw his message.
Irene Perry missed her son run for 219 yards on a school-record 51 carries in Michigan's 27-20 win against Michigan State last week.
"I couldn't even get out of bed to watch it on television," she said.
Despite dealing with the anxiety of his mother's cancer, Perry is having a sensational season for Michigan.
Leads the nation
Perry leads the nation with 1,313 yards rushing and all running backs with 1,574 yards rushing and receiving, entering the weekend. His 15 touchdowns trail just two players in the country.
The Wolverines (8-2, 5-1 Big Ten) are ranked No. 8 in The Associated Press and Bowl Championship Series polls.
Michigan finishes the regular season with a Nov. 15 game at Northwestern and a Nov. 22 game at home against Ohio State. If the Wolverines win their final two games, they will play in the Rose Bowl for the first time since winning the 1997 national championship.
"We're not there yet," Perry said. "We can't think just showing up is going to do it in the last two games."
Between games, Perry cherishes every moment with his mom.
Irene Perry moved from North Carolina to Ann Arbor a year ago to be near her son and to launch Ann Arbor Magazine, where she is publisher and editor in chief. In July, the 48-year-old found out the lump in her chest was cancer.
"It's very surreal when they tell you that," she said Thursday, about 12 hours after having her third chemotherapy treatment. "I was very reluctant to tell Christopher about it because he's never seen me sick and he was going into his senior year. I didn't want to weigh him down or stress him out."
Mother's struggle
Conflicting emotions cloud Perry's mind when he thinks about his mother's struggle.
"I try not to think about it or dwell on it much because there's not a lot I can do, but it's hard because that's my mother," he said quietly. "So, I just pray."
Perry is a soft-spoken person who dodges praise and attention like he does linebackers. But he wasn't always this way.
Detroit Lions offensive tackle Jeff Backus, who was a senior at Michigan when Perry was a freshman, remembered Perry having a lot of talent -- and a big head.
"He came in thinking he was going to be 'the man,' just like a lot of guys do at Michigan, myself included," Backus said. "You get put in your place quickly because everybody at Michigan has talent. He was humbled his first couple of years, but I'm sure he thinks that helped him."
In English class
Perry said most of the students in his English class didn't even know he was a football player until Monday.
"A guy asked me how I felt after carrying the ball 51 times," Perry said. "Then, people around me were asking me, 'You play football?' I kind of like that I can be on campus without a lot of people looking at me like I'm just here to play football. I'm graduating in April with a liberal arts degree and I'm proud of that."