Sunday, September 22, 1968
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Sunday, September 22, 1968 THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Wolverines
submit
By DAVID WEIR wi
Sports Editor H
"We had a few breakdowns."
Bump Elliott told it like it was in the t
post-game locker room yesterday. While an
crediting California's "firing linebackers,"fi
"speedy backs," and "overall" strength and
experience" for the 21-7 Golden Bear vic- ig
tory, he nevertheless remembered to pin- pC
point Michigan's "dropped passes," "missed de
bloks," and "key mistakes" for the 21-7 of
Wolverine defeat.
ob
And that was just about the consensus of an
everyone else, too - that Michigan was u
sloppy enough to hand the game out on a
silver platter and that Cal was good enough tu
to take it from there.m
In fact, Cal was more than good enough. tig
When, the Berkeley defensive line bottled
up Brown and Johnson, and the two tried sw
to go wide, they were met by an excellent m
corps of cornerbacks and linebackers. si
When Wolverines Imsland or Harris or
Gabler shook themselves loose downfield, tir
the Bear defenders managed to slap away a
any passes that weren't bobbled or dropped. qu
When the Michigan defense contained wG
California's potent attack for a few plays, wl
Fowler, Darby and McGaffie "really came at th
us" in the words of right cornerback George Jo
Hoey.
All in all the Wolverines were outplayed ad
and outclassed, but not without several fo
pretty good reasons. ba
Injuries from three weeks of practice th
workouts weakened Michigan considerably. loi
Defensive tackle Dan Parks was playing ba
M__ichig 9anl
to
aggressive
Ith a knee infection and defensive back
oey had a dislocated finger.
Safety Gerry Hartman missed most of
e game because of injuries to both ankles,
nd halfback Ron Johnson played over a
anger dislocation from two weeks ago.
During the game itself, at least two Mich-
an players suffered crippling injuries. A
ossible broken knee cap will probably keep
efensive end stalwart Jon Kramer out most
the rest of the season.
Senior halfback Dave Farabee is under
bservation for a possible fractured arm,
nd will be out of the lineup for an as yet
ndetermined amount of time.
On the bright side of the Wolverine pic-
re were several excellent performances,
ost notably by cornerback Brian Healy and
ght end Jim Mandich.
Healy stopped many of the California end
weeps around the right flank, and also
ade a few tackles. Mandich hauled in
I of quarterback Dennis Brown's passes.
Johnson, who will be a marked man every
ime he carries the ball this season, caught
pass in the waning moments of the fourth
carter and ran for a 39-yard gain. This
as on a simple look-in pattern; a play,
Which, when it works, takes advantage of
e open field speed of a halfback like
ohnson.
Bob Wedge, filling in for Hartman, did an
[equate job with the exception of one un-
rgiveable blunder. With Hartman expected
ack as a starter for next week's Duke game,
ere is now an opportunity for making the
ng-rumored switch of Hoey from defensive
ack to offensive flanker.
collapsi
Daily-Jay L. Cassidy
MICHIGAN END JON KRAMER is helped off the field after
sustaining a knee injury in the first quarter of yesterday's. game
with California. Kramer, who may be out for the season, was
replaced o the defensive team by Ed Moore, a sophomore.
{ .,.}....r. apoplexy
,
doug heller
The score of yesterday's football gaine didn't adequately
reflect Michigan's performance. They were worse.
California walked out on the field with a fairly respectable
aggregation, but the opposition was a corpse. Every time the Golden
Bears got the ball, most of Michigan's defense fell down. All Cal
had to do was wend its way among the prostrate bodies.
Alertly, Bear Coach Ray Willsey chose the line of least
, resistance: straight up the middle. His slow, powerful backs mere-
ly broke loose for 10 'yard or so before tripping over something
or other.
It was a different story when California tried to sweep the
ends, however. Phil Seymour, Brian Healy, and Jon Kramer did
a wonderful job in stopping everything that went their way. Unfor-
tunately, Kramer was put out of the game by an injury after about
five minute of action.
Meanwhile, the Wolverine offense started out as if it was Ann
Arbor's junior varsity against the Green Bay Packers. They wen
backwards. On running plays, Cal's defense ate up Michigan's of-
fensive line as the backs were stripped naked of their protection.
And what does a person do to avoid naked exposure? He rolls up in
a ball to cover himself.1
The passing game was in equally bad shape. When Dennis Brown
was not lying flat on his' back, victim of the Bears' pass rush, the
passes were either totally inaccurate or dropped. Only Jim Mandich
didn't act as if he had ten thumbs on his hands.
Altogether, the Wolverines offense in the first quarter con-
sisted of two yards rushing and zero yards passing. But of course,
it rarely had the ball.
* Michigan staged a brief renaissance in the second quarter. Brown
started passing to Mandich or ran himself, and the Wolverines man-
aged to score. Finally it seemed as if. the dead bodies had turned into
a football team.
It was a hallucination. The Wolverines had all the momentum
going for them as they took the field in the second half, and promptly
dissipated it as two pass interceptions stopped potential drives.
It was at this time that the game turned into one fantastic bore.
Nothing happened. You wished that the drinking age was eight so the
Boy Scouts could get in on the action.
Now instead of the team being asleep as at the beginning of
the game, the fans were asleep.. This lasted until the fourth
quarter when California started its final touchdown drive. By
this time the team and the fans were both asleep.
Michigan wasn't even good enough to lose the game on breaks.
During the last few years you could always point to that one play
that made the big difference-the fumble on the one-yard line, the
interception returned for a touchdown-that spelled the difference
between winning and losing, and merely wonder why the Wolverines
were so sloppy.
Yesterday, Michigan was sloppy but it didn't really matter.
In addition to the two interceptions and the numerous dropped
passes, two terrific bonehead plays symbolize what was going on.
The first one was the kickoff following California's second touch-
down. The ball flew by George Hoey and landed deep in the end
zone. Hoey ran back, picked it up, he.sitated, danced around, and then
elected to run it out instead of accepting a touchback to the 20.
He reached the 11-yard line, and was greeted with a chorus of boos.
The other play was, when Bob Wedge intercepted a Bear pass on
Michigan's 16, yard line in the third quarter. Wedge ran backward to
avoid oncoming tacklers, then lateralled back to Tom Curtis on the
six. Curtis was immediately tackled after he gained possession of the
ball, and the Wolverines were in a hole. Wedge, too, got his present
from the boo-birds.
But neither of these plays were important in the end result
of the game. Michigan was just physically beaten, that's all.
Maybe the team should go down to play Duke Saturday and
stay there.
Hoey's speed would be especially effective
on the type of pass play which worked with
Johnson yesterday. Such 'a switch would
eliminate one weak link - John Gabler -
from the list of pass receivers.
Brown's aerial record of nine completions
in 31 attempts is deceiving, since so many of
his passes were dropped. If his accuracy
continues, the Wolverines could potentially
build a powerful passing attack on a re-
ceiving corps of Mandich, Hoey and John-
son.
One thing is obvious from. yesterday's
fiasco: Michigan is not going to win with
its current offensive blueprint. California
had a "solid" defensive team, but not a
great one. If the Bears could so completely
throttle the Wolverine offense, then many
of the teams left on the schedule will be
able to do likewise.
What is the chance of (1) converting
Hoey into a flanker, (2) relying more on
Johnson as a receiver. (3) developing Craw
and Gabler as ball-carriers, and (4) chan-
ging the split end slot (where apparently
no one can catch a pass) into a primarily
blocking position?
Frankly, the chances are absolutely nil.
Coaches almost by definition are conserva-
tive and they seldom reverse their judg-
ment on a player's capabilities after the
roster is set.
But if yesterday's game was an accurate
indication, Michigan has very little indeed
to lose by innovation. With the likes of
Minnesota, Ohio State and Indiana yet to
come, it will be a long season if the Wolver-
ines rely on the formulas of the past.
es 21-7;
on, pulled how badly he was hurt; X-rays
yards, in- were taken after the game.
ly touch- During Michigan's drive for its
rter. only touchdown, flanker D a v e
ne game," Farabee, who was alternately
ng in the running in plays with John Gab-
the only ler, suffered a possible arm frac-
port about ture.
oon when California was not without its
%s a' great broken bones. Defensive halfback
tely dom- Johnnie Williams, who started
last year only to break his ankle
ay scoring in the opening game, fractured
he second his leg early in the first quarter
could not when Michigan was penalized fo
tack. offensive pass interference.
own 41, i Michigan played a bad game
S14'firstn the Stadium yesterday and the
)sc14 players know. When asked what
drive with went wrong, captain Johnson just
rMandich shook his head, "we made too
zone for many mistakes."
Brown' was -especially candid
about what the Wolverines can do
the Wolm in the future if the team doesn't
cker room begin to move under his com-
core. Sen- mand, "If I can't do the job, we
Broadnax, have someone else who can."
a real fine The man standing in the wings
to keep is sophomore quarterback Do n
Brown's Moorhead and he might get his
line was chance sooner than he thinks.
-Daily-Andy Sachs
JIM MANDICH makes one of his six receptions yesterday as he
is hit by a host of California tacklers. Mandich was the brightest
spot for the Wolverines during the otherwise totally dismal
afternoon.
ya
'M' justr couldn't 'BTeir' it
Fowle
(9ontinued from Page 1)
Michigan was in the hole from
the beginning when George Hoey,
running out the opening kickoff
was stopped at the 16 yard-line.
The Wolverines, twice unable to
move the ball, were forced to
punt and gave up valuable terri-
tory to the Golden Bears in the
exchanges. After Mark Werner
punted the second time for only
29 yards, California drove 44
yards in nine plays for its first
score.
The Bears came right b a c k,
after the Wolverines lost three
yards in three plays, to n o t c h
their second and deciding touch-
down of the quarter on a 59-yard
drive that featured costly of f-
tackle runs by Fowler and full-
back John McGaffie.
"The key was that we got a
fast start,-we got on the b a 11l
early, beamed Cal coach Ray Wil-
Isey. "We were able to get the
jump \ that gave us a couple of
scores early."
Willsey looking for his f i r s t
winning season infive years as
head coach stated, "this was pro-
bablycour best opening perform
ance."
Fowler, who had more to do
with the victory than anyone else
on the team, called it, "our best
game except for our victory over
Stanford at the end of last year.-
Elliott partly blamed the wea-
ther for his team's shoddy exhibi-
tion yesterday. "I think the sud-
den change in heat hurt us."
The Michigan coach, however.
was not totally disappointed with
his players' showing. "After the
first quarter we played pretty
good football. We tightened things
up down there."
Michigan's biggest problem of
the day was finding an adequate
replacement for graduated Ji m
Berline at split end. Wolverine
fans have been used to sticky fin-
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ger Berline and All-American
Jack Clancy at that position the
past three seasons. Against Cali-
fornia, Elliott shuttled in three
ends who were only able to haul
in one pass among them.
Without a potent passing at-
ick, the California defense keyed
on Ron Johnson and Brown and
allowed only 69 yards between
them in 35 carries, less than two
yards a try.
"The California defense cut off
daily
sports
NIGHT EDITOR:
JOEL BLOCK
our running outside," a harried
Brown reported. Sporting a stitch-
ed-up lip, the Michigan quarter-
back bemoaned, "they were really
stuffing us. good outside. They
were looking for the option game."
Brown, who insisted, "we have
a fine team," partly blamed him-
self for the atrocious offensive
attack. "I was off a little bit on
some of my passes and some of
the receivers dropped a few."
There was one good receiver
for Michigan yesterday and that
was 'iron hands' Jim Mandich
who was only able to gather in
26 last year in a starting role.
Against California Mandich,
running with lost aband
in six spirals for 73 y
cluding Michigan's on.
down in the second qua
"Mandich played a fi
Elliott kept on repeatir
locker room: It seemed
encouraging thing to rer
Michigan on an aftern
California, not known a
football power, complet
inated the game.
Except for the 12-pl
dive in the middle of t
quarter, the Wolverines
unleash a sustained att
Beginning on their
Michigan got four of it
downs on way to its o;
Brown culminated the t
an eight yard pass, to
who fell into the end
the touchdown.
Hopes were high as
verines went into the lo
for half time after the s+
ior right guard Stan
who Elliott said played
game, found the way
California's White off
back and the defensive
beginning to settle dou
The second half, unf
turned out to be windo
for California's secon
victory over Michigan. B
played as if the game
cided in the first half.
The first half prov
for the Wolverines in a
way. Defensive end Jo:
injured his right kn
Calif ornia's first I
drive. Elliott said, he di+
FINAL STATISTICS'
Setember 21, 1968
Mich.
FIRST DOWNS 14
Passing 5
Rushing 8
Penalty ,1
TOTAL NUMBER OF
RUSHES 41.
NET YARDS - Rushing 99
Passing 135
FORWARD PASSES
ATTEMPTED 31
Completed 9
Intercepted by 2
Yards interceptions
returned 0
TOTAL PLAYS (Rushes
and Passes) 72
PUNTS, Number 10
Average distance 39.6
KICKOFFS, returned by 3
YDS. KICKS RETURNED 66,
YARDS KICKS
RETURNED 66
Punts 16
Kickoffs 50
FUMBLES, Number 2
Ball lost by 0
PENALTIES, Number 7
Yards penalized 48
Calif.
17
2
i5
0
61
240
40
13
2
11
74;
8
36.5
2
97
97
15
82
1
0
6
45,
ijandich
Inisland
Gabler ;
Johnson
Totals
Werner
Fowler
Darby
McGaffie
Humphries
Williams
Totals
6
1
1
1
9
Brown
PASSING
Att.' Conmp. Yds.
31 9 135
PASS RECEIVING
Number Yards Ave.
PUNTING
Number Yards Ave.
I 396 39.6
CALIFORNIA
73
13
10
39
135
12.1
13
10
39
15
RUSIING
Tries
18
17
13
12
1
61
Net
78
69
64
26
3
240
Ave.
4.3
4.0
5.0
2.2
3.0
4.0
PASSING
Att. Comp. Yds
Humphries 13 5 40
PASS RECEIVING
Number Yards Ave.
Stewart 3 25 8.3
Williams 2 15 7.5
Totals 5 40 8.0
Brown
Johnson
Craw
Totals
MICHIGAN'
RUSHING
Tries
14
21
6
41
Net
21
48
30
99t
Ave.
1.5
2.3
5
215
Fowler
MICHIGF
CALIFOI
PUNTING
Number Yards Ave.
8 292 36.5
AN 0-7-4-0- 7
RLNIA 4 -7-2t
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It was.
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another
n Kramer
ee during
ouchdown
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