Women's and Men's Soccer
vs. Schoolcraft
Tomorrow, 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Mitchell Field
SPORTS
Men's and Women's Cross Country
at Notre Dame Invitational
Friday, 2 p.m. and 4:15 p.m.
South Bend, Ind.
10
The Michigan Daily
Wednesday, September 30,1992
Stickers
not sharp
On the defensive
Gridders smother opponents with tough 'D'
despite
shutout.
by Brett Johnson
A victory is a victory no matter
how you look at it, but Michigan
field hockey coach Patti Smith was
not pleased with the way her team
played last night.
The Wolverines opened their
home schedule at Oosterbaan Field
House against Miami (Ohio) and
came away with a 2-0 victory,
raising their record to 6-1.
The shutout was the team's
fourth of the season, but Michigan
was far from dominant defensively.
Wolverine goalie Nikki Hoover had
to make 14 saves, many of which
were not routine.
"I was disappointed in our ability
to keep our composure," Smith said.
"We had been playing very
consistent, but tonight, we didn't
play our game. They disturbed us
with their style of play."
The Wolverines played sloppily
in the first half but still managed to
hold a 1-0 lead. Jennifer Lupinski
scored an unassisted goal with 1:29
left in the period on one of only
seven shots Michigan took in the
first half.
Smith talked to her players at
halftime and told them to work on
the good things that they had done in
previous games: sharp passing and
ball control.
"I told them there was no need to
panic; we were ahead," Smith said.
"We were throwing the ball away,
and we weren't communicating."
"At halftime, we talked about
See STICKERS, Page 11
by Josh Dubow
Daily Football Writer
Michigan's defense this season has stifled
its oppositions' attacks. The Wolverines have
the top defense in the Big Ten in terms of
yardage (287.0 yards per game) and points al-
lowed (9.0 per game). In fact, Michigan is 15th
in the country in total defense and No. 4 in
scoring defense.
Much of the success of this year's defensive
unit can be attributed to the strong play of the
defensive backfield. The Wolverines have al-
lowed 168.3 yards per game and only one
touchdown pass. That scoring strike cane in
the final minutes of last Saturday's 61-7
blowout of Houston.
"Our defense is pretty good," senior free
safety Corwin Brown said. "It's the best I've
ever played on. We've got a lot of guys who
love each other and play well together. The
biggest thing about this defense is that every-
one wants to make the big play. You almost
expect it. When you come off the field and
there hasn't been a big play, it shocks you."
These big plays have not just come from
the secondary. Michigan's defensive line and
linebackers have applied heavy pressure on the
quarterback lately, providing great help to the
pass defense.
"I think the front seven - especially the
defensive line and the outside linebackers -
tend to get overlooked in a game like (last Sat-
urday)," strong safety Pat Maloney said.
"They're the main reason we were able to
come up with some big hits, some intercep-
tions and stuff like that. When you put pressure
on the quarterback, he doesn't want to stand
back there and wait to throw. HIe'll be more apt
to get rid of the ball quicker."
"It's incredible, because we don't even
have to blitz sometimes," Brown said. "Those
guys will get in like we're blitzing. The ball
will come out quicker and the quarterback
doesn't throw as accurate. It's just a totally dif-
ferent feeling. When he's getting pressure it's
like we're controlling the game."
A major concern of Michigan coach Gary
Moeller coming into this season was the pas-
siveness of his defense. le brought in a new
defensive line coach - Greg Mattison - to
apply more pressure on the quarterback, and
the entire defense has become more potent.
"Every time we go out we expect to have a
big play - a turnover or interception or caus-
ing a fumble or hitting those guys real hard,"
Brown said. "We want teams when they're on
offense to feel just as worried. We don't want
them to see our defense and think something
good is going to happen. 'Cause it's not. We're
gonna be flying around and getting to the ball."
The secondary has been more aggressive
mainly because of added experience Many
younger players got an opportunity to play last
season and now have confidence.
"We had six or seven guys coming into this
year who had a lot of experience," Maloney
said. "The big thing about experience is you've
been in a game and it's not new to you. You
tend to be a little bit more at ease and you're
not worried about making mistakes. You en-
able yourself to fly around to the ball."
Brown feels that because the secondary is
playing with assurance they have been taking
more chances.
"When you're playing with confidence, you
know what you're doing, you know what you
want to do and you know you can do it,"
Brown said. "You know nothing can stop you.
It's contagious. You hear Alfie (Burch) and
Shonte (Peoples) and Coleman (Wallace) and
Dwayne (Ware) talking about making big
plays and they go out and do it."
ELVIS UPDATE: Michigan quarterback
Elvis Grbac practiced yesterday and Moeller
says he has about an 8 percent chance of start-
ing Saturday against Iowa.
DIALING LONG DISTANCE: Tailback
Tyrone Wheatley won the AT&T Long
Distance Award by virtue of his 99-yard
touchdown return on the opening kickoff. Four
hundred dollars will be donated to the
NCAA's Degree Completion Scholarship
Fund, and Wheatley will receive a plaque com-
memorating his achievement.
0
Ninef Aghakhan and his fellow defensive linemen, under new position coach Greg Mattison,
are a key part of Michigan's more aggressive defense. The Wolverines are in the top 15
nationally in total defense and No. 4 in scoring defense.
'M' spikers vie for State pride
by Rich Mitvalsky
Daily Sports Writer
Size makes might.
The Mjchigan women's volley-
ball team hopes to prove this clich6
correct tonight in East Lansing by
exploiting their significantly taller
and more aggressive front line
against a small Spartan squad.
In their first two Big Ten
matches, the Wolverines overpow-
ered Indiana in five games, then
Purdue in three straight.
Against the Hoosiers, Michigan's
size and strength advantage became
readily apparent later in the contest,
as the Wolverines came back from a
two-game defecit. In the fifth game,
the Hoosiers suffered multiple blows
as high-flying Wolverines repeatedly
delivered spikes into unguarded
holes in the Hoosier defense.
Against Purdue, Michigan's
physical advantages were very obvi-
ous from the start.
"Probably Michigan's front line
is comparable to Illinois with Hayley
(Lorenzen) and Fiona (Davidson),"
Purdue head coach Carol Dewey
said. "And another of their strengths
is their aggresiveness, both up front
and all around."
While Michigan's front line
could average nearly six feet in
height, the Spartans may fall as
much as two inches under that figure
at times. Wolverine back row hitters
should experience considerable
height advantages as well.
Michigan's taller lineup may be a
factor in the immediate net area, but
the Spartans can compensate in other
aspects of the game.
"We have played small teams in
the past, and that really hasn't had
too much of a bearing," senior
Michelle Horrigan said. Horrigan,
who averages just over five kills per
game, ranks 12th nationally in that
category. "If a team keeps digging
up what you hit, that becomes frus-
trating. They can be scrappy. 11 we
play our game against State though,
we should be all right."
Last season, the Wolverines split
a pair of gruelling five setters with
the Spartans, as each took their re-
spective home match. However, the
Spartan upset victory in East Lans-
ing accounted for Michigan State's
only conference win, and one of
only three victories overall.
Dewey, who saw her Boilermak-
ers crush the Spartans the evening
before her team was squashed by the
Wolverines, speculated upon the in-
trastate matchup.
"The teams are very different -
in terms of size - and Michigan has
better athletes who are better in all
areas of the game."
Tonight's game marks the first of
two designated "State Pride"
matches. The second is scheduled
for Oct. 28 in Ann Arbor.
KAPPA SIGMA
m
0
I N T E R N A T IO N A L
F R A T E R N I T Y
REAL PEOPLE.
REAL FRIENDS.
REAL BROTHERS.
S - 0
1992
LATE
RUSH
SEDUL'
TUESDAY
SEPTEMBER 29h'
7-10 P.M.
MARGARITAVILLE
NIGHT
Come for open rush and
cheeseburgers in paradise.
Jimmy Buffett is a Kappa
Sigma, how about you?
-~-
WEDNESDAY
SEPTEMBER 301h
7-10 P.M.
B&B
NIGHT
-r
THURSDAY
OCTOBER11"
7-10 P.M.
LOLLAPALOOZA
NIGHT
The Brothers of Kappa
Sigma are a mixed
bunch. Anything goes
and we like it that way.
d^ '
4, 1'
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9
Stop by the house for
barbecued brats and
beverages with the
Brothers.
I 'I
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Advantages of Kappa Sigma
One of the largest fraternities in the
naon- Vu cn visit anv of our 210
Famous Alumni
Jimmy Buffett
Dan Dierdorf
I IN I 1 0
South University
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