Page 8-Sunday, November 19, 1978-The Michigan Daily
AN ENCORE-BLUE VS. OSU FOR ROSES:
Michigan cracks Purdue defense
for 145 yards. Purdue managed six
plays for a staggering minus four yar-
ds.
"WE KEPT THEM off balance both
offensively and defensively," Meter
said. "With the offense controlling the
ball like they did, that helped the defen-
se out."
The offense struck early. After Pur-
due did 'nothing with its initial
possession, the Wolverines marched 68
yards in 11 plays, scoring with 8:57 left
in the first quarter. The scoring play
came on a third and five situation on the
Purdue 11 yard line. Leach fired the
ball to Clayton, giving the junior
wingback his eighth touchdown pass
this year. He is now tied with Dick
Rifenburg for the most touchdown
passes in one year by a Michigan
player.
"That play was designed o go to
me," Clayton said. "Rick put it on the
money and I ran a proper cut. That
usually results in a reception."
ON THE OTHER end of the play
Leach was on the ground. "After I
threw it I got hit and went down. I heard
a roar go up so I knew it was either a
touchdown or an interception," the
Heisman trophy candidate said.
Although two of the three Michigan
touchdowns came via the air routes, the
crux of the attack came on the ground.
The offensive line made some gaping
holes in the Purdue defense.
"I was surprised," tailback Harlan
Huckleby said. "Their defense is sup-
posed to rate with ours but the' holes I
saw today, I never saw in the spring.
Russell was blowing up inside."
Big Ten
Standings
HE DEFINITELY was. The senior
fullback carried the ball 25 times and
smoked for an average of 5.4 yards per
carry.
"I'm a little bit surprised," Schem-
bechler said. "I didn't think we could
get that much yardage rushing. We
controlled the line well in the first half.
I thought we had a good game plan
going into the game and I still do.
"We originally planned to throw
more, but we had the fullback and we
used it. They were concerned more with
the outside and Leach. That's option
football," he added.
WHEN DAVIS wasn't blowing up the
middle, Leach was squirming and
weaving wherever there were
openings. He set the tone for the day on
the Wolverines' second play. The senior
quarterback rolled off the left tackle
and glided for 24 yards. Since sacks go
on the quarterback's rushing statistics
his net gain of 90 appears good but not
great. He actually gained 131 yards, but
lost 41 yards in sacks.
"I thought Leach was sensational. He
made the plays. He ran. He threw. He
did the things we've seen him do for
four years. Unfortunately we're not
going to see him again in Michigan
Stadium," Schembechler said.
BUT WE WILL see him, along with
the rest of the country next week in the
natioally televised Ohio State game.
Thoughts were already flowing about
the Big Ten's classic title game.
"We're pleased to be where we are.
We're ready to go for all the marbles
next week,"Schembechler said.
"I just know against Ohio State we're
going to have to get up both mentally
and physically," Harden said.
"Because we beat Purdue doesn't mean
we go to the Rose Bowl. It just gives us
a chance to go to the Rose Bowl. If we
beat Ohio State, then we go to the Rose
Bowl."
Greer commented, "That's one of the
basic reasons why I came to Michigan.
The Ohio State-Michigan game is
classic football."
MICHIGAN
Ohio State
Mich. State
Purdue
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Indiana
Iowa
Illinois
Northwestern
Conf.
W L T
6 1 0
6 1 0
6 1 0
5 1 1
4 3 0
2 3 2
3 4 0
2 5 0
0 6 2
0 8 1
Overall
W L T
9 1 0,
7 2 1
7 3 0
7 2 1
5 5 0
4 4 2
4 6 0
2 8 0
1 8 1
0 10 1
v1/
Boilermakers
cooled
... .. ..
HEISMAN IN REACH
Leach gains hard-earned respect
By CUB SCHWARTZ
Only one game remains.
Next Saturday, if all goes well, Bo Schembechler may
witness the final step towards a goal that has driven him
since mid-summer. Rick Leach may receive national
recognition-perhaps the Heisman trophy.
A solid performance by the kid Bo loves would put him in
the driver's seat for the most prized accolade college football
offers. Yesterday, two highly r spected sports publications,
Football News and The Sportidg News, named Leach their
first team All-America Quarterback.
Those are pretty strong endorsements. Now, if Leach can
turn the trick in Columbus, before a bloated press corps and a
national television audience, he just might impress enough
people to earn the title of college football's best player.
The possibility is indeed ironic. There exists a large group
of people who seriously doubt Leach's quarterbacking
ability. Some say that he isn't the best quarterback in the big,
Ten. Others say he isn't even the second best, citing Michigan
State's Eddie Smith and Purdue's Mark Herrmann.
But Schembechler has maintained all along that Leach is
the best athlete he has coached. After Leach's fine
performance yesterday, Bo reaffirmed his faith in his senior
signal caller for the umpteenth time.
"I thought Leach was sensational," he said. "He made the
plays. He ran. He threw. He did all the things we've seen him
do for four years. Unfortunately, we're not going to see him
again in Michigan Stadium."
Bo has stuck with Leach through thick and thin. When
Leach is good, he is very good and Bo can smile and joke and
relax. He could tell all of the critics to head for a warmer
climate. But he doesn't, because it's more fun to talk about
Leach's passing records, and his rushing records, and his
scoring records.
After all, if Eddie Smith is such a hot shot passer, why does
Leach hold the Big Ten record for touchdown passes? Why
does Leach hold the NCAA record for career total offense
touchdowns? Why does Leach hold the record for Big Ten
offense? How could anyone possibly doubt this young man's
talents?.
"It really doesn't make much sense to me," Leach
answered. I've been criticized that I can't pass and that
Michigan can't pass-but I hold a lot of passing records."
"The main thing about me is I just try to give 100 per cent.
My job changes from week to week. Some weeks I have to
pass, some weeks I have to run the option and sometimes I
am just supposed to be a team leader."
Leach believes that these all-around talents place him in
front of Smith and Herrmann as quarterack. He feels that the
emphasis placed on the duo's passing ability isn't really the
best indicator for comparison.
"It's unfair," he complained, "Herrmann and Smith have
completed more passes this year than I've even attempted.
That gives you some indication of the differences in offenses.
"They don't get hit on every play. They just drop back and
pass. When I run the option I get hit on every play. I think it
would be a lot easier for me to go in and run the type of
offense they run.
"I don't feel those guys could play option football and take
the hits I do," he continued.
Perhaps a case in point is the injury Herrmann sustained
on the second series of the game, which kept him on the
sideline for the rest of the afternoon.
At any rate, the publications which named Leach the top
quarterback in the nation apparently agreed with Leach's
contention that the situation at Michigan has prevented his
development into a top notch passer. And they saw enough in
Leach's other abilities to place him above the likes of Chuck
Fusina, Ron Calcagni, Jeff Rutledge, Smith and Herrmann.
Leach said the honor was "a reward for my whole career
here." But he's not thinking about the Heisman Trophy,
which he labeled a public relations contest earlier in the
year.
"Whatever happens, will happen," he maintains. "If 1I do
my job (against OSU) as well as I have been, I'm sure I'll be
in consideration."
And that must make Schembechler very happy. He told the
critics before the '76 Orange Bowl that Leach was a good
quarterback, and they laughed at him after the game. He told
them before the '77 Rose Bowl that Leach was a great
quarterback, and they laughed at him after the game. He told
them before the Michigan State game that Leach was a great
quarterback, and they laughed at him after the game.
Yesterday, Bo said Leach was a great quarterback, and
nobody laughed. Yesterday, Football News said Leach was a
great quarterback, and nobody laughed.
Not even Rick Leach.
MICHIGAN PURDUE
First downs................ 25 11
Rushing (att/yds) ......... 72/343 29/50
Passing (att/comp/int) .... 11/5/0 21/8/1
Total offense............... 397 123
Punts (no./avg) ........... 3/44.5 7/39.7
Fumbles (no/lost).........1/0 2/1
Penalties (no./yds)......... 8/75 1/15
scoring Plays
1st-M-Clayton, 11 yd. pass from Leach (Willner
kick)
M-Willner, 32 yd. field goal
2nd-M-Marsh, 10 yd. pass from Leach (Willner
kick)
3rd-M-Reid, S yd. run (Willner kick)
4th-P-Adamle, 10 yd. run on block punt (2-point
failed)/
SCORING
MICHIGAN ................. 10
PURDUE ................... 0
7 7 0-24
0 0 6- 6
RUSHING
MICHIGAN
ATT.1
R. Davis......................... 25
Leach ........................ 18
Woolfolk .....................13
Huckleby ........................I1I
Clayton.......................2
Reid ............................ I
Dickey.......................I1
R. Sm ith ........................ I
YDS.
134
90
64
43
9
5
0
-2
AVG.
5.4
5.0
4.9
3.9
4.5
5.0
0
-2.0
PURDUE
Macon....................... 14 45 3.2
Augustyniak..................... 4 37 9.2
Pope- - --.........................4 10 2.5
Herrmann...................... 2 -2 -1.0
Oliver.........................5 40 -8.0
PASSING
MICHIGAN
ATT. COM. INT. YDS.
Leach ..................... 11 5 0 54
PURDUE
Oliver ..................... 16 6
Herrmann.................5 2
RECEIVING
MICHIGAN
Feaster ...............................
Clayton ...........................
Marsh..... .....................
Huckleby .......................
G. Johnson ........................
PURDUE
Pope ......................... .......
Young ............................
Harris.............................. .
Burrel..........................
0
NO.
1
1
1
1
4
2
'I
54
19
YDS.
18
11
10
8
7
39
22
7
5
WOLVERINES STRIKE EARLY IN 5-1 WIN:
Blue icers smash
Denver
By BOB EMORY
This time they made sure.
After blowing first period leads in
each of the la-st two games, the
Wolverines scored four times in the
opening stanza and then made sure that
sweep-minded Denver was held off the
rest of the why as they coasted to a 5-1
victory over the Pioneers last night at
Yost A rena.
THE WIN snapped a four game losing
streak that Michigan has suffered at
the hands of Denver and it brought their
record back up to .500 for the season, 5-5
overall and 3-5 in the WCHA.
Denver, ranked number one coming
into this weekend series, fell to 7-2-1
overall but remained in at least a tie for
first place in the WjCHA with a 6-2
league mark.
The Pioneers apparently didn't fully
recover from Friday night's cliff
hanging 6-5 win as the Wolverines
carried the play to them from the start.
"We played the way we know we can
play, said a happy Dan Farrell.
"There were some lapses defensively,
but our zone play was good on the
whole.
MICHIGAN'S power play unit
continued to do heavy damage as the
Wolverines got three goals with a man
advantage. Tim Manning and freshman
sensation Murray Eaves scored two of
the power play goals in the first period.
Manning's goal, his second of the
season, opened the scoring at the six
minute mark. His back-hander from
inside the slot found its way through a
maze of 'players before sliding into the
far corner.
Wolverine captain Mark Miller
sandwiched the two power play goals
with his tenth score of the year, a
wicked slap shot from just inside the
Denver blue line that goaltender Stuart
Birebbaum never really saw.
Jeff Mars made it 3-0 before Eaves'
netted his goal that gave the Wolverines
an almost insurmountable 4-0 lead. The
wolverines have now scored on eight of
their last 20 power play opportunities.
"IN A WAY that's not good to score
four goals like that and take a big
lead," commented Farrell. Indeed, it
appeared as though the Wolverines
For more sports,
see page 7.
were going to try and sit on that lead as
play got a bit ragged in the second
period. But Rudy Varvari made some
key saves that kept Denver from get-
ting the momentum.
"Rudy played a real good game for us
tonight," said Farrell. "He's starting to
play with more confidence, now." Var-
vari was named the game's number
"WE'RE GETTING better every
game," concluded Farrell. "Even
though we lost Friday night, I can see
improvement, especially in the younger
players."
Michigan takes its act to the road this
coming holiday weekend when they
travel to South Bend for a pair of games
with the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame
just compelted a two game sweep of the
Michigan State Spartans this weekend,
winning 9-1 and 5-4 to move them into
second place in the WCHA, only one
point behind the leader.
Pioneers plowed
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. M-Manning (Eaves, Olver) 6:23; 2.
M-Miller (Olver, Lundberg) 9:17; 3. M-Mars
(Tessier) 9:37; 4. M-Eaves (Olver, Miller) 10:28;
5. D-Magnan (Purpur) 13:35. Penalties: D-Turner
(holding) 5&03; D-Hudson (elbowing) 10:04; D-
(bench minor) 10:11; D-Hludson (unsportsmanlike
conduct) 16:23; M-Richmond (unsportsmanlike
conduct) 16:23; M-Lundberg (crosschecking)
17:41; D-Magnan (crosschecking) 17:41; M-Perry
(holding) 18.26.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: none. Penalties: M-Wheeler (slashing)
4:23; D-Magnanu(slashing) 4:23; M-May (hook-
ing) 6:02; D-Hudson (interference) 7:35; M-
Wheeler (elbowing) 9:48.
MICHIGAN 24, Purdue 6
Ohio State 21, Indiana 18
Minnesota 24, Illinois 6
Iowa 38. Wiscnsin 24
SCORES
Stanford 30, California 10
Miami (O.) 28, Cincinnati 24
Ohio U. 19, Bowling Green 15
Massachusetts 34, New Hampshire 7
Delaware 38. Colgate 29
Lehigh 23, Lafayette 15
Rice 24, Baylor 10
I
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