Page 2 - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 8, 1988 FALL Question of D-pendability BY PETE STEINERT What ever happened to the good old days of the Big Two and the Lit- tle Eight? Everything was so simple then. A Michigan-Ohio State showdown for the Big Ten championship was as inevitable as a last-place finish for Northwestern. Now it seems that parity has in- vaded the conference, and the fate of the Wolverines has become more clouded. Last year, they lost games to Michigan State, Indiana and Ohio State en route to fourth place in the conference. THE UNCERTAINTY of this season is no different. As many as five teams figure to contend for the Big Ten crown. But even in this time of upsets, uplifts and upstarts, some things remain crystal clear: Bo Schembechler will begin his 20th season as head coach at Michi- gan on Sept. 10 when the Wolver- ines play the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. Michi- gan's winningest football coach re- turns to the sidelines with the new title of coach/athletic director and a clean bill of health. Last year Schembechler was treated for kidney stones and under- went quadruple heart bypass surgery. The. latter forced him to miss his team's season finale, a dramatic 28- 24 win over Alabama at the Hall of Fame Bowl in Tampa. THIS YEAR, Michigan will JOHN MUNSON/Daily Junior Tony Boles, with three years left of eligibility, came out of the annual spring football game as the leading candidate to replace Michigan's all-time leading rusher, Jamie Morris. Read Dai~q CIaooijied5 have Washington, Jefferson and Grant; Boles and a Plate; two Browns and a White. The Wolverines will also have a new tailback; Jamie Morris, Michi- gan's all-time leading ground gainer, is now a Washington Redskin. Morris leaves his spot for the ca- pable hands of Allen Jefferson, Tony Boles and Tracy Williams. Jefferson saw the most action of the three last season, rushing for 267.yards in six games. Jarrod Bunch and Leroy Hoard return at fullback. Michigan will have a set of re- ceivers as deep as the national debt. Chris Calloway, Hall of Fame Bowl RESERVE OFFICERS' TRAINING CORPS hero John Kolesar, and Greg Mc- Murtry head the cast of wide re- ceivers. The Wolverines' depth at that position allowed Schembechler to try another receiver, Tripp Wel- borne, at defensive back. Schem- bechler also owns a pair of fine tight ends in Jeff Brown and Derrick Walker. THE ONE QUESTION that remains is whether redshirt senior Demetrius Brown - and his host of backups - will consistently find their receivers. Brown tossed a con- ference-record seven interceptions against Michigan State a year ago. The Wolverines may have lost All-America tackle John "Jumbo" Elliott, but they return with the likes of 6-3,.287-pound tackle Mike Husar and 6-1, 273-pound center John Vitale. And if fans spot some- one comparable to the size of El- liott, that's just tackle Greg Skrepe- nak - all 6-8, 322 pounds of him. Barring injuries, fifth-year senior Mark Messner will grab All-America honors as well as his share of opposing quarterbacks. The 6-3, 244-pound defensive tackle gained All-America honors last year in addition to earning All-Big Ten honors for the second consecutive season. Messner led the '87 Wolver- ines with 10 sacks and 20 tackles for losses. SCHEMBECHLER wishes he had a few more Messners and David Arnolds on defense. "Our season de- pends on the defense," Schembechler said. "If it improves over last year, we will have a good ballclub because we will move the ball." And according to Schembechler, if you can't play defense, you won't win any championships. Last year's 8-4 team surrendered a 98-yard touchdown run to Minnesota's Dar- JOHN MUNSON/Daily Returning All-American Mark Messner will anchor a defense decimated by injuries last season. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THIS GUY IS IN CLASS. If you're looking for excitement and adven- ture, you'll find it when you enroll in Army ROTC. It's not your ordinaryucollege elective. MYROTC THE SMARTEST COLLEGE COURSE YOU CAN TAKE. Find Out More. Call Captain O'Rourke Visit 131 North Hall or Call 764-2400 rell Thompson, the longest run from scrimmage in Big Ten history. Mike Gillette will get his kicks out of this season. Already the most prolific place-kicker in Michigan history, Gillette will double this season as the team's punter unless first-year punter Eddie Azcona fills Monte Robbins' vacated spot. THE WOLVERINES will sell out all of their home games at Michigan Stadium. Michigan has led the nation in attendance for 14 straight years. Its consecutive-game streak of crowds in excess of 100,000 currently stands at 79. This year's home schedule includes de- fending national champion Miami (Fla.), Wake Forest, defending Big Ten champion Michigan State, Indi- ana, Minnesota, and Illinois. The Wolverines will face Ohio State in the regular season finale in Columbus. This year's contest fea- tures a new twist as coach John Cooper takes over for the fired Earle Bruce. Cooper's Arizona State Sun Devils beat Michigan, 22-15, in the 1987 Rose Bowl. Finally, the Wolverines will go to a bowl game. Michigan has re- ceived a bowl bid for 13 straight years and - unless as AD Schem- bechler decides to drop the football program in favor of a varsity croquet team - that streak will reach 14. SOURCE i pOR . I LOOK YOUR BESTI If your hair isn't becom- ing to you-You should be coming to us! DASCOLA STYLISTS Opposite-cobson -Mpl Vlla9e "443" 761.273 I E N IR SPORTSWEAR* AND M ORE This certificate is worth $5.00 on any shoe purchase of $40.00 or more; $3.00 on any purchase of $39.95 or less. 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