The Michigan Daily - Sports Monday - November 12, 1990 - Page 5
.7-
FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK
ue, Illinois treat
fans to trick plays
by David Hyman
Daily Football Writer_
Both Illinois and Michigan used some trickery to put points on the
.board. On a fourth and five from the Michigan 41, the Wolverines lined
up in punt formation and upback Erick Anderson took the snap from
*0center Steve Everitt and rambled 13 yards for a first down.
From the Illinois 46, Michigan proceeded to march down the field and
Ricky Powers' three-yard waltz into the endzone capped off the drive.
Not to be outdone, Illinois quarterback Jason Verduzco threw a lateral
to receiver Shawn Wax, who then passed the ball to a wide open Steven
Mueller for six points. This made the score 19-10 in favor of Michigan,
but the Illini had one more trick up its sleeve.
On first and ten from the Michigan 35, Verduzco handed the ball off to
running back Wagner Lester. Lester lateralled back to Verduzco, who
passed down the right sideline for Wax. However, Verduzco's pass was
long and Vada Murray picked the ball off at the two, ending Illinois' final
drive.
"They were set plays going into the game," Illinois coach John Mack-
ovic said. He said it would be difficult to sustain long drives against the
Michigan defense so when his team entered Wolverine territory, he wanted
to score right away on one play.
C CARLSON'S KICK CRAZE: Once inside Illinois territory, the
Michigan offense stalled, but called upon kicker J.D. Carlson to get some
points. Carlson responded with five field goals to tie the Michigan record
for field goals in a game. Mike Gillette was the last player to drill five
through the uprights on Nov. 5, 1988, against Minnesota.
Carlson's 51-yard boot as time expired in the first half was the longest
of his career and the last time a Michigan player kicked a 50-yarder.
'Gillette nailed one against Ohio State Nov. 19, 1988. Carlson's previous
long was from 48 yards.
TRIPP TO THE RECORDS: Senior safety Tripp Welborne became
".Michigan'ssingle-season leader in punt returns after gaining 88 yards in
tour returns against Illinois. Welborne now has 418 yards on the season,
surpassing Gene Derricotte's mark of 396 yards in 1948.
Welborne's longest return came on a 53-yard run in the third quarter
that set up Carlson's fourth field goal to put Michigan ahead, 12-3.
Welborne now has'746 career punt return yards, sitting in third place
*behind Anthony Carter (904) and Derricotte (751).
THE HOUSE OF PAIN: Illinois has now lost at Michigan Stadium
for the sixth consecutive time. The Illini have not won in Ann Arbor
'since a 28-21 victory in 1966 and have not beaten the Wolverines since a
16-6 decision in Champaign in 1983.
STOIC STATE OF MIND: When Illinois Sports Information
Director Mike Pearson informed Mackovic of Iowa's loss to Ohio State
during the post-conference, Mackovic said, "Thanks."
A few questions later, a reporter asked how Mackovic could take the
--news lightly. The Illinois coach responded, "I think I said last week that
* Ohio State had a great chance to beat (Iowa)."
BIGGER AND BETTER THINGS: Even with a two-game losing
'streak, Illinois appears headed for a New Year's Day appearance in the
Hall of Fame Bowl in Tampa.
"We've talked to a lot of people, but we've had more contact with the
Hall of Fame," Mackovic said.
Gator Bowl may be
only route for Blue
by Mike Gill
and Eric Lemont
Daily Football Writers
Last week it was the Citrus.
Saturday it looked like Cotton,
Sugar, or Gator.
Today, it looks like the Gator as
Michigan lost out in a post-season
bowl powerplay.
"We have not been invited to a
bowl at this time," Michigan inter-
im athletic director Jack Weidenbach
said last night. "The picture should
be clearer in the next day or two."
Bowl selection committees are
getting very antsy about who will
play in their games and therefore,
even though unofficial bids usually
are awarded Nov. 17, and official
bids Nov. 24, the bowl picture has
already been cemented.
The scenario has been compli-
cated, however, by the intentions of
Virginia. The Cavaliers were be-
lieved to be headed to the Sunkist
Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona, but
the failure of state voters to ratify a
holiday in remembrance of Martin
Luther King, Jr. has apparently
altered the school's plans.
In a released statement yesterday,
Virginia officials stated their interest
in playing in New Orleans, site of
the Sugar Bowl.
As of now, it appears Notre
Dame will face Colorado in a
rematch of last year's Orange Bowl.
Miami is headed to the Cotton to
probably face Texas, while Virginia
will move to the Sugar against
Tennessee.
On Saturday, the Cotton and
Sugar were anxiously courting the
Wolverines. "Michigan is certainly
still in the picture," secretary of the
Sugar Bowl selection committee Jay
Kern said Saturday. That apparently
changed when the Fiesta lost out on
Virginia.
Gator Bowl selection committee
member Tommy Gay said Saturday
his Jacksonville-based bowl is
looking for Virginia or a South-
eastern Conference team to take on
Michigan or Ohio State.
Gay, who was president of the se-
lection committee in 1979, (the last
time Michigan played in the Gator)
said, "Michigan is at the top or very
close to the top (of our priority list)
and would be attractive even with a
7-4 record."
On Saturday, it appeared the
Gator would get the loser of the
OSU-Michigan game, with the
winner going to the Sugar or
Cotton. Now, the Gator may be
forced to promise a bid in order to
guarantee a team. Stay tuned.
-Daily Sports Staffer Mike
Bess contributed to this report
Running back Jarrod Bunch rumbles through the line Saturday against
Illinois. Bunch and the rest of the running backs were successful all day
long, with Michigan averaging over five yards every down. But the victory
wasn't sealed until Vada Murray's late interception of a Jason Verduzco
pass.
FOOTBALL
Continued from page 1
couldn't shut them down," Illinois
inside linebacker Darrick Brownlow
said of Michigan's final possession.
Earlier, Illinois had battled back
to within five points by using a
successful scheme to catch Michigan
napping. On a second down play
from the Michigan 26-yard line,
Verduzco dropped back to pass.
'Looking to his left, the Illini
quarterback found explosive wide
receiver Shawn Wax.
Only Verduzco had actually
lateralled the ball to the receiver,
leaving him open to throw deep.
Wax, who missed the first half of
the game serving a suspension from
Illinois coach John Mackovic for an
undisclosed reason, launched the ball
to a wide open Steve Mueller, who
danced into the end zone untouched,
narrowing the 22-10 margin.
"They executed an excellent trick
play," Moeller said. "The double
pass caught us completely off
guard."
Michigan had its fair share of
deceptive plays, though, with one in
particular taking its toll on the
Illinois defense. With the third quar-
ter winding down, a Michigan drive
stalled nine yards short of midfield.
Eduardo Azcona dropped back to
punt, but the Wolverines snapped
the ball to linebacker Erick Ander-
son, who turned the righthand corner
for 13 yards and a first down into
Illinois territory.
"The way that they were lined up
over on the right side, they left a
hole there," Anderson said. "It was
open in the first half and, when we
came off, Todd Plate told Coach
(Jim) Herrmann that the play was
open. But we didn't get the
opportunity again in the first half to
run it.
"So, when they showed it this
time, I think they knew it was
coming. But they didn't shift their
line, so it still left it wide open. I
got some really nice blocks and I
was able to get outside and get the
first down."
Tailback Ricky Powers took over
after the fake punt, running on six of
the next seven plays. The first-year
phenom capped the drive with a
three-yard burst up the middle for the
only Michigan touchdown on the
day.
"Michigan runs the ball
effectively," Mackovic said. "It's one
of their trademarks, and we knew we
had to stop that. When you're
playing against a team that runs the
ball as well as Michigan, they're
going to get some yards.
"Powers has been in there a lot
and we were not surprised. He's done
a good job for them all year."
Powers led all ground gainers
with 113 yards, but the focus of the
game was definitely the Michigan
kicker.
Carlson banged out kicks of 18,
28, 51, 18, and 19 yards to tie the
school record, but came within a hair
of missing the longest kick of his
career.
As time expired in the first half,
Carlson booted Michigan to a 9-3
lead with a 51-yard blast that hit the
crossbar and bounced through the
uprights, giving the Wolverines a
bit of momentum at the break.
"I thought it was a terrible kick,"
Carlson said of his initial reaction.
"I didn't make good contact. You
know instantly if it's right, left,
straight, or if you hit it poorly. I
knew I hit it poorly and I thought it
was going to be short, but with the
strong wind behind me, it went
through.
"I've missed some that I should
have made and I've had some
unfortunate things happen. I just
haven't been lucky, and today the
51-yarder was the first lucky thing
that's happened to me all year."
In the end, Moeller was pleased
with his team's performance,
especially the defense that held back
the shifty Illini offense.
"That was Michigan football out
there today," he said, "the way it was
made to be played."
Said Mackovic, "Our players tried
to put everything on the line. I'm
not dissatisfied with how hard they
played and prepared. I'm disappointed
with our performance, but I'm not
disappointed with our total team."
Playing a salute to the Beatles seems to be a good idea.
There's a plethora of material to work from.
How come, then I wonder, did the Michigan Marching Band
sound so bad?
How come, I also wonder, did it seem as if I was attending" Aunt
Hildie's funeral at halftime?
What a dead show.
At halftime, you want a show with vigor, with pep, and with
energy. What did you get? "Something in the Way She Moves,"
- a lovely tune if you like keeping beat with a rocking chair.
So, where for instance, was Twist and Shout? That would have
been an instant smash with the crowd. Of course, there was
enough excitement in Illinois' show that we wouldn't want to
overexcite anyone.
Plain and simple, this show looked thrashed together in a short
time. The choreography was not as strong as in the past, there
was little high stepping (of course with the metronome beating at
around 10 beats per minute during all those songs - it would be
kinda hard.)
I'm sure the decision to play away from the press box side was a
welcome enjoyment to all the fans on the other side - for a
chance, they get to hear what's going on.
Illinois, on the other hand, did what they had to do. They put
out a booming performance. At times, it didn't sound all in key, but
it was interesting. The choreography was strong while the
melodies were enchanting. It held the crowd's attention -
something Michigan has not been able to do.
Summing up the band's Saturday performance, one athletic
department official simply said, "One big bore."
Which is exactly right.
Wake me up when it's over. -Mike Gill
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -
x rp
Vaughn rushed for 56
carries, lowering his average
per carry.
yards on 14
to 6.48 yards
-0
OPPONENT ATT YRD
A VG TD LONG
Notre Dame
UCLA '
Maryland
Wisconsin
Michigan St.
Iowa
Indiana
Purdue
Illinois
_
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22
32
22
15
26
18
12
25
14
201
288
89
94
162
93
91
139
56
9.1
9.0
4.0
6.3
6.2
4.8
7.6
5.6
4.0
4
0
3
2
1
0
1
1
0
0
24
63
26
35
42
13
47
35
11
.4
F
V V V V
KENNETH SMOLLER/Daily
Inside linebacker Erick Anderson makes an open-field tackle of Illinois tight
end Jeff Finke. Anderson also ran for a first down on a fake punt.
Totals
186 1206 6A48 8 63
4
SHYMAN
Continued from page 1
territory, the Wolverine offense sputtered and settled for
three J.D. Carlson field goals under 20 yards. Ricky
Powers' three-yard scamper was the lone time Michigan
walked away with six points.
And the inability to put the ball in the endzone
concerns Michigan coach Gary Moeller, but he must be
. pleased with his offense. The Wolverines did not light
up the scoreboard, but when you control the ball twice
* long as your opposition and walk away with some
points, it does not provide the other team with much
;time to try to even the score.
Illinois coach John Mackovic said the loss was a
disappointment because his team expected to win and he
also expressed dissatisfaction with his team's
performance.
Coming into the season, the Illini defense was rated
as one of the best in the nation. The Sporting News
rated Illinois' defensive line as the best in the nation,
the linebacking corps No. 6 and the defensive secondary
as No. 2. Little doubt remained about which defense
MEET
I
4I
up the clock as the Wolverine ground attack ran
rampant. After the first two quarters, Illinois had only
had the ball for 10:16.
The second half continued in a similar fashion as the
first, with Michigan controlling both the score and the
ball, until Illinois made a comeback after falling behind,
19-3. However, after Vada Murray's interception at the
Michigan two-yard line, the Wolverines sealed the
victory.
With 6:00 remaining, Michigan held a slim 22-17
advantage and was buried deep in its own territory. And
like it accomplished all afternoon, the Wolverines
controlled the ball on a long, time-consuming drive to
end the game.
Jon Vaughn, Jarrod Bunch and Powers carried the
ball 11 times for 76 yards moving the first-down chains
four times to the Illinois 22. The biggest of these runs
came on a third and three from the Michigan nine.
Powers took the handoff and went off left tackle for a
21-yard gain. Illinois linebacker Darrick Brownlow said
the defense "put all the eggs into one basket" but they
were unable to contain Powers. Illinois was unable to
contain Powers in this final drive as he gained 42 yards
in six carries.
E
:: .1 J
ALEX TREBEKI,
The author of The Jeopardy! Book will sign
copies of his book
4
a
*
TODAY
from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m. at the
4
4
1 '
Community Newscenter
on South University " 662-6150
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