Volleyball vs. Illinois Today, 7:30 p.m. Cliff Keen Arena SPORTS Football at Ohio State Tomorrow, 12:00 p.m. (ABC-TV) Columbus ____________Page 9 The Michigan Daily Friday, November 20, 1992 Blue outclasses Buckeyes by Josh Dubow Daily Football Writer QUARTERBACKS: After an early- season slump, Elvis Grbac has re- turned to his 1991 form. Grbac is completing 66.5 percent of his passes and is the leading passer in the Big Ten. Grbac is averaging nearly nine yards per attempt. Ohio State's Kirk Herbstreit has wanted to be a Buckeye his entire life. He finally got his chance to start for Ohio State this season. Herbstreit can be a threat both with his arm as well as his legs. Herbstreithas completed over 60 percent of his passes and only thrown five interceptions. However, he has only three touchdown passes. Advantage: Michigan RECEIVERS: Derrick Alexander has turned into the Big Ten's top receiver this year. The junior has 47 receptions and 14 touchdowns on the season. However, Alexander is not Grbac's only target. Tony McGee and Walter Smith have been steady forces for the Wolverines all year, and freshman Amani Toomer has come on strong in the past few weeks. In Brian Stablein, the Buckeyes have one of the top receivers in the conference. Stablein has 39 recep- tions on the season, some of which have been spectacular. Hutchinson leads the Wolverines with 10 sacks. Michigan has a great deal of depth at this position, as its reserves have 10 sacks. Ohio State is led by right end Ja- son Simmons. Simmons is one of the conference's best pure pass rushers. Advantage: Michigan LINEBACKERS: Steve Tovar is one of the nations' top linebackers. Tovar is adept at playing the run as well as the pass. The 6-foot-4, 240 pound senior middle linebacker anchors one of the best defenses in the conference. Tovar is projected as a first-round draft pick in next year's NFL Draft. Michigan's Steve Morrison is quickly emerging as a major impact playerat inside linebacker. Last week, Morrison had 17 solo tackles and 23 overall. Morrison's fellow inside line- backer Marcus Walker should return to the lineup this week. The Wolverines' linebacking corps have been banged up this sea- son and appeared to tire toward the end of the Illinois game. Advantage: Ohio State SECONDARY: Injuries have been a problem in the Michigan secondary. Cornerback Alfie Burch is outforthe season, and Coleman Wallace is out with a pinched nerve in his arm. Free safety Corwin Brown has provided a steadying force for the Wolverines. Ohio State has one of the strongest secondaries in the nation led by free safety Chico Nelson. SI1IE Advantage: Ohio State SPECIAL TEAMS: Michigan's re- turn game has sputtered in recent weeks as the Wolverines have muffed a few kickoffsand consistently given their opponents good field position. Pistol Pete Elezovic delivered last week in the clutch with the game- tying 39-yard field goal. Chris Stapleton's one punt last week cov- ered 57 yards. Joel Kessel punts for the Buck- eyes and Tim Williams kicks. Smith and Butler By'not'e provide a threat on kick returns. Walter Taylor handles the punt-returning chores. Advantage: EVEN Advantage: Michigan RUNNING BACKS: The only team in the Big Ten who might compare to Michigan's stable of running backs is Ohio State. The Buckeyes backfield is led by Robert Smith who averages over six yards a carry. Because of his speed, Smith is a scoring threat from any- where on the field. Raymont Harris backs up Smith and has rushed for 423 yards so far. However, Michigan's Tyrone Wheatley is the best back in the con- ference. Wheatley has rushed for 1,041 yards this season and scored 14 touchdowns. Wheatley had problems holding on to the ball last week and was pulled in the second half. Jesse Johnson responded and had his sec- ond 100-yard rushing day in the past three weeks against Illinois. Advantage: Michigan OFFENSIVE LINE: The reason these are the top two running teams in the Big Ten starts with the front line. The Buckeyes' line was injured early in the season and Ohio State lost its first two conference games. The rejuvena- tion of the line has coincided with the team's five-game winning streak. Michigan's line is once again tops in the Big Ten andmaybe the country. Advantage: Michigan DEFENSIVE LINE: Chris Hutchin- son anchors the Wolverine defense from his defensive tackle position. Senior Dwayne Ware and the rest of the Wolverines expect better results in Saturday's game against Ohio State than in their tie with Illinois. BUCKEYES Continued from page 1 #'when asked what the Wolverines would do for motivation. "This is the biggest game of the year for us." Michigan has won six of its last even meetings with the Buckeyes, and after Ohio State opened the con- ference season with two losses, many anticipated a repeat of last Ryear's 31-3 Wolverine rout. However, since then, the Buck- eyes have picked up speed, winning five straight by a combined score of S140-49, while Michigan has stum- bled toward the season's finish line. The Wolverines have looked listless in victories over Purdue and North- western and a tie with Illinois last week. "As corny as it sounds, you can throw everything out when it comes to a rivalry like this," Michigan coach Gary Moeller said. Ohio State coach John Cooper has yet to beat the Wolverines in his first four seasons at Ohio State. Al- though Cooper received a three-year contract extension before last year's Michigan-Ohio State clash, rumors persist that he must win this year to keep his job. "I don't get caught up in all that -him staying or leaving," Moeller said. "I know that they put pressure -on their coaches. I think he's done a good job. He'll be around for a while." Michigan defensive tackle and co-captain Chris Hutchinson dis- -misses the notion that the Buckeyes will be motivated to "win one for the coach." "Every year, it seems like if he doesn't beat Michigan, he's out," Hutchinson said. "I don't think that's a factor." What may be a factor is the Ohio State offense, which has put up big numbers in recent weeks. At the helm is quarterback Kirk Herbstreit, who poses problems for the Michi- gan defense with his ability to run the football. "He's the same type of quarter- back we've faced all season," Morri- son said. "We know he can scram- ble." Although Herbstreit can get the Buckeye offense off the ground, Michigan expects Ohio State to stick to its traditional ground game. The Buckeyes have a diverse attack, paced by tailback Robert Smith, and a strong offensive line opening holes. "I don't think it's going to be a wild, wide-open game," Moeller said. "The No. 1 thing is their tail- back. What scares you about Robert Smith is that he can make the big play. "Some guys can find a big hole, but they'll get brought down around the 10- or 15-yard line. Not Smith - he can hit the home run. Maybe we should walk him." "If you let them run, that's when the floodgates will open," said Cor- win Brown, Michigan safety and co- captain. The partisan crowd should be an advantage for the Buckeyes. The structure of Ohio Stadium amplifies any crowd noise, and the Scarlet- and-Gray faithful usually save their loudest cheers for the season finale. 1 I PRESENTS: 1 1 0I p 1I CLASSIC SUBS 21 31/2 blocks from campus at Fifth & Liberty across from A Theater 1W 668-79001 Not Your Typical Sub Shop-No, Really! i Our sandwiches are made on French white or whole wheat bread1I lightly toasted with melted cheeses & delicious sauces. 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