The Michigan Daily - Sports Monday - September 18, 1989 - Page b
Notre
Dame
24, Michigan
19
Elvis appears: rallies offense
1by Steve Blonder
daily Football Writer
Wolverine fans hoped that a "No
Vacancy" sign would be hanging in
S ront of the Heartbreak Hotel, but
Elvis came in and Michigan checked
in just before closing time.
Elvis Grbac, who claims not to
be named after the legendary rock
Star, began his Michigan career in a
way he had not imagined.
"The way I expected (to play) was
;coming in the fourth quarter and
running out the clock," the redshirt
*rosh said. "I never expected to go
into the game with us being down."
After a sack by Notre Dame's Ned
Rookie quarterback Grbac
takes control for Michigan
GRBAC
in the first place.
Bolcar finished
off starter Michael
Taylor for the
game, Michigan
coach Bo Schem-
bechler turned to
Grbac with the
game on the line.
Afterwards,
Schembechler said
he probably should
have started Grbac
Grbac did just that, completing
17-21 passes for 134 yards and two
touchdowns in under one half of
football, and impressing those on
both sides.
"That young quarterback came in
and did a great job," said Notre Dame
coach Lou Holtz. "He made some
excellent throws. I think that kid has
a great future."
'The way I expected (to
play) was coming in the
fourth quarter and
running out the clock. I
never expected to go
into the game with us
being down.,
- Michigan QB
Elvis Grbac
Grbac is a drop-back style passer,
who admittedly needs to improve the
way he runs the option attack that
Michigan uses. But despite any"
deficiencies, Grbac hasdthe support
of his teammates.
"We had confidence in Elvis,"
said linebacker J.J. Grant. "We knew
he could get the job done if we could
get him the ball back."
Offensive tackle Greg Skrepanek
added that Grbac did "more than he
had to do. He did his job. He passed
well, and checked well at the line of
scrimmage."
But Grbac refused to assess his
own performance, saying, "I just
tried to go out there and lead the
team the best I could. But my main
goal was to try and win the game."
"It's not like I just grabbed him
out of the pack. We anticipated we
could end up playing this game with
Elvis anyway," Schembechler said.
"We probably should have started
Elvis and let the chips fall where
they may.
"I've always had a rule that if you
don't practice, you don't play.,
Michael practiced, but he did not
throw."
Taylor has missed most of fall
JOSE JUARE'UJ"aiI
Michigan wide receiver Chris Calloway stretches to complete a Michael
Taylor touchdown pass in the second quarter of Saturday's game.
Wolverine receivers notched 22 receptions for 178 yards in the game.
practice with a sore right (throwing)
shoulder. His status remains
doubtful for next week's game at
UCLA, with a final decision
expected later this week.
But if he is not ready to go, the
cocky frosh from Willoughby Hills,
Ohio will be more than ready to go.
"I'm prepared if Mike goes
down," Grbac said last week. "It's
dawned on me that somebody has to
take over (if Taylor gets hurt)."
He continued after the Notre
Dame game saying, "I'm just going
to go in there and lead this team."
FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK
Halftime honors 'M'
basketball champions
by Steve Blonder and Adam Schrager
Daily Football Writers
-The Michigan basketball team officially hosted three recruits at
Saturday's game. Coach Steve Fisher said Lorenzo Orr, a forward from
Detroit Pershing High School, Bill Curley from suburban Boston, and
Rich McIver of Texas all were in the press box. Also in the press box
was Detroit Country Day star Chris Weber. The Wolverines are only
looking at players over 6-foot-7, according to Fisher.
-Michigan has raised $10.5 million of the $12. 3 million needed to
finance building the new Center of Champions football complex,
according to University President James Duderstadt.
-Chris Calloway's seven catches for 72 yards were
career highs.
-Notre Dame is the only school to beat a Bo
Schembechler-coached team in three consecutive
seasons.
-Three of the four Notre Dame touchdowns during
the last two Michigan-Notre Dame games have come
on kick returns.
-Greg McMurtry's streak remains alive, as he now MCMURTRY
has a reception in his past ten games. His four
receptions moved him into sixth place on the all-time reception list.
-Raghib Ismail's two kickoff returns for touchdowns set an all-time
record at Notre Dame. His four returns for scores breaks the old record
of three held by former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown.
-The loss is the third straight on opening day for the Wolverines
and their third straight in Michigan Stadium openers.
-At halftime, last season's championship teams were honored.
Recognized were the men's and women's swimming teams, the
football team, and the basketball team. Also during the halftime
festivities, the basketball team received their national championship
banner, which will hang in Crisler Arena.
'Ofthe many Sunday morning quarterbacks that second-guessed
Schembechler's play-calling, Holtz wasn't one of them.
"I think of Bo like I think of Coach (Woody) Hayes," Holtz said.
"If Bo did it - he's right. Bo's won an awful lot of games doing
that."
-When asked who coaches the Michigan special teams,
Schembechler responded: "Bo Schembechler. He coaches the
quarterbacks, receivers, the offense, the defense, the linebackers, the
defensive backs, all of them."
-Elvis Grbac on the advice Schembechler gave him when he entered
the game: "He told me if I screw up on the first play, don't worry
about it."
-Michigan drew over 100,000 people for the 87th straight time.
The Wolverine football team is shooting for its 16th straight NCAA
attendance crown.
-After J.D. Carlson hit the upright with an extra point attempt and
Ismail had already returned a kick for a touchdown, Schembechler was
asked if he had thought about not kicking the ball deep.
"If you looked at our kickers, I was just trying to keep the ball in
bounds."
o 0d06ooboo
0 The Right Bike
The Right Price 0
0 The Right Place
o 0o
SPEALIZEL®
STUDENT DISCOUNTS
o BIKES $99 & UP
GREAT LAKES CYCLING & FITNESS
for a great deal, anda great dealmorael
50S We guarantee satisfaionand the best prkes.
560 S. MAIN at Madison " Ann Arbor " 668-6484
3U
NUMB
Continued from Page 1
And they didn't, giving up only
ninety-four total rushing yards to a
team that makes its living moving
the football on the ground.
Notre Dame picked up where
Michigan left off, only throwing
two times all game, and gaining 213
yards on the ground.
It's not that this success made the
Fighting Irish exciting either,
because they just took a similar
boring offense but ran it well.
All week we had been hearing
from the Michigan coaching staff
how they would be "opening up" the
offense now that they had confidence
in Michael Taylor. And how Taylor
had been throwing the ball in
practice.
Only after the game did we find
out Taylor had not thrown a pass on
the practice field and probably
shouldn't have been out there.
And because they started the
game with a sore-armed quarterback,
the Wolverines didn't open up their
game plan and kept trying to do
what wouldn't work.
When Grbac came in and
immediately went to the air, the
offense showed the versatility we
had been hearing about all week..
Had Michigan done what the
coaching staff had been predicting,
everything would have been fine and
the Wolverines might have even
won the game.
But they didn't and now the
record books will show that an
opponent has beaten a
Schembechler-coached team three
consecutive times.
It didn't have to be that way.
Michigan had everything going
for it when it entered the field on
Sunday. But after it took took the
field, it gave it all away.
I Write with us i
Call 764-0552
I
SUPERSHIRTS
Custom Lettered
T-Shirts and Sweats
for IM Teams, Dorms,
Sports Clubs,
Student & Staff Organizations
Choose from our supply of
50/50 and 100% cottonT-
Shirts, tank tops, sweat shirts,
long-sleeve tees, etc.
404 E. Liberty at Division
665-0370
Open M-Sat 12-5
KARATE
A TRADITIONAL JAPANESE STYLE
KANZEN GOJURYU
Beginners Registration:
Mon. 9/25 at 9 PM
CCRB Dance Room
(top floor of CCRB)
Class will meet MW 9-10PM
For more info call:
930-0166
Answer to Sports Monday Trivia
No, it's not Mickey Mantle.
Former Oakland Athletic Pitcher Vida Blue.
Team
With the authentic front page
bearing the headline that
trumpeted Michigan Basket-
ball's biggest victory.
Adult sizes S, M, L and XL
available. Shirts are $13 + tax
in person or $15.50 by mail
with the coupon below.
Yor
A -
==Ma
WHAT'S
HAPPENING
TROTTER HOUSE
PICNIC
Saturday, September 23, 1-7 pm
ALL ARE WELCOME!
Festivities include:
.....,csLS'?
RECREATIONAL SPORTS
INTRAMURAL SPORTS SOFTBALL
MANAGER'S MEETING
TUES., SEPTEMBER 19, 1989
6pm TMtRA
Get your T-Shirt FREE with
a paid-in-advance 6 month
subscription to the Ann Arbor
News. Stop by the News
at 340 E. Huron or call
994-NEWS for details.
3
i
"f
:.i
-. 4\ r I I
FREE FOOD!
Indoor Games
1 '
i
I
I
_ .. .:::;; ice,: . . _....