12 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 24, 1993
THE SPORTING VIEWS:
Big Ten keeps up its
noncoiiference power
By BARRY SOLLENBERGER
FOR THE DAILY
Believe it, Big Ten fans. The conference is for real this season.
- Seventh-ranked Ohio State, rewarded this week with a bye after thrashing
Pittsburgh, 63-28, is 3-0 and could be undefeated when it comes into Ann
Arbor Nov. 20 for the season finale.
Barring a major collapse, ninth-ranked Penn State, 31-0 victors last
weekend at Iowa, will be undefeated when the Wolverines travel to State
College Oct. 16.
Michigan? Well, the Wolverines still have to be considered favorites to
capture their sixth-straight conference championship. Even the middle of thek
pack in the conference is strong. No. 23 Wisconsin and Indiana are both 3-0.
Northwestern shocked Boston College last Saturday, two weeks after playing
well at Notre Dame. Even the conference's only winless team, Illinois, was
able to throw a scare into 15th-ranked Arizona before losing, 16-14. .
This is another week where the conference will get a chance to flex itst
muscle. Of the eight games involving Big Ten teams tomorrow, seven provide
non-conference competition.
Week three matchups:
Central Michigan (1-2) at Michigan State (0-0 Big Ten, 1-1 overall):
The Spartans will attempt to do something that they've never done before
when they take the field Saturday afternoon. Beat Central Michigan.+
The last two years (the intrastate rivals have only met twice) the Chippewasf
have rolled into East Lansing and left with victories.
Central Michigan is led by quarterback Joe Youngblood, who has thrown+
for almost 900 yards in the first three games this season. Furthermore, the
Spartans have been hampered by a rushing defense that is allowing almost 200
yards a game.
This all adds up to another shocking upset, right? Sorry Chippewa fans, the
feeling here is that Michigan State will break with tradition and hold off
Central Michigan.
Michigan State, 30-14.
Notre Dame (3-0) at Purdue (0-0, 1-1):
Would somebody please tell me why, regional game or not, ABC is
showing this game locally? Doesn't Miami at Colorado, which is running head
to head against this laugher, seem much more interesting?
Anyway, the Irish shouldn't have any trouble with the Boilermakers in this
one. Irish quarterback Kevin McDougal (He wasn't supposed to be any good,
remember?) still hasn't thrown an interception this season.
Purdue is giving up an average of 370 yards a contest. Good news, indeed,
for Lou Holtz and company.
Notre Dame, 48-0.
Rutgers (2-0) at Penn State (2-0, 3-0):
Coach Joe Paterno has the Nittany Lion faithful excited again. Penn State
continues to roll towards it showdown with Michigan. The Lions looked
impressive in hurling a shutout at Iowa last Saturday.
Penn State has been getting the job done on defense. It has allowed a paltry
13 points per contest while the offense has been posting 30 points a game.
Rutgers can certainly light up the scoreboard. The Scarlet Knights scored
69 and 39 points, respectively, in victories over Colgate and Duke. They
should, however, find the going much tougher against the likes of Penn State.
The sellout crowd in State College will be content with this outcome. +
Penn State, 44-13.
MICHELLE GUY/Daily
Tyrone Wheatley carries the ball against Notre Dame. Notre Dame looks for its third
straight win against a Big Ten opponent when it plays at Purdue tomorrow.
Wisconsin (0-0, 3-0) at Indiana (0-0, 3-0):
When was the last time these two teams were 3-0? The Badgers are led by
running back Brent Moss, who has rushed for 359 yards and four touchdowns
so far this season. Through three games, the Hoosiers have the top-ranked
defense in the Big Ten, yielding only 230 yards of total offense and six points
per contest.
Back in Madison, people are excited about Badger football. A sellout
crowd showed up to watch their team rout Iowa State last week.
Hooray, Badger fans! Your team will be undefeated after four.
Wisconsin, 21-20.
Wake Forest (1-2) at Northwestern (0-0, 1-1):
Can anybody remember the last time the Wildcats were eight-point
favorites heading into a Saturday afternoon? This is their reward for last
week's stunning 22-21 victory over Boston College.
The Wildcats boast the Big Ten offensive and defensive players of the
week. Quarterback Len Williams threw two touchdown passes and had only
four incompletions, while free safety William Bennett recorded a career-high
18 tackles in the upset over B.C.
Northwestern moves into the top 25 with an impressive victory here. Roll
'Cats, roll.
Northwestern, 28-10.
Minnesota (0-1, 1-2) at San Diego State (2-1):
Golden Gopher quarterback Tim Schade has already thrown for over 1,000
yards, but the Minnesota defense isn't stopping anybody, either.
San Diego State running back Marshall Faulk has played himself out of the
Heisman race early in the season. He will, however, carry his team against the
Gophers.
San Diego State, 20-12.
Oregon (2-0) at Illinois (0-0, 0-2):
Last week, the Illinois defense played great, holding Arizona's offense
scoreless. The trouble was, the Illinois offense gave up 16. The Wildcats
returned two fumbles for touchdowns and sacked Illini quarterback Scott
Weaver in the end zone for a safety in their 16-14 victory.
Conventional wisdom goes against picking the Illini, but it's Band Day in
Champaign, so maybe they will be pumped to win one for the home crowd.
Illinois, 10-7.
'94 Super Bowl to
see two new faces
By SCOTT BURTON
DAILY SPORTS WRITER
Well, we have witnessed three of the most average weeks of the NFL
season, and some things just never change - Tampa Bay still bites, Warren
Moon is still old, and Jerry Rice is as amazing as ever. Nevertheless, there are
signs that some things are going to be truly revolutionary this season. Hci 's
a guide of things to look for the remainder of the NFL season.
1) New Order in the NFC:
Last year's NFC Divisional finalists, San Francisco and Dallas, will not
make it back.
In the 49ers' case, I doubt they will even win their division. The New
Orleans Saints have a far more balanced team. The offense, for once, seems
capable of scoring some points to complement the always-stubborn defense.
Ex-Falcon quarterback Wade Wilson is smarter and steadier than castoff
Bobby Hebert. More significantly, their running game is finally compiling
some yards, behind ex-Cornhusker Derek Brown.
As for Dallas, I hate to jump on the bash-the-Cowboys-bandwagon, but K
truth be told, I can name about a dozen other teams that have more class and
desire than they do. (And never underestimate the importance of intangibles
in football. Remember Notre Dame, anyone?) Egos like Emmitt "Some'just
hold out harder in the preseason" Smith's ruin good teams.
So, if not San Francisco and Dallas in the NFC, who? Glad you asked ...
2) The Lions will go to the Super Bowl:
O.K., we know that the Lions don't have much of an offense yet, as
evidenced by the 14-3 loss to the Saints. But William Clay Ford, er, coach
Wayne Fontes, finally made the right decision in benching QB Rodney Peete
and starting Andre Ware for this week's game against New England.
Peete simply was not getting it done. He has always been, and always will
be, a mediocre quarterback. Ware, on the other hand, has the tools to be a great
QB.
He is far more mobile, and we know he can put the ball in the air with
proficiency given all his years directing the Houston Cougars' offense. Look
for Ware (if Fontes has the guts to stick with him) to be the missing ingredient'
that the Lions need to be a great team.
And who will join the Lions in the Super Bowl? You're asking all the right
questions ...
3) Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, Oilers, Bills? Forget it:
Denver won its first two games, but it became painfully apparent in
Monday night's loss against Kansas City that its offense just doesn't cut it -
Elway or no Elway.
San Diego was supposed to be the upstart team, and although its defense
looks as menacing as expected, a Super Bowl wannabe can't depend on a field
goal kicker to score all its points, as the Chargers have. Look for backup QB
John Frieze to take over for Stan Humphries sometime this season.
Kansas City looks great when Joe Montana is throwing the ball, but it's
unlikely that he'll make it uninjured through the rigors of the playoffs. And
backup Dave Krieg - you're just not good.
Houston? Frank Reich. Enough said.
As for Buffalo, after three straight Super Bowl losses, I doubt the Bills have
the grit to return for another go.
4) Instead of the traditional choices, look for the Cleveland Browns:
The Browns will join the Lions in the Super Bowl as both teams make their
first appearance. They have eons more heart and winning instinct than any of
the other AFC teams -just check out its last two games against the 49ers and_
the Raiders. QB Bernie Kosar is struggling, but he is a proven clutch-time
player. And running backs Eric Metcalf and Tommy Vardell are superstars
waiting to happen.
ke
'I
Young women golfers at Iowa invite
By SCOTT AUGUST
FOR THE DAILY
It's fitting that the Michigan
women's golf team enters the 1993
fall season with rejuvenated youth
and high expectations for a successful
season.
The best player on the Michigan
women's golf team, Shannon
McDonald, is only a sophomore. The
coach, Kathy Teichert, is in her first
year. The Wolverineg' home course,
recently refurbished, is also new.
This weekend, Michigan hopes
to use its youthful energy to its benefit
when it travels to Iowa City to partici-
pate in the Iowa Invitational.
After finishing 12th in a field of 21
last -weekend at the Spartan Invita-
tional in East Lansing, the team went
back to the drawing board and worked
on fundamentals and standing up to
pressure.
"We need to get good balance and
consistency," Teichert said, "(And
we need to) shoot below 83, prefer-
ably with one or two player cracking
into the 70's, and stay mentally posi-
tive not only during the tournaments,
but during our practices, too."
The Iowa course is a difficult -
one par-3 is completely surrounded
by water - but Teichert strongly be-
lieves that the Wolverines are capable
of scoring in the 70's to low 80's.
The golfers most capable of doing
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THE MICHIGAN FIGHT SONG
I
so may be McDonald and junior Jenny
Zimmerman. They are Michigan's
only returning regulars from the squad'
that finished 10th in the Big Ten Cham-
pionships last spring.
Sophomore McDonald returns to
the Wolverines after placing second-
in scoring on last year's team at 83.2
strokes per round. Zimmerman's per-
round average of 86.1 was good for
fourth among the Wolverines.
"Shannon and Jenny are defi-
nitely being placed in a leadership-
role this year, as they have the most
experience on the team," Teichert said.
It is not surprising that the seniors
Teichert is counting on to provide
stability, twins Tegan and Tiffany
McCorkel, have only junior eligibil-
ity.
Last year, Tegan averaged 89.7 for
the season, shooting a low of 82 at last
year's Ohio State Invitational. Teichert
expects Tiffany, who didn't travel with
the team much last year, to be a major
contributor.
Teichert, a newcomer herself, for-
merly coached at Western Kentucky.
Teichert replaces Sue LeClair, who'
retired over the summer.
Freshmen Ashley Williams, Molly
Vandenbark, Wendy Westfall and Jodi
Smith are also new to the roster.
Thispast weekend the team opened
up the fall season at the Spartan Invi-
tational, held at the Forest Akers Golf
Course.
In the Spartan Invitational, the
Wolverines finished with 'a tally of
666, scoring 342 in round land 324 in
round 2. Indiana won the tournament
shooting 614 for the weekend.
The top performance for the Wol-
verines was Vanderbark's 27th-place
finish out of 126 competitors, with a"
score of 162. Tiffany McCorkel scored
165 placing 39th, while sister Tegan
placed 52nd with a tally of 168.
"We had first-round difficulties,".
Teichert said. "I don't know if it was
nerves or inexperience. We just need
to stand up under pressure, relax and'r
hit our shots." ga
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