Saturday, September 14, 1974 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Thirteen OFFENSE STILL SHAKY Illinois relying on lop-notch defense ~ By ANDY GLAZER It's getting to be the "in" thing these days to call theBig Ten the "Big 2-8." Michigan and Ohio State have been rolling over their in-conference foes for so long now that the sarcastic line has a ring of truth to it. In fact, only one of the "little eight" ever gave the Wolverines or Buckeyes a real fight. That team was Illinois. The Illini were the only team to hold an advantage over Mich- igan during a game until Ohio State. They were also the only team to stay within three points of OSU at the half until the Bucks faced USC in the Rose Bowl. But they also managed to lose to West Virginia, Stanford, Min- nesota and Northwestern. So which was the real Illinois team? More importantly, which is going to be the real Illinois team this year? The answer de- pends on if you look at the roster or if you consult the team doctor; the Illini look to have a fine team, but they're not even out of fall practice and have suffered some key injuries. The offense is where Coach Bob Blackman hoped to make his greatest improvements this year; unfortunately, this is where graduation and injuries have hit the hardest. George Uremovich was the best known of the Illini backs last year, and he is gone, and with him left all-Big Ten receiver Garvin Roberson, fullback Ed- die Jenkins, and the entire offensive line with the excep- tion of center Joe Hatfield. Still the Illinois offense might have been improved this year (seniors or not, the above play- ers just didn't put enough points on the board) under the leader- Illini scalps S. 14 Indiana S. 21 at Stanford S. 28 Washington State 0. $ California 0. 12 at Purdue 0. 19 Michigan State 0. 26 at Iowa N. 2 at Ohio State N. 9 MICHIGAN N. 16 at Minnesota N. 23 Northwestern ship of Junior Jim Kopatz at quarterback. Kopatz outplayed last year's starter, Jeff Hollen- back, in spring practice, but fell victim to the injury jinx that plagued the Illini last year when he suffered a ligament strain in his left knee. Even though he will be out until just about the season opener with Indiana on Sept. 14, the time missed could throw off Illini timing in their first few games. Another more serious injury suffered in practice was to the only returning starting back for Illinois, halfback Lonnie Perrin. He tore ligaments in his left knee and will be out for the year. The replacements for Black- man's backfield are for the most part inexperienced. Fullback Steve Greene carried the ball 77 times last year, which gives him at least 46 more carries than any of the other replace- ments. The man who was closest to him in experience, halfback Roger Coleman, is presently out with a hip pointer. So much for an experienced backfield. But defense was the reason the Illini posted a 4-4 Big Ten record last year. They were the stingiest in the con- ference in yards yielded per play (take dit, Big Two). One reason for that was that they didn't give up many long passes-the Illini ranked sixth in the nation in pass defense last year, and their three deep secondary returns intact. Left halfback Mike Gow led the nation in pass interceptions, but Blackman likes the steady play of right halfback Bruce Beaman and safety Bill Kleck- ner just as much. The linebacking is solid. Three seniors will start, and two of them, defensive captain Ty Mc- Millin and 6-3, 235 Tom Hicks, should be post-season honor can- didates. Roy Robinson, a fine pass defender, should be the other starter. The defensive line faces the most change. Three replace- ments have to be found, includ- ing one for all-Big Ten end Octavus Morgan. Everyone In the Big Ten found out about sophomore placekicker Dan Beaver last year when the Illini won two consecutive games while scor- ing on nothing but Beaver field goals (15-13 over Purdue and 6-3 over Michigan State). In all, the Illini tend to remind one of the Minnesota Vikings circa 1970; a fine defense, a good field goal kicker, and at best a fair offense that is going to have to rely on Beaver more than it would like. Their de- fense should keep them in most ball games. But it should be another couple of years before they're ready to crack the Big Two. Daiv Photo ny Y A LARGE PORTION of the Illinois defense buries a Michigan runner in a shot froi game. Defense will again be the strong suit of the Illini this year. omeaP2h DIAL 769-3400 PIZZA ITEMS WE ALSO DELIVER CHICKEN-SHRIMP SUBMARINE SANDWICH BURGERS-SALADS-FRIES 16 OZ. BEVERAGES FREE HOTDELIVERY to 50c 50c MEDIUM OR LARGE PIZZA 1 ITEM OR MORE OMEGA(2)24 COUPON FOR DELIVERY ONLY 50c 50c MEDIUM OR LARGE PIZZA 1 ITEM OR MORE i OMrEGA I)PI zi COUPON FOR DELIVERY ONLY i t