The Michigan Daily - Spprts Monday - November 19, 1990- Page 7 High Step Returns There is a rumor going around that I never say anything positive about the Michigan Marching Band. * Wrong. What do you expect me to say after last week's on-field debacle? In the mode of "what have you done for me lately," Saturday's performance rated better. Of course, that's not saying much when you've hit rock bottom. But it was significantly better. Something relatively new was introduced at halftime: The high step. Yes, the band high stepped and high stepped some more, even threw in a little corp style - which is okay in small amounts. What a difference. The pregame (always top notch) was excellent, as the band formed a block 'M' and then high stepped their way to the south endzone and played "Get it On." Nice job. There is another rumor that I always say the other band was better. 7' Wrong. Notre Dame could not light a candle to Michigan's, and Minnesota looked like a phony imitation of the Wolverines. They attempted to high step and enter on a percussion entry cadence similar to the Wolverines. Imitation may be a high form a flattery, but when it comes to the Gophers, I'd rather have them stay in a hole. The drill was not real intricate this week - but there were only a few days to prepare due to consecutive home games. The five- *'eighth notes created during "Strike Up the Band" looked nice. Playing songs meant for a marching band will always help out. A salute to George Gershwin sounds much better than Miami Sound Machine. (I can't wait for next year's Milli Vanilli Show). "Rhapsody in Blue," "Strike Up the Band" and "I Got Rhythm" sounded particularly good. Michigan came close to achieving the recipe for a good halftime show. The high step was in vogue (it wasn't that bad was it Gary?), the songs were booming and interesting. Only time, in two ways, hurt Michigan. They could have used more time to prepare and make a r more intricate drill, and they could have used more time on the field to perform more songs. After subtlety suggesting band director Gary Lewis take the next bus out of town last week, we may have to consider renewing the lease on his house another week after all the high stepping at a halftime. It looked good, and I can't say that enough. Oh yeah: To the members of the band. I would like to thank all of you, who noticed me while I stood on the 30-yard line for the final minutes of the game, and began chanting my name. I always wanted to know what that would sound like in Michigan Stadium. The review of your chant: tone, good. Pronunciation, perfect. See, I'm not always negative. -MIKE GILL Sugar Bowl losls out by selecting Virginia too early by Mike Gill Daily Football Writer Minutes after Michigan had pushed Minnesota out of its way so concentration could begin on the task of defeating Ohio State and earning a trip to the Gator Bowl, sentiments varied about Michigan's bowl fate. Virginia, who many believe stole Michigan's Sugar Bowl slot when it backed out of the Fiesta Bowl, had just been upset by Maryland. "I think the Sugar Bowl got what they deserved," Michigan co-captain John Milligan said, when learning of Virginia's defeat. Offensive lineman Greg Skrepe- nak echoed the feeling. "Who's Vir- ginia to say what bowl they go to?" But Gary Moeller tried to say a bowl game is a bowl game, the fact is that Michigan will have the chance to play an extra game. "Send me to the Cherry Bowl, I don't give a damn." According to interim athletic di- rector Jack Weidenbach, Michigan simply accepted the best available offer. "To be very honest with you, we were never looked at that seriously by the Cotton or Sugar bowls," Weidenbach said. "How many times has a Big Ten team gone to the Sugar or Cotton? They did not scout us until the Illinois game. They only have one spot open, and noth- ing happened." F This year's bowl match-ups are not as enticing as they could have been, due to late season upsets and early invitations. "The lesson to be learned here is win early and lose*. late," Weidenbach said. The fact that the Wolverines did just the opposite this year hurt their ; bowl picture - if they lose Satur- day, they will attend the Liberty "We were all pretty down," Mil- ligan said of when the team learned its bowl fate. "But we don't have any say in the matter, so we can't really complain." 'r Weidenbach said no itinerary has been set for either bowl possibili- ties. With the Liberty Bowl played 4 " on December 27 in Memphis, Ten- 2. nessee, the Wolverines will have only a short time to prepare after ex- ~ ams. Weidenbach said Michigan will JOSE JUAREZ/Daih talk with bowl representatives next Jarrod Bunch raises the Little Brown Jug to celebrate Michigan's victory week to finalize plans and could elect in the traditional Big Ten clash. to practice indoors in Ann Arbor. INDIVIDUALS COMPETE WELL FOR MEN'S GYMNASTICS TEAM IN WISCONSIN Round by Charlie Wolfe Daily Sports Writer Categorizing the Wisconsin Open as "a meet to have fun in and test drive some new routines," Michigan men's gymnastics coach Bob Darden took his squad for a cruise around the block this weekend, kicked the tires, and liked what he saw. The team may need work yet, but showed every indication of being Big Ten road worthy before the regular season begins in January. The Wolverines' top performer in the preseason meet was junior Jim Round, compiling an all-around score of 99.04. This placed him tenth overall in an individual meet that saw gymnasts from all over the Midwest, including many of the Big Ten teams, come to compete. The competition began Friday night with the all-around com- pulsory events, in which Round and teammate Royce Toni took part. Round compiled a score of 48.65, which placed him in the middle of the pack of 28 competitors according to Darden. Toni nearly matched his teammate's total with a score of 46.45. That concluded Toni's partici- !1sinesi pation for the weekend, but Round joined the rest of his teammates on Saturday for the preliminaries that began at 1 p.m. The preliminaries included the six compulsory events that Round performed the night before, plus routines the individual gymnasts created themselves, called optionals. Darden alluded to the fact that the team's showing could have been stronger here, but was especially pleased with Round's performance once again. "We weren't as polished as I would have hoped," Darden said, "but Jim really shone through." That was evident as Round captured team bests in four of the six events. First-year gymnast Ben Verrall surprised his coach by taking 16th place in the floor exercise with a score of 8.95, and senior Matt Harrison equaled that 16th place finish with an 8.65 on the pommel horse. Aside from those fine Wolverine performances, however, it was all Round. He took fourth on the rings with a score of 9.45, sixth on the horizontal bar (9.25), seventh on the vault (9.1), and 14th on the parallel bars (8.45). in open "It was really the first time that Jim had been in both the compulsories and optionals because of injuries the last two years, so it was sort of like the first-meet jitters," Darden noted. "But he'll have no problem working that out with subsequent training. "He has such great intensity...it's great to watch him training in the gym." As for overall meet results, Ted Haynes won the gold in the floor exercise and Mark Diab took the rings, both former national champions from Iowa State. In the other events, David Augustine of Wisconsin won the vault, Erik Heikkila of Iowa finished first on the horizontal bar, and Mark McKiernan from Minnesota took the gold on both the pommel horse and horizontal bars. The all-around winner of the Wisconsin Open was Chris Kabat of Iowa, who compiled a top score of 108.2. Adding an inspiring twist to the preseason meet, former U.S. Olympic team member Kurt Thomas took part in his first competition since announcing his comeback a events. short while back. Thomas lost his chance at an Olympic gold medal when, as a member of the Olympic team in 1980, the United States boycotted the Moscow Olympics. But showcasing the awesome talent that had previously made him a world-class gymnast, the 33-year-old captured the gold in the compulsories Friday night with a score of 55.05. Michigan will now continue training in preparation for their season opener versus Minnesota in January. The Wolverine coach knows the conference will be strong, but believes his squad will be up to the challenge. "The Big Ten looks to be a dogfight once again," said a realistic Darden. "Minnesota and Iowa both looked excellent, and Wisconsin is going to be a major surprise." But Darden was pleased with what this weekend's meet showed him and the team about their needs. "It was an eye opener for the guys, and I think it gave them{ a better focus to see what other teams are doing," he said. Bills dump Patriots for eighth straight Associated Press Vaughn rushed for 28 yards on 7 carries, as Ricky Powers took most of the I * load. Vaughn is still nursing an injured ankle. I don't think Jon Vaughn is 100%," Michigan coach Gary Moeller said. OPPONENT ATT YRD AVG TD LONG .-. %.R v r v " +m Y 7 i s " _ . Notre Dame C LA Maryland Wisconsin Michigan St. Iowa 22 32 22 15 26 18 12 25 14 7 201 288 89 94 162 93 91 139 56 28 9.1 9.0 4.0 6.3 6.2 4.8 7.6 5.6 4.0 4.0 0 3 2 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 24 63 26 35 42 13 47 35 11 9 The Buffalo Bills have the most productive offense in the NFL. The way they're going lately, they could wind up with a defense to match. Buffalo won its eighth straight game Sunday, blanking New England, 14-0. It was the Bills second shutout in three weeks and they have allowed only 24 points in the last four games. Buffalo added only 14 points to its league-leading 274, but that was plenty against the inept Patriots (1- 8), who have the worst record in the league and have lost eight in a row. Thurman Thomas carried the offense with 165 yards rushing and clinched it with an 80-yard touchdown run with less than two minutes left. He also scored in the first quarter on a five-yard run. 49ers 31, Buccaneers 7 The 49ers tied the accomplish- ment of the Bears in 1933-34 and 1941-42 and the Dolphins of 1972- 73 with their 18th straight victory. Joe Montana hit Brent Jones for two scores and San Francisco allowed Tampa Bay inside the 49ers' 30-yard line once. The 49ers sacked Chris Chandler seven times. Montana was 23-for-35 for 230 yards and two touchdowns and became the first player ever to eclipse the 3,000-yard mark in passing yards seven times. His one interception was returned 65 yards for a touchdown by Wayne Haddix. Bears 16, Broncos 13 (OT) Field position in overtime was critical for the Bears (9-1), Denver started at its 12, eight, and four in the extra period. On the Broncos' final possession, they couldn't move out of the hole and Johnny Bailey returned a punt 20 yards to the Denver 34. Kevin Butler, atoning for a missed field goal at the end of regulation that hit the upright, kicked a 44-yarder for the victory. Packers 24, Cardinals 21 With the Majik Man on the sidelines with a shoulder injury, Anthony Dilweg worked some of his own tricks. He threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Ed West with 16 seconds remaining for the victory. The Packers (5-5) trailed 2 1-10 after.Timm Rosenbach's third touch- down pass with 13:14 remaining. But Dilweg (11-for-21 for 134 yards) cut Green Bay's deficit to 21-17 on a 15-yard pass to Clarence Weathers with 6:20 to play. Cowboys 24, Rams 21 Dallas, which won once last year, now has four victories, more than the Broncos, Browns and Rams, all playoff teams a season ago. The latest victory was engineered by Troy Aikman, who threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns, and Emmitt Smith, who had 171 yards in offense.- Aikman completed 17 of 32 passes and had touchdown strikes of 10 and 61 yards to Michael Irvin and six yards to Tommie Agee foi the Cowboys (4-7), who had not scoled a touchdown in their last two games. Vikings 24, Seahawks 21 Fuad Reveiz kicked a 24-yard field goal as time expired for-the Vikings' third straight victory. The Vikings (4-6) tied it with 2:28 to go on Herschel Walker's 58-yard touch- down run, his longest of the season. Reveiz's kick came after Dave Krieg's pass bounced off Paul Skansi to Minnesota's Joey Browner at the Seattle 36 with 1:59 left. The Vikings moved to the Seattle seven in six plays. Indiana Purdue Illinois Minnesota G -..i 9 . r Totals 197 1236 6.27 9 63 :.. .........T en. " tiow ..4 2. YhoSae5 iF t. Mc~ia Sae5 For exam preparation, choose to EXCEL -Learn to Anticipate the Exam. -Improve Your Test-Taking Skills. -Use Your Study Time More Effectively -Achieve Your Maximum Potential Score. E :EL 996-1500 lest Preparation 1100 South University ANN ARBOR CONTACT LENS CLINIC n We professionally fit all types of contact lenses and offer quick lens replacement MENEM ii ___-_- J 1LAO14 AY Tt'Sc' AY .12So.A' _ w' pJivPY 2 **r0f1 r F 1, Over 4000 contact lenses in inventory no woom88 Au I UNrW#M ff FMPONLO ITHIN, LIGHT'WEIGHT & TOUGH 32% LIGHTER THAN PLAS TIC Specializing in unusual and difficult contact lens fittings III i i