Volleyball at Iowa Tonight, 8:30 p.m. Carver-Hawkeye Arena SPORTS Football vs. Florida St. Tomorrow, 12 noon Michigan Stadium 1 } M fyw r y . T" " tl The Michigan Daily Friday, September 27, 1991 The Battle for No. Page 11 . Florida State vs. Michigan: the matchups OSHOWDOWN Continued from page 1 to 1990 Heisman winner Ty Detmer. Weldon's prime targets will be wideouts Shannon Baker and Kez McCorvey, and fullback Edgar Bennett. Bennett was second on the squad with 35 receptions last sea- son, and besides being a solid ball carrier, he provides the lead blocks .for 1990 Seminole most valuable ptayer Amp Lee. They formed one of the most lethal backfields in the na- tion last year, combining for almost 2,000 yards rushing while fumbling the ball away only once. "(Weldon's) got tremendous poise. He's able to find every eligi- ble receiver. He's got great mobil- ity. If he gets loose, he stretches your defense. He's a really fine qvarterback," Wolverine linebacker Erick Anderson said. "Defensively, we have some good team speed. They do have good speed, we just have to cgrral them. They are going to get some big plays I don't see a team completely shutting down Florida S'tate." :The natural elements should help the Wolverines' attempts to slow down Florida State. Tomor- row's weather report calls for a chance of rain - which would hamper even the best passing game - with high temperatures in the 50s - to which Michigan would be more accustomed. "Forty degrees and grass that's a foot high ought to help us," Michigan coach Gary Moeller said with a chuckle. "They're anticipat- ing high grass, and you always want to be hospitable." While each squad has its trade- marked style, these teams haven't achieved their lofty national rank- ings with purely one-dimensional game plans. The Seminoles' offen- sive line, while not as behemoth as Michigan's, averages over 270 pounds. Florida State also plays an aggressive, man-to-man blitzing de- fense that hits as hard as any in the nation. On the other side, Wolverines like Tyrone Wheatley and Desmond Howard provide Michigan with plenty of speed to spread out a defense. "The key for us is if we can ball control with our offensive line and our running backs against their de- fensive front," Michigan quarter- back Elvis Grbac said. "And when they do come with the blitzes, we're going to have to come up with some key plays." When it comes to key plays, Bowden usually has a few tricks up his sleeve; He uses his players' high skill levels in every way possible. "Bowden tries a fake punt from his own five-yard line and he goes 97 yards," Moeller said. "He uses that approach to his football. He plays very aggressive in play calling and on the field - on both sides of the. ball." The two teams have only met once before. The Seminoles jour- neyed to Ann Arbor in 1986, the last time Michigan was 2-0, and the Wolverines came away victorious, 20-18. Se ators make wer. Bo r ai sed n atr n M Wic eh an .... . Mht)edflAP,, ark:::, .t rs kq f evmeth th Other n ~ 6 taen tf wr nd' Gl mc hi *rd+Ptor dState : ........... ........ :... T T V f by Theodore Cox and Phil Green Daily Football Writers QUARTERBACKS: Florida State's Casey Weldon is considered one of the premier quarterbacks in the coun- try. Since overtaking the starting posi- tion last season, the Seminoles are undefeated over nine games. He's got a strong arm, excellent mobility, and he constantly makes the right deci- sions. Last season, he was the nation's second most efficient passer. Michigan's Elvis Grbac alsoranks with the nation's elite. He's the typi- cal strong-armed pocketpasser. Grbac has begun making better decisions this season, and the offensive line makes up for his poor mobility - he was sacked only three times last sea- son. Advantage: Florida State RUNNING BACKs: Florida State's Amp Lee and Edgar Bennett form one of the most potent backfields in the country. Lee, last season's Semi- nole MVP, simply makes people miss him and averages 6.6 yards per carry. He also has a knack for the endzone with 24 career touchdowns. Bennett is a little small for a fullback, but is very quick with 4.5 speed in the 40-yard dash. Both can run, catch and block. Michigan's Ricky Powers has 340 yards in only two games and can ex- plode for a long run at almost any time. Burnie Legette is a solid blocking back with good hands. 0 Advantage: Florida State RECEIVERS: Michigan has the best receiver on the field - Desmond Howard. Yale VanDyne did a great job as the number two receiver against Notre Dame, and the rest of the Wol- verines filled in amiably. But Florida State has a few wide outs almost as good as Howard. Shannon Baker and Eric Turral lead a consistently ex- plosive crew of receivers. 4 C 4 A 4 KENNETHIllOMLEflILJa Quarterback Elvis Grbac gets off a pass under pressure in the Boston College game earlier this season. Grbac, who was 20 of 22 passing against Notre Dame, hopes to continue his efficient ways against Florida State. Advantage: None to 78 ya Hutchin OFFENSIvE LINE: Michigan possi- key tom bly possesses the best offensive line in rush wh the country. In order for the Wolver- quickly. ines to overcome the Seminoles' quickness, Michigan will have to dominate the line of scrimmage. Florida State's line is solid, but it lacks Adv the sheer size of a Big Ten line. LINE lineback leticism well. S .tM iJones isI Advantage: Michigan led the t last sea4 DEFENSIVE LINE: Like the rest of Mid the Seminoles, Florida State's front derson three is extremely quick. However', uc they lack the strength to match up with mucthe s Michigan's line. They frequently don't teci come off blocks well and overpursue, thus leaving themselves vulnerable to inside runs. Michigan's line held Notre Dame Adv rds rushing. A healthy Chris nson makes the difference. The orrow could be the line's pass ich needs to get to Weldon antage: Michigan EBACKERS: Florida State's king crew possesses the ath- to cover the field extremely ophomore sensation Marvin the leader of the group, having eam in tackles as a true-frosh son with 133. higan co-captain Erick An- roams the middle with just as kill. But, once again, speed is iding factor. 0 vantage: Florida State SECONDARY: Seminole cornerback Terrell Buckley evokes memories of former all-America Deion Sanders. He has the ability to handle Howard one-on-one. The Wolverines' backfield on the other hand, continues to give up the big play. Advantage: Florida State SPECIAL TEAMS: Former Tal- lahasee high schoolrivals J.D. Carlson and Dan Mowrey handle the kicking for U-M and FSU, respectively. Carlson should win the duel this time. Michigan's improved punting game provides an edge over FSU.. Buckley and Howard are two of the most exciting kick return threats in the nation. Advantage: Michigan e Michigan game is ---AK - only good contest by David Kraft Daily Sports Writer As the Big Ten enters its fourth and final week of non-conference ac- tion, there are few if any games out- side of the Michigan-Florida State showdown that spark any interest. With Ohio State and Illinois - both looking strong after three games - idle, the rest of the Big Ten matchups appear rather dull --- So let's have some fun. Notre Dame at Purdue: With its fourth consecutive game against a Big Ten squad, you would think Notre Dame, not Penn State, was joining the Big Ten. O Strangely, Irish coach Lou Holtz b3as yet to praise the Boilermakers, who yielded a mere 79 points to California two weeks ago. For only $40 million, CBS de- cides to pick up all Notre Dame away games for the next five years. Despite all of the hoopla, same old story. The Irish win, 51-24. Rutgers at Michigan State ,The last time Michigan State lost its first three games (1988), the Spartans stormed back to a second- place Big Ten finish and a Gator Bowl birth. If the Spartans lose to Rutgers at Spartan Stadium tomorrow - after being trounced by Notre Dame last week and CMU in the home- opener two weeks ago - they can forget about a second-place finish or a Gator Bowl birth. Realizing his offense has only produced 13 points and one touch- down in its first two contests, Spar- tan Athletic Director/coach George Perles hires Houston coach John Jenkins to install the run 'n shoot. Unfortunately, Perles fails to realize the Jenkins' Cougars have only put up 17 points in their last two games. Spartan 'D' saves the day by scor- ing the winning points on a safety in the closing seconds. MSU squeaks by, 2-0. Indiana at Missouri Drained after last week's 13-10 emotional victory over Kentucky, Hoosier coach Bill Mallory flies in basketball guru Bobby Knight to deliver the pregame speech. Still frustrated over his basket- ball team's loss to Kansas in the NCAA tournament, Knight throws a helmet onto the field in the clos- ing seconds, forcing a botched field goal attempt by the Mizzou kicker. Hoosiers win, 24-23. Eastern Michigan at Wisconsin Both teams will try to end their 12-game losing streaks. Eastern has lost its last 12 contests, while the Badgers are looking for their first victory over a team from Michigan since 1984 (0-12 since then). Looking to change their luck, the Eagles change their nickname once again. They need not have bothered. The Badgers take it, 17-9. Boston College at Penn State Realizing this game's uphill struggle, Eagle coach Tom Coughlin, former New York Giants receivers coach, sneaks Giants split end Mark Ingram into uniform. Ingram grabs four touchdown passes before Penn State coach Joe Paterno breaks from tradition and takes off his sunglasses to see what's going on. Ingram is disquali- fied, and the Eagles reveal their true colors. The Nittany Lions romp the rest of the way, 42-28. Northern Illinois at Iowa Iowa coach Hayden Fry disap- pears with his starting team to Hawaii for a week off before the Michigan game. Hawkeye second- stringers get in a good workout, winning, 52-3. Pittsburgh at Minnesota ABC executives must have been brain dead when they scheduled this one for national television after the Michigan-FSU game. Inspired by the play of baseball's Minnesota Twins, the Golden Gophers recover from last week's thrashing by Col- orado, staging a mini-upset. Min- nesota 33, Pittsburgh 21. Wake Forest at Northwestern The Game of the Week. Yeah, right. Tie game, 0-0. a II THE GREAT WALL RESTAURANT ------------ gold bond cleaners CAMPUS I Or R Milwaukee Best N 1/2 Barrel *so Specializing in Szechuan, Hunan, and Cantonese - Dinners and Lunches - Carry-outs Best New Restaurant--1988 --The Michigan Daily is m I 1 i