Page Twelve
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Saturday, September 16, 1972
Saturday, September 16, 1972
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
s..
New season
has
Gophers gulping
Hard-luck
Hoosiers
try
I
Fred Grambau (92) on the kill
By DAN BORUS
Borrowing the method from
their namesakes, the Minnesota
Golden Gophers will most likely
spend this football fall burrowing
at the bottom of .the Big Ten
standings: Neither a new coach
or new sparkling gold uniforms
seem able to avert an old and
predictable end.
Cal Stoll, an old Minnesota
graduate, faces the uneviable
task of almost totally rebuilding
a squad which finished last year
in sixth place in the Big Ten
with a 3-5 conference record.
Stoll, who guided Wake Forest to
their first back-to-back winning
seasons since 1951-52, will face
the unhappy prospect of replac-
ing some key Gophers in his ini-
tial Big Ten season.
Gone from the Gopher hutch
will bequarterback Craig Curry,
last year's Big Ten total offense
leader, Ernie Cook, the Golden
Gopher's leading ground gainer,
and All-Big Ten linebacker Bill
Light. Both tackles have been
claimed by the forces of gradua-
tion so the offense has been
quite depleted.
Stoll has no pretensions of a
stunning season nor does he
make any rash predictions con-
cerning the Gopher's fate. But he
does feel that the Gophers can
rebuild to become golden soon.
As he refreshingly puts it, "Odds
are against making a winner
overnight but the 1972 Gophers
could steal a couple of big ones
if on nothing but emotion and
enthusiasm."
Actually his offense is not as
barren as some have suggested.
Senior captain Bob Morgan had
an excellent spring practice,
learning Stoll's complex veer-T
offense. Although Morgan spent
most of his two previous var-
sity campaigns mopping up after
the Gopher record holder Curry,
he has the speed, determinaion,
and wits to be an admirable field
general. Morgan was one of the
few offensive backs to survive
the spring practice sessions un-
scathed.
The backfield features a story
which is quite familiar to Gopher
watchers-the absence of a bona-
fide speedster. Senior George
Honza (6-0, 205) and Jim Henry
are Gopher trailblazers but neith-
er qualifies as a speed merchant.
Honza has been a flanker for the
last two seasons and may make
the adjustment to running back
satisfactorily.
John King, a 6-1, 210 pound
junior, seems to be the odds on
favorite to succeed Cook as work-
horse.
It is at the flanks where the
Gophers offensive machine shows
the most strength. All-American
Doug Kingsriter is returning for
his final campaign. Kingsriter,
who was Curry's favorite target
coming from the tight end posi-
tion, nabbed 28 aerials good for
379 yards and three touchdowns
last year.
Keith Fahnhorst, Kingsriter's
understudy last year, has made
the transition to split end and
should give the Gophers a fine
passing attack. Since Morgan is
capable of tossing one for the
distance from almost any spot
on the field.
The offensite line should be
the weak spot for the Gopher's
scoring unit. Not one of the lead-
ing candidates was a full time
starter though some did admit-
tedly see plenty of action in last
season's campaign. Tackle Den-
Minnesota
Last year: 4-7, 3-5 in confer-
ence, 6th place
Key Players: Jim Morgan, qb;
Doug Kingsritter, oe; Tom
Macleod, lb.
Outlook: Cal Stoll will have
some rough afternoons
nis Maloney (6-5, 251), Paul Tol-
lefsonat guard and Bob Veldman
(6-4, 220) at center are the prob-
able starters in this area.
In two areas of defensive play
the Gophers should be the equal
of any team in the Big Ten-the
defensive backfield and the line-
backing.
Graduation is a factor in de-
fensive strength but if the Go-
phers can avoid the injury bug
that has hung around Minnesota
for the last few years, the defend-
ers should again be tip-top.
I Four veterans return to one
of the toughest secondarys in the
nation. Tim Alderson, Mike
White, Steve Politano and Todd
Randell are all experienced and
are aggressive in their efforts
to negate the completed pass.
And since each of the starting
four had been injured for a per-
iod of last year, the re-enforce-
ments, who are also battling for
the starting nod, insure that when
a team passes against the Go-
phers it is passing against one of
the deepest and strongest secon-
daries in the conference.
Although all three linebackers
from last year's elite corps must
be replaced, Stoll is not exactly
sweating at the prospect. Tom
McLeod, a former fullback turn-
ed defensive end, was so impres-
sive in the spring workouts that
the "Tom McLeod for All-
American campaign" has hit the
St. Paul-Minneapolis area and
should make the rounds of the
Big Ten after the Skywriters
tour. Bob Bailey and Mike Steidl
should also see action.-'
The rest of the defensive po-
sitions are tentative at this time,
though Stoll is not without ma-
terial with which to work.
But Stoll, who once dreamed of
returning as head coach to his
dear alma mater, may find that
the first few moments as mentor
may be among the roughest he
has ever spent on the gridiron
either as coach or active player.
Like an innocent lamb in a den
of wolves, Stoll's men are being
fed to Nebraska, last year's na-
tional champion, and Colorado,
prominently mentioned as this
year's, in successive weeks.
Even Cal Stoll's optimism or
dayglo gold uniform can't soften
that blow.
By SANDI GENIS
Win or lose, optimism is the
one thing that Indiana fans can
count on from their team this
fall. Coming off a 3-8 season such
an attitude may seem a little
out of place but Hoosier g r i d
mentor John Pont is confident
his team will find success this
season. "This is a more posi-
tive and optimistic squad. The
players have a positive atti-
tude and an honest conviction
they-can win. Our physical skills
have improved greatly over the
last two years and we carry
much more experience into this
season," insists, Pont.
Experience seems to be the
key foundation for Pont's op-
timism. With 17 starters among
the 37 returning lettermen, the
Hloosiers will open their season
with fairly well established of-
fensive and defensive sets.
"Last year -we had a lot of
questions and position shifting
and injuries kept us juggling
Indiana
Last Year 3-8, 2-6 in confer-
ence, 9th place
Key Players: Ken St. Pierre
rb; Ted McNuttley, qb; Rob
Spicer, lb
Outlook: Lack of depth makes
the Hoosiers second division
much of the season," asserts
Pont. "We'll do some shuffling
with new people this fall b u t
very little elsewhere. We're far
ahead of where we were a year
ago."
THOUGH ONLY seven of the
17 returning starters are mem-
bers of the offensive unit, the
Indiana squad is blessed with
the return of its= backfield in-
tact. Leading the sprint-out of-
fense senior quarterback T e d
McNulty, after coming on late
last season to lead his team to
an upset victory over a tough
Purdue team, looks to be one
of the better field generals in
the conference.
Joining McNulty will be tail-
back Ken Starling, who will at-
tempt to improve on last season's
4.8 rushing average, and junior
fullback Ken St. Pierre, who as a
sophomore rush for 760 yards,
the second highest season total
in Hoosier history.
At the receiving end of Mc-
Nulty's passes, experience should
play a key role in improving last
fall's meager total of six scoring
tosses. Again St. Pierre presents
a key threat, having demonstrat-
ed his pass catching ability rath-
er cinvincingly last year, w i t h
nine of his 22 receptions com-
ing against Michigan. Also aid-
ing the aerial cause, receivers
Charlie Byrnes and Glen Scol-
nik return after sporadic and in-
jury-ridden junior campaigns.
UNFORTUNATELY for Pont,
that's where the experience on
attack ends. The Hoosiers w i 11
open with many of the crucial
line positions occupied by sopho-
mores or several of last season's
part-time starters. Only t h e
center slot seems particularly
strong with Chuck Sukurs, who
missed only two games during
the '71 campaign returning.
Elsewhere only tackle D a v e
Spungen and guard Dean Shu-
maker can boast of much play-
ing time, dimming somewhat the
outlook for a potentially spark-
ling running attack.
If time and experience can in-
deed heal the Hoosiers' wounds,
then Pont could have a good sea-
son for confidence in his defen-
sive platoon with the return of
last year's starting eleven.
Anchoring a returning front
four, tackles Joe Pawlitsch and
Carl Barzilauskas, both poten-
tially all-conference performers,
should give Pont few worries.
Similarly, optimistic Pont ranks
his defensive ends Bill Pipp and
Marshall McCullough among the
best in the Big Ten.
Like its offensive counterpart,
the defensive backfield -returns
intact. Three year starter Dan
Lintner, who sports a 9.5 speed,
leads the corps, doubling as the
team's kick-return specialist.
Another three-year man, Mark
Findley, and safety Larry Wright
complete the pass defense corps.
Only the linebacking crew will
see a little experimentation as
Pont attempts to find a replace-
ment for last year's sole defen-
sive loss, outside linebacker
Chuck Tomson. The Hoosiers' two
strongest defensemen, three-year
men Rob Sjicer and Mike Fulk,
hold down the inside jobs. Both,
inr Pont's ever rosy view, are
sure-bet all-conference perform-
ers.
NAILING DOWN one of the
outside positions Danny Gross-
man returns for his final season
of eligibility despite being enroll-
ed in Indiana's medical school
after only three years of under-
graduate study.
Despite all the returning talent,
the Hoosiers will need some hard
work and a lot of luck to im-
prove a squad that gave up 458
yards rushing to the Wolverines
and 263 yards passing to OSU
last fall while being shut out in
three games.
. With the introduction of fresh-
man varsity eligibility for grid-
ders, the Hoosiers may have
come up with just the luck they
need by signing much sought af-
ter Thornridge star Quinn Buck-
ner. Buckner, a scolastic A 11 -
America recruited by numerous
schools including Michigan and
UCLA, concentrated on defense
in high school but led the Chi-
cago South Central League in
scoring as a result of his numer-
ous kick and interception r e -
turns. A definite asset at a
speedy 6-3, 205, he seems a good
bet to see much action this fall
either on defense or, perhaps,
as a much-needed wide receiver.
Considering all this, Pont. as-
serts, "This will be a good foot-
ball team. I dont know how good
the record will be, but I do
know this: We're competitive;
we belong; we can play football
with anybody on our schedule."
But playing and winning are two
different things.
INDIANA FULLBACK Jim Howai
Ten action last season. Howard, ho
take the starting job away from I
760 yards last season as a sopho
Hoosiers for another second-divi
recklessly sees the Hoosiers battlir
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