The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, November 22, 1993 - 5
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Bowl pictur starts to clarify
'M', Badger victories shed light on New Year's matchups
GAME STATISTICS
PASSING
Player C-A
Hoying 11-24
Powers 3-6
Tot. 14-30
Yds TD
134 0
20 0
154 0
Int
1
3
4
By RYAN HERRINGTON
DAILY FOOTBALL WRITER
While the number of rumored des-
tinations regarding Michigan's
postseason locale seemed to grow
more plentiful than Kennedy con-
spiracy theories, the Wolverines are
now almost certain where to book
their flight come New Year's Day.
Almost.
With an impressive 28-0 victory
over Ohio State, Michigan all but
wrapped up the Big Ten's bid to the
Hall of Fame Bowl in Tampa, Fla.
Nick Fond, one of two representatives
from the Hall of Fame at Michigan
Stadium Saturday, said he would rec-
ommend giving the Wolverines an
invitation to their Jan.1 game when he
meets with his bowl's selection com-
mittee today.
An official announcement may
come early this week.
"I think things look pretty good
right now," Fond said. "It was a great
win and a great game. It made us
happy."
For the last few weeks, representa-
tives from the Hall of Fame said they
would be willing to take a 7-4 Wolver-
ine squad, even if it were not in fourth
place in the conference. Unlike the
three other bowls aligned with the Big
Ten - Rose, Citrus and Holiday -
the Hall of Fame is not required to take
any specific team and can choose from
the remaining teams in the conference
with above .500 records.
If Michigan gets the bid, it will
most likely come at the expense of
Indiana. Despite an 8-3 overall record
and a top 25 ranking, the Hoosiers
lack of national prominence might
come to harm them.
Fond said the most likely oppo-
nents for the Wolverines would be
North Carolina State, Clemson or Vir-
ginia. Thebowl is obligated to take the
fourth choice from the ACC.
Fond and the Hall of Fame were
not the only postseason players hop-
ing to get a chance at the resurgent
Wolverines. Representatives from the
Citrus, Alamo and Aloha Bowls all
were watching Saturday's game in the
Michigan press box in anxious antici-
pation.
Fond admitted that in addition to
the improved play of a traditional pow-
erhouse, the large Michigan alumni
base is something no bowl selection
committee could overlook.
"You look at a team like Michigan
and you have to ask how many times
are they going to be available to you,"
Fond said. "I hope when it comes to
the Big Ten we can possibly say some-
thing (today)."
When asked what bowl they pre-
ferred to go to, several of the players
reacted indifferently.
"As far as bowl wise, you know we
can't control that," defensive back
Alfie Burch said after the victory.
"Whatever bowl we go to, we're go-
ing to play hard because from the
middle of the season to now, you guys
have seen that we're a totally different
team."
"It doesn't matter to me (what bowl
the Wolverines go to)," co-captain
Buster Stanley said. "As long as we
beat Ohio State, because I'm from
Ohio, that's all I care about."
The Wolverines last played in the
Hall of Fame Bowl in 1988 when they
defeated Alabama, 28-24, behind three
touchdown runs by Jamie Morris.
Ironically, it was Gary Moeller who
also coached that game for Michigan,
albeit in an interim capacity. Then
head coach Bo Schembechler had un-
dergone quadruple heart bypass sur-
gery the previous December and was
still recuperating come game time,
giving Moeller the responsibility to
prepare the team. Moeller was then
Michigan's offensive coordinator.
As for the rest of the Big Ten, there
remains still more uncertainty as to
where they might be bowling.
Michigan's defeat of the Buckeyes,
coupled with Wisconsin's 35-10 vic-
tory over Illinois gives the Badgers
one last shot at securing their first
Rose Bowl invitation since 1962 when
they face Michigan State, Dec. 4 in
Tokyo.
With a win against the Spartans,
the Badgers and Buckeyes would have
identical 6-1-1 conference and 9-1-1
overall records, respectively, giving.
each a share of the Big Ten champion-
ship. Since the two dueled to a 14-14
tie two weeks ago in Madison, the
decision on who would go to Pasa-
dena would come down to the final
tiebreaker - eliminating the team
which most recently played in the Rose
Bowl. Ohio State last went in 1985.
With the odd team out of the Wis-
consin-Ohio State battle going to the
Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla., that
leaves third-place Penn State with a
probable invitation to the Holiday
Bowl in San Diego if it defeats Michi-
gan State next week.
The Spartans and Hoosiers will
also receive bowl bids, with MSU
rumored to be the favorite of the Lib-
erty Bowl. However, if the Spartans
win their final two games, they will
finish alone in third place and make
the trip to San Diego.
RUSHING
Player
Harris
By'not'e
Cothran
Team
Hoying
Totals
Att
14
4
3
1
6
28
Yds
65
29
9
-15
-30
58
Avg
4.6
7.3
3.0
-15.0
-5.0
2.0
Lg
16
11
6
-15
7
16
RECEIVING
Player
Saunders
Galloway
Stanley
Sanders
Harris
I
No.
6
3
2
1
1
1
Yds
65
47
25
12
6
-1
Avg Lg
10.816
15.7 23
12.520
12.012
6.0 6
-1.0 -1
I
Here is the bowl outlook for the
for postseason play:
Michigan:
Wisconsin:
Ohio State:
Penn State:
Michigan State:
Indiana:
Iowa:
seven Big Ten teams in the running
Hall of Fame, Alamo, or Aloha
Rose or Citrus
Citrus or Rose
Holiday or at-large
Holiday or Liberty
Hall of Fame or Alamo
Alamo or at-large
By'not'e
Totals
PUNTING
Player
T.Williams
Totals
KICKOFF
Player
By' not'e
McGuire
Totals
14154 11.0 23
No. Yds Avg Lg
5197 39.456
5:19739.456
DOUGLAS KANTER/Daily
ry over Ohio State.
e key to
aominance
STANDING ROOM ONLY: Despite al-
sady resetting the NCAA attendance
.ark for football games against Notre
)ame earlier this season, the Michigan
rowd did it again. By a margin of 16,
se 106,867 people in attendance set the
*standard.
The game pushed season atten-
ance to 739,560, which smashed the
ingle-season mark of 731,281 set by
4ichigan in 1987. This season's seven
ellouts ran Michigan's streak of home
ames played in front of more than
00,000 fans to 116. The streak dates
ack to a 55-7 victory Oct. 25, 1975
gainst Indiana.
IG MOUTHS: Ohio State defensive
an Dan Wilkinson wondered
loud whether all of his teammates
iere playing as hard as he was.
"I don't know if our players were
cused in," he said. "Looking at places,
1ey looked kind of flat. I don't think
1at everybody was focused or ready to
lay."
With the ever-growing Wolverine
the Michigan fans emboldened to
ore vocal. Having heard the Wol-
erines jeered earlier in the season,
1e fans were more than willing to
eturn the favor against No. 5-ranked
)hio State. Loud chants of "over-
ited"echoed from the second quarter
irough the end of the game.
AvioslyI am very
lappy with this team.
'.e played like we
hould have all season,
vith emotion. We
vented our respect. We
our chance at Penn
a te and got it and he
Ye had another one
oday.'
- Gary Moeller
RETURNS
No. Yds Avg
2 39 19.5
1 3 3.0
3 42:14.0
Lg
20
3
20
At-large bids will be determined within the next three weeks.
OSU's Cooper still can't lead Buckeyes
By KEN SUGIURA
DAILY FOOTBALL WRITER
Ohio State linebacker Mark Will-
iams arrived in Columbus just as the
newcomer from Arizona State, coach
John Cooper, took over the reigns of
this illustrious program.
Five years later, both have failed to
beat their nemesis.
"Until he beats Michigan, he's still
gonna have that monkey on his back,
but so do I," Williams lamented. "I've
been here just as long as he has, so I
know how he feels.
"It's sad. It really is sad."
There may have been no game
sadder than this for Ohio State, be-
cause the Buckeyes, playing for their
first Rose Bowl berth since the 1984
season and ranked No. 5 in the coun-
try, appeared to be the much better
team. Many assumed this would be
the year Cooper would finally earn his
stripes with the fickle Buckeye fans.
But Cooper was denied again, as
his team got creamed, 28-0. Despite
the lopsided score, the Buckeyes left
Ann Arbor heavy on regret and disap-
pointment for what could have been.
"If we had to play this game again
next week, I think we'd come out victo-
rious," Williams said. "I think what
happened iswe got setback andwewere
surprised that they were pounding on us
like that in the beginning."
There were probably a great many
reasons for the loss, but in the Buck-
eye locker room following the game,
they did not serve to console anyone.
"We feel down and out, like we
betrayed ourselves, the team, Ohio
State," said Dan "Big Daddy"
Wilkinson, Ohio State's monster of a
defensive lineman. "We feel like we
let everybody down, which we did."
Everywhere you looked, there were
wouldas, couldas and shouldas ga-
lore. Four interceptions, only 58 yards
rushing, and a costly downing of the
ball by punter Tim Williams on a low
snap were only parts of an effort that
left the Buckeyes kicking themselves.
"It just hurts that we let an oppo-
nent like this slip through our fingers
and know we have to hope that an-
other team wins for us," lamented
wide receiver Joey Galloway, refer-
ring to his team's dependence on
Michigan State to beat or tie Wiscon-
sin in order for Ohio State to earn a
Rose Bowl bid. "That's not a good
feeling."
iast Michigan
Wisconsin's victory Saturday over
Illinois now means the Big Ten's Rose
Bowl representative will be decided
Dec. 4 in Tokyo, when Wisconsin
plays Michigan State.
"I mean, really, if you go out there
and play the championship game like
we played today, we don't deserve to
be in the Rose Bowl," Wilkinson said.
"I hope Wisconsin wins and goes
and does what it has to do."
Cooper
DEFENSE
Player
Powell
Styles
Fickell
Taylor
M.Williams
Wilkinson
Paul
Kerner
Simmons
Nelson
J.Gwinn
Brown
Patillo
Howard
Kelly
A.Gwinn
Miller
Lynch
Saunders
Tac
10
9
8
6
5
5
2
4
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Ast
3
2
2
2
2
1
3
0
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
Tot
13
11
10
8
7
6
5
4
3
3
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
Michigan cornerback Ty Law intercepted two passes in Saturday's game.
ROUNDUP Badgers close in on Roses;
.. GAMES LAYEDNOV, 993 Fry gets 200th victory
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Wisconsin 35, Illinois 10
Darrell Bevell threw three touch-
down passes as Wisconsin crushed
Illinois, 35-10 Saturday and pulled
within one victory of its first Rose
Bowl appearance in 31 years.
Before the game started, the Bad-
gers (5-1-1 Big Ten, 8-1-1 overall)
knew that Michigan had already beaten
21-3 victory that gave Coach Hayden
Fry his 200th career win.
The Hawkeyes (3-5,6-5) also kept
slim bowl hopes alive as they won
their fourth straight game. Minnesota
(3-5, 4-7), which had defeated Iowa
three times in the past four games,
could not overcome six turnovers and
eight penalties for 92 yards.
The victory gives Fry a 200-152-9
3) and gave Purdue (0-8, 1-10) its
worst finish in 86 years.
Thomas, who had carried only 12
times for 13 yards this season, had 12
rushes for 54 yards against the Boiler-
makers, including seven straight car-
ries for his first touchdown, a three-
yard run early in the third quarter.
Penn State 43, Northwestern 21
Mike Archie rushed for a career-
Team
Ohio State
Wisconsin
Penn State
Michigan State
Indiana
Michi an
llflnroi
w
6
5
5
4
5
5
L
1
1
2
2
3
3
T
1
0
0
0
0
Overall
WL T
9 1 1
8 1 1
8 2 0
6 3 0
8 3 0
7 4 0
59)1
PASS DEFENSE
Player Int. Yds Brk-Up
M.Williams 1 0 1
Nelson 0 0 1
Tot, 1 0 2
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