Ohio State { CJIor P nStat-, If Ohio State coach John Cooper thought his job was in trouble three weeks ago, he must be packing his bags now. The line had been that Cooper would be pink-slipped unless he produced this season, his fourth in Columbus. However, the picture changed Aug. 23 when sophomore Robert Smith, who rushed for a Buckeye rookie record 1,126 yards last season, announced that he was quitting the team, claiming the Buckeye coaches had little regard for academics. Smith's departure could be mitigated if Carlos Snow is capable of recovering from an injury which kept him out last season. If he does return, the Buckeyes could still contend for the Big Ten title. "He's about 80 percent right now," Cooper said in early August. "He did go through spring practice. We did not anticipate getting him back. I think those young backs made Carlos get well in a hurry." Whoever starts at tailback will have to share his carries with Scottie Graham. The senior fullback, hampered by a sprained ankle last year, hopes to evoke memories of 1989, when he ran for 977 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. Kent Graham is the front- runner to replace Greg Frey at quarterback. He should receive ample protection from an offensive line that returns Roy Nichols, Alan Kline and Mick Shoaf. Because Ohio State's defensive k , " , , "., , . corps returns seven of eight players up front, Cooper is not worried about losing three of four members of his secondary. "I think this will be the best defensive football team I've had since I've been at Ohio State," Cooper said. . N Smith Defensive end Alonzo Spellman leads the way. The junior is a force on the pass rush and should contend for all- America honors. Linebacker Steve Tovar led Ohio State with 125 tackles (78 solos) a year ago and made the all- Big Ten first team. "Tovar is an outstanding football player and a leader," Cooper said. "He had an outstanding year last year, and I expect him to have an even better one this year." - Matt Rennie The Wolverines should be Qua pleased Penn State isn't playing returns Big Ten football until 1993. The threw f Nittany Lions are currently fifth-be ranked No. 7 in the country by "To both AP and UPI. In addition, this spri they've already downed last has bee year's UPI National Champion, busines Georgia Tech, in this summer's really p Kickoff Classic. Sacc Coach Joe Paterno has led the be Terr Nittany Lions to two national 530 yar championships in the 1980s, and and Tis in his 26th-year, he has another the rece chance this season. Penn State "We started slowly in 1990, but won than we nine straight to close out the "We ha' season at 9-2, before losing to outs, pr Florida State in the Blockbuster wide-ou Bowl, 24-17. State." Penn State's defense will once The again be strong, with eight will be starters returning. Senior State Ic linebackers Mark D'Onofrio and ran for Keith Goganious comprise the A no heart of the Lions' defense. does no "Keith is a guy that has for the tremendous ability," Paterno Miami, said. "He can run, he is strong, Bigha and plays every play all out. As he Califorr gets more comfortable in there, he will be really, really good." Purdue While Purdue returns much of last year's team, a new coach skills a with new formations will done." definitely give the Boilermakers Thi (1-7 in the Big Ten, 2-9 overall) a workin new look. Purdue "We're all looking forward to runnin it in a big-way. It's almost a average feeling of it can't get any worse," for six linebacker Jim Schwantz said. Nin "We came in our freshman year passing saying it was time and our he may sophomore year. But I really footbal think we're committed this year starting to turning it around, because Unt coach (Jim) Colletto has come in system with a positive attitude. team's "Ie's come in with a proven "I'm system, and he's come in with the def some great quality coaches. It's because just going to be our turn now to keep th turn it around," Schwantz said. Collett Colletto's offensive system 11 guys will be led by junior quarterback match 1 Eric Hunter. Last season, the team." Boilermakers were first in the Big Coll Ten and 11th nationally in alignm passing. Hunter completed 54.6 Zgonin percent of his passes for 2,355 Kmet a yards and 12 touchdowns, second "Unfortunately, he has to Boilerm start out and learn a whole new worry,I system again after two years," players Colletto said of Hunter. "His Wisconsin Wisconsin fans truly see the impres glass as half full. record, Only pure optimists could Barry remain enthusiastic coming off a Madis winless season in the Big Ten. toward The Badgers (0-8 in the Big Ten, Wis 1-10 overall) certainly did not scaring rterback Tony Sacca also on offense. The junior br 1,866 yards in 1990, the st ever at Penn State. ny has done really well ing," Paterno said. "He n a leader. He has been all s out there and I have been leased with him." a's favorite receiver will y Smith, who caught for ds last year. O. J. McDuffie en Thomas will round out iving core. probably have more speed 've had," Paterno said. ve three outstanding wide- obably the best group of ts we've ever had at Penn weakest part of the team at tailback, where Penn st Leroy Thompson, who 573 yards last year. n-conference schedule t mean an easy schedule Nittany Lions. They face Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, n Young and Southern nia this season. - Theodore Cox A-h nd talent I think can get it s year, Hunter will be g out of the I-formation. hopes to improve a g attack that hasn't d over 100 yards per game years. e of Hunter's 10 favorite targets return. However, lack time to unload the I with three of last year's offensive linemen gone. il the offense learns his , Colletto will count on his defense. really looking forward to ensive side of the ball, e they're going to have to e scores low for a while," o said. "I think we can put out on the field and up with any Big Ten etto plans to use a 5-2 ent led by nose guard Jeff a, defensive tackle Frank nd Schwantz. The ary provides the akers' biggest defensive featuring inexperienced at each position. - Phil Green s anybody with their but second-year coach Alvarez did give the n faithful reason to look the future. consin closed its season by Michigan State before scumbing-, 14-94Tis yar, Badgers may have enough talent to pull off a few upsets. Wisconsin's strength lies in its defense, particularly its linebacking corps, which returns three of four starters. Standouts Gary Casper and Brendan Lynch anchor the inside positions, while Duer Sharp and Dwight Reese are stationed on the outside. The defensive backfield, led by senior cornerback Troy Vincent, is also talented. Vincent, also a punt-returner, earned second team all-Big Ten honors. Eddie Fletcher balances Vincent at the other cornerback, while Reggie Holt and Scott Nelson start at the' safeties. "Vincent's probably as talented an athlete as I've ever been around," Alvarez said. "Gary Casper has a chance to be one of the better linebackers in the league." Quarterback Tony Lowery should provide senior leadership on the offensive side of the ball. Last year, he threw for 1,757 yards, good for fourth on the school's all-time list. Lowery's biggest problem may be having enough time to throw, since Wisconsin lost five offensive linemen last year. Robert Williams returns at tailback, where he'llrshare time with Theo Carney. Both will look to fullback Mark Montgomery for their lead blocks. "We emphasized establishing the running game this spring," Alvarez said. "We feel as though we've improved it. Montgomery has bulked up, and we think he can be an excellent fullback." - Matt Rennie n S .. , Matt Rennie pine Football, has a. feeling all its own Every autumn Saturday that the Michigan Wolverines play a home football game, the city of Ann Arbor changes dramatically. Front lawns become parking lots. Homemakers become vendors. Conservative businesspeople become wildly cheering fanatics. Students go from stodgy intellectuals to loud, drunken lunatics. Okay, so the students don't really change that much. The reason for this transformation is, of course, a football game. And as Michigan embarks on yet another season of gridiron -action, I am forced to wonder, "Why football?" It's easy to say it's because Americans have a-warped sense of values and they place too much emphasis on sports in general. However, this answer is a cop-out because football is different than other sports. No other sport has such a profound effect on the communities it touches. Sure, a World Series or an NBA Finals can send a charge into a city, but even regular season football games are treated as major events in towns like Ann Arbor. The late Wolverine football announcer Bob Ufer once said, "Football is a religion, and Saturday is a holy day of obligation." Surely, there must be something special about the game to inspire a statement like that, even logistical reasons for the game's cult following. First of all, there are only 11 games in the typical college football season, rarely more than six or seven home games. Thus, fans must relish every opportunity they get to cheer on their favorite teams. This also means rivals only play each other once a year. Unlike in basketball, where the disgruntled losing team can look ahead to a rematch a few weeks later, the loser of a football rivalry must live with the result for 365 days before a shot at redemption. This makes each of these annual meetings the equivalent of holy war for the fans of each school. Consider the words of former Yale football coach Tad Jones to his players before their clash with the dreaded Harvard Bulldogs: "Gentlemen, you are about to play a game against Harvard. Nothing you do in life will ever again be so important as what you do on that field today." Another factor which makes football seem so important is the schedule. Nearly all college games are played on Saturdays, meaning most people have the day off from work. This allows fans to make each game an all-day affair, with tailgate parties before and after each contest. These parties range from the simple (a cooler full of beer and a couple bags of chips) to the elaborate (a propane grill and a wide array of Schnapps flavors). At Wisconsin, fans stay in the stadium after the game is over to watch the band's "fifth quarter" post-game show before moving on to more tailgating. Rest assured that the "fifth quarter" show is not strictly a victory celebration. Given Wisconsin's record over the last few years, Badger fans must have learned to party even after defeats. The marching bands give a unique color to college football that no other sport can match. Many Wolverine fans enter the stadium 20 minutes before kickoff just to hear the P.A. announcer say, "Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting the 225-member Michigan marching band. Band, take the field." And there's nothing like the Ohio State Buckeye band spelling out their trademark script "Ohio." And then dotting the "i." Now, I'm not trying to discredit other sports. Few events can compare in terms of excitement and emotioi with the NCAA basketball tournament. And baseball still tugs at the heartstrings during the October Classic. I once heard the relationship among the three sports characterized this way: "Baseball is America's pastime. Basketball is America's game.- Football is America's passion." Passion does seem to aptly describe everything that goes into making football what it is. A big part of it is the primal nature of the game, the controlled mayhem that satiates our appetite for violence. The objective is simple: get the ball to one end of the field and keep ~ your opponent from getting it to the other end. It's that kind of passion that causes 100,000 people to pack into a . stadium. It's that kind of passion that evokes religious feelings in an announcer. It's that kind of passion that, on autumn Saturdays, makes Ann Arbor a special place to be. S tpebw 6,1991 on-ac C '4. I zX I Choice Aged Juicy Thick Tender Sizzling Steak Your mouth has been askin for it.. and we've heard. Come and taste Ann Arbor's best-made steaks at our new restaurant on Stadium jstwestof the junction. 930-0055 Lunch Monday-Friday, 11:30- 2pm Dinner Monday-Saturday, 5-10 pm Sunday, 4-9 pm ig I 30 STEA K S Includes examination, our standa lenses, instructions and follov We Specialize In AR Types Of Coni R O P T OE TRey e c a re c e n t OL N 7- ARBORLAND * 973-7 3659 Washtenaw " Arborland Single vision lenses only. Good on initial pair only. ( 'I really think we're committed this year to turning it around, because Coach Collette has come in with a positive attitude.' - Jim Schwantz Purdue linebacker - 22 WEKICKIUD 2 WEEKEND