Page 4 - The Michigan Daily - Sports Monday - November 20, 1989
Thompson trounces through
'M' defense for over 100 yrds.
by Adam Schrager
Daily Football Writer
MINNEAPOLIS - When Michigan coach Bo
Schembechler talks about the Thompson tailbacks of
the Big Ten, he approaches them in a different way.
Indiana's Anthony Thompson, who is in
contention for college football's greatest honor, The
Heisman Trophy, receives numerous accolades from
Schembechler as being "durable, with tremendous
resiliency." Minnesota's Darrell Thompson, who
became the first back all season to gain over 100
yards rushing against the Wolverines in the Golden
Gophers' 49-15 loss Saturday, was jokingly labelled a
"dirty rat."
While initially done in jest, Schembechler's
further comments on the latter Thompson were issued
with respect.
"He's afine back, very talented. He's got great
speed and power. He's a great player."
In Thompson's four years in Minneapolis, he has
numerous accomplishments to substantiate
Schembechler-like comments from everyone around
the conference. Saturday, Thompson not gnly rushed
for 128 yards on 27 carries against the Wolverines in
his last home game, but also went over 1000 yards
on the season for the third time in his Gopher career.
ugly way to end a home career," said Thompson, who
added to his school record for touchdowns (43) with a
one-yard plunge in the first quarter. "Michigan's got a
great team and they deserve to go to the Rose Bowl.
I'm flattered that I am the only back to get over 100
yards against them."
Flattery is something that the fourth all-time Big
Ten rusher will have to deal with considering the
upcoming NFL draft. At 6-foot-1, 220 pounds and
able to run a 4.4 40-meter dash, Thompson will be.
very appealing to professional scouts.
"He's a great talent," said Minnesota head coach
John Gutekunst. "As you saw today, he can get yards
anyway. He is both powerful and fast and would be a
great asset to any pro club."
Currently, Thompson is the Gophers' greatest
offensive asset, averaging nearly 120 yards per game
rushing and that did not go unnoticed by the
Wolverines. After Thompson's 200-yard plus rushing
effort against Michigan two years ago including a 98-
yard touchdown run, the Michigan defense was geared
to stop him.
"He's the kind of back that demands attention,"
said Michigan strong safety Tripp Welborne.
"Wherever he is on the field, you always have to keep
an eye out for him because he can hurt you. He is a
fantastic player."
JUSE ZJUMI1ILJLDIIy
Wolverine defensive lineman Mike Evans puts pressure on Minnesota quarterback Scott Schaffner. Evans had
one of Michigan's three sacks as the Wolverine defense held the Gophers to 185 passing yards.
Trojans fail under
pressure, tie Bruins
"The statistics"are nice and all,
but this was an
by Jonathan Samnick
Daily Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES - In a game
which was to showcase the dom-
inance of USC over UCLA, the 10-
10 tie Saturday between the Rose
Bowl bound Trojans and the wait-
till-next-year Bruins was an exercise
in how not to win a football game.
As the last two seconds ticked
off the clock, Alfredo Velasco's
kick was descending towards the
north goalpost in an effort to break
the tie and give UCLA a win.
When the ball bounced off the
crossbar all it broke was the hearts
of UCLA players and fans and saved
USC from an inexplicable loss.
"I thought it was going in,"
USC safety Mark Carrier said. "It
didn't, it was a tie; there was no
excitement."
Oh, but there was excitement.
USC, which was favored by 16 and
a half points going into the game,
technically had nothing to play for.
But as the game marched on, it
became more apparent that both
teams were playing for Los Angeles
bragging rights, not for places in
the standings.
The sloppily played game feat-
ured 10 fumbles and four inter-
ceptions, three by USC first-year
quarterback Todd Marinovich.
"Like they say, a tie is like
kissing your sister," Marinovich
said after the game. "It's no fun."
USC took the early lead on the
strength of Marinovich completing
four-of-six passes for 67 yards.
USC marched down the field
quickly and capped the drive on a
controversial touchdown catch by
junior flanker Gary Wellman.
Replays later showed that Well-
man was out of bounds on the
catch, but the officials ruled it good
and the Trojans led. 7-0.
UCLA answered with a second
quarter touchdown of their own on a
Kevin Williams three-yard run.
As the half ran out, USC's Quin
Rodriguez put the Trojans up 10-7
on a seasonal best 40-yard field goal
which bounced off the right up-
right.
The second half produced only
three points on a Velasco seasonal-
best 49-yard field goal. However,
the half belonged to USC, as they
held the ball for 18 of 30 minutes.
Marinovich completed only two
passes in the second half, but
Southern Cal tailback Rickey Er-
vins ran for 123 of his game-high
173 yards in the final half.
"Ricky Ervins was running
well," USC coach Larry Smith
said. "But the problem is you can't
just run, run, run."
But USC couldn't pass, pass,
pass, either. Marinovich, who
threw for 2,000 yards this year,
repeatedly overthrew and underthrew
receivers.
Bret Johnson, UCLA's frosh
quarterback, scrambled on his pass
attempts, but could not avoid being
sacked five times.
Johnson saved his biggest pass
of the day for the final two
minutes. After USC fullback Leroy
Holt fumbled on the UCLA 15 yard
line, Johnson rolled out to his left
and wobbled a 52-yard toss into the
hands of flanker Scott Miller.
That play set up Velasco's
game-ending 54-yard attempt.
When the ball bounced back on
the field and the game ended,
players fell to the ground in joy and
disbelief.
"I'm happy our season isn't
over," Marinovich said. "I'm
excited about playing another game.
I'm glad we get another shot."
FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK
by Adam Schrager
Daily Football Writer
MINNEAPOLIS - When Michigan tailback/fullback Leroy Hoard went
out with a rib injury on the third quarter's second play of Michigan's 49-15
victory over Minnesota Saturday, Wolverine coach Bo Schembechler turned
his head 30-degrees to spot backup Allen Jefferson.
Jefferson, the Wolverines third-string tailback behind Hoard and Tony
Boles, who suffered a twisted knee in the4irst quarter, ran for 86 yards in
exclusively second-half action.
"I figured I always had the potential to be a good running back, it's just
good to get the opportunity to show myself," said Jefferson, who was hurt
all last season. "If one of us goes down, we all feel that we can go in and do
really well.
"Hopefully, Tony and Leroy will be back next week, but if I'm called
upon again, I'll be there again.."
Schembechler listed the two tailbacks as "touch and go" for next week's
final conference game against Ohio State, but both players said they would
be ready to play.
-Michigan wide receiver Desmond Howard, who caught his second career
touchdown in the fourth quarter against Minnesota, was named the Honda
Scholar/Athlete-of-the-Week on ABC-TV Saturday. Howard is majoring in
Physical Education and has a 3.0 grade-point-average.
-When sophomore Michigan kicker J.D. Carlson missed on a 42-yard
field goal with 2:11 left in the first quarter, it was his first career miss.
Carlson, who won the kicking job this year, had made 12 straight before the
miss.
-With the victory, the Wolverines maintained possession of the Little
Brown Jug for the third straight year. In the competition for the Jug, which
dates back to 1903, Michigan holds a 52-23-3 advantage over the Gophers
and have won 10 of the last 11.
-Michigan free safety Tripp Welborne made both the Kodak and The
Sporting News first team All-American teams, while running back Tony
Boles and place kicker J.D. Carlson made The Sporting News second team.
Wolverine running back Allen Jefferson rushes the ball into the Gopher
defense.
~IG #Q)
JUG
continued from page 1
Coming into the game,
Minnesota's pass defense was ranked
ninth in the Big Ten giving up
nearly 230 yards per game through
the air. The Gophers' problems in
the secondary were apparent against
Ohio State when they lost a 31-
point lead and against the
Wolverines Saturday as well.
"Our pass coverage and our
secondary was terrible," said
Minnesota head coach John
Gutekunst. "(The secondary) looked
disoriented to me. We have some
kids who are young and banged up
back there, but the people who
played just didn't play very well."
The disorientation began after the
Gophers stormed out to a 7-0 first-
quarter advantage. After scoring on
their first drive, the Gophers held the
Wolverines through the quarter
before the onslaught began.
"We seem to always get off to a
slow start," said Wolverine strong
safety Tripp Welborne, who added an
interception to pre-game first-team
All-America honors from Kodak and
The Sporting News. "It's not
because of a lack of intensity or
anything, we just made some
mistakes early and they capitalized
on it."
school.
"He ran really good routes," said
first-year Gopher safety Morris
Lolar. "They mixed up the run with
the pass really well, which made it
even harder for us to do our job. I'm
just glad (McMurtry) is graduating."
With four months and two games
left before graduation, McMurtry has
already placed his name all over the
Michigan record book. His 15-yard
grab in the second quarter before his
scoring outburst made him second
on the Wolverine all-time list of
reception yardage behind Carter and
affirmed head coach Bo
Schembechler's feelings of his
ability.
"He's a great receiver - that's why
he wears No. 1," said Schembechler
who has now won or shared 13
conference titles in 21 seasons, a
mark held only by his coaching idol
and former Ohio State coach Woody
Hayes. "(McMurtry) is like the old
No. 1 (in scoring) who you got here.
"(McMurtry) is a talent, a great
kid. He deserved -it...And he'll be a
great pro like Anthony."
McMurtry didn't play much
during the second half when he could
have tied the conference record of
touchdown catches with four, but
this didn't bother him at all.
"We've got other receivers who
practice just as hard as I do," said
McMurtry, who now has caught a
nnve a i n i...tt ...a knhtram'.an ti n A~
Ohio St. 42, Wisconsin 22
COLUMBUS - Scottie
Graham ran for 152 yards and two
touchdowns on 23 carries Saturday
to power the No. 22 Buckeyes (8-2
overall, 6-1 in the Big Ten) to their
sixth straight conference win.
Ohio St., finishing 6-0 at home,
won despite Lionell Crawford's 104
yards on only 16 carries. However,
an interception thrown by Crawford
helped turn the game around.
Wisconsin (2-7, 1-5) took a 13-
7 lead midway through the second
quarter. But the Buckeyes regained
the lead with a 66-yard touchdown
drive, culminating in a 9-yard
scoring strike from Greg Frey to
Jim Palmer.
Ohio St. forced the Badgers to
punt on their next possession, and
rookie Dane Lee's 18-yard scoring
run gave the Buckeyes a 21-13 lead.
On the game's next play David
Brown intercepted Crawford's pass
over the middle intended for Tony
Spaeth. Brown raced 43 yards to the
endzone, giving Ohio St. a 28-13
halftime lead.
Illinois 41, Indiana 28
CHAMPAIGN - Jeff George
completed 18 of 27 passes for 259
yards and five touchdowns as the
No. 12 Illini (8-2, 6-1) rebounded
from last week's loss to Michigan.
George's performance, which
included scoring passes of 38, 30,
21, 18, and 4 yards, spoiled another
record-setting day by Hoosier
running back Anthony Thompson.
Thompson, who rushed for 182
recorded a team-record nine sac]
shutting out Purdue (2-8, 1-6).
Iowa (5-5, 3-4) registered t:
first shutout since a 59-0 vicl
over Illinois in 1985 by stop
the Boilermakers at the 2-yard
midway through the final quarter
The Hawkeyes were led off
ively by sophomore quarterb
Matt Rodgers, who passed for
score and ran for another.
The Iowa defense set anol
record as they held Purdue to
astounding -73 yards rushing.
Mich. St. 76, Northwestern 14
EAST LANSING - Nor
western blew an early first quaf
7-0 lead as Michigan St. came fr
behind for the victory.
Senior tailback Blake I
scored a record six touchdowns
rushed for 228 yards on 41 ca,
while leading the Spartans (6-4
2) to their highest scor
conference victory ever.
previous high was also versus
Wildcats as Michigan St. tallied
points in 1981.
Northwestern (0-10, (
committed five second half ti
overs to fuel the Spartans'e
victory.
Sophomore wide rece
Courtney Hawkins contribute
record breaking performance of
own, as he hauled in eight pa
for 135 yards and one touchdown
He now has 58 receptions
1,057 yards this season. Hawk
broke the old record set in 198
AIR BO
continued from page 1
All that was missing were four
stars, thumbs up, and Academy
Award predictions. Instead of
hearing, "Run, don't walk to see it,"
I expected to hear, "Pass, don't run
to see it."
Formulated to take advantage of
the Gopher pass defense, ranked
ninth in the conference with an
inexperienced secondary including
two first-year safeties, Michigan
quarterback Michael Taylor
completed 12-of-16 passes for 231
yards and four touchdowns for the
game. In the first half, he was 9-of-
13 for 188 yards and three
touchdowns. Thefirst half.
"We felt we could throw on them
to tell the truth," said Schembechler,
who once responded to the question
of his favorite play by emphasizing
the 'Fullback up the middle' play.
That's not to say that the
Wolverine fullbacks didn't run their
fair share up the middle (Michigan
had 266 rushing yards Saturday), but
it illustrates how the Wolverines, for
the first time this season, utilized
their wide receiver threats.
"Our receivers are some of the
best in the country, so there's no
reason we shouldn't throw them the
ball," said Taylor, a staunch advocate
of Air Bo. "They were trying to feel
us out for draws and other running
plays, which opened it up for our
receivers and they don't need much
of an opening."
Specific application of Air Bo
was directed toward senior wide
receiver Greg McMurtry, who moved
into second place on the all-time
Michigan receiving yardage list with
seven catches for 165 yards and three
touchdowns.
McMurtry caught all three
touchdowns in the second quarter on
plays of 25 yards or longer.
Air Bo at its finest.
Backup Elvis Grbac also received
a taste of the new Wolverine
phenomenon by being sent in a pass
play with a little more than three
minutes to play and Michigan ahead
by 27 points. He proceeded to hit
Desmond Howard with a 19-yard
touchdown to end the scoring and
put the final stamp of approval on
Michigan's new offense.
0
0
"They're such a good running
team that we didn't expect this kind
of passing barrage," said Miles.
"They have great wideouts that they
just haven't used much before. For
their sake, it's a great addition to
their offense."
With Michigan's potent running
game, including breakaway threat
Tony Boles, power back Leroy
Hoard, and tremendous blocker Jarrod
Bunch, Air Bo was a guaranteed
success. In fact, it made some former
offensive players aggravated that
they ever switched sides.
"I try not to think about what
might have been," said former wide
receiver and current All-America
strong safety Tripp Welborne. "I try
to put those thoughts out of my
mind. They only make me sad."
If the game plan is the same for
Ohio State next week, Welborne
won't have the only long face.
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