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. 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