0 0S 7f v 10 ~kickoff '92 Friday; Septeiber11,1992 * - A RUNNiNgG BAn CK S t Michigan's strength ... ...... . .......... ............. .......... .. ..... ... .... .......... ............... ................. .......... beginsl The trio of talented tail the Michigan backfield rep what could be the best gro nation. All three are proven commodities despite havin only a combined 45 games Conversely, the relative inexperience of the receiv the Wolverines will lean on - Michigan's traditional b butter and the 11th-best gr attack in the country last y least until the wideouts est themselves. Junior Ricky Powers ist mainstay of the rotation, fin 13th nationally in total yar rushing last year with 1,187 15th in yards per game. Po emergence as a true frosh v ago spurred Jon Vaughn to NFL, and Powers has been workhorse since. The 6-fo pound Akron, Ohio, native' bruising, straight-ahead sty running makes him the pe back to attack the holes cr Michigan's offensive line. Tyrone Wheatley provi breakaway speed that Pow A former Michigan high sc meter champ, Wheatley, li Powers, was a big contribut first year on campus, carryi ball 86 times for 548 yards average). The sophomore reportedly has added to hi: pound frame - which sho him to better absorb the hii at tailback backs in sustained when running inside - resents without sacrificing any of his speed. up in the His 74-yard TD run Nov. 9 against Northwestern was Michigans's ig played longest play from scrimmage. Wheatley also ran back nine kickoffs last year and will assume ers means the role of primary kickoff returner. n the run The third member of the three- read and headed tailback monster is third- ound year sophomore Jesse Johnson, who ear - at burst onto the scene with a 168-yard ablish game at Iowa. A 5-9, 212-pound cannonball, the Johnson is a slashing runner who nishing hits holes in a hurry and leaves ds defenders in his wake. He was held 7 and out of spring practice because of wers' academic problems but appears to wo years be back in the coaching staff's good the graces. Johnson finished last season n the with 634 yards. ot, 200- Michigan's primary lead blocker 's for the second straight season will ale of be veteran fullback Burnie Legette. rfect The Boulder, Colo., native stepped eated by into the lineup right out of high school, starting two games his first ides the year, and has been an important ers lacks. member of the offensive backfield hool 100- since. Upon Jarrod Bunch's ke graduation to the NFL, Legette tor his became the full-time starter. ing the Senior Dennis Washington gets (a 6.4 the nod at the No. 2 spot over redshirt freshman Chd Foster s 215- because of his added experience. GHN McGee takes the, reigns Tight ends are usually listed along with the receivers, but at Michigan that classification might be misleading. Wolverine tight ends function as extra linemen, not as additional ball catchers. Michigan quarterbacks only found the tight end 11 times last year. "I think our position is with the offensive line and the receivers," says Tony McGee, who has been groomed as the starter almost since day one at Michigan. "We have to know the blocking schemes and how the offensive line thinks, but we also have to know how to run routes. I think we're an intricate part of both." That statement is certainly up for debate. A senior, McGee has caught only four passes - that's four (4) passes - in his three years at Michigan. The Terre Haute, Ind., native came to Ann Arbor as a highly- touted recruit, including acclaim by the Detroit Fe Pre ss a the Rest in bell rung, the Maize and Blue defense held its own for a half, then tired badly. For a defense that, despite sever.] impressive outings in 1991, was criticized by many as underachieving, it was an awful way to close out the season. " think we took a little bit of abuse," Brown says, "and I'm not going to say we deserved it, but like I said, I've gone over that film 20 times, maybe 30, and I can take away three touchdowns like that, if we just play like we should. I mean we don't have to make big plays, all we have to do is knock the ball down, funnel a receiver, just little small things. "I give Washington no credit on offense. After a while we just broke down. I mean, their defense was good, but offensively they get no credit from me. None." But for Brown, who earned second-team all-Big Ten honors in 1991, the Rose Bowl was not the ugliest blemish on last year's 10-2 season. "My lowest point was when we played against Florida State," he said. "That was a game where I didn't play good as a safety - there were too many big plays and too many times where I didn't get the guys in the right defenses. My focus wasn't where it should have been. "And after that game I sat down with myself and with a couple of the coaches and I got my mind right. Still, though, Florida State is one game that I really can't sit down and watch. *** Corwin Brown may be his own best teacher now. That is the pleasure and joy that a fifth-year senior brings to a coaching staff. He simply knows what getting the job done is all about. Brown is Michigan's leading returning tackler (71) from a year ago, and as the free safety, he anchors a relatively inexperienced defensive backfield. That adds a little more responsibility to an already pressure-filled job. "At least at Michigan, I'd say that free safety might be the hardest position," Brown said. "It's a mistake-free position where you have to alwas get everyone playing the right defense. "Every' time there's a motion change or something, chances are were going to have to change our defense. "It's also a place where you can't give up the big plays. I have to front the ball up, I have to make the tackle if its a long pass. You know, 90 percent of the time I should be over there, or at least in the vicinity. You get real dirty playing linebacker, but safety is more of a mental game and if you're not with it upstairs, you're not going to do well." Brown, an English major who will graduate in December, has come a long way. He made one of the most important decisions of his life when he chose to accept a football scholarship at Michigan, opting to take his chances here, rather than step in with literal guarantees of playing elsewhere. He could have played right away at Wisconsin, one of the few schools that still showed considerable interest in Brown after he injured his knee as a senior. Illinois was another, but the Illini dropped from Brown's list because of the looming threat of probation in Champaign. Brown settled on Michigan after a campus visit. At Michigan he felt welcomed and comfortable. "And I thought even if I don't play, at least I'll get a good degree," Brown said. "I've changed a lot as a person (at Michigan), I've grown a lot as a person. I've become a much better person. It's a credit to the program that it can do something like that for me, and I know it's done that for a lot of the other guys here." Next year, Brown says he will head off to law school if the NFL opportunities don't present themselves. There are more important things than football for Brown, whose parents are both teachers. In my neighborhood in Chicago they don't do much." Brown said. "I've had a lot of friends who have been killed, a lot of guys dropped out of high school. When I get re tha 'F at tc so ev rr ti go TI T1 Ic 01 la tf o' N ti T th be TI go na in ir co k s is KRISTOFFER GILLETTE/Daily Corwin Brown is the leading returning tackler for the Wolverines. Last season, Brown had 71 tackles. KRISTOFFER GILLETTE/Daily Some college football analysts expect sophomore tailback Tyrone 'Wheatley to take over the starting duties by midseason. uld allow its defensive position for many years now - unlike most top high school players, he rarely took the field at any other positions. His first shot at quality playing time came against Ohio State in 1989, when starting free safety Vada Murray collided with teammate Todd Plate and was carried off the field on a stretcher. Brown was called from the sidelines and filled in well in the regular season finale in Columbus. "I was all excited," he remembers. "It was a real big game. And I went out there and did OK. I had a lot of seniors out there. They were giving me a lot of confidence and telling me just to stay calm - that helped out a lot, too." Brown credits those older _. teammates, primarily Murray and Lance Dottin, for much of his success. "Lance, off the field, he was like my big brother," Brown says. "He was always there for me. And on the field, I learned everything from Vada. Everytime I would make a mistake, he would explain why I made that mistake. He would tell me how I should do everything, how I should approach each game, how to learn the defense. "That was key for me. It was just like having a coach out there for me, a coach that I could talk to on another level." And now Brown hopes he can fill that same role for the newest Wolverines - particularly the five freshman defensive backs, who have already been nicknamed the Young Guns by Brown and others. "I've already told myself that in in a couple of years, no matter what, they should be the best secondary in the country," Brown says, shaking his head. "They are gonna be good." ow Corwin Brown, himself, has SYNCHILLA The Synchillas Snap T-Neck has could w util -AkMea Lin I FACING A HAIR PROBLEM? Unwanted Facial and Body Hair Permanently Removed " State Board License Since 1971 * Free Consultation " Private Atmosphere " Campus Location " Medically A oroved Computerized Short-wave Method " Disposable Probes Available " Autoclave Sterilization - Mastercard/VISA accepted mark j. wanless clinic Mark J. Wanless Electrolysis Clinic 216 S. State, Suite 3 662-7311 (Above Marti Walker's) the Midwest. His size - 6-foot-5, 235 pounds - and skill earned him immediate playing time, yet he has had a tough time developing his play to the next level. McGee has spot-started for the past two years and seen considerable game time, but he has always played behind Dave Diebolt. Now he finally gets the position to himself. "I knew coming in that it wouldn't be like going to Miami (Fla.), where I would catch 50 passes," McGee says. "I'd like to catch more, but you just don't go out and catch balls. You have :o earn it. You work and work, and then you get to the point where you can get in the game and catch balls. "It's taken me a little longer, but now I feel I can catch the ball securely, and hopefully make something happen afterward." Fourth-year junior Marc Burkholder will see plenty of action playing a role similar to the one McGee previously held. ---- i < n r nf 1 COOKIES i GO BLUE' V> Open Daily I 761-CHIPMon-Fri 8:30-5:30 715 N. University Sat. 10-5:30 L 1 803 N. Main, 761-9 Mon-Sa '. : .?