Page 12-Sunday, September 16, 1979-The Michigan Daily
Irish kicker,
boots Blue
(Continued from Page i1),
kicking game was located all afternoon.
On the other side of the ledger, the
Notre Dame kicking game was superb.
Senior placekicker Chuck Male conver-
ted field goals of 40, 44, 22 and 39 for the
victorious Irish. Who can forget similar
circumstances in 1974 when Tom
Klaban kicked four field goals for Ohio
State in their 12-10 triumph over
Michigan?
NOT ONLY WAS the Michigan
kicking game down but so was the
Wolverine offense in the second half.
After piling up 212 yards and 12 first
downs in the first 30 minutes, Michigan
could only manage a mere 96 in the
second half and 4 first downs.
In the first half, though, Michigan
came out like gangbusters. After a big
Rusty Lisch to Tony Huber completion
Male sets field goal
record- in 1 2-10 win
terception near the Wolverine goal line,
staving off another Irish chance.
HOWEVER, MICHIGAN became
conservative on offense, running sim-
ple running plays through the middle of
the line. In the first half, Michigan had
used Dickey's excellent speed to run the
option and the junior from Ohio scooted
past slower Irish defenders for big
gains. After three short running plays,
Michigan was forced to punt and
Virgil shanked a 24 yard punt. The
Wolverine defense held again, but Male
deposited another field'goal through the
calling. On third and two at the 13,
Dickey's pass for Mitchell sailed over
the receiver's head. Virgil trotted onto
the field and fluttered a 30 yard field .
goal through the uprights.
The men from South Bend tied the
game in a hurry. After the ensuing
series, a Boushka punt was fumbled by
the hero of the Northwestern game, An-
thony Carter, and recovered by the
Fighting Irish at the Michigan 35 yard
line. Notre Dame's workhorse running
back, Vagas Ferguson, who carried the
ball 35 times for 118 yards, slipped and
slithered his way for one first down. But
the Wolverine defense stood up to the
test once more and the Irish had to set-
tle for a Male 40 yard booming field..
goal.
Schembechler's Wolverines struck
right back. First, it was Dickey running
and throwing crisply, taking his
charges down to the Notre Dame 35. He
completed passes to Edwards and Mit-
chell during that stretch. Then, Edwar-
ds took control, lugging the pigskin
down to the Notre Dame 11.
AFTER DICKEY snuck through for
four yards, there were two-more "bad
communications" between the sideline
and the field for Michigan. This
produced two almost consecutive delay
of game peanlties assessed against
Michigan:
Facing a third and 15 fromt he 17,
Dickey avoided a swarming Irish pass
rush, cut up the middle and snaked
down to theone yard line, still inches
short of a first down. On fourth down,
tailback Edwards was not to be denied
and carried tacklers with him intot he
end zone. Virgil converted and the
Wolverines led, 10-3.
AFTER CANNAVINO and company
stopped the Fighting Irish's one play,
that is Ferguson through the middle,
Notre Dame punted. But on the second
play after receiving the punt, Dickey
fumbled and the Irish's defensive stan-
dout John Hankerd pounced on the
loose ball at the Michigan 39.
Curtis Greer and Ron Simpkins,
Michigan's All-American standouts,
stopped Ferguson on the next series,
History of Michigan-Notre Dame Series
M ND
1887 ............... 8
1888......... ....24
1888................. 10
1898...............23
1899 ................12
1900................7
0
6
4
0
0
0
1902..................
1908........... ...
1909 .......... ......
1942..............
1943..............
1978 ..............
1979 ...............
23
12
3
32
12
28
10
0
6
11
20
35
14
12
Chuck Male
setting the stage for a fourth and one.
On fourth down, Lisch threaded the
needle to tight end Dean Masztak and
an Irish first down. But the Notre Dame
drive was halted after a holding penalty
and a Simpkins sack.
Male then calmly loaded a 44 yard
field goal, brining the Irish within four
at 10-6.
The third quarter was all Notre
Dame. With the Goodyear blimp
hovering overhead, Ferguson demon-
strated to a national television audience
why he is a Heisman Trophy candidate.
The speedster from Richmond, Ind.,
who is just 530 yards shy of the all-time
Irish rushing mark, ripped off gains of
20, eight, five and ten, before Can-
navino came to the rescue. A halfback
option pas by Jim Stone was incomplete
on third down at the five and ND settled
for a Male 22 yard field goal.
After the kickoff, the Irish's Dave
Waymer intercepted a Dickey aerial
and returned the ball to the Michigan
14. On the following play, linebacker
Mel Ownes made a deft one-handed'in-
uprights, this one of 39 yards for a 12-10
Notre Dame lead.
A couple of big Edwards runs and one
by Dickey for 27 yards brought the ball
to the ND 38. Some passes failed, set-
ting up a fourth and five at the Notre
Dame 33. Here, Schembechler could not
make up his mind and called a timeout,
making what many observers believed
was a debatable decision. He sent Ali,
Haji-Sheikh, from Arlington, Texas, to
unsuccessfully try a 50-yard field goal.
In the final analysis, one thing is
sure-a national teleivion audience
probably enjoyed the game and the an-
nouncers were left with much to on
which to comment.
A case of the
(South) Bends
MICHIGAN NOTRE DAME
... sets ND record
for 31 yards, the Michigan defense stif-
fened and regained possession of the
ball, something they would do all after-
noon.
FOLLOWING A couple of runs, star-
ting quarterback 43.J. Dickey connec-
ted with Marsh for a 22 yard gain on a
great fingertip catch. Dickey, Reid and
Edwards made sizable rushing gains
down to the 14. Here, the Michigan of-
fense stalled after some surprising play
Temporary
By Billy Sohn
Disappointment reigns...
in Schembechier's voice
ESTERDAY'S 12-10 loss to Notre Dame was perhaps Bo Schem-
bechler's most disappointing loss of his career.
It was by far one he will remember for a long time to come. It was sim-
ply a defeat which Michigan's head coach cannot accept.
The overwhelming disappointment stems from a game where Schem-
bechler's pride, the defense, played a phenomenal game while his offense
and kicking game reached depths that even he thought not possible.
"That's a great defense you saw," said Schembechler after the game,
"but when you have an offense that plays that poorly and a kicking game
that's that bad, I don't care how good your defense is." The end result -
defeat.
There are no excuses for a game like this one. Victory was continually in
reach for the Wolverines. But at the last moment they fizzled when Bryan
Virgil's field goal attempt from the Notre Dame 32-yard line was blocked by
Dave Waymar with seven seconds on the clock.
The most disheartening and haunting fact of the confrontation was how
well Michigan's defense played. They held the Fighting Irish in check
throughout the game. They were really up for this one and wanted to win it
badly. But in the end, the defense was powerless to physically put points on
the scoreboard. That task, left to the offense and kicking game, remained
undone.
For those not at Schembechler's post-game press conference, it's hard
to convey the emotion and disappointment that this man was experiencing.
He was angry and had every right to be so.
"We should have won that game," he said. "We are a pretty good damn
defensive team. The offense and kicking game killed us," he continued.
Schembechler is right. Michigan should not have lost that ballgame.
Certainly, Notre Dame did not dominate the game in such a way to deserve
victory. The statistics themselves fall heavily in Michigan's favor.
For instance, Michigan notched 16 first downs to Notre Dame's seven.
The Wolverines' total offensive yardage was 306 in comparison to 179 for the
Irish.+In passing, ND was only able to muster 43 yards while Michigan
passed for 134.
Only one statistic points overwhelmingly to Notre Dame. The Irish at-
tempted four field goals and converted all four. Certainly, their placekicker
Chuck Male deserves a heck of a lot of praise. But for Michigan, only one of
the three three-point kicks attempted resulted in a score.
Dominating defense
Significantly, not one Notre Dame football player in Michigan Stadium
yesterday managed to get past the Wolverine defense. They couldn't. No
team'in the nation, not even USC, would have been successful against thjs
incredible unit. Yet the Wolverines came up on the short end of the stick.
Herein lies the irony of the day.
Michigan decisively led the game at the end of the first half. The Irish of-
fense had trouble moving against the Wolverine defense. Meanwhile, the
Irish couldn't stop the Wolverines' scoring drives. But in the second half,
Notre Dame became accustomed to the Wolverines' ballgame and
maneuvered to stop it. In essence, Michigan let Notre Dame take control as
the offense became lapse.
Offensively, "Michigan faded," according to Schembechler. Pinned in
their own territory, the Wolverines were not able to move the ball. "When
you're backed up in your own territory you've got to knock them out of there
and move it (the ball)," demanded Schembechler.
Stymied offense
The lack of offense in the second half for the Wolverines was only too
evident. Dickey, unlike the previous two quarters was not able to rally the of-
fense at all.
Schembechler however waited until the last offensive series of the gane
to replacae Dickey with backup QB John Wangler. Immediately, Wangler
made things click as the Wolverines passed six times completing three for 28
yards and setting up the last-ditch effort by Virgil. One can only wonder why
Wangler was not in there any sooner.
According to Schembechler, he wanted a fresh quarterback in the
ballgame. Although the logic behind his change is reasonable, the timing is
not. Why wait until the very last series of the game when your backs are up
to the wall to make the change? Schembechler's timing gave Wangler little
chance of getting into his groove. It would have been super-human if he
pulled it off. As is, Wangler did one hdlluva job under that kind of pressure.
Coming off the bench, Wangler decisively pinpointed Ralph Clayton's
numbers on fourth and three for seven yards giving Michigan a first down
and further chances to pull off a last second score. The rest is history.
In addition to not being able to penetrate the Irish by air or run in the
second half, the Wolverines wrote their own tombstone as their kicking
game did not materialize.
"You cannot constantly not move the ball in your own territory,"
claimed Schembechler, "and then when you go to kick it out, the damn thing
goes 20 yards," he concluded.
The Wolverine kicking game, or lack of it, was a surprise. Punting is
basic to the ballgame. And for a coach who stresses basics over and over, it
was shocking to see Michigan falter so.
It's back to basic and fundamentals therefore for the Wolverine's
kicking unit. In the meantime, Schembechler must swallow this bitter pill of -
defeat.
First downs............ 16
Rushing (att/yds) ... 45/172
Passing (att/com/int) . 24/12/1
Passing yds............ 134
Punts (no/yds) .. ..... 7/29.7
Fumbles (no/lost). 2/2
Penalties (no/yds)... 4/28
SCORING
7
4:3/114
12/5/2
65
7/37.7
31
3/45
Michigan ....................:3 7 0
Notre Dame .................. 3 3 6
SCORING PLAYS
MICHIGAN
MICH-virgil 30 yard field goal
ND-Male 40 yard field goal
MICH-Edwards 1 yard run (Virgil kick)
ND-Male 44 yard field goal
ND-Male 22 yard field goal
ND-Male 39 yard field goal
RUSHING
MICHIGAN
o - 10
0-12
att
Edwards..... ................... 22
Dickey r......................... 14
Reid.........................7
Wangler ..................... t
Carter ....................... t
NOTRE DAME
Ferguson ........................ 35
Lisch ............................ 5
Sweeney..................... t
Barber............... .....
Koegel .......................... 1
PASSING
MICHIGAN
att comp
Dickey .................... 18 9
Wangler .................. 6 3
NOTRE DAME
Lisch .. .................. 10' 5
Stone .....................1t 0
Courey...................1I 0
RECEIVING
MICHIGAN
yds
72
68
28
7
:;
118
-8
3
.-2
int
1
0
1
0
yds
46
20
30
15
2:1
30
31
4
avg
4.9
4.0
7
;30
3.4
-1.6
3.0
3.0
-2.0
yds
106
28
65
0
0
Ip
22
15
8
23
Daily Photo CYRENA CHANG
M arsh .. .. ...................
Edwards.....................
Mitchell...................
Clayton... .....:............
Carter ...........................
NOTRE DAME
M arsztak .......... ............
Hunter ....................
Ferguson .............. ......
no
4.
3
2
2
3
131
4
MICHIGAN COACH Bo Schembechler gives defensive co-captain Ron Simpkins specific orders during the first half
of yesterday's clash with Notre Dame. Simpkins and his defensive mates were solid throughout the game but the Blue
offense was blanked after the intermission as the Irish prevailed, 12-10.
PURDUE, MSU NEXT FOR IRISH
Devine:'My biggest thrill
By GEOFF LARCOM
Notre Dame Coach Dan Devine walked slowly into the
visitor's pressroom at Michigan following yesterday's game,
wearing a smile that probably won't come off this weekend.
He looked weary, but oh so happy after his team's ex-
cruciating 12-10 victory over Michigan. Before dealing with
the arsenal of questions he knew awaited him, the fifth-year
Irish coach picked up a piece of chalk and wrote slowly on the
blackboard.
For Devine, his message said it all - "WE WON!!.!" he
printed in big, clear letters.
Indeed. Devine had just won a game few had given him a
strong chance in, and his team had won it coming from
behind and away from home. It had to be a sweet, moment
for the well-travelled coach.
"This was the greatest thrill of my life today," said the
man who brought a national championship to South Bend in
1977 and who also coached the Green Bay Packers. "This was
a team that wouldn't be beat today. We wouldn't be denied."
It seems Devine hit it right on the head in saying that.
The Irish lagged behind Michigan in nearly every statistical
category, as Michigan made 16 first downs, and the Irish only
seven. Also, the Wolverines doubled the Irish's passing out-
put and out-rushed Notre Dame 172 to 114, while out-gaining
then! in total yards, 306 to 179.
But on the top line of the score sheet, Notre Dame held
the key numbers edge - to the tune of 12-10.
"There's a guy now with ABC who said it first, although
minutes of the season finally behind them.
"When we went in at halftime with it only 10-6, we felt
real good about that," Devine said. "We felt we could shut
them down."
And did they ever. Like their blue counterparts across
the field, the Irish defense time after time came up with the
big play, snuffing out any peep the suddenly-dormant
Michigan offense threatened to offer.
When asked what he told his troops during the half,
Devine said, "I told them to give just a little more, and that
they had to dig a little deeper."
Cliche, perhaps, but his players must have listened, for it
was a Michigan grave they dug with their opportunistic play
in the second half.
Each time the Irish offense gave up the ball, and it looked
like here, finally, was the time when Michigan would put
some points on the board, Notre Dame would infiltrate the
Blue backfield and nip the drive in the bud. Middle
linebacker Bob Crable picked up three tackles for losses,
while defensive tackle Don Kidd nailed two Wolverines for
losses totaling sixteen yards.
And it was Crable who also blocked Bryan Virgil's
desperation field goal with six seconds left on the clock, after
John Wangler h'd directed Michigan into field goal range
with a.textbook rendition of a two-minute offense.
"I'm glad that we blocked that kick, rather than him
(Virgil) missing it," Devine said. "I'd rather we win the
game than them lose it. That would be a tough burden for the
W b -