Page Eight
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Thursday, September 9, 1971
PageEigt TH MIHIGN DALY hursaySepembe 9,197
OS U wins o
(Editor's Note: This column was originally published the
Tuesday after last year's Michigan Ohio State football game.)
TOP.
Before you start reading this column, let's get one thing
straight. Ohio State beat Michigan Saturday fair and square.
The Wolverines had a couple of bad breaks and made some
costly mistakes, but, in the end, they were simply outplayed by
the Buckeyes, no strings attached.
There was nothing fancy or frilly about the way the
Bucks won the game, either. Indeed, as Woody Hayes said
after the game, the key second-half play for the Bucks was
an off-tackle play used to spring Leo Hayden that they
borrowed from a Michigan film. They won the game with
the hard, straight-nosed football that has been the Ohio
State trademark-a good, stiff defense and a grind-'em-up
offense.
Okay?
I don't know about its culture or its politics or even its
night clubs, but when it comes to its football team, Columbus is
strictly a bush town.
Ohio State fans obviously take great pride in the part
they play in the Bucks' famed home-town advantage, but
they have nothing to be proud of. They have a good reason
to come out and support their team, especially in the last
three years, and they have, pacing the NCAA in attendance.
The only trouble is, Buckeye fans go way overboard in
their zealousness.
Two years ago, whep the Bucks' super-sophs of '68 were
fiel d,
but is it worth it?
4
on this and that
Columbus papers,
please copy
eric siegel
rolling towards the Rose Bowl and sitting on top of both wire
service polls, a stedent got killed in one of their wild post-game
celebrations.
When they beat Purdue to open the Big Ten season that
year, their fans showed their support by going on a rampage
through downtown Columbus. When they beat Michigan to
win the conference title, the fans overturned cars with
Michigan license plates, roughed up some Wolverine fans,
and then cut loose on their own city.
Early Saturday morning-less than 12 hours before game
time-a student was shot in a pre-game celebration. Friday
night, a girl was run over on High Street when a horn-honking
Chevy tried to get through a drunken, shouting street crowd.
The Columbus police, who are proud to be numbered
among the Buckeye fans, had a grand time Thursday and
Friday night, blocking off streets so the Buckeye supporters
could march on City Hall, and blasting their sirens every
time someone yelled GO BUCKS. At one point, they even
allowed a staggering student to direct traffic on High Street
with beer cans in each hand.
All this sounds pretty cool until you stop and remember
that six months ago students were gassed and beaten for taking
to the streets to protest the U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia.
These actions might be dismissed as those of a few ultra-
fanatics, except for what happened at the stadium before and
during the game. It was great to hear the resounding cheers
for Rex Kern, Jack Tatum, Jim Stillwagon, et al, who have
given their best for OSU for three years.
Less sportsmanlike was the constant and merciless
booing of anyone in Michigan colors, and the abuse heaped
on the Michigan players as they made their way back to the
locker room.
The Buckeye fans show a degree of class that is far beneath
that of their football team, but the fans are not the only bush
thing in town. The people in the Ohio Stadium press box had
never seated a woman before Saturday, and they couldn't treat
the presence of Daily Executive Sports Editor Pat Atkins gra-
ciously. While this reporter and several others from Detroit and
Chicago papers wandered about at will, Atkins was told on at
least three occasions to take her seat so as to avoid confusion.
Kaye Kessler, writing in the morning paper Saturday be-
fore the game, saw it, not as a football game, but as a life and
death struggle between two groups of men.
Before I went to Columbus and saw people marching,
not for peace or equality but for football; before I saw a girl
get run over and heard about a guy getting shot; before I
saw a whole town and then a whole state completely caught
up in what is still basically a game between two groups of
college men, I would have thought Kessler was just searching
for a clever angle.
Now, I realize that what he said was true, at least in Colum-
bus. Somehow, if I had my choice, I would rather be in Ann
Arbor, where football means just something, not everything,
and where there is still some sense of perspective, even if the
home-town advantage doesn't mean quite as much.
rv _________________-_____ _____________ I
We/corneIVach
/
to the Finest
in
Wave sinks foes-then came Bucks
(Continued from Page 1)
Once again T a y 1o r led the
rushers, who amassed 414 yards,
with 151 yards in 26 carries.
Moorhead was only 7 for 18
passing but six of the comple-
tions were for first downs when
they counted.
Fullback Seyferth meanwhile
scored four touchdowns and
picked up 76 yards as the Wol-
verine g r o u n d game chewed
holes at will in the Gopher de-
fense.
The next week, however, the
Wolverines temporarily return-
ed to their early season jitters
and had to. hang on for dear life
in order to make off with a 29-
15 victory over Wisconsin. The
Big Blue Machine came roaring
out in the first half with three
quick touchdowns and threaten-
ed to make a runaway of it, but
then got bogged down in mis-
takes that nearly did them in.
The Wolverines thrice lost the
ball on fumbles and failed to
cover one of Paul Staroba's
punts properly as Badger Dan
Crooks returned it 87 yards late
in the game to move Wisconsin
to within nine.
Minutes later it was narrow-
ed to 21-15 but then the Wol-
verine defense held and a 21
yard touchdown pass from
Moorhead to Staroba sealed
Michigan's v i c t o r y. Staroba
wound up the day with six
catches for 178 yards including
a 70 yarder.
With only two games left be-
fore the climactic meeting with
Ohio State, many thought Mich-
igan would be guilty of over-
looking the weak sisters of the
conference, Illinois and Iowa.
But if Schembechler was look-
ing past these games then heav-
en help those opponents if he
hadn't. In those two contests
the Mammoth Blue Wave hit its
peak as it completely annihi-
lated Illinois and Iowa by the
respective scores of 42-0 and
55-0.
It seemed as if Michigan could
do no wrong as back after sub-
stituted back poured over the
holes created by all-American
guard Dan Dierdorf and the
others on Michigan's big front
line. Against Iowa the Wolver-
ines churned out a phenomenal
468 yards on the ground.
The defense was equally phe-
nomenal, limiting Illinois to
eight first downs and Iowa to
only six. Michigan meanwhile
picked up 57 first downs in the
two games.
And so it came down to the
last game of the season. Unde-
feated (9-0) Michigan versus
undefeated (8-0) Ohio State.
This was the first time in Big
Ten history that two undefeat-
ed teams had met on the last
day of the season to determine
the conference championship.
Both teams were ranked in the
top five and even President Nix-
on was watching the book tube
that day.
Although Michigan made mis-
takes, such as fumbling the
opening kickoff, the story of the
game was told in the rushing
statistics. While Ohio State was
bulling their way to 242 yards
on the ground, Michigan could
only muster 37. Billy Taylor
could do no better than 31 yards
in 15 attempts, and as Schem-
bechler said after the game,
"Somewhere their defense had
to crack-but it didn't."
At one point in the third
quarter Michigan narrowed the
gap to 10-9, but the revenge-
seeking Bucks grew tough and,
to the delight of the majority
of the record crowd in Colum-
bus, bottled the Wolverines up.
In the meantime Buckeye
quarterback Rex Kern was dis-
playing some of the ball wizadry
that had drawn raves in his
sophomore year as Ohio State
won the battle for ball control
and Michigan had to settle for
the painful solace of a 9-1 sea-
son and a tie with Northwestern
for second spot in the con-
ference.
Woody, eat
your heart out
Michigan's freshman football
team is made up more heavily
of out-of-staters than usual,
with only eight Michigan play-
ers. As usual, Ohio has great
representation, also with eight.
Among the most highly re-
garded recruits is running back
Gil Chapman of Elizabeth, N.J.
At only 5-9, 175 lbs., speedy
Chapman scored 564 points in
high school with 22 touchdowns
called back because of penal-
ties.
Dennis Franks, voted the out-
standing lineman in the west-
ern Pennsylvaia hotbed, w il l
lead an exceptionally s t r o n g
contingent of linemen.
M~ichigan loses
All-Sports title
For the first time in four
years and only the third time
in the last 11, Michigan h a s
failed to win the Big "Ten's All-
Sports trophy, awarded on the
basis of all around athletic ex-
cellence.
Just as in those other two
years, the Wolverines were edg-
ed out by Michigan State. The
Spartans averaged 7.91 points,
with Michigan right behind at
7.55.
Scoring is based on 10 points
for a first place finish, nine
for second and so on, with the
total divided by the number of
sports participated in.
MSU finished first in cross
country, fencing, wrestling,
hockey and baseball, The Wol-
verines captured gymnastics
and tennis crowns. They fin-
ished second in football, basket-
ball, swimming and baseball.
Indiana, which took swim-
ming and outdoor track, fin-
ished a distant third. Wisconsin,
in fourth, won indoor track.
You'll Find
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Beer Mugs Glass-
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Cards 0 Bookends
Ash Trays 0 Sweat
Shirts 0 T-Shirts
Jackets 0 Caps
Hats 0 Six Footers
Gloves 0 Blankets
Car 0Robes
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USTIN DIAMOND
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BUY QUALITY DIAMONDrS
665-7151
1209 S. University
R
m U
Plan
Your
7
Saturdays
of Michigan Football Now
Now is the time to plan your Saturday afternoon enter-
tainment for this fall, and what better way to enjoy those
autumn days than by watching the Wolverines in Michigan
Stadium.
First of all, because this is your team, your seat costs
less than anyone in the stands. Students can purchase season
tickets (seven games) for just $16. Regular season tickets
cost $42. If you are married you can buy your spouse a season
ticket for just $21.
Seating is allotted according to the number of semesters
you've been at Michigan. You work your way right up to the
50 yard line.
Tickets for students will be distributed at Yost Field
House on September 9, 10, 13 and 14 according to the pro-
cedure outlined on page five of the sports section.
And if your parents are planning to visit you at Mich-
igan, make it a football weekend. Reserve them a seat right
now by sending in the coupon below.
Michigan's 1971
Football Schedule
Sept. 11
Sept. 18
Sept. 25
Oct. 2
Oct. 9
Oct. 16
Oct. 23
Oct. 30
Nov. 6
Nov. 13
Nov. 20
at Northwestern
VIRGINIA
UCLA
NAVY
at Michigan State
ILLINOIS
at Minnesota
INDIANA
IOWA
at Purdue
OHIO STATE
*
Home Games in Capital Letters '
Who Are the
Wolverines?
i They're winners of 17 of their last
21 games.
* They've been ranked among the national
Top Ten teams the last two seasons.
" They're 1971 title contenders.
* They're your team.
Michigan's
Faculty,
Staff
Special, half-price football tickets
are available to Michigan's staff and
faculty, but there's more to this bar-
gain. For just $21.00 you receive a
Michigan Gears for.
Title
Michigan Stadium at Halftime
Michigan Coach Bo Schembechler says he wants
100,000 MICHIGAN fans in the Stadium when the
Wolverines collide with Ohio State on Nov. 20.
That's the importance he attaches to support in
the stands.
That game again figures to weigh heavily on the
Big Ten title as the Wolverines gear for another run
at the championship. Loaded with veterans and
promising sophomores, the Wolverines of 1971
could be one of Michigan's finest teams in years.
A veteran backfield, headed by Billy Taylor and
Glenn Doughty, a rugged defense with such players
as Mike Keller and Mike Taylor and the type of
speed that makes Michigan an explosive team-all
the elements are there for another exciting season.
Winning has been somewhat of a career for
Mician 'aennrwh o ha vehelned +h e nWovrine.
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LAST NAME (print) First Name Initial
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ADDRESS (Number and Street) r
-- --- . - -I
CITY STATE Z IP CODE NO. "
NUMBER OF r
TICKETS at $6.00
Sept. 18 VIRGINIA $--
"We face one of the most demanding
challenges in recent years this season.
There are no soft touches on our schedule,
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