4 Page 8 - The Michigan Daily - Sunday, October 7, 1984 Blue fight Jekyll-and-Hyde foes By MIKE MCGRAW It's getting harder to predict what the Michigan opponent will look like each week. Yeah, they've been showing up with the ex- pected uniform color and headgear, but their performances during the games have been as' surprising as a Wolverine pass on first down. First the defending national champions come in and literally throw the game away. Then later, the up-and-coming Big Ten con- tenders drop the ball at every key moment in the first half. BUT THE last two weeks have been the worst. Two bottom-of-the-ladder conference foes with strong tendencies toward making ill-timed costly mistakes go against Michigan and come up with the game of their lives. First it was Indiana, with its invisible defense, and yesterday Michigan State, the team that has been responsible for more tur- novers than Pillsbury and was outscored 75-10 in the second half of its previous games. Both school suddenly came of age, though, when they saw the Wolverines on the opposite bench. Thanks to a big break - in Jim Har- baugh's left arm - the Spartans bounced out of Ann Arbor with their first win over Michigan in six years. "WE'VE HAD A lot of bad luck this season," said the Spartans' sudden star pun- ter returner, Robert Morse, "but we put it all together today." "We'd been having problems," agreed quarterback Dave Yarema, "but it was a dif- ferent feeling today. We had it all together." Yarema was himself a prime example of togetherness. He had completed only 46 of his passes during the month of September and tossed five interceptions in the process. Yesterday he smoothed himself into an 18-for- 27 day and suffered only one meaningless pickoff on the last play of the first half. SPEAKING OF the half, that's the time when MSU's game usually packs it up for the afternoon. But in this facet they once again played abnormally, keeping the Wolverines off the board while Ralf Mojsiejenko booted a pair of field goals, one of which accounted for the Spartans' first fourth-quarter points of 1984. Just like the Hoosiers had one the week before, Michigan State played its first good game of the season, and as a result, the Spar- tans avenged last year's 42-0 drubbing by the Wolverines. You would think the Spartans would erupting with delight after socking it to thei arch rivals, but outside of a little hollering in the locker room, nobody gave the press any good quotes that could end up on future lock er room walls. "I CAN'T HANG my hat on that "let's get 'em for last year' stuff," said MSU coach George Perles after the contest. "Those emotions last with me for maybe a few days." In fact, Perles was so low key after the game that he pointed out, "I'm really happy,, but what's on my mind right now is Indiana (MSU's next opponent)." Perhaps Perles has learned his lesson, after receiving so much publicity and a 40-7 loss to the Illini, after remarking that Illinois coach Mike White should have been fired because of his recruiting violations. Whatever the cause, Perles and his players just stood around and repeated the "great win for the school, it gives us something to build on for the rest of the season" speech, nothing you expect these great rivalries to produce. But we all know how wrong expectations can be. Daily Photo by DAN HABIB Spartan defensive end Kelly Quinn chases Michigan quarterback Jim Harbaugh during the second quarter of yesterday's game. Quinn had four tackles in the upset. Blue Bai " The last time Michigan and Ohio State were defeated by Big Ten opponents on the same day was the last time the Wolverines lost to Michigan State, October 14, 1978. The Buckeyes loss that day? Again to Purdue 27- 16. * The celebs were out in force for yester- day's game. Among the throng was Michigan governor James Blanchard, Tiger owner Tom Monaghan and Tiger players Kirk Gibson and. Dave Rozema. " The last time someone returned a punt for a touchdown against the Wolverines? You have to turn the calendars back 13 years for that one. It was Ohio State's Tom Campana in 1971. + Both coaches said last season's 42-0 Michigan victory had little effect on yester- day's game. But signs on the Spartan's lockers served at least as reminders for the team. "Last year we got beat 42-0," said tight end Veno Belk. "And the cpaches put something in the lockerroom on our lockers that said, 'BEAT MICHIGAN. THEY BEAT US 42-0.' It's payback." " MSU's Robert Morse has a sister who is a Spartan cheerleader. When asked if she had anything to say to him after he crossed the goalline following his 87-yard punt return he replied, "She just said 'I love you.' " How tough will it be for the Wolverines without,quarterback Jim Harbaugh? Just ask Garland Rivers. "Jim Harbaugh, we need him real bad," he said. "The second and third-string (quarterbacks), they didn't look too good because they weren't ready. But I think they'll come through." Spartans steamrol (Continued from Page 1) ROBBINS proceded to crunch a howitzer, 78 yards into the MSU en- dzone. A fired up Wolverine defense stopped Yarema and company cold. After another Mojsiejenko punt, Michigan had the ball at its own 25-yard line with 11:12 left in the first half. Michigan's fifth possession of the game looked like a highlight film from the 1983 season, featuring running backs Rick Rogers and Eddie Garrett. The drive also ended in '83 style as Garrett rammed the final one-yard for the score, capping a 13-play, 75-yard drive that ate up 6:56 of the clock. During the drive, Rogers rushed seven times for 44 yards and looked like the back who rushed for over 1,000 yards a year ago. Coming into yesterday's game, Rogers had only carried the ball six times for 13 yards. For the game, the senior from Inkster rushed the ball 14 times for 64 yards and caught three passes for 26 yards. BOB BERGERON'S kick made the score 13-7 in favor of State, the score on which the half ended. The Spartans elected to receive to open the third quarter but after picking up two first downs were forced to punt and Michigan took over at its 20-yard line. Schembechler admitted to feeling confident as his offense took the field for its first possession of the second half. "I felt confident at half- time that we'd win the game. I thought we were playing well enough to score two or three more times. And I felt certain that our defense would hold them'scoreless in the secqnd half." FROM THEIR 20, the Wolverines moved out to their 44 where they l Michigan, 19-7 were penalized five yards for illegal procedure. On first and 15, Har- baugh lobbed a 24-yard strike to tight end Sim Nelson. Michigan had reached the Spartan 37-yard line and was driving. On the next play, Harbaugh handed off to tailback Morris who squeezed up the middle for about three yards but fumbled. Seeing the loose ball, Harbaugh made a desperate dive as did MSU linebacker Thomas Tyree and strong safety Paul Bobbitt. Bobbitt came up with the ball and Harbaugh stayed down, his left arm broken and his season over. "I jumped on the ball trying to protect it and the quarterback's shoulder was already on the ground," recalled Tyree. "I guess the im- pact of my weight broke his shoulder." I MICHIGAN'S defense stayed tough and the Spartans had to punt af- ter three downs. Sophomore Russ Rein replaced Harbaugh, but on his second play threw a tipped interception to MSU cornerback Lonnie Young. The Spartans again couldn't move the ball, but were in Mojsiejenko's range. The senior hit a 49-yard field goal, putting the game out of reach for Michigan. The quarter ended at 16-7. Michigan had the ball five more times in the game, but the com- bination of Rein and Chris Zurbrugg could only produce one first down. Mojsiejenko added another 30-yard field goal to end the game's scoring. "They haven't done it very often (MSU beating Michigan)," said Schembechler, "but they did it today and they should be congratulated." II;1 | Raising Ilel By PAUL HELGREN Parity gives Bo. .. HAT WE see before us is the prospect of witnessing Bo Schembechler's worst record since he replaced Bump Elliott back in 1969. How does 6-5 grab you? How about 5-6? Consider this horrid thought. The Wolverines could wind up accepting a bid to the - say it ain't so, Bo - Cherry Bowl in exotic Pontiac, thankful the pit people were kind enough to have them. It is that serious. There seemed to be legitimate reason for concern when Michigan had to huff and puff just to come up with victories over their first two Big Ten op- ponents, Wisconsin and Indiana. Yesterday's 19-7 drub- bing at the hands of the 1-3 Spartans pretty much removed all doubt. This is not a particularly strong football team. It is rather ordinary, possibly no worse and certainly no bet- ter than the rest of the pack in the Big Ten. It will take an extraordinary effort to salvage this season and finish, say 8-4, the mark of the 1979 team and Bo's worst todate. It will take nothing short of a miracle to capture the league title and yet another shot at the roses. You don't have to be a visionary to see that the outlook is very grim for Michigan. The Wolverines are without a quarterback, they lack consistent :play from their offen- sive line and are still waiting for one of the runnning backs to come to the forefront. The record stands at 3-2 now. It could be worse. It might very well get worse. Even if you consider wins over Nor- thwestern and Minnesota sure things (can we even take this for granted anymore?), the other games likely will see Michigan as underdogs. Iowa, Ohio State and Purdue are all road games. Illinois, which handled yesterday's victors 40-7, is at home. A 1-3 mark with these teams is a genuine possibility. For those of you keeping score, that comes out to 6-5. SIX-AND-FIVE! Can it be possible? Could it really hap- pen? The hard truth is that it could - and very well might - unless Bo can work some nifty mid-season magic. Bo was surprisingly calm after yesterday's loss. But he scooted out of the press room pretty quickly. He probably went right to work to find an offense. He better find one quick. Bo has never faced a situation like this before. He's never had a team that is so far from being a leading con- tender for the Big Ten crown. Yes, the 1980 team started .. .seeds o discontent out 1-2 and rallied to go undefeated in conference play. But that team was loaded with offensive stars - Anthony Car- ter, Butch Woolfolk, John Wangler. This team has never found a true leader on offense. Jim Harbaugh might eventually have filled that role, but he's gone for the season now. And which tailback is going to carry the load? Is Rogers ready to reassume that role? And why isn't the running game as devastating as in the past? Is it the fault of the offensive line or the backs? Bo would probably point to the improvement of Big Ten teams as an answer to these questions. No argument there. All down the line the teams are better. But in the process of improving, it looks like some of the clubs have caught and even passed Michigan. If this is parity, then it's bad news for Wolverine fans, spoiled for years by the assurance of league domination. The impotence of the offense has to be especially disheartening to Bo; While the defense, with stars like Mike Mallory and Kevin Brooks and a strong supporting cast, has developed into a formidable crew, the offense has floundered. And now Bo faces the task of working in another new quarterback. Schembechler's not even sure who that will be yet. Both Russ Rein and Chris Zurbrugg had no game experience before yesterday and it showed. Rein hit on just two of seven of his passes with one interception, while Zur- brugg's numbers were even uglier, 1-4 with two swipes. The new quarterback - whoever he is - will have to come through. He has no choice. Some other year Bo could have said, "Well, let's just give the ball to our 1000-yard rusher and our devastating offensive line will carry us through until the new kid at the helm gets some confiden- ce." He can't do that this year. The same rules just don't apply anymore. The game has changed from the hey days of the mid-seventies. And Schembechler must change with it. Without an automatic ground game to rely on, Bo will have to use a little coaching craftiness to eke out some' wins. That means doing things like throwing on first down, throwing the bomb on second-and-short. It means a trick play now and then, a reverse, a fake punt, a fake field goal. Teams lacking overwhelming talent have been doing this for years in an effort to win. Now it's Bo's turn. The alternative is, to coin a phrase, the pits. Daily Photo by CAROL L. FRANCAVILLA Michigan's Rick Rogers (20) slithers through the Spartan defense during second half action yesterday. Rogers carried the pigskin 14 times for 64 yards, supplying more than half the Wolverines' rushing yardage. SPOR TS OF THE DAIL Y: Huskers buck Cowboys, 17-3 Over-Stated ,"C RING MICHIGAN... ..............07-4 -1 7 Michigan St~te.......... ...... 3 t SCORING PLAYS MSV - Butler 1-yard runt (MotleJe ako kick) 1 SU-Mus'e 87yard pin retni (kck faled I MICH-Garret -yard ran 4 Bergeom kick) M8V-Mosttjpvko49-yard field goal MV --- viarettenk I42-yard flld goal Harbaugh....... Ga rrett........... Morris Perryman .>... P IC Gates..... .. Kober"s Miter ... ...... M wtre ...... T~aemna<._.. s 26 13 t RGAN STATE Att 'ds y 10 4 -i2 4.2 2.2, I-4 2.0 Avg 4.1 2.i -3.{3 x 0 Markray Bea) ..> ............... 1 15 t 15 1 1 TD 0 LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Shane Swanson returned a punt 49 yards with 8:51 left to snap a tie and highlight a fourth-quarter rally yesterday that lif- ted eighth-ranked Nebraska to a 17-3 vic- tory over No. 9 Oklahoma State and ex- tended its domination over the Cowboys to 23 years. The Cornhuskers, shut out until sophomore Dale Klein's 36-yard field goal at 1:55 of the final quarter, added a clinching touchdown with 1:49 remaining when backup quarterback Travis Turner, who directed the comeback, teamed with split end Jason Gamble on a 64-yard pass play. Swanson's electrifying runback decided a crunching defensive struggle between two of the nations's stingiest college football teams. Penn State 25, Maryland 24 STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Quarterback Doug Strang passed for two touchdowns and ran for a third as Washington 19, Oregon State 7 CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) - Jeff Jaeger kicked four field goals yester- day as third-ranked Washington opened its Pacific 10 Conference football season by grinding out a 19-7 victory over Oregon State. The Huskies, favored by three touchdowns, had trouble moving the ball the Oregon State defense. But Washington defense, led by cor- nerback Vestee Jackson,, kept the Huskies in control. Jackson intercepted a pass and recovered two fumbles. Three of Jaeger's field goals came af- ter Oregon State mistakes - a bobbled snap by punter' Chip Stempeck, a fum- ble and an interception. IMIC HIGlAN STATE No MSU tops spikers EAST LANSING - The women's volleyball team lost its fourth straight Big Ten match last night, dropping a 7- 15, 12-15, 16-18 decision to Michigan State. "We didn't pass well - that was the gist of the thing," said coach Barb Can- ning. "There was a lot of confusion." Freshman Lisa Vahi played for the first time this year, and junior Jennifer Hickman sat out her second straight game with a possible stress fracture in her ankle. The Wolverines will travel next to Columbus Friday in search of the teams' first conference victory. ' Belk -..... .. . . . . . . Morse ... Gates .............. Ingram.t. ....... Rolle s 41 Vds 74 .n 57 24 It First umns ..~ Rlushig (Att/Vds) Nvet Passloi Yards. MICH 134 NMSU 31° 401123 to0 PASSING MICHIGAN Att Came Ta SCORES New Hampshire 13, Connecticut 12 Penn 35, Columbia 7 Penn St. 25. Maryland 24 RETURTNS Michigan State19, MICHIGAN 7 Iowa 31, Northwestern 3 Pu..-- 92(thi Ctu. I ; Vdi inT Imi