4
Flightless offense runs
rings around Hoosiers
(contnued from Page 1
Doug Smith 41-yard field goal, a Steve
Bradley five-yard touchdown pass to
Duane Gunn, and a Bradley to Gunn
strike on the ensuing two-point conver-
sioh.
"I didn't feel at halftime we'd lose,"
Schembechler said. "I did feel
displeasure with the way we were win-
ning it."
The first time the Wolverines had the
ball in the second half, they upped their
lead to 24-11 on a Bob Bergeron 37-yard
field goal. The Hoosiers came roaring
back by marching 76 yards for a touch-
down with Stephan Benson going the
final 30 yards on a pass from Bradley.
Suddenly, as well as shockingly, the
heavily favored Wolverines were
fighting for their very lifes.
"A team would tend to ease up when
it's 21-0," Steve Smith said. "We scored
the first three times and you get the
feeling you'll score every time. When
you start thinking that, you get stopped
once or twice and then it's hard to get
going again."
As the final score indicates, Michigan
did get going again, but not before the
Wolverines sweated out a few tense
moments on their sidelines.
'Not very many people were talking
on the sideline then," Kerry Smith said.
''There was some apprehension."
Michigan's insecurity was quickly
replaced by jubilation thanks to the
fleet feet of Steve Smith. On the first
play following Benson's touchdown, the
Michigan quarterback kept the ball
around left end for 46 of his 130 yards
rushing to set up a Kerry Smith 12-yard
touchdown run.
"That took a little of the air out of
them," Steve Smith said.
Said Indiana head coach Sam Wyche,
"We were within one big strike of being
right back into it. But they got the big
play and the touchdown. Boy they've
got a tremendous quarterback. I can't
compliment Steve Smith enough. I hope
some pro team is smart enough to give
him a chance to play quarterback. He's
such a threat to run the ball and he can
throw too. It's like having three running
backs in your backfield."
Kerry Smith gave Michigan a 36-18
lead early in the fourth with his third
touchdown of the day, this one from 18
yards out.
Now the rout was on as Michigan did
not ease up a second time.
Iiidiana did not threaten to score the
rest of the game, and Bob Perryman
tacked another touchdown on the
scoreboard for Michigan on a three-
yard run in the game's final seconds.
Long gone by this time was inside
linebacker Mike Boren, Michigan's
leading tackler the last two seasons.
With 1:25 remaining in the first quar-
ter, Boren injured his knee and
required assistance off the field. He
later was taken to the hospital.
'The knee is stable," Schembechler
said. "It's not a ligament thing. But
something isn't right in there."
The loss of Boren was an especially
painful blow to a position which was
already smarting from a rash of in-
juries. Inside linebackers Andy Moeller
(knee) and Tim Anderson (ankle)
missed yesterday's game with injuries,
and outside linebacker Rodney Lyles
had to be replaced in the starting lineup
by Carlton Rose because of a leg injury
suffered Wednesday in practice. -
A stark contrast to the linebacking
situation, is the robust health enjoyed
by Michigan's tailbacks. Rick Rogers,
Brian Mercer and Kerry Smith gained
94, 61 and 57 yards respectively against
the Hoosiers as the Wolverines churned
out a whopping 428 yards on the ground.
"I think that alternating them has
been working out well," said Steve
Smith. "We've got 'so many good
tailbacks, it wouldn't be fair to keep
them on the bench. It keeps them hap-
pY,,
py."
And should Cooper's Rose Bowl
prophecy come true, you can bet they'll
be even happier.
SAiS I Seet
By LARR YMISHKIN
Who's number one ?
Not Michigan 's defense
'Any team with a great defense has a chance to win the
national championship. "- Bo Schembechler
B O SCHEMBECHLER is no dummy.
He certainly seems to know what is necessary to be the best in
the land, but unfortunately, his team presently lacks that all-
important ingredient.
Bo is right you know. Defense does win national titles. Ask
Tom Osborne whose Nebraska Cornhuskers are the odds-on
favorite to be number one this year. His team has yet to give up
more than two touchdowns in a game. Last week they gave up 10
early points to UCLA, but then shut down the Bruins the rest of
the way. Now that's a good defense and that's why Nebraska is
the top team around.
A lot of people would like to think that Michigan is good
enough to contend for a national championship. Well, they can
think again.
Yesterday's 43-18 victory over Indiana illustrated just how far
the defense still has to go before the Wolverines can even be
mentioned in the same breath with Nebraska.
Hoosiers could have won
Don't let the lopsided score fool you. The defense did not play
well. Consider a few Indiana offensive statistics:
" 382 yards in total offense
" 303 yards passing
" Hoosier quarterbacks Steve Bradley and Cam Cameron
completed over 50 percent of their passes (28/49)
" 24 first downs (17 through the air)
" Six of seven on third down conversions
By looking at these stats one could think that Indiana won the
game. Actually, the only thing that lost the game for the
Hoosiers was an inconsistent offense and a few poor passes
that were picked off.
"(Michigan) has got a good defense," said Indiana head coach
Sam Wyche, "But if you take away our mistakes and their
defense is matched with our offense, we win."
The funny thing is that Wyche is probably right. His troops
moved right down the field the first time they had the ball and
failed to score only because of a missed field goal.
Of the four interceptions thrown by Bradley, all came as a
result of poor passes by him and three of them killed drives on
which the Hoosiers looked as though they might score.
I'll give the guys in the secondary credit for intercepting the
balls, but they were all balls that were thrown right to them. In-
diana's 28 completions is a much more revealing statistic.
"How many did (Bradley) complete?" asked Wyche. "22?
(Michigan's defense) sounds vulnerable tome.
Bo was quick to defend his defense by praising the Hoosier's
offense.
"(Indiana) is not a poor offensive team," he said. "Let's give
them some credit. This was not a poor defense, we just played
against a pretty good offensive team."
But.let's not forget that this is Indiana. That's the lame team
that could only manage eight points the week before against
Northwestern.
Are injuries to blame?
In all fairness to the Wolverine defense, it has been plagued by
injuries so far this season. Mike Hammerstein, who was expec-
ted to start at defensive tackle, broke his hand before the first
game and has yet to play a down. Also hurt are linebackers An-
dy Moeller and Tim Anderson. And the word is still out on
linebacker Mike Boren, the team's leading tackler, who was
hurt at the end of the first half yesterday and did not return the
rest of the afternoon.
A team that wants to win though, must overcome injuries and
pull together defensively. Yesterday, Michigan did not do that.
And Bo revealed where his defense is right now in terms of
development. "I'm edgy unless we're ahead by 50. I don't trust
anyone anymore," he said.
Before Michigan fans can even begin to think of a national
championship, or a conference title for that matter, the
Michigan defense is going to have to put Bo's mind at ease.
4
4
4
I
4
Daily Photo by BRIAN MASCK
for the first touchdown of yesterday's Wolverine
Tailback Rick Rogers is all alone, bursting across the goal-line
victory over Indiana. Rogers carried a total of 16 times for 94 yards.
Pregame sacks loosen
By CHUCK JAFFE
Indiana head football coach Sam Wyche decided
yesterday that quarterback Steve Bradley would have to
take a few hits to lose his pre-game jitters.
So Wyche hit him.
The first-year head coach sacked Bradley a few times
during pre-game drills and batted down passes in an ef-
fort to get his quarterback ready for the game. The junior
signal-caller responded with the best game of his career,
completing 22 of 41 passes for 246 yards and two touch-
downs.
"BEFORE THE game I went out there and physically
tackled the sucker," Wyche said. "I was the pass rusher
and I batted down passes, because I wanted Bradley to
become uninhibited on'the field. I think he lost those
inhibitions."
Bradley also lost four interceptions and Indiana lost
the football game, but the Hoosier quarterback kept the
football game close until late in the third quarter.
"We come in to win games like this, and we thought we
could win after we scored our second touchdown," said
Bradley, who threw touchdown passes of 5 and 30 yards.
"We expected to play well against Michigan because
they are good competition and brought our game up.
"A COUPLE of the interceptions were just situation
plays, rather than bad passes," Bradley added. "One
was at the end of the half and acted pretty much like a
punt, and another came on a tipped pass. The first inter-
ception I threw was a long pass, and I just didn't see a
linebacker. On the fourth interception I think the
Michigan player was out of position, because he was in a
position where you just don't expect a cornerback to
be."
Even Bradley's bad passes did not discourage Wyche,
however, as the Indiana coach placed Bradley into the
ranks of the Big Ten's elite quarterbacks.
"Bradley is a leader, someone who programs can be
built on," Wyche said. "I think he has come miles from
last week, and I think he will keep getting better. He had
a tired arm all week, and he still played a good game."
BUT IF Bradley has improved as much as his coach
contends, it is due, in part, to his coach's unorthodox
warm-up method.
"It helped out to take a few shots before the game, and
it is always a challenge when it is the coach who is
rushing," Bradley said. "I liked it. (Wyche) hits hard for
QB Bradley
somebody whose not wearing any pads.
"The warm-up made me feel very comfortable stan-
ding in there today, and that is one reason why I was
able to do well," Bradley added. "We figured we had to
hit them quick, with little dumps and then passes over
the middle. We made too many mistakes out there
today, but we weren't a bad team.
"I hope that the coach gets out there to hit me again
next week," he added. "It's fun."
BRADLEY'S 246 YARDS passing, combined with
second-string quarterback Cam Cameron's 57, far out-
distanced Wolverine quarterback Steve Smith, who
completed just 6 of 17 attempts for 82 yards and threw
two interceptions.
Wyche compared Bradley's leadership qualities and
potential to that of Smith, but added that the training "
methods of the two quarterbacks are vastly different.
"Smith is a leader, and Steve (Bradley) is becoming
one quickly," Wyche said. "I couldn't see a Michigan
eoach chasing his quarterback around before the game,
though. It's not Michigan's style."
4
4
4
MICHIGAN AND ILLINOIS TOPS A T 2-0;
llini
shoot down high-flying Hawkeyes'
CHAMPAIGN (AP) - Quarterback Jack
Trudeau fired three touchdown passes in the first
half and Chris White booted four field goals
yesterday as a determined Illinois squad upset No.
3 Iowa, 33-0.
the Illini 24 and four unsuccessful shots at the end
zone from inside the Illinis 2-yard line.
The victory improved Illinois' record to 3-1,
equalling the Hawkeyes' mark.
tying field goal.
Brown, who hit nine of 13 attempts for 193 yards,
also completed touchdown passes of 82 yards to
Carl Butler and 44 to Daryl Turner.
Campbell completed 30 of 50 attempts for 300
vardT Rth of his touchdon nasses cme in the
ted to play early in'the week after suffering a
sprained knee in last week's 20-14 loss to Iowa
However, he recovered in midweek and responded
by scoring on runs of one, 22 and 33 yards against
the Gophers.
iY ..ye A n NT.,-.. . L... . .../I