The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, September 9, 1980-Page 11 SMITH-HUGHES BA CKFIELD SHINES: Muddy, season ahead for MSU University of Michigan Tae Kwon Do Club Demonstration Wed., Sept. 10, 1980. 8:00 pm, Martial arts Room CCR - For Info: Joann, 665-9776 By MARK MIHANOVIC Fourth in anine-part series Editor's note: Thistis the fourth in - nine-part series examining the -,1980 Big Ten football season. The series was written by Daily Sports Editor Alan Fanger and Executive Sports Editor Mark Mihanovic. He led Michigan State in rushing n each of the last two seasons, but he isn't sure how heavily he will be coun- ted on in this, his senior year. Steve Smith isn't sure whether new head football coach Frank "Muddy" Waters: has the confidence in him that Darryl 'Rogers had. "Rogers was pretty sure that I could do it all, whereas with Muddy, if we go ioutside, he might give me the ball, and if he wants to go up-the middle, he 'might give (junior) Derek (Hughes) th' ball," the fifth-leading ground-gainer in Spartan history said at last month's Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon. "Against some teams we're gonna have to run up the middle alot." No matter how the explosively-quick Smith-Hughes'backfield combination is impletiented, it is almost certain to be the strongest component on a - tebuilding MSU team that tied for seventh in the 1979 campaign with a 3-5 Big Ten mnark. Smh (5-9, 185) used his 4.4 40-yard dash speed in piling up 972 yards last fall, and the 6-3, 211-pound Hughes, who must adjust to the fullback position this year, averaged 5.3 yards a carry at tilback in"7' Waters expressed no doubts about his backfield duo at the luncheon,, while hinting that the talents of Hughes may be emphasized more in the Spartan at- tack. "In Steve Smith and Derek Hughes, I've got two of the best backs in the country," Waters proclaimed. "Smith is a senior, and he perhaps won't have a chance to do as well as Hughes." Beyond the running backs and a' superb kicking game (All-American Ray Stachowicz averaged 44.3 yards per punt, and Morten Anderson connec- ted on five field goals from more than 50 yards last fall), the coach's nickname is an appropriate assessment of the rest of the Spartan ballclub. Junior Bert Vaughn (6-4, 218) is the ..I playing time, completing 64 of 131 for 800 markers. Wide receivers Tony Gilbert and Jim Williams provide talented targets for Vaughn to throw to, but nobody will be able to fill the mighty large shoes of departed All-American tight end Mark Brammer. Seniors Rod Strata, a 6-1, 245-pound three-year letterman, and Mike Den- smore (6-3, 245), back from knee surgery, are solid guards. But the tackle posts were left wide open as a result of the graduation of Angelo Fields, Ted Grabenhorst, and Regis McQuaide. Michigan State's defense is strong up front, but graduation has left it thin in the backfield. Senior Bernard Hay (6-2, 243) has moved to defensive tackle af- ter finishing third among Spartans with 92 tackles from his middle guard spot a year ago. Junior Pat Mitten (6-5, 238), coming back from last spring's knee surgery, is All-Big Ten material at defensive end. Terry Baily (6-4, 235), a junior college All-American out of California, and sophomore James Neely (6-3, 221) move in at the inside linebacker positions, where MSU suffered the graduation loss of All-Big Ten Danny Bass. The secondary was hit the har- dest with losses, as All-Big Ten Mark Anderson and Alan Davis have graduated, and James Burroughs is out of school via poor grades. Then there is MSU's coaching situation. The 57-year-old Waters, fresh from 25 years at Saginaw Valley State, is replacing the innovative Rogers, now at Arizona State. Waters' appointment stirred a great deal of controversy, and Smith still doesn't seem too impressed with him. "Rogers was a more scientific coach, all around," Smith said. "The coor- dinator really does the work at Michigan State. I don't even think Muddy knows all the plays. He isn't as involved with the offense. He just stan- ds in the tower and watches from up there." He watches Smith and Hughes do their respective things and dreams that he had 20 more players of their caliber. AP GRID POLL OSU still No. 1 By The Associated Press The Top Twenty teams in The Associated Press college football poll, with first-place votes in paren- theses, season's records and total points. Points based on 20-19-18-17-16-15-14-$3-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4- f Smith ... senior backfield star likely first-team quarterback. Vaughn 'completed 57 of 128 passes for 729 yards and four touchdowns, but a kidney in- jury suffered against Notre Dame kept him on the sidelines for much of '79. Bryan Clark (6-3, 206), son of Lion men- tor Monte, stepped in for Vaughn last season and actually logged more ALABAMA SPURNED BY POLLSTERS? Crimson football fit to be tied 3-2-1: 1. Ohio State (33),..... 2. Alabama (22) ........ 3. Pittsburgh (3) ........+ 4. Oklahoma (1) .......+ 5. So. California....... 6. Texas ......,..... 7. Notre Dame....... 8. Nebraska........ 9. Houston ..........+ 10. Florida State....... 11. MICHIGAN.......+ 12. Georgia ......... 13. Stanford.......... 14. Penn State........ 15. North Carolina ...... 16. Arkansas ............+ 17. Missouri........... 18. Auburn ..............+ 19. Washington....... 20. Purdue ..............+ RIDER /1 STR AIGHT LEG In DENIMS and CORDUROY y Le 7616207 0-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0 1-0-0 1-0-0 1-0-0 0-1-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-1-0 1,140 1,121 1,009 928 920 864 733 726 723 577 465 452 428 414 395 356 238 203 182 107 r By RON POLLACK Daily sports Analysis Common sense would seem to dictate 'that a team riding a 22-game winning streak would be allowed the respect 'normally given to a champion. However, in the case of Alabama foot- ball team, the UPI and AP pollsters have recently chosen not to adhere to 'this seemingly sound reasoning, -:anking Ohio State ahead of the Tide. _ Whereas the Buckeyes are coming off of a Rose Bowl defeat at the hands of USC, Alabama returns from back to *baek national championships, retur- ning 7 starters from the best defense in the nation. THIS IS NOT the first time that the pollsters have slighted Alabama in favor of others. In fact, it still remains uncertain as to how the pollsters arrived at their 1977 national champion., Alabama believed that when the top two ranked teams (Texas and Oklahoma) lost they should have been awarded the title by virtue of their 'previous third ranking and Sugar Bowl rout of Ohio State. However, the pollsters ignored the Crimson Tide and made number five Notre Dame the national champions.' In 1978, the second ranked Tide went out and beat the top-rated Penn State Nittany Lions in the Sugar Bowl. Everyone assumed Alabama would be crowned national champ,, but the UPI pollsters stunned the collegiate football &world by promoting previously third ranked Southern California. IN 1979 OVEN the pollsters had to admit that Alabama was the best team in the nation. Capping an undefeated season with a 25-18 win over a strong Auburn team that finished the season with an 8-3 record, the AP poll dropped Alabama down to the number two ranking. This was hard to understand because Ohio State, the team that *replaced the Crimson Tide as number one, had many unimpressive games and close decisions. Such narrow wins included UCLA(17-13), Minnesota(21- 7'), Michigan (48-15) and in perhaps the 'shocker of the, year, Northwestern(16- 7). Of these teams only Michigan had a winning record, and even they had an uncharacteristically poor 8-4 record. All of which brings us to this season, in which Alabama has once again been "done a disservice. While virtually every team in the nation would jump for joy over such a lofty ranking, it does not do justice to a team that deserved to be WOODMND H LLS $100 OFF First Month's Rent On 1 Bedroom Apartments number one for the last three years and that had the best record in college foot- ball during the decade of the 70's(103- 16-1). Another Alabama plus is their highly touted defense. In total they return 7 starters (5 of which were All-SEC) from a defense that led the nation in scoring defense, were second in pass defense and were fifth in rushing defense. They also led the SEC in fewest touchdowns allowed rushing, fewest touchdowns allowed passing, and interceptions. ALSO IMPORTANT ,to the Tide's success is their coach Bear Bryant, who is approaching Amos Alonzo Stagg's record for lifetime victories. I Bryant's players sentiments towards. him are best summed up by star run- ning back Major Ogilvie in Sport magazine a month ago. "We believe everything Coach Bryant says because he's proved right so often," said Ogilvie. "He knows and remembers everything. I recall how he once beat Mississippi State with a trick pass play he had used to beat the same team in the same formation 13 years before." THE ALABAMA TEAM should be helped by an impressive rookie crop. As Coach Bryant, normally one to down- play his team, said, "We've done well. It's the best year I've had since I've been here. We've got 13 or 14 outstan- ding prospects." HOWEVER, THE IMPORTANCE of Ohio State being ranked _ahead of Alabama might best be summed up by Alabama Sports Information Director, Gary Stogner, "We think very little of polls during the year. All that matters is that we finish number one at the end of the season and lately things have been working out pretty well." SCORES American League Yankees 7, Toronto 4 Boston 10, Cleveland 4 Baltimore 9, Detroit 2 (st game) National League Philadelphia 6, Pittsburgh 2 Cincinatti6, Atlanta 1 Cubs 6, st. Louis 2 r Read and Use Daily Classifieds 00odines at Cares flit Cl Ihi .i.. p Liver Pills? No, back-to-school supplies. Remind yourself with Carter's Hi-Liter. (Art 00/' i - C Express yourself clearly with Carter's X-Pert typewriter ribbon. AM . !a S \_'!