Page 4-The Michigan Daily- Sports Monday - October 7, 1991 / -W W MICHIGAN C*Vio c G I I Kicking incompetence plagues Iowa, Michigan Passing C-A Yds TD Int Grbac 14-22 196 3 0 Rushing Att Yd~s Avg La Powers 21 81 3.9 13 J. Johnson 22 168 7.6 56 Howard 3 53 17.7 52 Legette 4 69 17.3 50 Dy Thneouore Cox Daily Football Writer IOWA CITY - Iowa coach Hayden Fry said earlier this year that he was going to solve his punting problems by not punting. He should have followed his own advice. On the Hawkeyes' first punt attempt, Michigan's Deon Johnson fought his way through the Iowa line to get the block. The ball fell into the hands of Wolverine David Ritter, who ran the ball in for a touchdown. It was a change of pace for Ritter, who blocked several punts last year, but never got the re- covery. Soon after, Iowa's Brian Wise returned the favor by blocking a Michigan punt. Hawkeye Eddie Polly ran the ball back to the Michigan eight, setting up an eventual touchdown run by Iowa quarterback Matt Rodgers. "As I thought might happen, the big old kicking game reared up its ugly head," Fry said. "It happened to both teams." "Both sides I thought were very weak," Michigan coach Gary Moeller said. "I'll tell you what, every time I went to punt I was ner- vous. It's one of those things where you close your eyes and look up. I know coach Fry and I want to get those things straightened out." Michigan also had a 38-yard field-goal at- tempt blocked in the first quarter. "I thought he (J.D. Carlson) kicked it too low," Moeller said. Carlson missed another one in the third quarter. This time, his 28-yard kick went wide left. Iowa's place-kicking game didn't fair any better. The Hawkeyes' first extra point at- tempt went sailing wide left. Iowa tried to point conversion after its next two touch- downs, but both times the Hawkeyes failed. Michigan followed the Hawkeyes lead by attempting two-point conversions for its next two conversions, but just like the Hawkeyes, the Wolverines came up short. Late in the second quarter, Fry tried to avoid his punting problems by running a fake punt. Fry reasoned that because there was a strong wind blowing against the Wolverines, a field goal attempt would be difficult to convert. However, Michigan did not have to attempt a field goal; instead Elvis Grbac hit Jesse Johnson for a 28-yard touchdown pass. In punting formation, the ball was snapped to the up-back, Paul Kujawa. The Wolverines read the play well and dropped Kujawa for a one-yard loss. Fry apologized for the call later, saying he forgot that he needed ten yards for the first down. The Hawkeyes turned the ball over at their own 46, and Michigan was able to score quickly to take a 19-18 halftime lead. "Everybody makes a mistake," Iowa quar- terback Matt Rodgers said. "He admitted it. We said, 'Forget about it, Coach, put it behind you."' Iowa's last two punts were much better, one hitting the coffin corner. "Once we changed from a spread formation to a tight formation we cleared up most of our problems," Fry said. J.D. Carlson has apparently provided the solution to Wolverines' early-season kickoff woes. Carlson took over the kickoff duties from John Albertson last week. "We need somebody who can kick the ball out of the endzone," Moeller said a week ago. Total 5 0 371 7.4 56 Legette Receiving C Yds Avg TD Powers 1 6 6.0 0 Diebolt 1 5 5.0 0 Howard 4 47 11.8 2 J. Johnson 2 34 17.0 1 VanDyne 4 80 20.0 0 Legette 2 24 12.0 0 Total 14 196 14.0 3 Defense Tac Ast Tot KENNETH SMOLLER/Daily Michigan safety David Ritter returns a blocked punt by Deon Johnson for a touchdown in the first quarter against Iowa. GREEN lContinued from page 1 Fired them out and we played smash- mouth football as we like to say. We took it down their throat." One key could have been the re- turn of literal smash-mouth victim, center Steve Everitt. His absence fast week because of a broken jaw had caused a weakness at both center 4nd guard, following Elliott's shift to center - possibly causing some of the line's difficulty. Though the line needed some time to re-gel with Everitt back in the lineup, it had so- lidified by the middle of the second half into Mt. Rushmore-like gran- ite. "You can tell you're in control of the game when the guy you're across from starts hitting himself to come out, or they're not pursuing like they were," Everitt said. "It feels great to be back - one week too late - but it's good to be back." Once the line began to click again, new Michigan sensation Jesse Johnson skirted through large holes between the tackles for big yardage. All told, the Wolverines averaged over eight yards per carry while rushing for 269 yards in the second half. And as for the passing game? Elvis Grbac had more than ample time to find an open receiver. On the other side of the ball, Iowa's offensive line met a solid wall of its own - the Wolverine defensive front. Tony Henderson, Mike Evans, and Chris Hutchinson pressured Rodgers throughout the second half, and with the help of linebackers Erick Anderson, Steve Morrison, and Brian Townsend, the Hawkeye running game never materialized. "We didn't run the ball, so they were ready to blitz and bring the house basically," Hawkeye center Mike Devlin said. "The defensive line is tough," Rodgers added. "They lull you to sleep with finesse-type moves and then, BOOM, it's pressure and they get you." There were a lot of big plays in Saturday's victory, and a lot of heroes emerged. But in big games like this, the big people determine the outcome. It may have come a week too late, but the Wolverines' big people fi- nally took control. C. Wallace Ware Williams Brown Dottin Ritter Morrison Anderson Maloney Townsend Marshall Henderson Evans Hutchinson Carlson B. Powers 1 8 4 8 2 6 11 14 2 6 1 6 5 3 1 4 " Michigan tailback Jesse Johnson tries to stay on his feet against Iowa. Johnson rushed for 168 yards and a touchdown in only his second game as a collegian. He also caught an Elvis Grbac touchdown pass at the end of the first half to give the Wolverines the lead for good. Anderson ( i Work up to 6 months in Britain,. Ireland, France, Germany, Jamaica, New Zealand, and Cgsta Rica. Coundc's Work Abroad Program, the only one of its kind, cuts through all the red tape! Call for FREE brochures on work programs, discount air fares, language courses, and more. 1220 S. Unwrsity Ave, Ste.208 Ann Arbor, MI 48104 313-998-0200 Auto Renters Monthly . .ml PaymentS'-' Zack Diatchun Agent Chesire Group 113 S. Ann Arbor St.- Saline 429-8259 MrnflIW WA IOWA Continued from page 1 ones, then it complemented our passing game. They couldn't double- or triple-team me all day, and they had to pay more attention to the run." Howard took full advantage of the off-balance defensive backs, scoring two touchdowns in the sec- ond half to put the game out of Iowa's reach; he now has 10 touch- downs in four games. Saturday's pair were probably his least spec- tacular,with Howard beating his defender to score standing up. When Rodgers had time to throw, the Iowa passing game was just as effective. The senior co-cap- tain finished the afternoon 26 for 42 with 275 yards. But just when the Hawkeyes started moving the ball again in the fourth quarter, Michigan free safety Corwin Brown levelled Iowa tight end Matt Whitaker, who was jump- ing for a pass. "The key plays in the game were the fake punt, and then when Corwin Brown hit one of their players," Howard said. "It just lifted our spirits and kept the mo- mentum on our side." Michigan is now in good posi- tion to win the Big Ten. Two of the preseason favorites, Michigan State and Iowa, already have one confer- ence loss. "I'm proud of our kids from one standpoint," Michigan coach Gary Moeller said. "We lost big last week. We were embarrassed. Then we came in here and got behind right away and came back." I JOHNSON Continued from page 1 little bit, but not a lot. It's just a great experience." Johnson's insertion into the lineup coincided with the Wolverines' improved running at- tack and eventual 19-point victory. "It was a good change of pace for us. He's a good back, and hit the holes a little quicker (than Powers)," Moeller said. "He's not easy to find behind that offensive line. Because of his size, he'll sprint through somehow ." "He's small, quick, and power- ful," linebacker John Derby said. "I know I lost him a couple of times behind that big offensive line." Defensive end Leroy Smith con- curred. "Johnson's so close to the ground, it's hard to get a good shot at him," he said. "We didn't respect him as much as we respect Powers. Johnson really kicked us in the butt today. He did a good job; I wish he didn't come." But Johnson did come, and he did play. While the Hawkeyes and the rest of America were surprised by his performance, his teammates knew Johnson had it in him. "We've known he was a good Azcona .tanlptn 0 p .ln 1 i V V V Total 3 6 8 35 22.7 Punt Returns No. Yds Avg Lg Howard 2 1 0.5 4 Johnson 1 6 6.0 6 Ritter 1 21 21.0 21 Total 4 28 7.0 21 Kickoff Returns No. Yds Avg La Howard 1 24 24.0 24 Wheatley 2 37 18.5 22 Punting No. Yds La Ava 2 1 6 8 35 34.0 0 0 0.0 Total 3 6 1 20.3 24 eA q7h i4 K WHAT'S HAPPENING RECREATIONAL SPORTS Intramural Sports Program ICE 'HOCKEY - FALL Limited to 30 Teams Scoring Summary 1st Quarter: Ritter, 21-yd punt return, Carlson kick, 8:26, 7-0 Michigan. 2nd Quarter: Powers, 1-yd run, pass failed, 3:21, 18- 13 Iowa. Grbac, 28-yd pass to J. Johnson, pass failed, 0:31, 19-18 Michigan. 3:rd Qunar-rs rhac 2-vd I I