The Michigan Daily - Sports Monday - September 21, 1992 -- Page 5 K L A H 0 M A S T. 3 s AA A A( AA AA AAA A flA I FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK 'Coach' Elvis likes his temporary role by Josh Dubow and Jeni Durst Daily Football Writers Early in Saturday's game, it seemed like Michigan had two coaches patrolling the sidelines. Gary Moeller partook in his usual coaching duties - shouting out directions and sending in plays to his troops. The second coach was new this week. Injured quarterback Elvis Grbac, dressed in a tie and holding a play sheet rolled up in his hand, also paced up and down the sideline yelling out instructions to second-string quarterback Todd Collins. "I talked to Todd in the first and second quarters, but I left him alone z in the second half," Grbac said. "In the first quarter, I really got him into it, making sure he knew what the clock was, what the down was and certain situations we were in. "I can understand in the second quarter, there were a couple of goof- ups here and there, and he threw an interception going in (toward the end zone)," Grbac added. "It was tough. I can relate. I knew what he was going through. I just told him to forget about it and come out in the second half and play like it was 0-0." Collins and the Wolverine offense came out in the second half, got the running game untracked and scored three touchdowns. While GrMOLLY STEVENS/Dai Michigan coughed up three second- half fumbles, Collins played an error-free half of football. He ended the matchup with a new Michigan record for completions in a game (29) for a 285-yard total. "(Elvis) was really good on the sidelines, telling me what he saw the defense doing, noticing any mistakes I made in my technique," Collins said. "He was really calm out there and he calmed me down a lot. * Grbac, who would like to go into coaching some day, enjoyed the view from the sideline as a coach. However, he is not ready to give up his job as leader of the Wolverine offense. "My job is my job," he said. "I get the cast off Monday and I'll go out and practice again. I'm excited to get back in there next week." BUDDING TREE: Last Wednesday, starting right tackle Rob Doherty re-aggravated an injury to his right shoulder. Doherty had surgery last winter to correct the problem but it acted up again this week. The injury forced Doherty out of Saturday's game in the second quarter. Starting left tackle Doug Skene moved over to right tackle, and Trezelle "Tree" Jenkins came in at left tackle. Jenkins, a 6-foot-7, 298- pound redshirt freshman, played in his first game as a Wolverine. "I was nervous at first," Jenkins said. "I think I played an average game for a first game. I could have played a lot better. I missed a couple of assignments, but I tried hard." MORE INJURIES: Along with Grbac, Doherty and running back Tyrone Wheatley, who suffered a groin pull against Notre Dame, both fullback Burnie Legette and linebacker Chris Hutchinson were added to Michigan's injury list. Legette and Hutchinson each twisted a foot in * Saturday's OSU game, but both should be fine for next weekend's game with Houston. "We're a banged up football team that's got to get healthier," Moeller said. "Wheatley's a little bit better than we first thought, but honestly I'd say he's very, well I don't know about very, but he's questionable for next week." The absences of the veterans in Saturday's matchup allowed several rookies to log valuable playing time. "I like the experience that some of our younger kids got," Moeller said. ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?: On the other end of Collins' completion ' record were the nine receivers that got some experience in last weekend's game. Freshmen Mercury Hayes and Amani Toomer caught the first collegiate passes of their career, each netting two. Junior tight end Marc Burkholder also saw action, snagging one pass for four yards. "Some of the wide receivers, we made some big mistakes out there with them, but that's part of playing in a football game," Moeller said. "Now they'll be a lot better, I think, in the next couple games and they just need to keep playing and playing." Hayes also saw action on special teams, replacing Derrick Alexander as the punt return man later in the game. "Mercury Hayes showed good movement," Moeller added. "He did one * thing with the punt return, you have to catch the ball and go - don't look around a lot, just go - and I thought that's the one thing he did well." BAND CORNER: The Michigan football team was not the only organization to play in its home opener Saturday. The band kicked off its home season with an emotional tribute to Michigan's Olympians and the United States in general. One highlight of the show was the second formation in which the band formed the state of Michigan, including the Upper Peninsula. I' MOLLYT* Michigan outside linebacker Matt Dyson flings Cowboy running back Rafael Denson to the ground in second- quarter action Saturday. The Wolverine defense held Oklahoma State ball carriers to 67 yards on 35 rushes. Rushing Player Att Yds Avg L9 Williams 5 22 4.4 6 Loveland 1 8 8.0 8 Porter 6 -9 -1.5 11 Denson 18 33 1.8 6 White 3 10 3.3 6 Franks 1 1 1.0 1 Spatz 1 2 2.0 2 Totals 35 67 1.9 11 Passing Player C-A Yds TD Int Loveland 2-5 9 0 2 Porter 10-17 111 0 1 Totals 12-22 120 0 3 Receiving Player No Yds Lg TD Culver 3 47 32 0 Thomas 1 9 9 0 Milliner 3 58 40 0 Denson 2 -6 1 0 Keith 1 4 4 0 Jones 2 8 6 0 Totals 12 120 40 0 Punting Player No Yds Avg Lg Tyner 7 297 42.4 49 Punt Returns Player No Yds Avg Lq None - - - Kickoff Returns Player No Yds Avg Lg Milliner 1 12 12.0 12 Denson 1 20 20.0 20 Fugett 1 10 10.0 10 Franks 1 7 7.0 7 Harmon 1 15 15.0 15 Total 5 64 12.8 20 Defense Player Tac Ast Tot Erving 8 1 9 Ansley 7 2 9 Henley 6 1 7 Cannon 3 1 4 T. Fisher 5 0 5 R. Fisher 1 0 1 Mbroh 0 1 1 Harmon 9 2 11 Burns 8 3 11 Woolridge 3 1 4 Fleischman 1 0 1 Davis 2 0 2 Funchess 3 2 5 Parker 1 0 1 Gildon 3 1 4 Brooks 3 0 3 Bufford 1 1 2 T. Williams 4 0 4 E. Williams 2 1 3 RUNNING Continued from page 1 of a frightening trend. Powers' number trailed off at the end of last year. He was held to just 30 yards on eight carries against Notre Dame, including a 16-yard gain on one run. He was shut out in the first half Saturday. Certainly not the Ricky Powers that Michigan fans were used to seeing. The old, familiar No. 12 reappeared in the second half. "Ricky Powers decided to run over a few people," said Moeller, assessing the late resurgence. "That's the old Ricky I like to see out there." That's the old Ricky who racked up 340 yards through the first two games last season, handling the li- on's share of the team's carries. This season, Moeller's decision to employ the three-back rotation -- with Tyrone Wheatley, Jesse Johnson and Powers sharing duties - had drawn some fire. This was, after all, the same Ricky Powers who car- ried the ball 38 times against Notre Dame in 1991. It appeared that maybe he needed to remain the No. 1 op- tion to be productive. Saturday's second half may have dispelled that notion. The offensive line also had struggled in the first two quarters against Oklahoma State. The Cowboys literally threw everyone they had on the line of scrimmage in order to take away Michigan's running attack. It worked, for the most part. Center Steve Everitt mentioned after the game how frustrating it had been for the linemen to push their as- signments downfield, only to look back and see the running backs piled up behind them for a two-yard loss. It took nearly a half to counter that with any sort of consistent success. "(At halftime) I said, 'We have no line and no backs right now," Moeller said. "I said those are not Michigan backs, and that is not a Michigan line." They were, and it was in the second half. "I was just happy to get the team going," Powers said. "I made a few mistakes early on, almost fatal mis- takes, but things went better in the second half. I was happy to have something good happen." So was Moeller, a coach who saw his running game - his bread-and-butter - disappear, only to be re- placed by a record-setting aerial attack led by a second- stringer. "Golly, I hope we don't become a passing team," Moeller said, looking a little bewildered after the game. Watching the familiar running of Powers, though, during the last two quarters had eased those fears to the point where he made the comment with a chuckle. "He was bouncing off down the sidelines, like he did two years ago against Notre Dame," Moeller said, sounding more like a proud father than anything else. Powers refused to be tackled in the second half, his legs churning like only his can, as he racked up 64 yards. Meanwhile, Johnson was bowling through the line, consistently breaking big gains up the middle. And Ed Davis cane in late to score the last touchdown. The final totals, like the final score, belied some of the problems that took too long to work out as the game progressed. Michigan pounded out 216 yards on 44 carries Saturday, 170 coining in the final 30 minutes. Not a bad day's work. But two good halves - and no fumbles - against Houston is the next step. kW READ THE DAILY .......... .. .......... .......... ... ............ .......... ........... .............. ............. ........... ............ ............ .......... CLASSIFIEDS. Powers ... 4 (5; dkfwv)1 DEPARTMENT OF RECREATIONAL SPORTS INTRAMURAL SPORTS PROGRAM ICE HOCKEY--Fall Term wrI L m BEER U I - '' "1 it-..A!Ind. I I Wall IN am I 111111111