4
Michigan Hall of Fame Dinner
Tomorrow, 7 p.m.
Crisler Arena
$30 per person
SPORTS
Michigan Hockey
Blue-White Game
Tonight, 7:30 p.m.
Yost Ice Arena
The Michigan Daily Thursday, October 1, 1987 Page 8
NEW COACH REVAMPS DEFENSE
Wisconsin lives off
big play
By ANDY KATZ
MADISON - Wisconsin's
defensive unit has been scrutinized
throughout the non-conference
season, but Saturday's Big Ten
opener at Michigan will pose the
ultimate test.
After losing 10 of 11 starters to
graduation, new defensive
coordinator Mike Daly was faced
with implementing a whole new
style of play to a whole new group
of starters.
Daly's "bend but don't break"
philosophy, and his effort to hold
opponents to fewer than 17 points,
has been somewhat consistent, but
there are still areas of concern.
"OBVIOUSLY, we've given
up seven, 13 and 31 points, and I
don't know what our statistics are
compared to everybody else," Daly
said. "But the only thing we get
concerned about is our scoring
defense. Right now, we're by no
means a great scoring defensive
team. We're in the ballpark, but
we're not at what we want to
achieve."
But at the same time, the Badgers
have been able to force seven
interceptions and five fumbles.
"I think the fact that we create a
lot of turnovers is a very positive
thing," Daly said. "How we
approach the game is that we don't
worry about the ball movement
because eventually something good
is going to happen. You're going to
make a big play and win. So far that
has really held out."
However, the most pressing
question for the Badger braintrust has
been how to stop the run? Although
Wisconsin hasn't given up 200 yards
rushing in one game, the ability of
opponents to burst through the
defensive line has caused concern,
especially with Michigan's Jamie
Morris (fifth in the nation with
132.3 yards rushing per game) on
tap for Saturday.
MICHIGAN, 2-1 on the
season, has compiled 848 total yards
on the ground and 483 in the air.
The credit for this offensive output,
however, has to be given to the
Wolverine offensive line.
Led by 6-7, 306-pound offensive
tackle John Elliott, Michigan's
offensive line is an intimidating
sight and comes off the ball quickly.
So how can the Badger defensive
linemen and linebackers expect to
stay on top of the ball?
"We'll use a lot of players," Daly
said. "We used eight defensive
linemen in the course of last week's
game when the game was still on
the line. We know we have to get
big people on the field at certain
times against them. But we try to
use our people in roles. Also, it
depends a lot on what Michigan
does.
"But there are some advantages to
being smaller, and we'll try to use
our quickness to get around them and
mount a pass rush. Right now,
Michigan is averaging 15 passes and
Nowka
... switches positions
65 runs, so obviously we are going
to concern ourselves with the run
during the course of the week," Daly
added-
He went on to say that the
defensive changes made against Ball
State were successful, especially the
switch of Pete Nowka from safety to
invert linebacker.
However, Daly will have to make
other changes because a sprained
ankle sustained by linebacker Tim
Knoeck in the first quarter of
Saturday's game will force him to
miss the game in Ann Arbor.
(Katz is a sports writer
Wisconsin's student paper,
Daily Cardinal)
for
The
TTHE SPORTING VIEWS
The balanced schedule...
..doesn't balance out
By RICHARD EISEN
Whew!
Did you hear that? You won't have to listen very hard to hear it
again. Just listen.
Whew!
There it is again. That's the sound of someone who watched any part
of last weekend's four-game series between the Detroit Tigers and the
Toronto Blue Jays. Four emotionally draining, drama-packed games.
And the best part of it all is that the two teams play three more
times - guaranteed humdingers. And then, on the other hand, there is:
Yawn!
Did you hear that? You won't have to listen very hard to hear it
again. Just listen.
Yawn!
There it is again. That's the sound of someone who opens their daily
paper and reads the American League West standings. With one week
left in the season, the Minnesota Twins have wrapped up their first
division title since 1970, and what a deserving winner they are! They
had the finesse and style to pull out a division title with an away record
(29-48) that's as messy as Oscar Madison's bedroom.
Here they are, ladies and gentlemen, the A.L. West Champions -
the Minnesota Twins. Don't get me wrong, the division produced a
little pennant chase excitement. The Twins did get a small scare from
second-place Kansas City. The Royals are 79-79.
Do you get my point? Is it clear? If it isn't, let me spell it out for
you. Who would you rather see play baseball? The Tigers versus the
Blue Jays or the Tigers versus Texas, Chicago or any other non-descript
team the A.L. West can field? The A.L. East versus the A.L. East
makes for great baseball. It's obvious to the fans. It's obvious to the
players. But it's not obvious to the schedule makers.
Get this. A.L. East teams play more games against A.L. West teams
than it does against teams in its own division. Even though the East
plays 13 games against its own teams and 12 games against the
Western teams, it comes out that the East plays more against the West.
The A.L. owners call it a balanced schedule. I call it boredom. Why
have the Tigers, Blue Jays and Yankees played a few extra times against
Seattle, instead of having played each other?
The National League has an unbalanced, but reasonable schedule,
having each team play. 18 games against its own divisional teams and
12 games against the Western teams. Eighteen games between the Mets
and Cardinals. Eighteen blood-thirsty, high-strung games. Only a fool
would want to see the Mets play the Padres a few more times.
But, alas, we A.L. fans must live with the boring schedule. The
A.L. schedule hasn't always been this way, however. The old schedule
called for 16 intradivision games and 10 or 11 interdivision games. Can
you imagine 16 Tigers-Blue Jays games?
But that logical schedule was thrown out the window in the early
1980s when the A.L. West owners requested more games against the
more popular Eastern teams. Even the A.L. West owners realized their
own division's mediocrity! Figuring the West deserved it, the owners
voted for a balanced schedule. But do they deserve it?
Absolutely not. According toThe Detroit News, the Minnesota
Twins, after taking all their mail requests, have 20,000 seats still
available for each playoff game. Detroit, with its destiny still undecided,
has had potential playoff tickets selling like hotcakes. Anybody want to
see a Minnesota Twins playoff game? Obviously not.
I'm not the only one who feels this way. Detroit manager Sparky
Anderson has similar feelings on the matter. "I'd like to see the
schedule return to the old days, playing 16 times against your own
division," the Tiger skipper wrote in his weekly column in The News.
"I want to visit the Eastern teams three times and the other division
once, and then you'll really see the rivalries soar."
For baseball's sake, listen to Sparky. We must have the schedule
unbalanced again, but we've got to do it together. Write your favorite
baseball team, your local congressperson, or Dear Abby if you must,
but the schedule must be unbalanced. Because if it's not, it's still: "Hey
the Tigers beat Seattle, 24-0, how did the Blue Jays do?"
"Oh, they beat the White Sox, 33-0, for the 12th time this season.
Gosh, when do the Tigers and Blue Jays play each other?"
Yawn!
GRIDDE PICKS
"I pity the fool who don't turn in
their Griddes picks," said Mr. T in a
rare interview.
662-9660 "Hell, with a $10 gift certificate
from Domino's pizza, I can stuff my
E A IIN I face for free. But that's not the best
part. No! The best part is that when
I win, I can say I beat all you
morons who say you know how to
pick a college football game.
"You can sure as hell bet that I'm
turning in my picks to the Student
Publications Building by midnight
Friday - FOOL!"
1. Wisconsin at MICHIGAN
(pick tot. pts)
2. Michigan State at Iowa
3. Nothwestern at Indiana
4. Ohio State at Illinois
5. Purdue at Minnesota
6. Boston College at Pitt.
7. Miami, Fla. at Fla. State
8. Florida at LSU
9. S. Carolina at Nebraska
10. Texas A&M at T e x a s
Tech
11. Georgia at Mississippi
12. Colorado at Colorado St.
13. Colgate at Holy Cross
14. Washington at Oregon
15. Penn State at Temple
16. Navy at Virginia Tech
17. Auburn at North Carolina
18. UCLA at Stanford
19. San Diego St. at
Wyoming
20. SLIPPERY ROCK a t
Clarion
CLASSIFIED ADSI
Call 764-0557
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w"
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GOVERNMENT
MASS MEETING
Thursday, Oct. 1, 6:00 p.m.
Welker Room-Michigan Union
i