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September 08, 1972 - Image 13

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
Michigan Daily, 1972-09-08

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

1971 grid act hard to follow

i

'71 Results
MICHIGAN 21, Northwestern 6
MICHIGAN 56, Virginia 0
MICHIGAN 38, UCLA 0
MICHIGAN 46, Navy 0
MICHIGAN 24, Michigan State 13
MICHIGAN 35, Illinois 6
MICHIGAN 35, Minnesota 7
MICHIGAN 61, Indiana 7
MICHIGAN 63, Iowa 7
MICHIGAN 20, Purdue 17
MICHIGAN 10, Ohio State 7
Stanford 13, MICHIGAN 12

'72 Schedule
Sept. 16-Northwestern
Sept. 23-at UCLA
Sept. 30-Tulane
Oct. 7-Navy
Oct. 14-Michigan State
Oct. 21-at Illinois
Oct. 28-Minnesota
Nov. 4-at Indiana
Nov. 11-at Iowa
Nov. 18-Purdue
Nov. 25-at Ohio State

Rather skirts end

Banks finds room

Grid

title

hinges

on

secondary

build-up

-a'4t

Ireepect4

Same old show . .
... good luck Bo
john papanek. .n
So FAR IT'S just another rerun of the same old show. The
end of another long, dull summer. The start of another long,
dull semetser. Suntanned bodies .choking the streets and strewn
about the lawns, seizing the last days of summer before the
snows come.
But just a couple of blocks down State Street, there's. a
group playing around on grass that's not even real, and what's
more they're driven by an angry man who means business.
It's no fun for those fellows who labor under massa Bo Schem-
bechler's whip every afternoon in the heat and blazing sun.
It's the start of another 11-game challenge for Schem-
bechler, his fourth since coming to Michigan, where he has
compiled a 28-5 record, a winning percentage which ranks him
fifth among all active collegiate coaches.
But win as he will, Schembechler has yet to put to-
gether that elusive super season. Last year should have
been the one, but Stanford's upset 13-12 victory in the Rose
Bowl put the damper on Bo's success. In 1970, it was the
2049 defeat by Ohio State to mar the perfect season. And
of course, there was his infamous heart attack on the eve
of the 1970 Rose Bowl, and the Wolverines' subsequent 10-7
loss to Southern Cal.
While last season's team had its zealots claiming it to be
Michigan's all-time greatest, the fact is (proven in Pasadena)
that the Wolverines were not a complete team. And Stanford's
coach John Ralston had a sneaking suspicion that stopping
Michigan's running game would stop Michigan. Bo was caught
with his pants down. He didn't have a quarterback who could
throw the ball.
Now Schembechler is pretty well known as a very good
college coach, but not a great coach, and for a man who has
won two Big Ten championships in three years, that may seem
a bit odd. But the fact is, like Tom Landry of the NFL Dallas
Cowboys, Bo has consistently not won "The Big Game." So
naturally the man must be beginning to wonder what's going on.
So this year, Bo is working harder than ever, with a team
that may not be quite as strong as his past ones. Coming
back with a squad that lost 10 men to the NFL draft (more
tha any other college); Michigan still should have the
strength to win. But if it doesn't, it won't be because of a
static offense. Without really saying it, Schembechler has
swallowed his pride and admitted that he boo-booed last
season by neglecting the passing game.
Still, he's being as coy as he can about it, and even though
we can expect to see a revival in the forward pass this season,
Bo wants us to think that it's just a coincidence.
"We were number one in offense in the Big Ten last year,
and we'll do anything we can to be number one again this
year," Schembechler snorted last week. "Even if it takes
grinding meat, that's what we'll do." '
Bo took a lot of heat from reporters last year even before
his Rose Bowl defeat because he refused to use the passing
game. And after it was all over he stood in the interview room
in the Rose Bowl and said that if he could start all over again
he would not change anything. That's understandable, since he
had men to run the ball like Billy Taylor, Glenn Doughty, Ed
Shuttlesworth and Alan "Cowboy" Walker.
But Taylor is now with the St. Louis Cardinals, Doughty
is with Baltimore, Shuttlesworth is still a'round with an "All-
America Candidate" sticker on him, and Walker has split after
his junior year, a victim of the football players' plague-
academic ineligibility.
So, although Schembechler will not admit that he's working
extra hard on passing this year, his top three quarterbacks are
passers, while last year's signal caller, junior Tom Slade finds
himself as the fourth-string tailback.
About to emerge as number one is sophomore Dennis
Franklin, who can throw and has proved it, but who also
can sprint out and run as well as a couple of other speedy
backs, Harry Banks and 5-9 sophomore Gil Chapman.
If Franklin is not quite ready to take command, the job
will go to Kevin Casey, a junior who started the first four
games for the Wolverines last year, but had problems result-
ing from a sore shoulder. Casey is healthy this year and is
giving Franklin a good battle.
But on other fronts, things are not looking too good. Wolf
back Geoff Steger and soph fullback Rich Kaminski are gone
for the season with injuries. Larry Gustafson has a dislocated
elbow, and Don Eaton and Larry Johnson are recovering from
injuries. Meanwhile. the oressure is buildin on Schembechler

By GEORGE HASTINGS
Coach Bo Schembechler of the
Michigan football team is not
going to be picky this year about
how he wins his football games.
As long as he wins he's not going
to behbothered by criticism that
he should have done more of
this or less of that.
Following last New Year's
Day's shocking 13-12 loss to
Stanford in the Rose Bowl,
Schembechler underwent a lot of
flack over his failure to pass, and
it has been widely speculated
that the Wolverines might be
airing the pigskin a lot more this
year.
But according to Bo, it ain't
necesarily so. Schembechler ful-
ly intends to keep his team on
top, and he'll do whatever it
takes to achieve that end, in-
cluding throwing the football, if
necessary.
But his philosophy is simple.
"I had the best offense in the
Big Ten last year," he says,
"and I want to have it again."
If he can do it by keeping the
ball on the ground, "grinding
meat," as he puts it, fine. But
if he has to go to the air to
keepthe offense going,he plans
to be ready to do that v er y
well, too.
Actually, Schembechler realiz-
es that he won't always be able
to count on his running backs
to bear the full brunt of the at-
tack. "We have to get more yard-
age out of our receivers and
quarterbacks this year," he ad-
mits. But so far, he hasn't yet
determined exactly who his re-
ceivers and quarterbacks w i I 1
be.
SCHEMBECHLER h a s s i x
quarterbacks on his roster, but
as of now, he apparently h a s
narowed the fight down ,to a
choice between two for the start i
ing berth next Saturday: Kevin
Casey and Dennis Franklin.
Casey, a junior who started
briefly last season, and Frank-
lin, an ambitious sophomore,
both are quarterbacks whoshow
a balance between running and
passing, something which Schem-
bechler is demanding this year.
The other two men who shared
the quarterback slot last year
with Casey, Tom Slade and Lar-
ry Cipa, were left behind because
each was deficient in one area;

(7. 11. Mr . t atl
SPORTS
NIGHT EDITOR: RANDY PHILLIPS

Slade in throwing and Cipa in
rushing. Both, however, remain
waiting in the wings should the
top two falter.
Casey's year of 'experience
could be the difference, at least
at the start of the season. Frank-
lin still at times makes "sopho-
more mistakes" in practice, al-
though he is progressing rapidly.
Both performed quite well in a
recent intrasquad scrimmage and
the choice will be a difficult one
for Schembechler.
There is also quite a bit of
competition at the receiver posts.
As split end, Bo Rather, 1 as t
year's starter, is being challeng-
ed by two other seniors, Gary
Coakley and John Daniels.
GLENN DOUGHTY'S old spot
at wingback is also hotly con-
tested, with little 5-9 sophomore
speedster Gil Chapman, junior
Clint Haslerig, and junior Lar-
ry Gustafson all in contention,
although a recent elbow injury
may knock Gustafson out of the
competition.
The only sure spot amiong the
receivers appears to be at tight
end, where 6-6 junior Paul Seal
gives the Wolverines w h a t
Schembechler calls "the b e s t
receiving at tight end since Jim
Mandich." Seal is also rated as
extremely quick and a s h a r p
blocker.
One area Schembechler is con-
fident about is the offensive in-
terior line, where there is both
experience and depth. 1971 regu-
lars Jim Coode at tackle and
Tom Coyle at guardnreturn, and
last year's tight end Paul Sey-
mour moves to the other tackle
where his great blocking ability
will be of more value.
The Wolverines feel fortunate
to have two 'solid players vy-
ing for the other guard s p o t,
vacated by graduated All-Amer-
ican Reggie MacKenzie, in the

persons of junior letterman Mike
Hoban and converted tackle Cur-
tis Tucker. Big Bill Hart, a senior
two letter-man, will take over
the center duties.
At the running backs, Schem-
bechler has quality. However,
an injury which has ruled out
sophomore fullback Rick Kamin-
ski for the season and the re-
cent decision of tailback A 1 a n
"Cowboy" Walker to leave school
puts his depth in question.
Ed Shuttlesworth, who bulled
for 875 yards last year, is of
All-America quality at fullback,
and is ably backed up by fellow
junior Bob Thornbladh.
However, the loss of Walker,
Michigan's fourth leading rusher
last year, leaves fleet j u n i o r
Harry Banks as the onlyuknown
quantity at tailback. Behind him
are only inexperienced sopho-
more Chuck Heater and convert-
ed quarterback Slade.
DEFENSIVELY, the Wolver-
ines appear to be very s t r o n g
again, especially against t h e
run, but only time will tell if
they can duplicate last year's
effort, when they were number
one nationally against the score
and against the run, and second
in total defense.°
Schembechler has a large hole
to patch in the defensive se-
condary, where three gradua-
tions and a tough injury leave
the Blue without a single m a n
returning at his old spot.
Randy Logan, the senior who
started last year at one of the
cornerback spots, was scheduled
to return to that post, but that
plan was ended when Geoff
Steger, who was slated to take
over as wolf this year, w a s
knocked out for the season by
an arm injury that isn't heal-
ing.
Logan will now take the wolf

position, where his large s i z e
for a defensive back, 6-2, 192,
makes him ideal. But that move
means that both corners as well
as safety have to be filled by
newcomers.
To man the cornerback spots,
Schembechler is lucky enough to
have two juniors with at 1 e a s t
some experience, Dave Elliot
and Tom Drake.
B'it at the important safety
position Schembechler is being
forced to count on a sophomore,
Dave Brown. In practice, Brown
seems to be coming along well,
but as Schembechler admits,
taking over a job handled last
year by All-American Tom Dar-
den is "quite a chore for a
young kid."
COMPLICATING the situation
is the fact that behind his start-
ers, the Michigan coach has lit-
tle or no depth. Another injury
in the defensive secondary would
be a crippling blow that Wol-
verine coaches prefer not to
think about.
The two linebacking posts could
prove to be a strong point, with
one starter, Toni Kee, returning,
and several well-qualified play-
ers vying for the other spot.
Kee, who was second ont he
team in tackles lastyear, prom-
ises to blossom into one of the
premier linebackers in the Big
Ten in his senior year.
The only man to make more
tackles than Kee last year was
the other linebacker All-American
Mike Taylor, and of course his
absence will be felt. But Schem-
bechler is cdnfident that among
sophomores Steve Strinko a n d
Carl Russ and junior Craig
Mutch one player will emerge to
fill the job more than adequate-
ly.
The real strength of the Mich-
igan defense, though, lies in its
forward wall. Seniors Don Eat-
on and Clint Spearman were not
regulars last year at the ends,
but both are seniors who have
played enough to win two let-
ters and should keep the Blue
flanks quite strong.
THE INTERIOR line has re-
turning regulars Greg Ellis at
middle guard and Fred Gram-

bau at one tackle, both seniors,
and junior Dave Gallagher, who
saw a good deal of action last
year, at the other tackle. Two
letter-men Tony Smith at tackle
and Walt Sexton at middle guard
serve to keep the regulars on
their toes in practice, and pro-
vide insurance that injuries will
not damage the defensive line
too seriously.
The kicking game should not
pose any problems for the Wol-
verines, either. Barry Dotzauer,
who averaged 40 yards a kick
last year, will again handle the
punting chores. The placekicking
situation is less decided, w i t h
leftfooted Mike Lantry offering
distance but is inconsistent, while
John Daniels is more accurate
but lacks range.
Overall, the outlook is good
for another strong Michigan

showing. The Wolverines have
their greatest strength and depth
at good spots - both interior
lines.
However, they still need some-
one to take charge at the two
all-important positions of quar-
terback and middle linebacker,
and they possibly may be relying
on sophomores at both spots.
Also, the Blue will have prec-
ious little depth at tailback and
the defensive backfield. As
Schembechler frankly puts it,
"We can't afford any more in-
juries."
But if Schembechler can find
the right man at his open spots
and keep his players out of the
hospital, the Wolverines c o u 1 d
quite possible be the first Big
Ten team to play for the Roses
two times in a row since Minne-
sota went in both 1961 and '62.

Ticket information
Students purchasing football tickets this year will be charged
$14.00 through the Students Accounts Office.
Each student will be given a football coupon during registra-
tion. The coupon may be exchanged for a season ticket on the
exchange dates listed below.
The $14.00 charge will become due September 30, and should
be included with your first payment on your student account.
The seating preference for students are determined by the
NUMBER OF YEARS IN ATTENDANCE AT THE UNIVER-
SITY. Your proper priority group will be indicated by your I.D.
Card as follows:
* Group No. 4 - I.D. shows imprints 3,4,J,K,Q,U, and Z or
the number 9 or less to the right of your name.
* Group No. 3 - I.D. shows imprints 3,4,Q,U,Z or number 0
to the right of your name.
" Group No. 2 - I.D. shows imprints 3,U,Z, or 1 to the right
of your name.
" Group No. 1 - I.D. shows a Z imprint or the number 2
to the right of your name.
If the I.D. does not indicate proper priority please bring
transcript at time of correct distribution day.
" Group No. 4 tickets begin at the fifty yard line.
" Group No. 3 begins at the end of No. 4.
" Group No. 2 begins at the end of No. 3, etc.
Exchange or distribution will be at the Yost Field House as
follows from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Entrance will be through the
East (South State Street) doors only.
* Group No. 4 - Today, Friday, September 8
" Group No. 3 - Monday, September 11
" Group No. 2 -, Tuesday, September 12
" Group No. 1 - Wednesday, September 13
The following rules will be strictly adhered to:
" 1. Students in all four priorities should pick up their tic-
kets on the day of their priority group distribution; if not, they
will be issued tickets in the area being distributed on the day of
pickup. After September 13, tickets will be distributed at the
Football Ticket Office, corner of Hoover and South State St.,
thru noon of September 16. No student tickets will be handed out
after this date. Hours will be 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
* 2. A student may present his Football coupon with I.D.
and three other Football coupons with I.D.'s to receive tickets at
the regular distribution windows. No more than four tickets
may be picked up at regular distribution windows.
" 3. Grouping of more than four will be permitted. A stu-
dent may bring as many Football coupons with I.D.'s as he
wishes. He should take them to a special group window and
the seats will be assigned in the estimated middle of their
Priority Area. Priority No. 4 will be issued in Sections.25 and 26.
The priority assigned to a group will be determined by the
lowest priority of the group. All students should pick up their
regular day of priority distribution to obtain proper seating. The
A+U-+:, ,11--+hn oennehl £n lnt m innC

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