Thursday, September 9, 1976
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Three
Thursday, September 9, 1976 THE MICHIGAN DAILY
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By ANDY GLAZER
The date is November 22, 1975. Late in the
fourth quarter, Michigan is leading its annual
clash with Ohio State 14-7 on the strength of a
one-yard touchdown plunge by quarterback Rick
Leach only moments before. Michigan has held
Ohio State without a first down for over thirty
minutes as the Buckeyes take possession on their
own 20.
Cornelius Greene, the mercurial senior quarter-
back of the Buckeyes, drops back to pass. His re-
ceivers are covered. He retreats.
Tim Davis, Michigan's incredibly quick middle
guard, closes in. For the second straight year,
Davis has been a one-man wrecking crew against
the Buckeyes.
Back goes Greene. He twists left, right. No-
where to go. Back, back, into his own end-
zone. Davis' catlike reactions put him inches
away from his man and the safety that will
clinch the game, The Rose Bowl trip, and re-
open the door to national championship hopes
that seemed dashed after two early-season
ties.
But Greene matches quickness against quick-
ness, and wins. He eludes Davis, and manages to
launch a pass that fall incomplete, nearly inter-
cepted.:
The knockout punch eluded, Ohio State passes
for the first down, marches downfield and scores.
The Wolverines, needing a win to get to the Rose
Bowl, left fly with a pass that is intercepted and
run back to the Michigan three. Ohio State scores,
Wins.
Football schedule
Sept. 1 WISCONSIN
Sept. 18 STANFORD
Sept. 25 NAVY
Oct. 2 WAKE FOREST
Oct. 9 MICHIGAN ST.
Oct. 16 at Northwestern
Oct. 23 at Indiana
Oct. 30 MINNESOTA
Nov. 6at Purdue
Nov. 13 ILLINOIS
Nov. 20 at Ohio State
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Instead of mild-mannered UCLA, Michigan
will face Oklahoma's superment. A monstrous
defensive line will crush the life out of Michi-
gan's attack. The Sooners will win a 14-6
game that was not close. Woody Hayes sent
Michigan to the Orange Bowl. Woody has won
... .again.
It was a trying finish to an up and down year.
The season began at Wisconsin, where the Bad-
gers were supposed to have their best team in
years. The Wolverines won that one 23-6, but had
no way of knowing that the 23 points would be
more than they would score in six of their re-
maining games.
The knowledge that this Michigan team was not
one of Coach Bo Schembechler's real powerhouses
started to become evident in the next game,
when unheralded Stanford came into Michigan
Stadium and tied the Wolverines at 19-19. Mike
Langford hit on 24 of 44 passes for 285 yards. It
was not the last time that a passing quarterback
would hurt Michigan.
One tie could be explained away as a bad
day, but when Baylor visited Ann Arbor and
came away with a 14-14 tie (missing a 30 yard
field goal as time ran out), boos reverberated
around the stadium for the first time in a
long, long while.
But the young Wolverines regrouped admirably.
The next week they demolished 5th ranked Mis-
souri (conquerors of Alabama) 31-7. They followed
that with a 16-6 win over Michigan State at East
Lansing, a town that even Ohio State has found
is difficult to win in.
It was then into high gear against the Big
Ten's weaker sisters until the Ohio State game.
The Blue rolled up 620 yards rushing in hu-
miliating Northwestern 69-0. Indiana managed
a touchdown but still fell 49 points shorts of
victory.
Minnesota's Golden Gophers brought Michigan
back down to earth, or Minneapolis, as the case
was here, passing their way into a fourth-quarter
21-21 tie before GordonaBell ran 23 yards for a
score to put the game away.,
Back at home, Michigan met Purdue, and the
Boilermakers were anxious to avenge the 51-0 de-
feat they had suffered at Michigan's hands a year
earlier. Purdue held Michigan to 28 this time, but
still could not score any points of its own.
In the Annual Pre-Ohio State Letdown Game,
the Blue edged Illinois 21-15. The Illini scored
all their points in the fourth quarter-by pass-
ing.
The two season ending debacles followed. It is
the job of this year's Michigan football team to
try to come out from under the spell of Woody
Hayes. And until one of the magnificent teams
that Schembechler keeps turning out can do just
U the
way
that, there will be an unfulfilled feeling in Ann
Arbor.
Whether or not this year's team is the one
that will beat Woody depends to a great extent
on how well Schembechler, who has spent the
summer battling heart disease (and appears
to be recovering well), can replace the nine
starters that have graduated.
Fielding a potent offense will not be all that
difficult. Michigan loses but three starters here-
tailback Gordie Bell, split end Keith Johnson, and
center Jim Czirr.
To make things even easier, their replacements
are both obvious and talented. While Bell was a
year-long hero and rushed for 1335 yards, probable
replacement Harlan Huckleby (6-1, 195), a 9.5
sprinter, was a real crowd pleaser and is prob-
ably every bit the back Bell was, save for a ten-
dency to fumble that can be expected to fade with
experience.
Johnson was a fine split end, but Ricky White
(6-5, 205) had the job won last year when he was
injured early in the season, and should move right
back in.
Czirr will be replaced by starting guard Walt
Downing (6-4, 232), while Downing's spot will
be manned by co-captain and inteflex student
Kirk Lewis (6-3, 235). Lewis started there two
years ago but missed all of last season with a
broken arm.
The returness on the line are tackles Bill Dufek
(6-4, 250) and Mike Kenn (6-6, 230), left guard
Mark Donahue (6-3, 237), and alternating tight
ends Mark Schmerge (6-3, 235) and Gene John-
son (6-4, 220). Thus, with the return of Lewis, the
Wolverines will be offering what amounts to six
out of six returning starting linemen from a unit
that was above average a year ago. And since the
offensive line requires more experience to play
well than perhaps any other area, look for this
unit to be a strongpoint for 1976.
Leach returns at quarterback, and he performed
very creditably for a freshman. He still must
prove he can pass consistently well, but as a take-
charge, tough guy type he has few peers, and in
the run-oriented Michigan offense, that may well
be enough. It wasn't last year against Ohio State
and Oklahoma.
At fullback, undersized 1000-yard rusher and
track sprinter Rob Lytle (6-1, 195) returns with
his 5.5 yards/rush average. Lytle, a senior,
may see some time at his old position, tal-
back, to give Russell Davis (6-2, 215) some
time. Davis, a 9.8 sprinter and track high-
jumper, may also see some time at tailback.
The wingback position sports Michigan's top
All-America candidate on, the offensive side, senior
Jim Smith (6-3, 198). Smith is the Wolverines' best
receiver and a marvelous breakaway threat on
the wingback reverse. All-American backs are
Daily Photo by KEN FINK
Leach celebrates Lytle's score
classically triple threats, and Smith fits the bill,
adding superb kick-returning abilities to the above-
mentioned skills.
The offense, then, will be potent. But the strength
of Michigan football has been defense, and it is
here the Wolverine coaches have their jobs cut
out for them. Six starters must be replaced.
On the defnsive line, ends Dan Jilek and Mike
Holmes leave, as do left tackle Jeff Perlinger and
middle guard Davis. Jilek, Perlinger and Davis
received varying Big Ten honors last season and
will be sorely missed.
But punter John Anderson (6-3, 208) a n d
sophomore Tom Seabron (6-3, 205) played a
lot of end last year, and played well. The light
weights are reasonable; Michigan's defense, in
name a 5-2, is more often than not a 3-4, with
the ends playing much like linebackers.
Senior John Hennessy (6-4, 235), another experi-
enced man, will take over for Perlinger, and re-
turning senior Greg Morton (6-2, 225) will take the
leadership role of most experienced lineman.
Middle guard is still wide open. With Davis gone,
Steve Anderson, Steve Graves and Gerard Meter
will all have a shot.
Senior Calvin O'Neal (6-2, 230), an all-Big Ten
performer, will try to again lead the entire
defense in tackles. His partner, replacing
Dave Devich, will probably be Jerry Vogele
(6-3, 235), who saw much action last season.
O'Neal and Morton have All-America potential.
The secondary was last year's top trouble spot.
One can be optimistic and say that three starters
return, or pessimistic and say that returning start-
ers that didn't do the job are no godsend.
In any case, All-American wolfman Don Dufek
is gone, with Jerry Zuver (6-2, 195) stepping in.
The trio maligned above are Dwight Hicks (6-2,
180), Jim Bolden (6-1, 177) and second-team All-Big
Ten Jim Pickens (6-2, 188), who all may well be
better than indicated. But they have to prove it.
Michigan's kickers will again be Anderson
and placekicker Bob Wood. Anderson kicks 40
yards a mile high, and Wood proved very
steady from inside 40 yards. But if the Blue
need a 50 yard field goal, they are going to be
in trouble.
Michigan football is one of the University's
great assets. There are few more enjoyable ways
to spend a Saturday afternoon. There will be end-
less touchdowns and numerous victories.
And there will be one Ohio State. The senior
class that just graduated oft outplayed but never
beat Woody's bunch-0-3-1 to be exact. All the luck
in the world is wished to this incoming class, and
with the improved offense, they may well start off
on a happier note.
But remember. It only takes one play.
NNW"
Exercise Your Student Priority
...More Than 30,000 Did Last Year
Purchase Season Tickets in Football, Basketball and Hockey
7 Football Games for $21
Sept. 11-WISCONSIN
Sept. 18-STANFORD
Sept. 25-NAVY
Oct. 2-WAKE FOREST (Band Day)
Oct. 9-MICHIGAN STATE
Oct. 30-MINNESOTA (Homecoming)
Nov. 13-ILLINOIS
14 Basketball Games for $14
16 Hockey Games for $20
Nov. 27-WESTERN
KENTUCKY
Dec. 4-FORDHAM
Dec. 11-WESTERN
MICH IGAN
Dec. 18-KENT STATE
Dec. 21-CENTRAL
MICHIGAN
Jan. 2-INDIANA
Jan. 6-NORTHWESTERN
Jan. 8-WISCONSIN
Jan. 20-PURDUE
Jan. 22-ILLINOIS
Feb. 5-OHIO STATE
Feb. 17-IOWA
Feb. 19-MINNESOTA
Feb. 26-MICHIGAN STATE
Nov. 5-MINNESOTA
b ov. 6-MINNESOTA
Nov. 12-NOTRE DAME
Nov. 13-NOTRE DAME
Dec. 3-MINNESOTA-
DULUTH
Dec. 4-MINNESOTA-
DULUTH
Dec. 11-MICHIGAN STATE
Jan. 7-COLORADO
COLLEGE
Jan. 8-COLORADO
COLLEGE
Jan. 14-MICHIGAN
Jan. 15-MICHIGAN
Feb. 4-WISCONSIN
Feb. 5-WISCONSIN
Feb. 11-DENVER
Feb. 12-DENVER
TECH
TECH
Mar. 4-MICHIGAN STATE
Realize a Saving of $47 with Season Tickets
"Michigan Fans Are No. 1'"
"M chiga r f a n s shattered all
NCAAL attendance records in
footbait last season and student
support was very important in
this accomplishment. We hope
you will join us again this year,
not o n 1 y in football, but in
basketball and h o c k e y, too.
Michigan t e a m s, under the
guidance of Bo Schembechler in
football, Johnny Orr in basket-
ball and Dan Farrell in hockey,
will be among the finest in the
nation. We think you'll enjoy
watching them p i a y and we
appreciate your support."
DON CANHAM
Athletic Director
Student Football Ticket Facts
A complete listing of football ticket distribution appears elsewhere in this special sports section of The Daily. The distribution
dates are Sept. 7-8-9-10 accordinq to the number of years you have attended Michigan. As a student, you qualify for special rates
for season tickets. Michigon's game against Michiqan State was sold out at the earliest date ever, but enough tickets were held to
accommodate season ticket buyers. You must, however, take advantage of your season ticket option to see this Oct. 9 qame as no
individual tickets will be sold.
HERE ARE SOME POINTS TO REMEMBER:
0 Sfidrsntc will he ehoroed for their football tickets through
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