0 0 0 Friday, September 10, 1993 Kickoff '93 Ryan Herrington Illini mount rare quarterback WHOLESLEI Ii Illinois has a question mark at quarterback. While that predicament is commonplace for the Detroit Li- ons, it has not happened for the traditionally quarterback-rich Illini since Gary Moeller coached there in the late 1970s. During the 1980s alone, Illinois sentTony Eason, Jack Trudeau and Jeff George to the NFL. While Jason Verduzco mo- nopolized the last four years in the orange and blue, his replace- TYPE OF LENS Standard Daily Wear Standard Extended Wear Standard Disposable Standard Tinted Standard Opaque Tints Standard Toric Standard Gas Permeable REGULAR PRICE $ 50.00/Lens $ 65.00/Lens $ 30.00/6 Pack $ 65.00/Lens $100.00/Lens $125.00/Lens $125.00/Lens CLUB PRICE $15.00/Lens $ 20.00/Lens $ 19.50/6 Pack $ 25.00/Lens $ 55.00/Lens $ 60.00/Lens $ 50.00/Lens Offensive linemen still Blue at heart en discussing Michigan football, there are three sacred truths to be conscious of. One can count on these dogmatic creeds as standard operating procedure for any Wolverine squad. As fundamental as learning the words to "The Victors." As reliable as an 100,000-plus turnout at Michigan Sta- dium. Please, lets recite them together. First... * A Wolverine quarterback should never throw the ball more than 15 times a game. What... what'sthatyou say? Okay, so thatfellow from Graceland used to put a few passes in the air from time to time, but what about this youngster from New England, that kid Collins? You don't say. Fifteen completions in the first half last Saturday. Alright, so maybe there are only two sacred truths. Which leads me to the next one ... " The ultimate goal of every Wolverine season is to win the conference title and play in the Rose Bowl. Come on, you mean to tell me that last year's trip to Pasadena - what was that the 83rd Big Ten championship in a row- wasn't the highlight of every Wolverines' career? How can some mythical national championship captivate the minds of the Maize and Blue faithful more than the "Granddaddy of Them All?" Well, at least there is the third and final truth. * Every Wolverine team has a solid offensive line. No, no, no. Questions about the line, too? How can this be? The one year when Michigan seems to have everything going its way: a surplus of running backs each capable of scoring as quickly as you can spit out the words off-tackle, enough long distance receivers to make AT+T jealous, and a defense that not only has great size and instincts but now can boast of possessing college football's newest necessity, speed. Why does this have to be the yearthat the offensive line catches the feared disease known as inexperience? Wait a second. Did you ever thinkyou were jumping to conclu- sions? Maybethe line isn't as bad as you might be led to believe. Sure, only Trezelle Jenkins returns as a starter and Marc Milia is the lone senior. But seriously, when was the last time Michigan had a poor offensive line? Does the Johnson Administration ring a bell? Over the past 30 years, 19 different Wolverine linemen on 23 different occasions have been named All-America. In the past 10 years, 11 Michigan linemen have been drafted by professional football teams. Just three years ago, the entire offensive line was named Gator Bowl MVP, having created holes bigger than the state of Rhode Island while helping the offense gain a team-record 715 yards. That's a pretty impressive list of accomplishments. The main difference between the gentlemen who will line up tomorrow against Notre Dame and their predecessors might be in raw talent. There doesn't seem to be any one player that just resonates with the aura of greatness. But, greatness is not neces- sary. Solid, consistent effort and mental preparation are, and this year's line is very capable of these things. And it's not like the team's been hampered by a turnover on the coaching staff. The same people who molded John "Jumbo" Elliott, John Vitale and Greg Skrepenak are still around helping players like Jon Runyan, Joe Marinaro, Mike Sullivan and Shawn Miller learn proper blocking techniques and strategy. Offensive line coach Les Miles has been with Michigan since 1987 and commands the respect of his players, who understand that his teaching of the fundamentals is priceless. Did you ever think that all the hubbub over the line might be merely because there isn't a whole lot else to complain about on this Wolverine squad? True, last Saturday's debut against Washington State left something to be desired, but with time and experience will come the same level of play that has been witnessed in Ann Arbor for the past few decades. And by the way, the Wolverines did beat the Cougars, 41-14. Remember, too, of the six players rotating between the five line spots, four have at least two years of playing time left at Michigan. Don't look now but the names Runyan, Marinaro, Jenkins and Sullivan are going to be around for a while. Yes, growing pains will persist and things might get worse before they get better, but any inexperience will eventually give way to Michigan's one real truth - every Wolverine team has a solid offensive line. Time will show that the 1993 edition is no different. ment, J.J. O'Laughlin' Johnny Johnson, Scott Weaver, or Jeff Hecklinski, will not have thrown a live pass. Only O'Laughlin has even seen game action. Punter Forry Wells is the only current Illini player who completed apass last season. "We have a grand tradition of quarterback talent, and our young players draw from that," Illinois coach Lou Tepper said. "An added plus for them is the experienced training of a veteran men- tor like (offen- sive coordina- tor) Greg Landry." Landry's arrival has sparked much off-season speculation re- garding the pro-styled offensive attack he will try to bring to Champaign. Graduation sacked the rest of the backfield as well. Starting fullback Darrin Boyer and tail- back Steve Feagin combined for 1,030 ofvIllinois 1,449 rushing yards. However, tailback Kevin Jackson returns with 481 yards worth of experience from last sea- son. Jackson will likely be joined by incoming freshman Ty Douthard at fullback. The blocking corps lost its left side, but with juniors Derek Allen at left guard and Mike Suarez at left tackle joining the line, it will be an experienced group. Senior center Greg Engel has lettere three times and is All-America candidate. Junior Jon Kerr wil be returning to right guard with senior Randy Bierman at righ tackle. The wide receiving corps also lost some spunk. John Wrigh played his way into the top 10 o most career receiving statistic before using up his eligibility Junior Jim Klein leads the re turners with 24 catches for 29' yards and will start at flanker Jasper Strong, with 10 catche for 133 yards, should start a split end. The myriad of reserve includes Gary Voelker, Martir Jones, Brandon Harrison an Shane Fisher among others. However, there are no painfu losses for Illinois at tight end The trio ofjunior Ken Dilger, an seniors Dave Olson and Krai Koester, have, eight varsity let ters between them. Dilger is th returning starter but any of th three can startin the Illini's stror gest offensive position. Olson pu up the best numbers last season with 25 catches for 234 yards an two touchdowns. Before crying for Tepper an his offensive woes, just look e his returning players on defer sive. He is 10-for-li. The linebacking corps is the biggest strength of the team any arguably the best in the Big Ten A first team All-Big Ten sele tion last season as a sophomor pat SYNCHIL The Synchilla® Snap T-Ned coi Illinois Sports Intor ation Dana Howard's size and speed make him a valuable weapon for Illinois. Wacker, Golden Gophers still *Club membership ($35.00/year) is required to replace contact lenses at close to wholesale prices. Contact our office for other types of lenses not listed here. Prices may vary on non-stock lenses. Prices subject to change without notice. A variety of bifocal contact lenses are also available at close to wholesale prices. Prior orders, coupons and other discount programs excluded. Participating offices only. looking fo Ask Minnesota coach Jim Wacker if he expected to win his season opener against Penn State he would probably respond "yes." Still, before the season started when he was asked about put- ting the conference's best foot for- ward in Penn State's first ever Big Ten's game he responded: "I don't think the Big Ten wants Minnesota carrying it on our shoulders." Wacker made the statement in jest, but the fact remains Min- nesota has not been to a bowl game since 1986 or rep- resented the BigTen in the Rose Bowl since 1962. AM Michigan sota career leaving Wacker with a decision at quarterback. Wacker is leaning towards his own nephew Tim Schade, a transfer from Texas Christian, to replace Fleetwood. Schade is familiar with Wacker's pass-oriented of- fense. Omar Douglas, honorable mention All-Big Ten last season, will be a frequent target for Schade. Minnesota's leading re- ceiver a year ago, he hauled in 44' r missing pieces 669 yards on 61 receptions - good for almost 11 yard a catch. The offensive line sports re- turning starters at center, Neil Fredenburg; left guard, Rob Rogers; and left tackle, Chris Fowlkes. Rogers, a team captain, will anchor this unit. Returning starter Steve Cambrice will also give added blocking support to Carter at the tight end position. Dennis Cappella is the most decorated defensive Gopher. This season's other captain, the de- fensive end garnered a second team All-Big Ten award last sea- son along with Minnesota's de- fensive MVP award. Cappella's defensive line re- turns everyone. Tackles Doyle Cockrell, Ed Hawthorne and right end Andy Kratochvil round out a Gopher stronghold. The kicking game could pose a large problem for Minnesota. Four-year starting punter Dean Kaufman is gone, as is place- kicker Aaron Piepkorn. Mike Brown, Ron Holty and Mike Kimbell all are competing for the starting spot at punter. Mike Chalberg has the inside track on the placekicking position. - Andy De Korte O7PTOMETRY* eye care centers Ann Arbor 9 973-7035 3659 Washtenaw Arborland Mail * Comer of U.S. 23 & Washtenaw Show It Here & Save 7 First Optometry is the exclusive AAA optical retailer in Ann Arbor! --- TAce Furthermore, Minnesota lost Saturday's game, 36-20, to Penn State. However, the Golden Gophers are not without talent. Tailback Antonio Carter has led the squad in rushing each of the past two seasons with 660 and 593 yards, respectively. For his career, he has tallied-1,387 yards through three seasons. Carter's three-year teammate - quarterback Marquis Fleetwood -finished his Minne- 803 N. Ma 76 Mon Cappella