0 Page 6-D-Thursday, September 9, 1982-The Michigan Daily 'M' looks to erase '81 frustrations F Schembechier claims- he likes the challenge (Continued from Page 2) "YOU PLAY WITH what you've got," he says. "I think it will be a better offensive line than what people think. Humphries and Dixon may be the best in the conference." If the offensive line develops as Schembechler hopes, the Wolverines have a bevy of talented-if un- proven--running backs eager to carry the ball. Returning at tailback is senior Lawrence Ricks (5-10, 195), who gained just 396 yards last season while playing behind All-American Butch Woolfolk, a first-round draft choice of the NFL's New York Giants. Two excellent sophomores will be vying with Ricks for time at tailback; Rick Rogers (6-2, 200) and Brian Mercer (6-2, 195). In ad- dition, Michigan has a fine freshman prospect in Thomas Wilcher (6-1, 185), a Detroit Central track star who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds and owns the high school national record for the 110-meter hurdles. The battle to replace departed fullback Stan Edwards is wide open with senior Gerald Ingram (6-1, 217) the only back boasting any experience. "FULLBACK IS A key," says Schembechler. "We do have good run- ning backs, but we need someone to complement the tailbacks." In addition to Ingram, junior Greg Armstrong (6-2, 195) will get a look at fullback. Tom Hassel, who backed Ed- wards up last season, has been moved to linebacker. The Michigan receiving corps can be best summed up in two letters:' AC. Michigan's 1982, o September 11 WISCO September 18 at Notr September 25 UCLA October 2 INDIAN October 9 MICHIG October 16 at Iowa October 23 at North October 30 MINNE November 6 at Illino November 13 PURDU November 20 at Ohio AC stands for Anthony Carter and An- thony Carter stands for ex- citement-maybe the most exciting gamebreaker in all of college football. Carter, a two-time first-team All- American, caught 50 passes last year for 952 yards (19.0 yard average) and averages 16.7 yards every time he touches the ball, which puts him well ahead of the NCAA record of 13.8 yards set by Nebraska Heisman Trophy win- ner Johnny Rodgers. Carter, a 5-11, 161- pound senior flanker, is a top contender for this year's Heisman. ALSO RETURNING is junior split end Vince Bean, who was second on the team last year with 16 catches for 336 yards (21.0 avg.). Senior tight end Craig Dunaway (6-3, 226) split time with the departed Betts last season and will now move into that starting slot. One big factor that this year's team has over the '81 squad is that it will be heading into the season with a proven quarterback in junior Steve Smith (6-0, 191). Smith was thrust into the starting slot in the opener against Wisconsin last year and threw three interceptions in that game. However, he improved as the season went along and finished with 674 yards rushing (second on the team) and a team-record 2,335 yards of total offense. He completed 97 of 210 passes for 1,661 yards (also a team record) and 15 touchdowns. "Steve Smith improved week-by- week last year and his added experien- ce will be a plus for the whole offensive unit," says Schembechler. While the offense was inconsistently Football Schedule PPONENT LAST YEAR NSIN 14-21 e Dame 25-7 33-14 VA 38-17 GAN STATE 38-20 7-9 hwestern 38-0 SOTA 34-13 is 70-21 JE 28-10 State 9-14 explosive last year, the defense was, by Schembechler standards, disappoin- ting. It yielded a respectable 13.5 points per game, but often bent far more than Schembechler finds acceptable. "It's no secret that I was somewhat disappointed by our defensive play last year," he says. "I like to dominate that phase of the game, and we just didn't do that last fall." THE STRENGTH OF this year's defense may lie in a deep secondary, led by potential All-American Keith Bostic (6-1, 207). Only Brian Carpenter and Tony Jackson graduated from last year's secondary which was hit with numerous injuries, allowing Schem- bechler to give a number of players some experience. While Bostic will start at strong safety, sophomore Brad Cochran (6-3, 198) is the frontrunner for the wide side halfback slot, and seniors Marion Body and Jerry Burgei and juniors Evan Cooper and Rich Hewlett (red-shirted last year after switching from quarter- back) will contend for the remaining two spots in the defensive backfield. The linebacking also looks solid, with Ben Needham the lone departee. Senior Paul Girgash (6-1, 205) and junior Mike Boren (6-2, 217), the top two tacklers from 1981, should once again be the starting inside linebackers. ONE OUTSIDE linebacking position will be manned by All-American honorable mention Robert Thompson, a 6-3, 219-pound senior. Thompson, who will be starting for the third straight year, was the defensive captain last year while being severely hampered by hand and shoulder injuries. Senior Mike Lemirande (6-4, 220) and junior Carlton Rose (6-1, 205), both of whom started a few games in '81, will battle it out for the other outside linebacker spot. On the defensive line, everybody returns but the graduated Tony Osbun. Senior Winfred Carraway (6-3, 230), who is considered the best Michigan lineman, will anchor one tackle slot. Sophomore Mike Hammerstein (6-4, 245) and juniors Vince DeFelice (6-2, 228) and Dave Meredith (6-3, 225) will contend for the other starting tackle position. SOPHOMORE AL Sincich (6-1, 220), a starter through part of last season, rounds out the Wolverine defensive corps at middle guard. For the second consecutive year the Michigan kicking game will remain un- changed. Junior Don Bracken returns 4 ~6 Daily Photo by BRIAN MASCK AFTER BREAKING PAST the initial line of UCLA defenders in last season's Bluebonnet Bowl, tailback Lawrence Ricks (46) tries to regain his balance. Ricks gained 413 yards rushing last year. and is expected to be the Wolverines starting tailback this fall. as the punter, bringing with him the school record of 43.3 yards per kick set last season. The placekickerhwill again be senior Ali Haji-Sheikh. And so that is the cast of characters that hopes to make Michigan's disap- pointing 1981 football fortunes a distant memory. The Wolverines lost three Big Ten games last season-the first time that has ever happened during the Schembechler regime. The 33-14 pasting of UCLA in the Bluebonnet Bowl was small consolation as Michigan finished 12th-ranked in the country. IN T HE OFFSEASON there was the much-ballyhooed attempt by Texas A&M to lure Schembechler to Aggieland. It was, to be sure, a tumultuous year for Michigan football but now it appears that all is calm. People will probably take a wait-and- see attitude with this year's team, and that is how General Bo likes it. "To be honest, I kind of like the challenge we will be facing," says Schembechler. "Last year we were' picked as the pre-season national champion . . this year we probably won't be the pre-season pick for the Big Ten title and we probably won't be ranked in the pre-season Top Ten." The upcoming season features the first night game in the history of Notre Dame Stadium, when the Irish enter- tain the Wolverines on September 18. Then there is the UCLA rematch the following week in Ann Arbor. And there is the lingering pain of defeat inflicted by upstarts Wisconsin and Iowa. And there is the quest for revenge against Ohio State. And there is the climb back up from last year's third-place finish in the Big Ten ... It should be an interesting season. Big Ten Standings Conference Overall W L W L Iowa .........6 2 8 4 Ohio State .... 6 2 9 3 MICHIGAN... 6 3 9 3 Illinois........ 6 3 7 4 Wisconsin .... 6 3 7 5 Minnesota .... 4 5 5 6 -- - - , -- a -- J---, ---- - v N 4a.vl.u .- - ... 7t -1 f Lx A..{ o " J I . "& I 1981 Football Statistics Team Statistics RECEIVING No. Yds. Total First Downs........ Rushing ................. Passing .............. Penalty............. Total Net Yards......... Total Plays.......... Avg. Per Play......... Avg. Per Game....... Net Rushing Yards........ Total Attempts........ Avg. Per Play......... Avg. Per Game........ Net Passing Yards ........ Att/Comp/Int......... Avg. Per Attempt........ Avg. Per Comp....... Avg. Per Game....... Total Number of Punts..... Total Yards.......... Average per Punt... Interceptions/Yards ....... Punts/Yds/Avg.......... Punt Ret/Yds/Avg......... KO Ret/Yds/Avg ......... Int/Yds/Avg............ Fumbles/Lost........... Penalties/Yards........ Scoring Total Pts./Avg......... Touchdowns........... Rushing ............... Passing............. Returns............ PAT's/Att ............... 2-Pt. Conv.Att............ Field Goals/Att.......... Third Down Conv./Att...... Success Pct.............. Mich Opp 259 219 167 101 77 106 15 12 5044 3879 845 819 6.0 4.7 420.3 323.3 3293 1537 626 468 5.3 3.3 274.4 128.1 1751 2342 219/101/11 351/187/21 8.0 6.7 17.3 12.5 145.9 195.2 50 69 2,167 2,778 43.3 40.3 21/222 11/19 50/2167/43.3 69/2778/40.3 41/352/8.6 16/46/2.9 25/551/22.0 31/454/14.6 21/222/10.6 11/19/1.7 17/10 19/7 74/676 47/446 CARTER ...................... 50 BEAN ......................... 16 DUNAWAY ..................11 Woolfolk...................9 Edwards............... .. 7 Betts .......................... 4 Brocking"on................ 2 INGRAM....................I1 HASSEL ...................1 MICHIGAN ................... 101 Opponents..--.................187 952 336 152 55 97 76 67 10 6 1751 2342 Avg. TD 19.0 21.0 I 13.8 3 . 6.1 0, 13.9 2 ' 19.0 1 33.5 0 10.0 0 6.0 1 17.3 f6' 12.5 10 355/29.6 47 31 16 0 40/41 2/6 9/16 75/156 .481 162/13.5 19 9 10 0 18/19 0/0 10/181 60/109 .355 c t E 1 I I I 1 1 1 1 1 t TOTAL OFFENSE Rush Pass Total/Avg. S. SMITH ........... .. 674 1661 2335/194.6 Woolfolk ............. 1459 1459/12 ALL-PURPOSE Yardage Rush Rec KOR PR Total/Avg.' CARTER 67 952 406 196 1621/1S3tAs Woolfolk 1459 55 1514/IZ6,2 SCORING TDr TDp ExP FG TP ' S. SMITH............12 HAJI-SHEIKH ...... 35-35 8-14 59i CARTER ............ 1 8 5 RICKS............. 9 5 Woolfolk ........... Edwards............1 2 DUNAWAY-.....3............. BERGERON ........ 5-5 1-2 BEAN ................ I, Betts ................ .. 1 6 HASSEL ...............6 ROGERS.......... Dickey .............. 1 'Team' . . .0-1 MICHIGAN......... 31 16 40-41 9-16 3 Opponents ........... 9 10 18-19 10.181 *-ncludes one two-point play **-safety, TACKLING Tt Tackles Assists BOREN .................... 101 51 152 GIRGASH .................. 87 49 1384",4 BOSTIC.................. 47 27 74E Needham................... 41 23 BURGEI ................... 38 17 5 , Iackson .................... 36 18 54- Osbun....................35 15 501. THOMPSON...............-29 13 42-w COOPER ................... 27 8 35 CARAIAWAY ............... 19 13 32, IERRMANN............... 18 12 30 FAMES .. ............... .11 6 27 ROSE ...................... 18 7 25' COLES .................... 15 9 24 SINCICH................... 13 10 23 BODY ...................... 14 6 20 LEMIRANDE .............. it 8 19 Carpenter.................14 3 17 REEVES .................. 6 4 10 4AMMERSTEIN........... .3 2 5 LOTT ...................... 2 1 3 MILLER.................1 1 2 MEREDITH..............1 1 2 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING Att Woolfolk ....................253 S.SM[I .................... 134 Edwards .................... 92 RICKS ...................... 86 ROGERS................. 22 CARTER .................... 12 INGRAM .................... 8 HASSEL .................... 8 Dickey ..................... 7 K. SMITH ................... 3 MERCER ................... I MICHIGAN ................. 626 Opponents ................... 468 Yds 1459 674 446 413 133 67 30 30 20 19 2 3293 1537 Avg. 5.8 5.0 4.8 4.8 6.0 5.6 3.8 3.8 2.9 6.3 2.0 5.3 3.3 TD 6 12 1 9 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 31 9 B G H N B J 0 T C C H I R C S. B L C R H L M M 1 Michigan State 4 5 5 6 PASSING Purdue....... 3 6 5 6 S.SMITH..............210 97 11 1661 15 Indiana ...... 3 6 3 8 Dickey .................. 9 4 8 90 1 MICHIGAN..............21g 101 11 1751 16 Northwestern 0 9 0 ii Opponents ............... 351 187 21 2342 10 Daily Photos by BRIAN MASCK Michigan linebackers Paul Girgash (50) and Mike Boren (40) bring Ohio State tailback Tim Spencer (above) to an abrupt halt. Wolverine quarterback Steve Smith (right) barks out the signals as he stands over center Tom Dixon. Don Bracken (left) gets off another booming punt.