The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, October 28, 1980-Page 11
Grand-Stan-d
view By Stan Bradbury
- Candidatefor Sports Illustrated: "They Said It"section next issue:
" Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler, after hearing
the reason fullback Stanley Edwards fumbled the ball in the
wide open field on his way to an apparent 72 yard touchdown
run was that his arm was numb from a hit earlier in the series,
"No, I don't take that excuse. No. The only thing that went
numb was my head. "
Bo Schembechler had reason to be in a good mood yesterday at his
media luncheon. Never mind his Wolverines are 5-2 and not ranked in the top
10, never mind three of the all important next four games are on the road,
and never mind the remaining schedules give Ohio State an advantage.
Be could be content, pleased with his team's performance and im-
provement, and satisfied to know that the team's future was in its own han-
ds. Schembecher justifiably beamed with confidence, something that was
very noticeably when Bo sat in the same seat four weeks earlier but
the Wolverines had just lost their second straight game.
Since that time nearly a month ago when the Wolverines were 1-2, a lot
x has happened. The most noticeable results of those changes is four con-
secutive wins and a feeling that Michigan fans shouldn't dust off that copy of
the "Ain't no Rose Bowl Blues." Not yet.
Bo tended to understate the whole situation. "We're getting a little bet-
ter," said Schembechler. "Our next four games will be tough, but at least
were still alive."
Translating from coach to real talk, that reads more like, 'We're a lot
better. Our next four games will be extremely tough but we're still tied for
first and we have a good shot at the conference title.'
Michigan is a lot better. The Wolverine rushing game has improved
tremendously since the auspicious beginning of the season. After three
games Michigan averaged only 183.6 yards rushing per game, in the last four
games they have averaged 295.2 yards on the ground per contest.
All this improvement on the ground has also come with a passing quar-
terback, John Wangler, not the running Rich Hewlett, calling the signals.,
Wangler's consistent job at quarterback has also improved the Wolverine
passing attack and the senior from Royal Oak is rated as one of the top ten
quarterbacks in the nation according to the NCAA. Wangler was even rated
ahead of every other Big Ten quarterback going into the Illinois contest.
(This week's stats are notout vet.)
The offensive line, 'Mt. St. Michigan,' after going dormat through the
early part of the season has really erupted and jelled into what most op-
posing coaches call the best offensive line in the country,
And nobody, but nobody, has ever questioned the Michigan receiving
corps which features perhaps the most brilliant player in the conference, if
not all of college football, Anthony Carter.
. { With the offense and the kicking game no longer suspect, that leaves the
defense as the only unit without an alibi. -But even the defense has demon-
strated a good degree of improvement, especially in the second half of the
Illinois game when they really shutdown the Illini's attack.
The defensive backfield has been able to withstand the high powered
passing attacks of California and Illinois while the line has found stability
with freshman Jeff Shaw at nose guard. Earlier in the season both Tony
Kelsie and Winfred Carraway were tried at the nose but neither had been
able to do the job. Kelsie has since quit the team. "He realized that he wasn't
going to be starting anymore, so he quit," said Schembechler.
The task ahead
The Wolverines begin their four game drive for the championship this
Saturday at Indiana. It is also the first of three away contests Michigan must
face, the others being at Wisconsin and, the inevitable showdown, at Ohio
State.
With the only remaining home game against the 4-0 Purdue Boiler-
makers, to say anything less than the next four games are going to be really
tough is to say Barry Commoner stands a good chance of winning the
Presidential election.
But the Wolverines are still in the hunt for the title. Purdue, Ohio State,
and Michigan are all tied for first with 4-0 conference records. Purdue still
has to play Indiana and Michigan while Ohio State has only one big challenge
left, hosting the Wolverines.
Because of the conference rotating scheduling, Purdue and Ohio State
will not meet for the second year in a row, all of which gives the Buckeyes a
decided advantage in the conference race at this time.
Bo finds these facts nothing to joke about but, "It's part of the game,"
Schembechler said.
Today, he can laugh about Edwards' fumble, a fumbled punt, or a punt
returned for a touchdown being called back by a clipping penalty.
At a future time, he may not be afforded that opportunity.
SPOR TS OF THE DAIL Y:
A.C. Midwest'
From Wire Service Re
Pl
ports
MICHIGAN WIDE receiver Anthony
Carter, who in less than two years has
earned the reputation as one of
Michigan's most exciting players ever,
was named Midwest Player of the
Week, it was announced yesterday.
Carter, the 5-11, 161-pound sophomore
from Florida, caught five first-half
passes for 121 yards and one touchdown
Saturday in the Wolverines' 45-14 route
of Illinois.In addition, he returned two
kickoffs and three punts for 55 yards.
THE MAN who, appropriately
enough, wears the numeral "1" on his
jersey, now has eight touchdown passes
this season to tie a Michigan record,
and 15 TD passes in less than two
seasohs, one short of the Wolverine
career mark held by Dick Rifenburg.
Carter's receiving counterpart this
week, Indiana's Nate Lundy, injured
his collarbone last weekend during his
team's win over Northwestern and will
ayer of ti
not play Saturday.
Lundy was a key performer last year
when Indiana nearly scored an upset
road victory againt the Wolverines. He
caught passes for 36 and 54 yards to
help the Hoosiers tie Michigan in the
final minute, but Carter's 51-yard
reception as time expired enabled the
Blue unit to escape with a 27-21 trium-
ph.
Spikers stumble
The Michigan women's volleyball
team came up empty-handed in their
attempt to capture the Big Ten Cham-
e Week
pionship this weekend in Champaign.
The spikers lost their first three mat
ches before salvaging a victory in the
fourth match of the tournament against
Wisconsin.
Purdue defeated Minnesota in the
finals of the tournament, which uses a
rather unique format to determine its
champion.
Michigan finished in a third place tie
in its loop, which sent Ohio State and
Northwestern to the final four along
with the Boilermakers and the Gophers
from the other loop
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