age Two,,
THE MICHIGAN DAILY,
Sunday, December 7, 1915
age Two> THE MICHIGAN DAILY< Sunday, December 7, 1 91~
Bo
Sch embechier
lets.
hair
down
EDITORS' NOTE: Sports editors Bri-
an Deming and Leba Hertz interview-
ed Michigan Coach Bo Schembechler.
November 25 in his office. The follow-
ing is the transcribed and edited ac-
count of the interview.
Q. Despite losing to Ohio State, you
must be grateful that your team has
the opportunity to play in the Orange
Bowl.
Actually, nothing will soften the hurt
F losing a game of that nature because
te played well enough to win and should
ave won. We didn't. But I think .it took a
auch shorter period of time to brood over
lie loss because we have so much work to
o in order to prepare for the, Orange
lowl to meet Oklahoma.,
From that standpoint, I think it's good
at we have a bowl. I think it's also good
ince we had some great teams here in
ae past that have been denied an oppor-
Lnity to play in bowl games. ,
Finally the first Big Ten team that has.
n opportunity to go to another bowl is
Iichigan. To- me that's the way it should
ave been.
Q. Is this the first time two Big Ten
teams are going to a bowl game in the
same year?
L I think it is. Of course, I don't know
hat happened way back then. But at
east in modern times, and since I've been
oaching this is the first time, that I can
ecall, that two Big Ten teams are playing'
a a Bowl game.
Q. Have you had a chance to look at
Oklahoma?
. No, I haven't. I have talked to Coach
witzer of Oklahoma. We've decided to
xchange all our films. I have not seen
4em play this year, but I have had an
opportunity in the past years to see them
play.
They're a tremendous football team and
Barry (Switzer) himself has indicated
that he does have great talent on this
team. So it could be, and I wouldn't doubt
it in a minute, that we're playing he
strongest team in the country.
Q. You weren't terribly surprised then
that Oklahoma beat Nebraska.
A. Not at all. Of course the game was
played in Norman. I think Nebraska has a
great football team-I really do. But I
think the mistakes made by Nebraska
surely did them in. They gave Oklahoma
field position on the short side of the fifty
on several occasions.
But I'm not surprised. Oklahoma has
tremendous talent, and of course, they
were the pre-season favorites to win the
national championship on the basis of hav-
ing most of their national championship
team beck from 1974.
Q Oklahoma has a wishbone attack.
Has Michigan ever seen the wishbone?
A. We played against the wishbone with
UCLA. I believe that was in 1972. We play-
ed a wishbone against Michigan State I
believe that Texas A&M played us with
a wishbone. But you can't look at those
teams in terms of having the defensive
strategy with the likes of an Oklahoma.
This is the most refined and perhaps ex-
plosive wishbone offense in the country.
Having run it for several years, they
know all the ramifications of it and cer-
tainly know how to adjust to the various
types of defenses. Basically it is a one
formation offense. You can only defense
the formation in so many different ways,
and I think they have seen them all.
Oklahoma knows how to adjust to them,
knows how to read them and we've got an
awful lot of research to do in that area.
We have to come up with what we think
we can do best for our type of defense to
adjust to the wishbone attack.
Q. Is the wishbone basically a running
attack?
A. It's almost exclusively running, al-
though Oklahoma has a great receiver in
Tinker Owens and they have on occasion,
particularly last year, won some games
with the long passes. Although they threw
only three times against Nebraska, you
can't come out and say they won't hti you
with the pass, because I'm sure if you put
everyone up there to stop their running
that's what they'll do.
Q. What are the advantages of a wish-
bone formation?
A. First of all, it is primarily an option at-
tack. The fullback being the key, starting
out with the fullback diving into the guard
tackle seam. Then you have a trailback
and a quarterback. The fullback, trailback
or the quarterback can run the ball. De-
pending how the quarterback reads it and
the reaction of the defense they can do
any one of perhaps three things.
Now the other thing that they have is
mat perhaps one of your defensive people
who is assigned to one of those three men
could be blocked by the lead back. Now if
he gets blocked, you're in trouble again.
So the wishbone can give you a lead back
principle that the dead T' can give you,-
but you have much more option attack
with the wishbone. I
Therefore, to me, there is no compari.
son with the strength of the two forma-
tions. The regular 'T' is sort of limited to
quarterback fullback setup whereas now
in the wishbone you have four backs who
are now in position to both run and block.;
Q. What do you know about Okla-
homa's defense?
A. They tell me they have three super
players-the Selmon brothers and one
other defensive end that are just abso-
lutely outstanding. Defensively they're a
big team with great, great speed. As I
understand it, nobody in their secondary
runs over ten seconds in the hundred.
You're talking about a great defensive
football team. The combination of a ball
control offense and great defense is very-
difficult to beat.
Q. What kinds of things do you do dif-
ferently to prepare for a bowl game
than in the regular season?
A. First of all, the biggest problem you
face at Michigan in going to a bowl is
weather. The chances of getting a lot of
good good practice time is not very good.
The second problem that we face-that
Oklahoma will not have-is that we go into
final examinations just before we depart
for Miami. So you are limited in terms of
what you can get done practice-wise be-
fore you leave.
We'll have to do more work in Miami
than Oklahoma will./ Oklahoma will prob-
ably have ten or twelve practice sessions
more than we will outside before they
leave for the Bowl.
Q. Are there any limitations on the
amount of players you can take?
A. As a matter of fact, in talking to Coach
Switzer, they'll take more than a hundred
players to Miami. The purpose for that is
in their practice organization-their dem-
onstration teams and things like that.
We'll be there for several days longer and
probably have somewhere around 80-85
players on our squad.
Q. You ended the season with eight
win, two ties and one, loss. Looking
back, would you have done anything
differently against Stanford and Bay-
lor?
A. No, because of circumstances, it's dif-
ficult for me to look back on those games
and find out what we would have done
differently. I think we were just a tre-
mendously young offensive team. We had
a lot of growing up to do. I think as the
season went along we got a little better
and we got some experience that we need-
ed.
But basically, there's not much that you
can say. Sure, every game that you tie or
lose, you figure there's a way you should
have won it, especially if they are close
games.
Q. Was that game against Ohio State
about the most frustrating loss you've
had here?
A. I think it is, because we had done so
well. We dominated them so well defen-
sively and offensively. Although we had
too many bad plays, offensively, we did
play well enough, I thought, to score and
to win the game. We had good field posi-
tion, and with them back in there, I just
did not think they could move like they
did.
They hit two or three passes that really
hurt us. But there were some things that
we should have done differently. But all
in all we had a great chance to win that
game-and should have won it. But, un-
fortunately, that's the way it goes.
Q. What position would you put Michi-
gan among the other teams?
A. I think we can play anyone. I don't
think there is any question about that. It's
a matter that on any given Saturday,
we're going to win quite a few, and like
what happened against Ohio State, we're
going to be outscored. But I think we can
play anyone.
Q. How is this Michigan team differ-
ent than the other teams you've coach-
ed? How would you characterize
them?
A. First of all, because of the youth of it,
we have a much more heterogeneous
group class-wise. We've got freshmen,
sophomores, juniors and seniors. Most of
our teams in the past have been junior-
senior dominated. This team is a little bit
younger.
It's a fantastic group of seniors. Just a
tremendous group. It's just been a good
group. We've really enjoyed this season.
I can tell you this honestly. They are real-
ly looking forward to playing again. At
the end of a season you always feel wrung
out and a little bit down because you put
so much effort into the season and all of a
sudden it's over. It takes a little while to
bounce back. But I think we're bouncing
back real quickly and looking forward to
the game against Oklahoma.
Q. After losing a game to Ohio State
and the nature of the loss, do you think
you will have any trouble motivating
your team for another game?
A. On the basis of what I know of this
team, I think we will be highly motivated
in the Orange Bowl. No matter how the
score turned out, I think we feel that we
did not lose any confidence at all in ou
ability to win the big game. You know, it
would have been very easy for us to come
out of the game 14-14. That would not
have been hard to do. But to do that we
probably wouldn't have, felt any worse
than we do now, losing 21-14, because then
we would have second guessed ourselves
and wondered maybe we should have
gambbled and threw caution to the wind
--which is exactly what we did.
Q. Do you think the Orange Bowl is
the best bowl team-wise this year?
A. I think match-wise, team-wise, it is.
Oklahoma is convincing. You have to un-
lerstand that Oklahoma beat Nebraska in
a much more convincing fashion than, for
example, Ohio State was able to beat us.
I think if you look at the match-up-the
first Big Ten team to be playing one of
these great post-season classics against a
team like Oklahoma-this is the most at-
tractive one.
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Table of Contents
Interview with So Schembechier........
Biq Ten season in review ............................
Scouting report on Oklahoma .........................
Interview with Tom Slade ....... .... . ..........
Michigan's defense ......................... ......
Michigan's offense ................................
Michiqan'Bowl history..........................
Photo page....................................
Orange Bowl history..............................
Other Bowl games...............................
Planned festivities...............................
Daily Libel season in review ........................
PHOTO STAFF-Scott Eccker, Ken
Be careful with fire:
There are babes
inthe woods.
Fink, Pauline Lubens
Try
Daily
Cl assifieds
page 2
Pagel2
page 3
page 3
pape 4
poe 4
page 5
page 6
page 7
page 7
page 7
pa0e $
Orange Bowl Advance .............................page 9
Michigan season in review ........................... page 9
SUPPLEMENT EDITOR-Leba Hertz
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS-Brien Deminq, Al Hrapsky, Marcia Mer-
ker, Michael Wilson
STAFF-Rick Bonino, Paul Campbell, Andy Glazer, Kathy Henneghan,
Rich Lerner, Jeff Liebster, Scott Lewis, Rick Maddock, Bill Sties
Big
Ten season marks repeat
By RICK BONINO i
When the Ohio State Buckeyes
visited the Michigan Wolverines
to decide the Big Ten title at,
season's end, more than a few
prognosticators watched w i t h
red faces.1
. This season, you see, wasn'tt
supposed to follow the Big Two°
-Little Eight pattern so fa-F
miliar in recent. years , Both
Michigan State and Wisconsin
were touted as legitimate title
challengers.
When OSU took on the Spar-
tans and Michigan the Badgers
on the opening weekend of con-
ference play, the Big Ten racel
was expected to shape up
quickly.
SHAPE UP it did. OSU rolled:
past Michigan State, 21-0. Mich-l
igan easily handled Wisconsin,
23-6, and the Big Two had once
again made the Big Ten title.
scramble their own private war.
The Buckeyes followed an
easy path to the final showdown.
Led by record-setting senior run-
ners Archie Griffin and Pete
Johnson, Ohio State paced the
Big Ten in scoring en route to a
perfect season.
Heisman Trophy winner Girf-
fin stretched his string of 100-
yard games to 31 before suffer-
ing a shutdown by Michigan.
Johnson led the nation in scor-
ing and set a Big Ten record
with 24 touchdowns.
The Buckeyes also made head.
lines during college football's
most prolific placekicking year.
Tom Skladany, the nation's lead{.
ing punter, also managed to
boot a 56-yard field goal to
break the conference record of
55 yards set earlier in the sea-
son by Illinois' Dan Beaver.
FOR BOTH the Badgers and
the Spartans, the opening losses
were indicators of hard times
to come.
After sweeping a tough three
g a m e non - conference slate,
MSU returned to conference
p 1 a y and promptly dropped
three of its first four games.
The Spartans salvaged some re-
spectability by sweeping their
last three games to finish tied
for third in the Big Ten.
The Spartan surge was spark-
ed as much by sophomore quar-
terback Marshall Lawson as by
wo and Little Eight
senior signal-caller Charlie Bag-
gett, the self-proclaimed pre-
season Heismart candidate who
faltered badly.
Wisconsin, hampered by a
leaky defense, suffered through
some embarrassments on its
way to- a 3-4-1 mark. The
Badgers fell to OSU, 56-0, early
in the season and tied lowly
Indiana and lost to Minnesota,
24-3, at season's end.
Wisconsin's consolation came
in the form of senior talback
Billy Marek. The balding Badger
broke Tom Harmon's career Big
Ten scoring record and set a
new Wisconsin career rushing
mark.
'WHILE THE expected con-
tenders faltered, some of the
conference cast's less-heralded
members provided occasional
excitement.
The Fighting Illini, featuring
an improved offense and a
weakened defense, ended up
with their second consecutive
.500 conference finish. Illinois'
surprise came when it gave
Michigan a tight 21-15 battle
the week before The Showdown.
Purdue, another team expect-
ed to perform above pushover
level, rounded out the Big Ten's
third-place trio. Led by quarter-
back Mark Vitali and running
backs Scott Dierking andMike
Pruitt, the Boilermakers =played
a balanced season en route to
their balanced record.
Northwestern created s o m e
early waves, winning its first
two Big Ten games and leading
the conference in total offense.
Then the Wildcats ran into
Michigan, lost 69-0, and never
won again.
MINNESOTA and Iowa took
turns providing later tremors.
The offense - oriented Gophers,
paced by conference passing
leader Tony Dungy, rolled up
some impressive point totals
while winning three of their last
five games.
Both late failures were against
the Big Two, although the 28-21
loss to Michigan marked the
most points scored on the Wol-
verines since 1969.
vIowa also produced some of-
fensive spurts, led by tailback
Jim Jensen. The Hawkeyes
scored 45 points against Wiscon-
sin on the end of their first
back-to-back wins in six years.
A much-maligned I n d i a n a
Hoosier team brought up the
year at 1-6-1. The lone moment
of glory in an otherwise dismal
season came when the Hoosiers
held mighty OSU to a mere
24-14 win.
munnew
.~ .c ~ - .r ..ro w$ .
Big Ten Standings
FINAL
Conference
Ad i!ewbdfU b
Ohio State ................:..... 8
M ICHIGAN ..................... 7
Michigan State ................. 4
Illinois .....................4
Purdue .....................4
Wisconsin ....................... 3
Minnesota ....................... 3
Iowa ............................ 3
Northwestern................2
Indiana ..... ...............1
0
1
4
4
4
4
S
S
6
6
0
0.
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
Overall
11 0 0
8 1 2
7 4 0
5 6 0
4 7 0
4 6 1
6 5 0
3 8 0
3 8 0
2 8 1
I
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