4 - The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, October 18, 1993
M
I
C
H
I
G
A
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2
GAME STATISTICS
Improved offensive line
sparks Blue to victory
PASSING
Player C-A Yds
T. Collins 13-16 132
Tot. 13-16 132
TD Int
2 0
2 0
RUSHING
Player
Wheatley
Powers
Davis
Foster
Ritchie
T. Collins
Totals
Att Yds
32192
5 19
3 15
2 9
2 2
2 -7
46230
Avg
6.0
3.8
5.0
4.5
1.0
-3.5
5.0
Lg
47
9
14
5
2
-6
47
RECEIVING
Player !
Alexander
Toomer
Wheatley
Smith
Hayes
Ritchie
Foster
Totals
PUNTING
Player I
Stapleton
Totals
No.
4
2
2
2
1
1
1
13'
No.
5
5
Yds
48
32
9
9
16
13
5
132
Avg Lg
12.019
16.022
4.5 6
4.5 7
16.016
13.013
5.0 5
10.122
By ADAM MILLER
DAILY FOOTBALL WRITER
STATE COLLEGE -The Michi-
gan offensive line, maligned and often
inefficient for much of the season,
finally lived up to expectations in
Saturday's 21-13 victory over Penn
State.
Following a forgettable perfor-
mance in East Lansing, where Tyrone
Wheatley's 33 yards were the total of
the Wolverine ground attack as a
swarm of Spartans plugged all run-
ning alleys, the line cleared the way
for a 230-yard onslaught that allowed
Michigan to control the clock and the
game.
"Their offensive line was tough,"
Nittany Lion inside linebacker Brian
Gelzheiser said. "They played hard,
and blocked well."
The game's first offensive play
indicated that Michigan's interior
blocking had much improved over
earlier in the year, when most rushing
plays required the running back to run
around the end for lack of holes in the
line. Wheatley, who finished the day
with 192 yards, ran through a hole in
the center of the line, cut left, and
cruised for 13 yards.
In fact, Wheatley gained 21 yards
on that drive alone, 27 in the first
quarter, and 72 by halftime.
The difference in the line from last
week? The return of senior center Marc
Milia is an obvious factor. Milia missed
the Iowa and Michigan State games
with a neck injury.
The most experienced member of
the unit, Milia has played a leadership
role on the line, assisting the younger
and less-experienced members in
games and in practice.
"When I got hurt," Milia said, "it
kind of made the other guys nervous
because they don't have the experi-
ence that I do."
The line showed no nervousness
Saturday, and played especially well
in the second half. The 14-play, 80-
yard drive - including 11 rushes for
51 yards - consumed seven minutes
of the third quarter and gave Michigan
a 14-10 lead. The drive suggests the
offensive line strength Michigan has
traditionally enjoyed.
The line's performance shows in
the final rushing statistics. In addition
to Wheatley, tailback Ricky Powers
'Their offensive line
was tough. They played
hard, and blocked well.'
- Brian Gelzheiser
Penn State inside
linebacker
had 19 yards and tailback Ed Davis
15.
"They were persistent," Penn State
coach Joe Paterno said. "They didn't
have to go to the pass since they kept
getting three or four yards every rush."
Additionally, quarterback Todd
Collins enjoyed sufficient time to
throw. Collins, who finished 13-of-16
for 132 yards, two touchdowns and no
interceptions, was never sacked. One
time he was hit as he was attempting a
pass. The crowd called for a sack and
fumble, but the play was ruled an
incompletion.
Considering the strong defenses of
Ohio State, which yielded its first rush-
ing touchdown of the year Saturday,
and Wisconsin, the two remaining un-
defeated teams in the conference,
Michigan will surely need repeat per-
formances from the line if it is to stay
in contention for the Rose Bowl.
PS U's Ki-Jana Carter is stopped on third down during the Wolverines' cruical defensive stand at the end of the th'rd
consecutive downs, preserving a 21-13 victory in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
'M Idf s a ie
deese sC tands andGelvers'
Yds Avg Lg
222 44.4 66
22244.466
PUNT RETURNS
Player
Alexander
Totals
KICKOFFI
Player ,
Alexander
Wheatley
Totals
DEFENSE
Player
Irons
Winters
Aghakhan
Powers
Peoples
Anderson
Henderson
Horn
Stanley
Law
Burch
Pryce
S. Collins
D. Johnson
Davis
Freedman
King
Charles
Dudlar
Dyson
Totals
No.Yds
1 48
148
Avg
48.0
48.0
RETURNS
No.Yds Avg
1 20 20.0
1 13 13.0
2 3316.5
Tac
1
6
5
3
2
4
3
1
2
2
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
32
Ast
14
5
4
6
5
0
0
2
0
0
2
2
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
45
rLg
)48
)48
1Lg
)20
)13
20
Tot
15
'11
9
9
7
4
3
3
2
2
2
2
1
1
0
1
1
1
1
1
77
By KEN SUGIURA
DAILY FOOTBALL WRITER
STATE COLLEGE - The Wol-
verines were on the run.
After taking a 14-10 lead midway
through the third quarter, Michigan
was attempting to break service, and
was not having much success.
Penn State tailback Mike Archie
was doing his best Ki-Jana Carter
impersonation, scooting his 5-foot-8
body in and around the Michigan de-
fense and picking up bunches of yards
at a time.
On his last scamper from the Michi-
gan 12, he burned around right end,
falling to the Beaver Stadium turf at
the 1 before his momentum carried
him into the end zone.
Undoubtedly, the Nittany Lions
would soon blast in for a score. Even
Tyrone Wheatley was not optimistic
about the situation.
"In my heart, yes, I knew we were
going to stop them," he said. "But,
really, you're still kind of skeptical."
But Michigan provided a goal-line
stand for the ages, changing the tenor
of the game and perhaps the season
for both teams, as the Wolverines'
defense stopped the Nittany Lions on
four straight attempts from the 1.
"It switched the momentum of the
game," Nittany Lion quarterback
Kerry Collins said. "It was a big, big
job by their defense. It was the turning
point of the game."
Undoubtedly, the plays will enter
the lore of both teams. Wolverine fans
will fill with pride at the notion of the
Michigan defense rescuing the team
from the spectre of a lost season, and
Penn State fans will wonder exactly
what Joe Paterno was thinking.
"If I had to do it over, maybe I
would have tried something else," said
Paternoof his decision to send the ball
up the middle on four sucessive plays.
What happened before first down
and goal may have allowed the stand
to ever take place.
Archie's run to the 1-inch line had
Michigan reeling.
However, the play was late com-
ing in from the Penn State sidelines,
and quarterback Kerry Collins had to
burn a timeout.
After the timeout, Paterno called
for a quarterback sneak by Collins.
With a strong push by the defensive
front, Collins had nowhere to go.
Middle guard Tony Henderson was
credited with the stop.
"Our philosophy on defense is for
us linemen to create a new line of
scrimmage, which means we got to
get up under their linemen and knock
them back," Henderson described. "If
you let them get a surge, on a quarter-
back sneak, he's just going crawl in
behind those guys."
On second down, Paterno called
the exact same play, and it netted the
same result, as Henderson was there
again for the stop.
"There was nowhere to go," Collins
said. "I don't think you can say we
weren't coming off the ball because
we were. It was just your basic, up-
the-gut play. Just punch it in and see
what happens."
"What they were doing was shoot-
ing the gaps and stopping everything,"
Penn State left tackle Marco Rivera
said. "Their linebackers were jump-
ing over the pile and hitting the quar-
terback."
Third down brought a slightly dif-
ferent strategy. Collins handed off to
tailback Ki-Jana Carter, who for once
did not come through. Defensive tackle
Ninef Aghakhan grabbed hold of
Carter's legs just as he was about to
leap over the pile..
"When the chips are down, I want
to get the ball," Carter said. "But I
didn't come through today."
The quarter ended after the play,
and the tension heightened. Would
Penn State go up the middle again?
Would the Lions try a bootleg? Could
Michigan hold them a fourth-straight
time?
On the Michigan sideline, the
thinking was, in order, no, yes and
yes.
"The first three it was on the 1-inch
line, and it was back about a yard,"
Henderson described, "so we figured
they wouldn't try to quarterback sneak
it from the 1, 1-1/2-yard line. We
figured they would try to run a play or
a bootleg or some kind of pass."
On the opposing sideline, Paterno's
thinking was the exact opposite.
"They have a clever little scheme
where they pinch in and then loop
out," Paterno said. "If you run the
sweep, and we were debating doing
that, and then they loop out, then you're
in trouble, so you have to guess again
them.
"It was my decision, my cal c
guessed that they would loop O
expecting something like a bootl
pass, and I thought we would run rig
at them," he continued.
Paterno was accurate on the Midl
gan strategy. But he wasn't counti
on defensive penetration.
"When you loop out, you still g
to come back in," Henderson e
plained. "When you loop out, you'
free, you can read the play." *
Which is exactly what happene
Collins handed off to Carter agai
who was swarmed from all sides I
white jerseys. Linebacker Jarrett Iro
was the first on the scene.
"The fullback came off of me, a:
there was a big hole," Irons said. "!
I had to step up and hit the fullba
and try to get to the ball."
Irons filled the hole and wrI
up Carter, and teammates helpedni
him to the ground.
"As soon as I go the ball, the
were four linebackers right there
Carter said."I tried to do my best, a
I kept my legs moving, but the of
cials blew the whistle."
As soon as the play was whistl
dead, Paterno's judgment was bei
called to question throughout the st
dium and along both sidelines.*3
"I wouldn't have minded a pass
PSU wide out Bobby Engram said
"We have it in the offense whe
we can throw (on the goal line)," sa
Collins, who said he was surpris
that no pass play was called. "T
coaches just didn't think it was t
right time."
Paterno stood resolute behind f
thought process.,
"A couple of guys wanted to
outside, and I said No, we'll take itt
same way," he said. "Actually, t
play we called was exactly what
wanted, because (the defensive lir
men) did not go out."
Michigan coach Gary Moeller i
frained judgment.
"Everybody could second-gue
every play call in the world, but wt
you do is you take the dang thi@
the shortest distance to the goal Ii
and sometimes those (defensi
stands) just happen," he said. "Why
don't know."
PASS DEFENSE'
Player No. Yds
Peoples 1 0
Michigan quarterback Todd Collins barks out the signals during Saturday's
21-13 victory over Penn State. Collins went 13-for-16 for 132 yards.
SUGIURA
Continued from page 1
easily its best game of the year.
"It just seemed like everything
started to come together," Michigan
quarterback Todd Collins said. "We
started making plays when we had
to. I'm not sure what it was, but I do
Tyrone Wheatley, after turning in a
disastrous performance a week ago
against Michigan State, was as
jacked up as anyone.
"This was the most fired up I've
ever seen Tyrone," center Marc
Milia said. "He was real vocal. He
was talking about Michigan
tradition and getting Michigan
going."
same stunt a week ago in East
Lansing. It might have held off the
Spartans for one play, maybe two.
Not four times in a row.
"I think you have to give
Michigan credit," Penn State coach
Joe Paterno said. "A couple of times
we thought we were going to put
them away and they stayed with us.".
For five straight seasons,
But not only did the Wolverines
want to beat the Lions; if they
wanted a shot at the Rose Bowl,
they had to. For the first time since
their two-game losing streak three
seasons ago, the Wolverines were
truly desperate.
"If we lost this game, the rest of
the season would have been a
grind," Collins said.
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