Page 12-Sunday, October 15, 1978-The Michigan Daily
Holy upset! MSU stuns Blue, 24-15
Spartans log 1st series win since '69
(Continued from Page 1)
Smith was 20 of 36 for 248 yards, while
the Spartan backs gained almost six
yards a crack in 43 tries-for a total of
248.
"We had no confidence we could stop
them," Michigan defensive coordinator
Bill McCartney said. "They were con-
stantly coming up with second and
short and third and short-we didn't
have control"
It was at the start of the second half
when Michigan missed that control the
most. They took the kickoff to start the
third quarter and put together an old-
fashioned, grind-it-out drive that
covered 67 yards in 16 plays (only one
pass, and that for five yards) before
Leach followed Russell Davis' block for
three yards into the end zone, making
the score 17-7.
Drives like that have often turned the
tide for Michigan in the past, but Smith
answered on MSU's next play from
scrimmage by hitting his talented
flanker Kirk Gibson for 15 yards.
Then the defense, when it was needed
most, fell apart. Smith got another first
down by dumping a short pass to
tailback Steve Smith. Then he threw for
tight end Mark Brammer, but right into
the stomach of Michigan Gene Bell.
Bell dropped the ball.
Mixing his receivers beautifully,
Smith hit split end Eugne Byrd for 20
yards and fullback Andy Schramm for
seven. Schramm ran out of bounds at
the Michigan 23, where he was
belatedly bumped. The personal foul
gave State 12 more free yards.
That was all the encouragement
Smith needed. On the next play, he hit
Brammer in the right flat, and the big
tight end rambled over a couple of
would-be tacklers to paydirt, giving
MSU back their cushy 17 point lead. It
was the first time this year anyone had
scored on the Wolverines in the second
half.
"At halftime I still felt we could come
back and win it," said Schembechler.
"But I never thought my defense would
give up that much yardage and time.
"My honest opinion is th<
defense would never have stop
continued Bo. "We stopped ours
and we didn't stop them."
Rogers was a little easier
defenders. "The defense bl
enough to win," he said.
Michigan put together anoth
drive on its next series after a
penalty pinned them on their
but it was two plays into the
quarter before Davis powered
the three and Leach found Huck
Spartans sparkle
MICHIGAN MICH. ST.
First downs .............
Rushing (att/yds).......
Passing (att/com/int)...
Passing yards .............
Total offense............
Punts (no./avg)..........
Fumbles (no./lost).......
Penalties (no./yds) ........
18
47/233
15/5/3
98
331
3/42.3
0/0 .
5/62
2R
43/2413
36/20/0
248
496
1/46.0
1/o
4/40
McGee .......................... 8
E. Smith...... ............... 3
Iughes........................1
Middleton..................... 9
Schramm ......................3.
Gibson.... .................
Hans ............................ 2
Reeves ..,....................... 3
PASSING
MICHIGAN
ATT COMI
Leach ..................... 15 5
MICHIGAN STATE
E. Smith .................. 36 20
RECEIVING
MICHIGAN
at their the two-point conversion.
ped us," The Spartans, who didn't turn the ball
selves - over once all day, protected their lead
in the fourth quarter by controlling the
on . his ball for 22 plays. Michigan spent most
ed just of its precious time trying to overcome
various mistakes.
er nifty The strangest error came when MSU
clipping had the ball after Davis had scored. The
own 10, defense had finally held on three
e fourth straight downs, and Spartan punter
in from Ray Stachowicz punted the ball from
kleby for his own 27.
But, as was painfully obvious to the
105,132 fans crammed into the stands,
Michigan had an extra player on the
53 6.6 field atthe time. The fifteen yard
36 12.0 penalty returned the ball to MSU.
26 26.0 Although Michigan got it back within a
21 2.3 minute, things were all downhill for the
3.3Wolverines after that. On their final two
5 2.5 possessions, they were called for three
0 o.o penalties while Leach threw five in-
completions.
INT YDS "Mike Harden was hurt on the play
3 98 before the penalty," Schembechler
tried to explain. "One guy went in for
0 248 him, then another thought he was sup-
posed to go in for the return. But it's too
YDS LP complicated to explain -- it was just a
s 5 bad play."
45 45 It was a much-needed victory for the
35 35 Spartans. Banned from bowls by NCAA
.sprobation, the only goal left for them to
79 18 reach for is the Big Ten title. Now they
82 25 have a chance.
23 13 "If we had lost this one, our hopes
20 20 would have been over," Gibson said.
17 17 "I wish we could go to' the Rose
7 7 Bowl," said Smith. "But if we win the
' ' Big Ten we get a nice big ring."
SCORING PLAYS
Ist MSU-Anderson, 38yd. field goal
2nd MSU-Middleton, 10 yd. pass from E. Smith
(Anderson kick)
MSU-Middleton, I yd. run (Anderson kick)
3rd M-Leach, 3yd. run (Willner kick)
MSU-Brammer, 11 yd. pass from E. Smith
(Anderson kick)
4th M-R. Davis, 3 yd. run (Huckleby conversion
pass from Leach)
SCORING
Michigan.......... ...........o 0 7 8- 15
Michigan State ....................:3 14 7 0 -24
RUSHING
MICHIGAN
Huckleby ........................
Marsh ........................... .
Kasparek ...................
Clayton .. ........
MICHIGAN STATE
Bram m er ...... ...............
Gibson ..........................
Middleton..................
S McGee ......................
Byrd ................ .........
S. Smith.........................
Shafer...........................
Schramm..................
NO 'l
2
I
1
7
5
2
2
I
1
ATT
Iluckleby ....................... 20
R. Davis...................... 16
Leach ...... .................. 11
MICHIGAN STATE
YDS
98 }
85
50
A
LVG
4.9
5.3
4.5
6.7
Daily Photo by WAYNE CABLE
IT'S FREE SAILING into the end zone for Michigan State tight end Mark Bra
mer, as he outruns three Michigan defenders for the Spartans' filial touchdo
in yesterday's 24-15 upset of the Wolverines.
S. Smith ......................... 13 87
PASSING, RUNNING ADD UP TO VICTORY
Tracking It down
By ERNIE DUNBAR
MSU offense: a
balancing act
By ROB MlLIRt
Everybody knew what to expect out of Eddie Smith
and his teammates on offense, but no one really could
have guessed at the success Michigan State would
have moving the ball against Michigan. The Spartans
wound up with 496 yards total offense, 248 through the
air and 248 on the ground - talk about a balanced
offense!'e
'Ive never stood on the field and watched the ball
go up and down the field like that," said Bo
Schembechler, "They just exploited us in places we
were most concerned, and that was our defense.
'Their offensive team executed tremendously."
STATE'S OFFENSE controlled the tempo of most
of the game with Smith putting the ball up 36 times,
completing 20, and just as importantly, the Spartan
signal caller stayed clear of interceptions. "I don't
know the stats and I don't care to, all I know is the
final score," Smith said after the game in the slightly
rowdy MSU locker room.
Along with the impressive aerial statistics, MSU
showed an uncharacteristic ability to gain yards on
the ground against the Wolverines. The Spartans ran
43 times for an average of 5.8 yards per rush.
Michigan entered the game second in the Big Ten in
defense against the run. "I wanted a balanced
offense." said Smith. "You can't beat a team like
Michigan just throwing the ball."
SC'IIEMBECIILEIR AND his counterpart at
Michigan State, Darryl Rogers, had the customary
words of praise for the Green and White's offense. "I
don't believe there are too many teams in the country
that can put four greater skilled guys out there than
Smith, Kirk Gibson, Mark Brammer and Eugene
Byrd," said Bo.
"This is a real tribute to our coaches and players,
Rogers said. "We had the opportunity (to win) and
we seized it. I'm extremely pleased."
Still, Rogers wasn't as awed by what he saw as
many people might have expected. "Any time you
are 1-3 and on the brink of adversity, you'll do
Purdue sin s Ohio SIate
Detls 'onl Page 10
anything to stay alive. Eddie Smith played a great
game - he keeps getting better and better -- and as a
team, I think we've improved each game as we've
progressed (through-the schedule)."
EIGIT DIFFERENT Spartans were on the
receiving end of Smith's tosses. Brammer and
Gibson were Smith's favorite targets, collecting 12 of
Smith's 20 completions. Gibson caught five for 82
yards and Brammer fielded/seven for 79 and one
touchdown. Smith was particularly happy about the
play of these two. "The offensive line gave me time to
throw and it helped that the receivers played well. He
(Brammer) was open every time I threw the ball. If it
was incomplete, he wasn't open," said Smith.
As far as the ground game was concerned, nine
State players had a hand in the effort with Steve
Smith earning high honors by virtue of his 87 yards.
Even though MSU raced around the field, Rogers
insisted it was the passing game that made the big
difference. "Michigan is a good defensive team
against the run. We knew we were going to have to
pass - we didn't think the run would scare them a
great deal."
ROGERS SHOWED a lot of confidence in his
offensive unit throughout the game, allowing Smith
and company to stay on the field three times when his
team was faced with a fourth and more than one yard
situation. Twice it failed and the Wolverines took
over on downs. Typically, Rogers was second
guessed, especially when he gave up the chance for a
field goal which would have given State a 20-0 lead.
"Three (points) would get us 20," he explained, "and
three touchdowns would have lost the game for us.,
But the third-year Spartan coach need not have
worried. MSU played like veteran professionals and
did not fold under any pressure in the second half.
Michigan, so powerful in the final two quarters all
this year, managed to outgain State in the final half,
but only by 10 yards. "We knew that Michigan
outscored its opponents 77-0 in the second half this
year. We picked up seven and that's all we needed,"
Rogers said.
SENIOR QB HITS 20 OF 36 AERIALS:
Smith's passing
(Continued from Page 1)
"It was frustrating on the sidelines," stairs."
said McCartney. "We had no confiden- Smith's counter
ce we'd stop them. They got too many upstairs too, but wit
yards on first down. You can't let them sailed over the he
get 'going with such an excellent recievers and three
throwing quarterback." the waiting arms of S
Indeed, the Spartans were forced to "If we'd played ou
punt but once and seemed to spend turned the ball over1
most of the afternoon picnicking in stopped us," said Sc
Michigan territory. and his mates turne
"We expected him (Smith) to throw. ceptions into Spartan
He threw well," said depressed
Michigan defensive back Mark But the Michiganc
Braman. "We (the defense) were on the detour the Spartans.
field a long time." make any big plays,'
Smith, who is built along the Rick "'We thought they'd g
Leach line except smaller, much thin- times. We thought w4
ner, and mustachioed, continually passes." But ti
found receivers open. He found tight didn't, ..couldn't.
end Mark Brammer open over the mid-
die, flanker Kirk Gibson on the wings When Michigan di
and effectively used his backs coming natural causes, it wa
out of the backfield.
He threw them the ball, and more of-
ten than not, they caught it. "I hope I
don't eat my words," said Smith, "but I F
think they're the three greatest
receivers in the country (Brammer
Gibson and split end Eugene Byrd)."
But Smith didn't confine his praise to DETROIT (AP) -
the receivers. "Last night I opened up scored a shorthanded
the Bible for the first time in a long period to snap a
time," said Smith, a Catholic. "I don't Philadelphia Flyersv
want to sound like Reggie. Jackson, but Detroit Red Wings
I asked for help. I thank the man up- Hockey League game
leads State to big victory
Was the Blue that bad ..
.o. or was.State that good?
W HAT IS SO SIGNIFICANT about Michigan State's victory yesterday
is the fact that they won.
That may seem to be a simple statement in a game so complex as
football, but in this intra-state rivalry, at this point in the series, I think that
is a major accomplishment.
Stop and consider just what the Spartans did. They knocked off
Michigan, a nationally-ranked football- power in the Midwest. They ended
the Wolverine's eight-game winning streak against them. They defeated Ho
Schembechler. They ended a tradition.
Year after year, Michigan State game after Michigan State game, the
Michigan fans expected to watch the Wolverines knock off their neighbors to
the north once again. It became a routine, a habit if you will. Just like Bo
Schembechler coached teams slaughtered their non-conference opponents,
so too did they defeat Michigan State. But this year, things are quite a bit
different.
Duke got rolled over 52-0 and Michigan fans smiled. Their team was
back in form after a tough battle against Notre Dame. Then came Arizona
and a game which wasn't decided until the waning moments of the fourth
quarter. But Michigan won, so not many people were that upset. However,
Schembechler commented following the Arizona victory that, "The Arizona
offense controlled the ball quite a bit on us."
State moved ball with ease
What he alluded to at that time was that Michigan's defense did not look
that sharp. ''We got scored on last week and( everyvbodyv thought that was a
down week,", Schiembe'chler comm~fenlted following the State loss. ''But say
what you wanit, people are movinig01n us.''
Even Michigan State. Yes, I know that's probably hard'to swallow
considering the dominance Michigan football teams have had since
Schembechler took the reins of the team in 1969. The Spartans hadn't beaten
Bo since that first year. But the fact remains that Ed Smith and his receiving
corps of Kirk Gibson, Mark Brammer, and Eugene Byrd tore apart the
Michigan defense. Those connected withMichigan sports are going to live
with that for an entire year until the next edition of this rivalry rolls along.
Detractors of Michigan State will point to the three Rick Leach
interceptions and say that Michigan handed the victory to the Spartans via
mistakes. But anytime a team can accumulate 496 offensive yards, then
that's an accomplishment no matter how it's done.
Schembechler certainly was impressed. "I've never stood on the field
and watched the ball go up and down the field like that. Their offensive team
executed tremendously.'
This makes me question whether this Michigan State team is for real or
whether this victory was just a fluke and the Wolverines will storm through
'the rest of the season undefeated.
Mistakes stopped Blue o fense
Bo hinted at this a bit when he said that he wouldn't take any credit away
from Michigan State by highlighting his team's mistakes. He quickly pointed
out, however, that, "If we had played our kind of game and hadn't turned the
ball over, they couldn't have stopped us.
"My honest opinion is that their defense would never have stopped us.
We stopped ourselves. But we didn't stop them. They didn't turn the ball-over
and we did. And there you are.'.''
So what Bo is saying is that no matter how good a Michigan team is
talent-wise, they can't overcome costly mistakes and win football games.
These mistakes Bo refers to are coming in bunches all of a sudden. After
committing only one turnover in the first three games, Michigan has lost thp
ball three times in each of the last two games. The result is a narrow win anid
a lopsided loss.
This loss throws a different light on the Big Ten race in that Michigpn
has never suffered a conference defeat so early since the Spartans defeat d
them in the second conference game of 1969.
True it was a big win for Michigan State. but one game does not destrOV
part, - Leach, was
:h his tosses. They
ads of Wolverine
of them went into
Spartan defenders.
r game and hadn't
they couldn't have
hembechler. Smith
d two of the inter-
touchdowns.
defense could not
. "We just didn't
'said McCartney.
give it to us a few
e'd pick off a few
he Wolverines
d get the ball by
s penned up in its
sailI
- Rick MacLeish
d goal in the second
1-1 tie and the
went on to beat the
3-1 in a National
last night.
ame at 6:39 with
arke in the penalty
d up a loose puck
own zone. The Wolverines had nine
possessions and only two started
beyond the 30, while four began inside
their 20.
In the second half, when the Michigan
offense started to gel, Schembechler
was confident. "I still felt we'd come
back and win it," he said, "but I didn't
think my defense would give up that
much yardage and time."
The Wolverines took the second half
kick and drove 70 yards for a score,
making it 17-7. Smith and the Spartans
were faced with their greatest
challenge of the afternoon. They had to
keep their momentum up.
After one first down the Spartans lost
some yardage and faced a third and 15
from the 50. Smith dropped back and
set up in his pocket.
He must've told the offensive line "no
visitors," for he took his time in spot-
ting and hitting Byrd with a perfect
pass, good for 20 yards and the first
down.
Two Smith passes later Michigan
State had another touchdown and
Michigan was in a hole it could not
climb out of.
Reporters were not allowed into the
Michigan dressing room, but surely it
was tomblike compared to the
jubilation in the Spartan locker room.
As the Wolverines left the stadium
their expressions were grim-as if ...
as if Michigan State had just defeated
them in their own stadium.
Braman described the dressing room
mood as "down." "It's hard to ex-
plain," he said, "we're not used to
losing.",
SCORES
Georgia Teach 24, Miami, Fla. 19
College Football Kentucky 24, Mississippi 17
Michigan State 24, MICHIGAN 15 N. Carolina 34, Wake Forest 29
Wisconsin 20, Illinois 20 (tie) Central Michgan 45, Illinois St. 7
Indiana :38, Northwestern 10 Eastern Michigan 25, Akron 14
Minnesota 22, Iowa 20- Grand valley St. 24, Saginaw Valley St. 14
Purdue 27, Ohio State 16 Nebraska 48,.Kansas St. 14
Notre Dame 26, Pittsburgh 17 SlipperyRock 26, Ashland 17
Washington :14, Stanford 31 Western Michigan 17. Toledo 7
Alabama 23, Florida 12 Michigan Tech 32, Bemidji St. 0
Navy 31, Duke s Rutgers 10, Connecticut 0
Dartmouth 10, Yale 3 Holy Cross . :1,Armv0
Big Ten
MacLeish's goal c
teammate Bobby Cla
box. MacLeish picke
,-, .