Page T'h res Thursday, September 8, 1'977 fHE.MICHIGAN.DAILY Thursday, September 8, 1977 ~HE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Threi , ot >U : / I team as p . 0 er ul as 0 er Top-notch runninMg game should carry M to title By SCOTT LEWIS The year 1976 will be remembered with mixed feelings by everyone who followed football at Michigan. The early weeks of the season were nothing but joy, when Michigan dominated both the AP and UPI polls as the undis- puted number one team in the nation. BUT ALL THAT SHATTERED on a dismal Saturday in West Lafayette, Indiana when the Purdue Boilermakers un- obligingly powered past allegedly indestructible Michigan, 16-14. Two weeks later, however, the Wolverines were once again the kings of Ann Arbor, as they devastated the dreaded Ohio State Buckeyes 22-0-in Columbus, Ohio no less. But the OSU victory, that was supposed to make the season a success, was quickly forgotten on January 1, as the USC Trojans sunk Michigan for good, 14-6 in the Rose Bowl. SO THE OVERALL PICTURE of last season depends on how particular you are. A victory over Ohio State would be enough in most years, but last year was different. A number one ranking infers near-perfection as the only goal. And the 'team was far from perfect. Once again the passing ability of quarterback Rick Leach, or the lack of it, has come under fire from critics all around. Head coach Bo Schembechler maintains that a team who de- pends on the forward pass to win its games' will probably not win many of its games anyway. BUT THAT DOES LITTLE to satisfy those who witnessed Southern California whip Michigan in the Rose Bowl. By virtue of a balanced attack which included both running the football, and passing it with enoughssuccess to keep the defense con- stantly guessing, the Trojans were able to hold on to the ball most of the game, and not allow Michigan's vaunted running game get untracked. Which brings up just as big a problem - Michigan's sec- ondary.' Had Michigan been able to hold off USC's passing game, Michigan's inadequacies in its own passing game wouldn't have appeared as obvious. After all, if a passing team can't score against your defense, doesn't that prove that it isn't worthwhile to pass? Against the Big Ten teams that philosophy4worked fine, and Michigan had little problem, as usual, with the bulk of its Big Ten schedule.' BUT THE TROJANS WERE JUST one of the{passing teams that Michigan faced last year. And as the only one that suc- ceeded, gnly they will be remembered as a passing team. The ... ... ...ri'{t:: .".;{J t ,r .'.U.fiyrt".":r?, "{.{ . . . . . . . . . .;{i '~d:>. :^:{ :,.-. : °.... .. ."::.....r ) ; Cover photo by Christina Schneider U r -raa. f v r.;y.a." v v,:an .:n:: m m sir :;;'r;^~ r .,.« all last year, but with Smith passes come their way. gone, they'll undoubtedly see more Daily Photo by KEN FINK AND TO TOP IT ALL OFF, the entire, starting offensive line that gave Michigan an average of ,363 yards rushing per gamelast year, will be returning. Most are-two-year starters and all are seniors. Although they get little publicity for their exploits, they will be responsible for opening up the holes which make the running game go. They are-tackles Mike Kenn and Bill Dufek, guards Mark Donahue and Gerry Szara, and center Walt Down- ing. Don't expect any problems with the running game this fall. ON THE DEFENSIVE SIDE OF the ledger, things don't look as bright for the Wolverines. New defensive coordinator Bill McCartney will have to build back up a defense which. lost seven of its eleven starters from the year before. Allowing the opponent an average of less than eight -points per game last year, the defense was among the leaders in the nation in points scored on, and also yardage against the rush. But- gone are all but two players from the front seven men who did so well against the running game last year. The duo at end, seniors Dominic Tedesco and John Anderson are the only returnees from -that group. BUT THIS YEAR'S STARTERS at the other spots will still have much experience from their second and third-string jobs last year. At the tackles, juniors Curtis Greer and Dale Keitz present- ly have the edge for the starting spots, while junior Steve Graves, who is coming off a great spring, 'has the nod at middle guard. At the linebacker position, Jerry Meter,.a junior, and sopho- more Ron Simpkins will probably start. Simpkins will be the first sophomore in eight years to start in one of the front seven positions. RETURNEES FROM LAST YEAR'S defensive backfield are safety Dwight Hicks and halfback Jim Pickens, both seniors. The two will be sorely needed to come up with big plays . if Michigan is to recover from its secondary woes from last year. The battle for the other two backfield spots will be be- tween sophomores Mike Harden and Mike Jolly at halfback, and at the wolf position will be either senior Derek Howard or junior Bob Patek. The kicking game may also present a problem. Consistent Bob Wood graduated, and untested Gregg Willner and Nick Labun will probably toe it out for the starting spot. Three-year punter Anderson will once again assume that position. SO THE OFFENSE APPEARS as strong as ever, probably so strong though, that Bo will rarely have to resort to his passing game, which may once again hurt in the close games. If there are any, that is. The defense is currently a question-mark. Many improve- merts have to be made over the pass defense, which includes rushing the passer as well as covering the receivers. But in spite of all the problems, circle November 19 on your calendar - Michigan and Ohio State will likely be battling it out for the Big Ten championship that day in Michigan Stadium. Leach pitches to Huckleby fact that Michigan faced an average of 37 passes in its first five games, all of which it won handily, is a forgotten fact. Southern California, however, was the only national power among the passing teams, and if Michigan" is to yerify its status as one of those powers, it mint show that it can defense the pass. All too often, pass receivers would slip in front of Michi- gan's pass defenders, who played to avoid the long pass while sacrificing the short pass. This conservative tactic is the part of coaching staff's philosophy, and don't expect to see anything different this year. ALSO, DON'T EXPECT BO'S OFFENSIVE philosophy con- cerning the running game to change either. Although he hired a new coach, who specializes in passing, Michigan will still em- ploy the same grind-it-out, ball-control style of offense that has made it one of the winningest teams in college football for the last eight years. But in spite of all the pessimism exuded thus far, Michigan will still probably roll over the remainder of the Big-Ten, set- ting up another showdown against Ohio State in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines return nine of their eleven starters on an offense which averaged 38.7 points per game in 1976. Gone will be two good ones, though-all-purpose running back Rob Lytle, and star receiver and punt returner Jim Smith. SPEEDY HARLAN HUCKLEBY WILL replace Lytle at the tailback spot. Huckleby started as a sophomore the first part of last season, until fullbdck Russell Davis, another junior run- ning back won the fullback position, and Lytle subsequently moved to tailback. Huckleby still managed to gain 928 yards' last season, though, second on the team to Lytle's 1405. And along with Davis, the two represent a young, but experienced backfield, with Davis being the strong, bruising fullback, and Huckleby playing the role of a quick, elusive tailback. Leach will again man the quarterback spot. A starter since he's attended the school, two seasons ago, Leach has proven himself a superb executer of the option-style offense which Michigan employs, but his passing potential has yet to come out. HE'S HAD A FEW SOLID passing games, but when the forward pass has been mostly needed (Re: Purdue and USC) he's failed to come through. Smith's understudy at wingback, senior Max Richardson will finally get his chance at the starting spot. Richardson has seen little action in the past, and he'll be hard-pressed to fill the shoes of Smith. Seniors Rick White and Curt Stephenson will battle it out for the split end position, and junior Gene Johnson will start. at tight end. Between the three,,they oply caught eleven passes Basketbal: A team in transition By KATHY HENNEGHAN If only Johnny Orr could combine the strengths of last year's Big Ten championship team and this year's squad, he'd have a pretty solid contender for The nationaltitle. Not that his recent teams have done so badly-Michigan was NCAA runnerup to Indiana two years ago and the pre- season number one pick last year, The Wolverines won the Big Ten and appeared to be headed for Atlanta until they met up with UNC-Charlotte, the Cinderella team Michigan us'ed to be. Fans came out of the woodwork last year. Crisler Arena was sold out. More of the same is expected. But this year's team has its work cut out for it. There is no clear favorite in the Big Ten, and every team but Northwestern strengthened its hand with outstanding re- cruits. Two years ago, graduation claimed only 6-2 forward Way-' man Britt. The "experts" said all that wash lacking was the big center who would allow Phil Hubbard to play in the corner. Co-captain John Robinson held down one forward spot, and the backcourt was all set. In fact, guards Rickey Green, 'co-captain Steve Grote and Dave Baxter may haye been the best three- some in the country. This year the coaches may have recruited the center, but starters Robinson, Grote and Green are gone. 1 SCinderella no longer, risine a Robinson worked close to the basket and became Michigan's all-time best percentage shooter with a mark of .5497. Rob is now trying out with the Lakers. Grote, as Curt Gowdy told you for four years, is the hardnosed guard who could have played wolfnman for Bo Schembechler. He went to the Cavs in the third .round of June's NBA draft. And Green, a consensus All-American, was a scoring ma- chine and the quickest player ever to wear a Michigan uni- form. Rickey went to Golden State in the first i'ound. That's a lot of experience to replace. Michigan plays a crowd-pleasing man-to-man defense, uses the press to advantage and goes with a fast break. Although the Wolverines won't be as quick without Green, the style of play shouldn't change too drastically. Orr will bank on co-captains,Hubbard and Baxter and hope that others step up to fill the gaps. Phil is clearly the Franchise. At this point, no one can say for sure whether he will start at forward or at center. That pretty much depends on newcomer Mike Robinson. The younger brother of John Rob, Mike, stands 6-10 and weighs 265 (down 35 pounds from a year ago). Mikes comes to Michigan after a year at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois where he scored 22 points a game and set a school record for rebounds. Hubbard, at 6-7, 205 pounds, has started at center for two years and is anxious to show his stuff at his natural position. He is exceptionally quick and has a dependable 15 foot jumper -which could be put to better use at forward. The Olympian led last year's team in scoring and rebound- ing while becoming the first player in Michigan basketball his- . tory to score 1000 points before the end of his sophomore year. His teammates voted him both Most Valuable and Most Im- proved Player. If Hubbard has a fault it is his penchant for foul trouble. He has fouled out each and every time he has played Indiana (including the NCAA finals in Philadelphia in 19/6) and was whistled down 109 times last season.'It used to be that if Hub fouled out you could just about kiss the game goodbye. Not only is Hub fouling less these days, but Robinson should prove to be at least a capable backup center. If Orr chooses to keep Hubbard at center, there won't be too many opponents who can give him trouble outside of Minnesota's Michael Thompson and possibly Purdue's Joe Barry Carroll. At forward, Hubbard would be nothing short of sensational. The forwards' output was somewhat unstable last season. The snnt nnnncite Tnhn Rohinsnn gave Michigan fits all year. good outside shooter when he has room. It remains to be seen how he will handle the additional pressure from opposing de- fenses bound to come his way now that Green is gone. The other returning guard is Mark Lozier, who played briefly as Michigan's only freshman last year. He made a lot of fans with a gutty performance against Marquette in the last game of the regular season. Guarding Steve Grote in practice every day, Lozier took a lot of punishment, learned to dish it out and improved quickly. Lozier lacks the quickness of some other contenders, but left AnnArbor last spring vowing to earn a starting spot. Again, there are any number of possibilities for the start- ing lineup. Orr, Bill Frieder and Jim Boyce suplemented the talent at hand with a well-above-average group of recruits. While it is well-known that recent Michigan teams have lacked size, it is also true that they have lacked a pure shooter. There have been great scorers, notably Green, and players who could sink the key shots, such as Grote. What Michigan has not had is a player who could shoot the lights out at Crisler, a pure shooter like Mike Woodson of Indiana or Terry Furlow, formerly of Michigan State. The coaches may have found such ,i player in Mike McGee from Omaha. A 6-5, 195 pound swingman, McGee averaged nearly 40 points, 15 rebounds and five assists a game his senior year while breaking nearly every scoring record in Nebraska. McGee, who models himself after Adrian Dantley, works the baseline and rebounds well in addition -to his soft touch outside. In the Michigan Roundball Classic in Detroit last May McGee made 16 of 30 shots in a 36 point performance and hauled down 19 rebounds. He's a strong contender at forward. Another sharpshooter is 6-4, 200 pound guard Johnny John- son from Buffalo. As a senior Johnson averaged 31.6 points, 15 rebounds and six assists per game while shooting at a 60 per cent clip. Johnson is considered to be a very talented player, but one who must be motivated. Identical twins Mark and Marty Bodnar round out the field at guard. The twins, 6-2, 180 pounds, played on an out- standing Barberton (Ohio) High School team that included Carter Scott, now a freshman at Ohio State. Mark, a southpaw, averaged 16 points a game while shoot- ing 54 per cent from the floor. Marty, a righthander, averaged 15 points and hit 57 per cent on field goals. Mark and Marty finished second and third respectively on the all-time Barber- ton scoring list. The twins are reminiscent of Grote with their hustling style of play. They are probably better shooters than Steve 'but may not be quite as strong defensively. While recruiting the Rndnars. the cnaches sntted Paul Joel Thompsdn underwent knee surgery last spring but 'is fully recovered. A part-time starter last season, Joel is not as aggressive as other contenders. He is capable of adding offen- sive punch, but his :shooting is erratic. Thompson is easily the best leaper on the team -his dunks bring even complacent Crisler Arena fans to their feet. Alan Hardy, a 6-6 junior forward, .hs as much talent as anyone on the team but has yet to pit it all together. Hardy can jump, rebound and block shots extrenly well. He is capable of getting a hot hand but must regain his confidence. Alan showed flashes of brilliance as a freshman but became discouraged last season. He could settle down with playing time. As a backup center for the past two seasons, 6-9 sepior Tom Bergen lacks Hubbard's stamina and defensive ski but has a good shooting touch. Bobby Jones, a 6-6 forward from Gulfport, Mississippi, was highly recruited out of high school but has not lived up to his billing at Michigan. At the time of publication it was not known if Bobby would return to Ann Arbor in the fall. As a junior, his future at Michigan appears limited. Senior Len Lillard, 6-7, has inever played much but is valu- able in practice sessions on scout teams. Len improved sig- nificantly last year, but is not quite equal to Big Ten play. " ', ,; 4 " . : ..... Y pi-:t-'S Y +''4 :}A.4 +9 .{r. ':irfi. i+..