The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, January 6, 1988-Page 11 Morris does 'it all for Schembechier By RICK KAPLAN Special to the Daily TAMPA, Fla. - The little run- ning back went out big. Jamie Morris, the all-time leading rusher in Michigan football history, ended his collegiate career with the best game of his four years. The 5-7, 183-pounder largely carried the Wolverines to a 28-24 Hall of Fame Bowl win over Alabama Saturday. In the absence of Michigan coach Bo Schembechler, recuperating from heart-bypass surgery in Ann Arbor, Morris had extra incentive against the Crimson Tide. "I ALWAYS wanted to end my career by going out with a bang. But I wanted Coach Schembechler to be on the sideline when it happened. One out of two isn't bad. It's a great feeling," said Morris in the locker room, as he peeled off wrist tape with the word "BO" printed on it. "This was my best game ever, and that was for him,' Morris said. "It was for Bo. If it was going to be for anybody, it was going to be for him." After his final game in a Wolver- ine uniform, the most prolific runner in school history reflected on his years with Schembechler. "It's the greatest feeling, whether you play or not," Morris said. "You should cherish the moment of playing for Bo Schembechler. I learned a lot from him, not just about football, but about life. He's like a father to me." The surrogate son ran for 234 yards and three touchdowns, both personal highs, on just 23 carries. While the Michigan passing attack struggled, Morris racked up record- breaking numbers on the ground. The 234-yard performance was a Wolverine bowl record, and the fourth best rushing game in school history. His three rushing touch- downs broke the Hall of Fame Bowl record. THE ONLY record Michigan appeared headed toward in the first quarter was fewest offensive plays. The Wolverines ran three plays and a punt on their first two possessions. Michigan ran six plays in the first quarter, not gaining a first down un- til midway in the second quarter. At that point, Morris began to take control. After a fumble recovery gave Michigan the ball at the Al- abama 25-yard line, the Wolverines gave Morris the ball on a trap play. Right tackle Mike Husar pulled to the left side, making the key block which~sprung Morris. The running back blew past two Crimson Tide defenders at the 15-yard line and raced in for the touchdown, giving Michi- gan a 7-3 lead. "We had been watching films on Alabama, and we saw that they were vulnerable to the cutback," Morris said. "Notre Dame had done it to them. As much as we could, we wanted to cut back some plays." The Wolverines cut back successfully again on a third down and seven chance on Michigan's next drive. Morris raced 24 yards behind Husar, setting up his second TD. Breaking off right tackle from the Alabama 14, Morris ran over Tide safety Mike Smith in a head-on col- lision at the five, and proceeded into the end zone. After his display of power, Mor- ris showed off his speed in the third quarter. Taking a handoff up the middle, he broke to the clear on the left sideline and went 77 yards for his third score of the game. The run was the longest in Hall of Fame Bowl history. "They were in man coverage, so once it busted, the field was open," said acting Michigan head coach Gary Moeller. "God, I didn't see him come out of there for five yards. It looked like he hid in the crowd and just busted through." Morris credited his teammates with helping him win Michigan's Hall of Fame Bowl Most Valuable Player trophy. "We had such a great offensive line blocking. But I just put a few jigga-joos in there that Allen Jefferson don't have," said a laughing Morris, teasing the Wolverines' heir apparent at tail- back. Blue downs Bama in last minute (Continued from Page 10) Of the 40 passes that first-year Alabama quarterback Jeff Dunn threw, 23 were caught for a total of 269 yards. The Tide also gained 191 yards on the ground, including 149 by junior Bobby Humphrey. In the first quarter the Crimson Tide controlled the ball for 11:30 en route to a 3-0 lead. "Going into the game we knew they thought that we were just going to run the ball," Dunn said. "We had to be very balanced and we had to throw the ball more." "They surprised us," said Mal- lory. "They came out and had a lot of success passing. But I think it was one of the better games that the secondary played. "They have a great offense, Humphrey is a great back, and Dunn played well today. We could have been up by even more but they wouldn't have given up." The decision What would Bo have done? That was a popular question steered toward Moeller after the Wolverines had pulled out the vic- tory. The play in question was Brown's game-winning touchdown pass to Kolesar with under a minute to play. Before the play Moeller was faced with a difficult fourth-and-three deci- sion with Michigan a 37-yard field goal away from tying the game. Said Moeller after the game and after chatting with Schembechler on the phone: "Bo said something to the effect that, 'Moeller better go for the win or I'll kill him.' Then we lined up and he saw it was fourth and three. Then he thought, 'Oh, maybe we should go for the field goal.' "I. wanted to go for the win," Moeller added. "It's different in a bowl game than it would be when battling for a conference champi- onship." After catching the pass that put Michigan on the Bama 27-yard line, McMurtry said his teammates sensed victory. "We felt we were in great shape," he said. "All we had to do was move the ball consistently. From that point on we said let's get the win." Said Kolesar: "It's a bowl game - the last game. 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