0

Page 4-The Michigan Daily- Sports Wednesday- January8, 1992

/<< 'f

WA
Husky

S

H

I

0

T

0

3

4

0

D'

punishes Blue up front

Torrid pass rush keys victory

Rushing
Player Att Yds Avg Lg
Bryant 15 38 2.5 10
Barry 13 37 2.8 9
Kaufman 6 26 4.3 14
Hobert 4 -1 -0.2 3
M Jones 3 22 7.3 12
Turner 1 3 3.0 3
Brunell 1 -2 -2.0 -2
Totals 43 123 2.9 14
Passing
Player C-A Yds TD Int
Hobert 18-34 192 2 2
Brunell 7-8 89 1 0
Totals 25-42 281 3 2
Receiving
Player No Yds Lg TD

Pierce
Bailey
Bryant
M Jones
Gaspard
McKay
Turner
Brewer
Barry
Totals

7
6
5
2
1
1
1
1
1
25

86-
126
22
7
15
12
6
5
2
281

26
38
9
5
15
12
6
5
2
38

1
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
3

by Phil Green
Daily Football Writer
PASADENA, Calif. - On New
Year's Day, Washington turned
Michigan's offense into a chorus
line. One... two... three... kick.
The Wolverines were only suc-
cessful on two third-down conver-
sion attempts, and only managed 10
first downs.
These less-than-impressive stat-
istics point to a few other Michigan
deficiencies. Only 14 points, barely
200 yards of total offense, and only
one pass completed to Heisman
Trophy winner Desmond Howard.
The Wolverines' explosive offense
should have done more.
But could it have?
Washington's defense entered
the Rose Bowl ranked second na-
tionally in almost all statistical
categories, including rushing de-
fense and scoring defense.
While Michigan probably didn't
execute as well as it could have, the
Husky defense truly turned its per-
formance up a notch to dismantle
the Wolverine offense and control
the game.
Michigan could neither run nor
pass.
"We got away from our game
plan, and that's when we got in
trouble," Michigan quarterback
Elvis Grbac said. "The whole day
we were running around with our
heads cut off playing catch-up."
The Wolverines respected
Washington's defense, employing
the shotgun formation to slow the
Husky pass rush. However, it
proved futile.
Grbac, who had been sacked only
nine times in the previous two sea-

sons, was dropped five times by the
Huskies. His late replacement Todd
Collins didn't fare much better,
getting sacked once during his brief
stint. And even when they didn't get
Grbac, the Huskies' pressure consis-
tently hampered the Wolverine at-
tack.
"I don't think our team had this
kind of pass rush all year,"
Washington senior cornerback Dana
Hall said. "Our front four did a
great job getting in there."
Grbac clarified things a little,
explaining that it wasn't just the
Huskies' front four getting the pen-
etration.
"They were rushing the defen-
sive line first, then the linebackers
would come in a few seconds later
and fill in the holes. It was tough to
get the ball off," he said.
"I think our speed played a role
in the pass rush," said the Huskies
leading tackler in the game,
linebacker Dave Hoffmann. "The
guys were able to come around the
end, especially Don Jones."
Jones only managed three tack-
les, but all were sacks, for a total
loss of 22 yards; one forced a fum-
ble which Michigan recovered.
"It seemed like they beat us on
every play," Michigan all-American
offensive tackle Greg Skrepenak
said. "They didn't give us anything
we hadn't seen before. Give them a
lot of credit - they were excellent
- but at the same time, we did not
play well."
As expected, the defense got a
lift from Outland and Lombardi
winner Steve Emtman. Although
the junior defensive tackle missed
most of the week's practices with

0

Punting
Player No Yds Avg La
Werdel 6 251 41.8 53
Punt Returns
PlayerNo Yds Avg Lg
Bryant 4 34 8.5 19
Kickoff Returns

Rose Bowl co-MVP Steve Emtman rushes upfield against Michigan guard Doug Skene. Emtman recorded two
tackles, including a 12-yard sack, to propel the Husky defense.

the flu, he played well enough to
earn co-MVP honors.
"Everyone made such a big deal
about him being sick," said
Emtman's roommate for the week,
center Ed Cunningham. "But if he
had two broken legs he'd still get
five tackles for loss."
Emtman didn't quite live up to
Cunningham's expectations, but the

all-American did rack up two tack-
les, including a 12-yard sack near the
end of the first half which knocked
Michigan out of field-goal range
with the score still tight, 13-7.
"I don't think their offensive
line had an off day. I don't think
they let down - it was a culmina-
tion for our defense," Emtman said.
"That's a real good team we played.

We're just better."
Michigan was hampered some by
starting center Steve Everitt's ab-
sence (knee), but Skrepenak ex-
plained that Washington's domi-
nance couldn't be pinned on that.
"Steve's a great asset for us in
there, but you can't judge on that,"
Skrepenak said. "We were terrible
up front."

Player
Kaufman
Barry
Totals

I

No Yds
1 38
1 23
3 61

I I

Avg.
38.0
23.0
20.03

L

38
23
38


QUARTERBACK EARNS CO-MVP
Hobert, Pierce burn Michigau

Defense
Player Tac
Hoffmann 6
Mason 6
T Smith 5
Fraley 4
Hall 4
Clifford 2
D Farr 3
D Jones 3
Lyons 3
Rodgers 2
Emtman 2
Springstead 2
Collins 1
Fields 1


Ast
1
0
1
1
1
2.
0
0
0
1
0
1
1
1


Tot
7
6
6
5
5
4
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
2

Scoring Summary
First Quarter:
No scoring
Second Quarter:
Hobert 2-yd run (Hanson kick),
14:57.
Washington 7, Michigan 0
Key Play: On third and 10,
Hobert to Bailey for 34
yards to the Michigan 6.
Hanson 24-yd field goal, 6:52.
Washington 10, Michigan 0.
Key Plays: On third and four,
Brunell to Pierce for 26
yards to the Michigan 35.
Michigan called for holding
on third and five. On third
and eight, Brunell to McKay
for 12 yards to the Michigan
5.
Hanson 23-yd field goal, 3:29.
Washington 13, Michigan 7.
Key Plays: Hobert to Bailey
for 17 yards to the Michigan
29. Jones 12-yard run to the
Michigan 10.
Third Quarter:
Bruener 5-yd pass from
Hobert (Pierce pass from
Hobert), 5:27.
Washington 21, Michigan 7.
Key Plays: On third and two,
Hobert to Pierce for 21
yards to the Washington 49.
Hobert to Gaspard for 15
yards to the Michigan 36.
On third and four, Bryant 5-
yard run to the Michigan 25.
On third and seven, Hobert
to Bailey for 19 yards to the
Michigan 3.
Fourth Quarter:
Pierce 2-yd pass from Hobert
(kick failed), 14:21.
Washington 27, Michigan 7.

by Matt Rennie
Daily Football Writer
PASADENA, Calif. - Elvis Grbac and Desmond
Howard entered the 1992 Rose Bowl as the most ex-
plosive quarterback-receiver combination in the nation.
However, after the Washington defense limited
Howard to just one reception, a new tandem emerged.
Washington quarterback Billy Joe Hobert, the
game's co-MVP, hooked up seven times with his tight
end, Aaron Pierce, to burn the Michigan defense for 86
yards.
While Pierce's numbers were not outstanding -
teammate Mario Bailey's six catches for 126 yards
were more impressive - three of Pierce's catches were
for third-down conversions. One of these was a
touchdown grab that gave the Huskies a 27-7 lead.
Pierce's ability to improvise in clutch situations
may have contributed to his effectiveness
"The tight end did a hell of a job," Hobert said. "He
was ad-libbing for me a lot when I was in trouble.
That's what happens when teammates know each other
well.
"Aaron had probably the best game of his life."
Pierce isn't usually the primary receiver, but the
Huskies' game plan called for Hobert to take what the
Michigan defense gave him.
"They covered Mario and Orlando (McKay) well,"
Pierce said. "That opened it up for me. Billy did a great
job of finding the open receiver."
Pierce's efforts did not go unappreciated by his
teammates. After making several catches in the first
half, Pierce drew more attention in the second, and
Hobert had a variety of targets from which to choose.
Nine different players caught passes for Washington.
"Aaron is definitely a valuable offensive weapon,"
Bailey said. "He showed up to play today."
If Pierce was the Huskies most dependable receiver,
than certainly Bailey was their most explosive. After
weeks of trailing in Howard's shadow, Bailey was

ready to prove that he was more than the other all-
American wide receiver.
Upon catching a 38-yard touchdown in the fourth-
quarter from Mark Brunell, Bailey mocked Howard's
Heisman Trophy pose by striking one of his own.
Washington coach Don James used Brunell to spel
Hobert in the second quarter and again in the fourth.
Brunell completed seven of his eight passes for 89
yards.
"Anytime you have your second team unit go in
there and do that, you've got great depth," Hobert said.
The play of the Huskies' offensive line contributed
greatly to the success of their quarterbacks. Both
Brunell and Hobert had plenty of time to find sec-
ondary receivers when their primary targets were cov-
ered.
"I'd rather talk about the offensive line because A
didn't feel a pass rush because of them," Hobert said.
"I could be the worst player in the Pac-10 and I
wouldn't know it because of the guys in front of me."
While a pair of turnovers was largely responsible
for the Huskies' low first-half point output, the Wash-
ington coaches felt their team needed to do more than
hang onto the ball.
"We had a slow start, but once we got going, they
didn't know what we were doing," Washington-center
Ed Cunningham said. "We balanced the run and the passO
well."
Bailey said Washington's offensive success also
proved to be an effective defense.
"The longer you keep Desmond Howard off the
field, the better," Bailey said. "We stayed in a rhythm,
and we never let them get in one."
Both units seemed to feed off one another in the sec-
ond half, when the Husky offense began to capitalize
on the opportunities the defense afforded it.
"Michigan's a great team, but when we play as a
unit - offense, defense, and kicking - nobody can
touch us," Cunningham said.

Rose Bowl co-MVP Billy Joe Hobert completed 18 of 34 passes for 192
yards.


HUSKIES
Continued from page 1
with tight defense. After Otis
Williams intercepted an errant
Washington pass and Michigan
forced the Huskies to punt three
times, the first quarter ended in a
scoreless tie.
However, Husky quarterback
Billy Joe Hobert hit receiver Mario
Bailey for a 34-yard gain on third-
and-10, advancing Washington to
the 6-yard line. Hobert later scram-
bled in from the 2 to open a 7-0 lead.
Hobert completed 18 of 34
passes for 192 yards and two touch-
downs, excluding his rushing score.
He and star defensive lineman Steve
Emtman were named Co-Players of

However, the defense remained
effective for the rest of the first
half. After it held the Huskies to a
field goal on each of their next two
drives, linebacker Steve Morrison
picked off Hobert.
But the Wolverines squandered
their chance to take the lead before
halftime. On the first play of the se-
ries, Emtman sacked Grbac for a 12-
yard loss. Grbac was then dropped
again for three yards, after which
Wheatley was stuffed for no gain.
Michigan then punted.
But though badly outplayed,
Michigan went into halftime trail-
ing only 13-7.
"We were stopping ourselves,"
Bailey said. "We should have had
over 50 points. But we knew things
would come around in the second

"The point that broke our back
was when it was 21-7 and Washing-
ton scored again," Grbac said. "It
was tough for us to get back in it af-
ter that."
Washington's final and most
talked-about touchdown came with
13:12 remaining in the game. On the
first play of the drive, reserve quar-
terback Mark Brunell launched a 38-
yard bomb into the end zone, where
Bailey made a diving catch reminis-
cent of his Wolverine counterpart,
Howard.
Bailey, who along with Howard
comprised the All-America receiv-
ing corps, then got up and struck a
Heisman Trophy pose like Howard
did against Ohio State Nov. 23.
"I wanted all these people to
know who Mario Bailey is," said

{ i ~f