The Michigan Daily - Sports Monday - December 9, 1991 - Page 5 James The head Husky gives his views on the New Year's showdown Jeff Sheran W Washington coach Don James has established himself among na- tionwide coaching greats. his 157- 73-3 career mark, combined with a reputation of integrity and class, has made him the Pac 10's dean of coaches. In addition, James was hon- ored Saturday as the nation's 1991 Coach of the Year, after an unde- feated season which could earn Washington a national champi- *onship. Daily Football Writer Jeff Sheran spoke with James about his team's upcoming matchup with Michigan in the Rose Bowl Jan.. Daily: A lot of people out here aren't too familiar with Pacific Northwest teams. How would you characterize your type of team? James: You're right - we get a lot of TV out here, but it's more re- gional. We didn't get a lot of na- tional stuff this year. We would look a little bit like Miami on offense, and not too dissimilar to Michigan, with two backs, two tight ends, and that type of set. Defensively, Michigan has more of a 5-2 look than we do. Our running backs are not big, but we've got big linemen. Our receivers are quick; Mario Bailey is like a smaller version of Desmond Howard. (Steve) Emtman is our most celebrated defensive lineman. He's a 290-pounder. D: It seems like Michigan is most vulnerable to speed. Its one loss this year was to a very fast team in Florida State. How do you think Washington matches up with Florida State in terms of speed? J: It's really hard to say. Maybe we could all submit our 40-yard dash times. What we've got is two or three track guys, and that kind of helps us look like a fast team. For instance (wide receiver) Orlando McKay is a good track player. D: What do you see as Michi- 'I don't think either team was at all concerned with the other team during the season. You have to go out and win your own games first, so we really didn't concentrate on that' gan's strength? J: I'm really impressed. I think it's the best team we've faced since the Colorado team that won the na- tional championship against Notre Dame. Maybe the best team we've played in three years. Their defense just gets better and better. Obviously the problems you're gonna face are offensively. You try to take Des- mond out and they're gonna run the ball at you. D: What have you seen in terms of defensive improvement in the sec- ond half of Michigan's season? J: I've seen four games of film on Michigan. I'm trying to get in one a day when I'm in town. I've seen Notre Dame, Florida State, and then Indiana. The last game I saw was against Minnesota. They're get-. ting better. The thing about Min- nesota is that their offensive linemen couldn't hold Michigan's guys out, but they had a good quarterback. D: During the season, when it was becoming evident that you two were going to meet, did you keep up on Michigan's progress, or are you What effect do you think that will have this year? J: Well, I think Michigan is a much better team than Iowa was last year; I think Iowa is a better team than it was last year. D: Steve Emtman beat out Greg Skrepenak for both the Lombardi and the Outland. Do you see them lining up against one another? J: No, I don't think so. Greg lines up as a left tackle, and we don't play over the tackle, unless we come up with something in the next few weeks. Steve will line up over the guard. D: Your thoughts on the two in the balloting. D: The Rose Bowl has seen some legendary coaches - Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes come to mind on the Big Ten side. You now virtually preside over other Pac 10 coaches in the same way. Is it a situation you like? J: Well, I was the elder states- man in the Pac-10 after about my third year. But as far as this game goes, Gary Moeller and I won't have too much impact on the game. It's gonna fall mostly on our players and our staff. D: In Ann Arbor, every player and coach insists from day one that the team just wants to win the Rose Bowl. Is it the same at Washington? J: Yeah, you ask every player in the Big Ten or the Pac-10, and they almost all feel that way. It's a great motivational tool. D: How are you handling your title hopes. Is it a priority or a dis- traction? J: I've been in this situation be- fore, you know, high in the polls late in the year and all that. You just can't get caught up in that. Just play the game and do the best job you can. D: Will the players be con- sciously playing for the national championship? J: Yeah, I think they're smart enough to know that. In fact, I think both teams will have that in mind when they take the field. There will be no holding them back. D: If Miami does lose, and Michigan wins... J: Michigan should get the title. They'd get my vote. D: What about Florida? J: I like Florida. I just like the other team better. D: Whereas last year's game didn't draw as much publicity, do 'I've been in this situation before, high in the polls late in the year and all that. You just can't get caught up in that. Just play the game and do the best job you can, you see this year's game putting Washington among the prestigious football schools in the country? J: I'm not so sure that I'm real excited about that. It's not some- thing I set as one of my goals. But this year will get a lot of attention, especially if Desmond wins the Heisman, and with Steve winning the Outland and Lombardi. It's gonna be kind of a showcase game. Rose Bowl lives up to 'granddaddy' status December is a great month for college football. Of course, there's not the usual deluge of Saturday games, but December means bowl time. And bowl promos. My favorite promo for one of the New Year's Day classics was for the Rose Bowl. "The granddaddy of them all," a majestic voice would proclaim over footage of the USC Marching Band, or a clip of Bo Schembechler berating an official. Yes, the Rose Bowl seemed the best of them all. I'm from neither Pac- 10 nor Big Ten country, but it just seemed like the game. Even the name signified this. Other bowls took their names from various fruits, like peaches, cherries, or oranges. Some from textiles, like cotton. Still others from miscellaneous entities, like bluebonnets, people named John Hancock, or products that kill weeds. But the Rose Bowl takes its name from the sweetest-smelling, most prestigious flower of all. And though most Rose Bowl games lack a pleasant aroma, they were, for a time, the most prestigious. However, this prestige has declined in recent years. The Rose Bowl Champion has not won the national title since 1975, when USC edged Ohio State, 18-17. New Year's Day has since been dominated by the Fiesta and the Orange, a fruitless experience for the Tournament of Roses. But this year, all eyes will refocus upon Pasadena. For the first time since 1980, when No. 3 USC dethroned No. I Ohio State, the Rose Bowl ig the best game there is. The Michigan-Washington matchup pits against each other two undefeated conference champions, two teams with title hopes, two teams with winning football traditions. Even the Orange Bowl showcases Nebraska, which just doesn't earn top billing as an opponent to a top- ranked, undefeated Miami team. Both games are worth watching. Part of the beauty of New Year's Day is that there is a wealth of excellent football from morning to night. But the Rose Bowl is the best game. The Rose Bowl Committee deserves this year's premier matchup. While other bowls have gone after the championship game each year, offering bids instead of berths to money-hungry football powers, the Rose Bowl has remained above the fray. Or at least out of the fray. The Rose Bowl has remained locked into an agreement with the Big Ten and the Pac-10 to invite each conference's winner, whether the matchup promises to be a gem or a wash. And even more commendable is that the two conferences with which the Rose Bowl is bound are leagues that field true student-athletes. Schools like Stanford, Northwestern, Michigan, and Cal-Berkeley characterize an elite mix of athletics and academics. The by-product of this commitment is the inevitable off-year in Pasadena, which we have seen for much of the last decade. "In recent history, we haven't had title implications," said Jack French of the Tournament of Roses Committee. "But this year, our game is the best game. We've got the potential No.1 and No. 3, the potential Heisman winner, the Lombardi and Outland winner and runner-up..." And although independents and weaker-conference teams always seem to win the national championship, these teams don't always feature the best players. Of all NCAA Division I players in the NFL, 65 percent come from Big Ten, Pac-10, or Southeastern Conference. "These conferences are so good and so balanced that they tend to beat each other up," Washington coach Don James said. "We've had great teams in the Rose Bowl with one or two losses, a lot of times because of the tough league schedule. I think an independent's got a little better chance of scheduling well - they can go tough-easy, tough-easy, tough-easy. When you can do that, you can get your injured guys back, and it makes things different." In addition, the Rose Bowl has the highest payoff of all bowls, approximately $6.5 million this year. The Orange Bowl is next with about.$4 million. Something about the idea of all $4 million possibly going to one team, the independent in the Orange Bowl, seems awry. More palatable is the idea of splitting the Rose Bowl purse between two conferences whose teams all field broad-based, multi-sport athletic programs. In addition, there is a certain nobility to the way every Big Ten and Pac- 10 team asserts its consummate goal of winning the Rose Bowl. At times, this denial of looking beyond Pasadena seems like a robotic response. But players' and coaches' widespread insistence of this goal proves that, indeed, the Rose Bowl is something special for each of these teams. And this year, deservedly enough, the Rose Bowl will be special for many more people. "SRTS INFRM 1991 Coach of the Year Don James leads Washington into its second consecutive Rose Bowl. just watching film right now? J: I don't think either team was at all concerned with the other team during the season. You have to go out and win your own games first, so we really didn't concentrate on that. D: You're playing against a tough Michigan team, but at the same time, it could also be a benefit, because beating Michigan might seem stronger than Miami beating Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. J: Nebraska's a whale of a team. If Nebraska beats Miami, Michigan could win the championship. So they've got as much riding on this game as we have. D: Do you like playing a strong opponent in the Rose Bowl? J: The thing for me is that it fi- nally gives the Rose Bowl a great matchup. It's the best bowl game this year. All the big games usually go on down in the Orange Bowl ev- ery year. D: After last year's rout of Iowa, Washington asserted its dominance over both the Big Ten and Pac-10. J: It's just easier for a defensive player to win the award. It's so hard or an offensive player to get atten- tion, unless he misses a block or something negative. The defensive guys have statistics to boost. D: Your thoughts on Desmond Howard? J: He's a fantastic player who can get you a lot of ways. D: Do you anticipate changing your game plan for him? J: You have to know where he is. I don't think you can line up de- fensively without knowing where he is. When you face a guy like that, a lot of times you can't do much about the way he's playing, but you've got to know where he is. Sometimes we'!l have to double him, but if you double him too much, you're gonna get burned. D: Will he win the Heisman? J: I think he'll win it, no ques- tion. As far as who's behind him, Steve Emtman is third on the ballot right now. A player like Emtman will never win the award, but it's nice to get that kind of recognition Skrepenak's living large as seniorf by Theodore Cox Daily Football Writer "Skrepenak! Skrepenak!" a high- pitched, gravelly voice screamed from the sky. From the Michigan Stadium turf, offensive tackle Greg Skrepenak started searching the empty stands trying to find what had interrupted his solitude. "Stop feeling sorry for your- self!" the voice rang out again. Skrepenak's eyes rose to the press box hovering over the Michigan sideline, and there underneath stood Michigan offensive line coach Jerry Hanlon. "If that wasn't a signal of what was to come..." Skrepenak said of his first-year at Michigan. Five years later, Skrepenak was on the field with the stands empty Skrepenak said. "A lot of things have changed. There have been a lot of struggles personally, not only with the weight problem that ev- erybody knows about, but with aca- demics and trying to fit in so- cially." But the weight problem became the largest obstacle he's had to overcome. He came to Ann Arbor weighing 330 pounds, too much even for his 6-foot-8 frame. Then he discovered the several pizza deliv- ery places around town and made a habit of dining on one as a bedtime snack. His weight quickly rose to 370 pounds. And the extra weight still wasn't giving him the aggres- siveness he needed. It wasn't until this summer that Skrepenak made a full com- ergy quicker at first, the "pancakes" (where a lineman knocks a defensive player to the ground) were coming easier by midseason. His personal goal from the be- ginning has been to improve each game. And after his 44th straight start dating back to the 1988 sea- son, he had his best game against Purdue. "That really means a lot to me to see a guy keep his motivation up," Moeller said. "He is a super, super individual along with being an outstanding football player. He's been a great leader." The opportunity to lead the Wolverines was one of the main reasons Skrepenak returned for his fifth year. He certainly had the op- rolled over Illinois to clinch the Rose Bowl, Skrepenak knew he needed to keep his teammates moti- vated, so he predicted a victory be- fore the media. "There were two reasons I did that," Skrepenak explained. "One, I wanted to say something and then go out and do it. That I'm a man of my word. And also, and probably more importantly, I wanted to put a lot more pressure on my team- mates." "He'd better say we're going to win," Moeller said. "If he didn't, I'd get a new tackle in there." The announcement worked as Michigan went on to crush Ohio State, 31-3, to win the Big Ten Championship outright. "It's kind of like icing on the TITLE Continued from page 3 equally solid, (No. 2, 67.1 ypg), al- lowing only six rushing touch- downs, and holding opposing ball carriers under two yards per carry all season. Most impressively, Washington's defense forced 506 total negative rushing yards. The Wolverines' ability to rul the ball against Washington couli be the key to the game. They were unable to do so against Florida State, and it came back to haunt Michigan in its 51-31 loss. However, if the Wolverines can't run the ball into the Washing- ton end zone, they could fall back on their air game. Thanks largely to Desmond Howard's 19 scoring grabs, Elvis Grbac, has thrown al- most as many touchdowns (24) as the running backs have carried (26). The Huskies also nose a danger- Skrepenak ines did. He was a finalist for.both the Lombardi and Outland awards, recognizing the best lineman in the 1