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special indeed
by Matt Rennie

Led by Desmond Howard, the
nation's second-leading kickoff
returner from a year ago,
Michigan's special teams squad
promises to live up to its name.
The Wolverines looked to their
specialists on several occasions last
season to come through with big
plays, and nearly always, they
delivered.
After Michigan State took a 21-
14 lead against the Wolverines last
October, Michigan's offense
needed a spark. It got one when
Howard returned the ensuing
kickoff for a game-tying
touchdown.
In the season finale against
Ohio State, the Wolverines lined
up a last-second field goal with the
game on the line. Placekicker J.D.
Carlson split the uprights and I
sealed a Gator Bowl bid for the
Wolverines.I

More fireworks may be in store
for this season, with both Howard
and Carlson returning. Howard
finished behind only Tennessee's
Dale Carter with 29.5 yards per
return. This year, he'll add punt
returning to his list of chores,
replacing the graduated Tripp
Welborne.
Howard joins fellow junior
Derrick Alexander to form the
most-feared return tandem in the
country. The duo's penchant for
game-breaking plays will enhance
the Wolverines' field position in
several ways.
"At the end of last season, they
started kicking to the up-backs,"
Howard said. "That just put us in
good field position - another way I
can help the team without getting
the ball."
Carlson is embarking on his
third consecutive season as the

Wolverines'
placekicker.
Earning first
team, all-Big Ten
honors last year,
he takes a streak
of 74 consecutive
extra points into
this season, two
short of Ali Haji-
Sheikh's
Michigan record.
The battle for
the starting
punting job may
not be won
outright by
either of the two
candidates. Eddie
Azcona is the
returning starter,

KENNETH SMOLLER/Daily
J.D. Carlson may be the Big Ten's best
placekicker.

See TEAMS, Page 25


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Michigan
cashes in
on Blue
chips
by Theodore Cox
Michigan's 1990-91 recruiting
year was another case of the rich
getting richer. Several
publications ranked the
Wolverines' incoming class as
either No. 1 or No. 2.
But when evaluating high
school talent, one can only
speculate about how a player will
perform in college.
"I don't like to talk about
freshmen because most of them
aren't good enough to play and
most freshmen who do play, it's
because there is a vacancy there,"
Michigan coach Gary Moeller
said.
The biggest vacancy on the
squad is at running back, where
Michigan lacks depth behind
starters Ricky Powers and Burnie
Legette. And running back is a
position at which the Wolverines
snagged a wealth of talent.
Michigan's most prominent
recruit is Tyrone Wheatley, from
Dearborn Heights, Mich. Voted
thve top offensive player in the
Midwest by Super Prep and
Lemming's, he played eight
different positions at Robichaud
High School. There, Wheatley
rushed for 4,257 yards and scored
67 touchdowns, splitting time
between quarterback and
running back. He also ran track,
capturing state titles in the 100m,
the long jump, the 200m, and the
110m high hurdles last year.
Wheatley is the fastest Michigan
player, running 40 yards in 4.3
seconds.
Wheatley had such a strong
summer that Moeller has given
him the backup spot behind
Powers.
"There is no question that
Wheatley was a gratifying
recruit," Moeller said. "He has
excellent potential to develop
with our help. He will definitely
play the tailback position, as
opposed to the other positions he
played in high school."
6-foot-3, 240 pound fullback
Ch6 Foster is another who could
see some playing time. He runs a
4.56 in the 40-yard dash and
bench-presses 365 pounds. He was
rated as the 32nd-best prospect in
The National.
"Ch6 is a back that you can
play at both positions," Moeller
said. "I would compare him to the
Leroy Hoard type."
A strong offensive line has
been a Michigan tradition, and
with this class the tradition
should continue. The biggest
lineman, literally, is Trezelle
Jenkins. The Chicago native is 6-
See RECRUITS, Page 17

by Matt Rennie
What's the big deal about Ann
Arbor's $25 pot fine? After all,
the Michigan Athletic
Department paid $1.2 million for
its grass.
However, the effects of that
investment should be more long-
lasting. The grass will replace the
artificial turf which had covered
the floor of Michigan Stadium
since 1969, former coach Bo
Schembechler's first season at the
helm.
The Michigan coaches hope
the new surface will reduce the
number of injuries which have
plagued the team in recent years.
Though no conclusive evidence
indicates that grass is a safer
surface, Iowa coach Hayden Fry
asserts the number of injuries to
his players went from 19 to 2 the
year after the Hawkeyes changed
their field.
"My feeling is that it's going to
be less pounding," Michigan
coach Gary Moeller said. "One
thing you're going to eliminate in
a hurry are the turf burns."
Many players throughout the
conference agree. "I just know
that I come out of a game on
natural grass with a lot less burns
on my hands, less burns on my
arms," said Jim Schwantz, a
linebacker at Purdue, which has
always had natural grass.

Iaw time cow

In the past, grass fields have
slowed down the speedier players,
but the new Prescription
Athletic Turf (PAT) reduces this
problem. By utilizing a huge
basin and a network of pumps
underneath the playing surface,
the field's moisture level can be
regulated.
"The thing I always liked
about an artificial field was the
great footing, which allowed you
to see a great athlete perform,"

KENNE THSMULLtRUaily
Michigan Stadium now fields a state-of-the-art playing surface


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rJ

RECRUITS
Continued from page 12
foot-7 and 298 pounds. He
graduated early from high school
so he could enroll at Michigan last
January.
On the defensive side of the
ball, newcomer Shonte Peoples
has a chance at cracking an
inexperienced secondary. The
sophomore missed last year due to
academic problems.
"I'm just trying to master the
defensive system," Peoples said.
"It is a learning process, and it
takes time to learn."
Trent Zenkewicz could make
an impact on the defensive line.
He was selected to several
magazines' All-America teams.
But after lining up against
Michigan tackle Greg Skrepenak
for much of August, Zenkewicz
understands the upward climb he
must make.
"I have 10 bad plays for every
one good play. It is a step-up from
high school and I have a lot to
learn," he said.
Moeller has told all the first-
year players that if they don't
play during the year, they could
be red-shirted. But, he added, he
will take a wait-and-see
approach.
Two recruits who will
definitely not see action are
defensive back Deollo Anderson
and offensive guard Lloyd
Cameron. Both failed to meet
Proposition 48 requirements, and
have elected to attend academies
on the on the East Coast this fall.

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