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December 05, 1971 - Image 15

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Michigan Daily, 1971-12-05
Note:
This is a tabloid page

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Page Twenty-two

THE MICHIGAN DAILY - ROSE BOWL SUPPLEMENT

Sunday, December 5, 1971

Sunday, December 5, 1971

THE MICHIGAN DAILY - ROSE BOWL SUPPLEMENT

OL'

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DEFE

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EXPECT INDIAN AERIAL ATTACK

Wolverines

seek Rose

There is almost nothing that is as consistently
good as the Michigan defense. The unit racked up
some of the highest accolades in the nation. The
Wolverines were tops against the rush in the
United States, second in America in total. defense,
and the stingiest team in the entire continent.
The defense, in one stretch did not allow a score
for twelve quarters.
The front line was anchored by Tom Beckman,
Butch Carpenter, Greg Ellis, Fred Grambeau, and
Mike Keller and was at times impossible to move.
In the Ohio State game, OSU being a team that
made famous the "three yards and a cloud of
dust," the frontline, with a little help from their
friends, allowed only 80 yards while the longest
run the Buckeyes could muster was a thirteen yard
gallop.

Keller performed well enough to garner a third
team UPI All-American defensive end position.
The second line of Michigan's defense was just
as awesome. Wolfman Frank Gusich, linebackers
Kee, who is pictured above devouring an offend-
ing Ohio State runner, and Mike Taylor, who made
everybody's All-American team, were continually
hustling, protecting the outer flanks and shoring
up the middle in rare cases of penetration.
Tom Darden led a secondary that made the big
play when it was called for. Darden returned
a pass for 90 yards against UCLA to preserve the
shutout and made the controversial game saving
one again Woody Hayes and Company.
The squad was overpowering and so was their
performance. Their play and its meaning for
the entire Michigan team proved Coach Bo
Schembechler's assessment. "Defense is the heart
of the game."

By BOB ANDREWS
It was only one year ago,
when the undefeated, untied, and
number-two ranked Ohio State
Buckeyes headed West expecting
to demolish Stanford and thus
vault to the national champion-
ship. They had one fatal flaw in
all their plans of glory, over-
confidence, and the Indians scalp-
ed Woody's Wonders 17-3. The
trip back east was just not the
same.
Now it is the Michigan Wol-
verines' turn. Coach Bo Schem-
bechler's squad is also undefeat-
ed, untied and in the picture for
national championship. Although
the daring aerial duo of Jim
Plunkett and Randy Vataha has
now deaprted for frigid New
England, the Indians could very
well ambush the Wolverines'
plans for perfection this season.
As Pacific Eight champions,
Stanford compiled an 8-3 record,
suffering setbacks to Duke (9-3),
Washington State (24-23) and
San Jose State (13-12). Against
conference competition, they led
in total defense and passing of-
fense, directed by their fine sen-
ior signal caller, Don Bunce.
Bunce had the unenvious posi-

tion of being the back-up to
Plunkett in 1968 and 69, so Stan-
ford decided to red-shirt him last
season, Plunkett's final, and
came back this year as the
club's number-one leader.
The Wolverine secondary will
have its hands full against
Bunce, as he has managed to
connect on 162 of 297 aerials for
2,265 yards and 13 touchdowns.
He amassed a total of 2,513
yards on offense, which is fairly
comparable to Plunkett's total
y a r d a g e last season (2.898
yards).
Although both are fine passers,
Bunce's style is very different
from Plunkett's. While Plunkett
was basically a drop back-stay in
the pocket quarterback, Bunce
likes to. roll out and run the op-
tion a great deal of the time.
Bunce has a receiving corps
that has filled in very effective-
ly to compensate for the :oss of
Vataha. Split end Miles Moore
has the team lead in receptions
with 38 for 810 yards while flank-
er John Winesberry follows right
behind with 37 catches for 543
yards.
Up until the season was near-
ing its end, the main thrust of

the Stanford attack was via the
pass. They managed a madiocre
sixth in the conference in rush-
ing offense and time and time
again called upon Bunce to put
points on the scoreboard. How-
ever, in the words of assistant
coach John Hughes, "Our run-
ning attack has started to jell
in the last two games." The
heavy burden of rushing fell up-
on running back Jackie Brown,
who carried the ball 124 times
for 479 yards.
However, it is much more like-
ly that head Coach John Ralston
will principally use the pass
against the Wolverines, as dur-
ing the season quarterbacks be-
low the caliber of Bunce have
shown their effectiveness in pass-
ing against the Michigan sec-
ondary.
As was done against Ohio
State, Schembechler will prob-
ably have wolfman Frank Gusich
assisting wide halfback Bruce
Elliot in covering either Moore
or Winesberry.
Hughes acknowledges that the
Michigan defense is very strong
and knows that Stanford must
exploit its major weakness, pass
defense.

Stanford boasts a. defense it
considers fine as any in the na-
tion. Among conference squads,
they rank first in total defense,
and are first against the pass
and second against the run.
The Indian defense works out
of a 4-3-4 formation, with the big-
gest strength lying in the front
four, known in the Bay area as
t h e "Thunderchickens." T h e
members of this select group
are: Roger Cowan (right tackle),
who was injured in the San Jose
State game but should be ready
for Michigan; Greg Samson (left
tackle); P e t e Laepich (left
guard); and Larry Butler (right
guard).
However, it is Laepich and
Butler along with middle line-
backer and All-America candi-
date Jeff Siemon that make up
the heart of the Indian defense,
known locally as the "Middle
Triangle." These three lead the
team in tackles and have made
it very difficult for opponents
to run wide or up the middle.
Against their two foes with the
best running attacks, Washington
State and Oregon State, the In-
dians had all sorts of problems,
losing to the first and squeaking
out a win late in the contest
against the second.
Should this be an indication of
things to come, the vaunted
Thunderchickens might be roast-
ed trying to stop the Wolverine
rushing attack, which is one of
the finest in the nation.
Led by All-America candidate

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THE LII
Offel
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MICHIGAN

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(15) Bo Rather (180)
(73) Jim Coode (235)-
(65) Reggie McKenzie (232)
(53) Guy Murdock (210)
(60) Tom Coyle (233)
(78) Curtis Tucker (239)
(85) Paul Seymour (231)
(17) Tom Slade (198)'
(22) Glenn Doughty (204)
(42) Billy Taylor (195)
(31) Ed Shuttlesworth (237)
D
(94) Butch Carpenter (215)
(92) Fred Grambeau (234)
(68) Greg Ellis (223)
(99) Tom Beckman (246)
(90) Mike Keller (215)
(33) Mike Taylor (224)
(37) Tom Kee (210)r
(14) Frank Gusich (188)
(21) Bruce Elliott (175) 1
(41) Randy Logan (192)
(35) Tom Darden (195)

SE
LT
LG
C
RG
RT
TE
QB
WB
TB
FB

)efe:
LE

LT
MG
RT
RE
MLB
WLB
Wolf
WHB
SH
S

BENNY BAU;NS (29) Stanford defense back fields a punt in an early season Indian victory. New
Year's Day the Indians will be going for their second Rose Bowl triumph in two seasons when they
tackle Michigan's undefeated Wolverines.

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