The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday
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GAME STATISTICS
PASSING
Player C-A Yds T D Int
Collins 21-29 224 1 0
Tot. 21-29 224 1 0
RUSHING
Player Att Yds Avg Lg
B'butuka 25 100 4.0 15
Hayes 1 17 17 17
Foster 1 2 3.0 3
Davis 7 9 1.3 4
Collins 6(-)13(-)2.215
Totals 40 115 2.9 17
perform in big game
*
RECEIVING
Player 1
Toomer
R'mersma
Foster
'butuka
Hayes
S. Smith
Davis
Totals
No. Yds
5
5
3
2
2
2
2
2
72
68
14
23-
20
18
9
274
AvgLg
14.415
13.626
4.7 7
11.520
10.022
9.0 9
4.0 4
13.742
By MICHAEL ROSENBERG
Daily Football Writer
Tyrone Wheatley is expected to
be completely healthy when Michi-
gan hosts Colorado in two weeks.
If he's ready to play, will he start?
Yes, yes, of course he will start.
But unlike the past two years, when
Michigan's record was 13-1-1 when
Wheatley rushed for over 100 yards
and ?? when he didn't, the season
doesn't depend on the star running
back being healthy.
That's because backup Tshimanga
Biakabutuka (insert your own name
joke here) showed Saturday that the
Wolverines are still one of the best
teams in the country.
"We were confident coming into
the game," Biakabutuka said. "And
the confidence carried us through."
Wheatley wasn't the only key
player who didn't play against the
Fighting Irish. Three other seniors --
linebacker Matt Dyson, guard Joe
Marinaro and wide receiver Walter
Smith - missed the game. Dyson
and Marinaro figure to be back in
time for Iowa Oct. 1, if not earlier.
"I was very proud of my team
especially when you say I left four
great seniors at home," Moeller said.
"That makes it very, very special.
Some of the character came out in
ouur program today."
Ed Davis started for his seco'nd
consecutive game in place of
Wheatley, but again he faltered. Davis
carried the ball seven times for 11
yards, giving him just 52 yards on 27
attempts this season.
But Biakabutuka stepped up his
game for the second straight week. As
he had against Boston College,
Biakabutuka rushed for 100 yards.
He now has 228 yards on 43 carries
this year.
Biakabutuka was not the only
player who filled a void in the Michi-
gan lineup. Sophomore linebacker
Kerwin Waldroup played a solid gack
in place of Dyson, recording four tac
les, including one for a six-yard loss.
With co-captain Walter Smith out
for the season with a knee injury,
Moeller didn't fret; he just changed
Smiths. Redshirt freshman Seth Smith
saw extensive playing time in South
Bend. He returned two kicks for 63
yards, including a 43-yarder.
Smith's only receiving contribu-
tions could not have come at a bett*
time. He caught two crucial nine-yard
passes on Michigan's final plays, set-
ting up Remy Hamilton's game-win-
ning field goal.
Of the four injured players, the
one whose absence may have hurt the
Wolverines the most is the least her-
alded - Marinaro.
The Michigan offensive line al-
lowed three sacks and several pre
sures of quarterback Todd Collin
The unit could have used a veteran
presence.
The point is moot, however, be-
cause Michigan won the game, and
the starters are coming back.
Their return could still be crucial,
though. Two years ago after Michi-
gan beat Notre Dame, the Wolverines.
were shellacked at home by Florida
State, 51-31. With the veterans r*
turning, the team figures to be less
likely to suffer a letdown this time.
around.
PUNTING
Player No. Yds AvgLg
Stapleton 4 157 39.347
Totals 415739.347
PUNT RETURNS
Player No. Yds Avg Lg
Hayes 2 18 9.0 9
Toomer 1(-)10(-)10 10
Totals 3 8 2.6 9
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player No. Yds Avg Lg
Hayes 2 18 9.0 9
Toomer 1(-)10(-)10 10
Totals 3 8 2.6 9
EVAN PETRIE/Daily
Michigan tight end Jay Riemersma caught five passes, including one for a touchdown, for 68 yards.
IRISH
Continued from page 1.
Collins first scrambled 15 yards
to the Michigan 32. He then hit tight
end Jay Riemersma for 26 yards
down the middle. Ball on the Notre
Dame 42.
Collins rifled one to wide re-
ceiver Seth Smith, down to the 33
yard line. Timeout Michigan, its last.
On the following play, as the
clock crept to under :10, Irish out-
side linebacker Bert Berry pressured
Collins to the edge of the pocket.
With Berry's arms wrapped around
his waist and his knee inches from
the midfield turf, Collins lofted the
ball to Smith again, who lunged out
of bounds at the 24 yard line with
:07 left.
Michigan coach Gary Moeller then
sent in Hamilton for a 42-yard field
goal attempt.
Before Saturday's game, the
sophomore had just one field goal
attempt under his collegiate belt. One
attempt. And that was against Minne-
sota.
Notre Dame is not Minnesota.
"After Notre Dame scored, I
didn't think we had enough time to
come back," Hamilton said. "But
the guys on the sidelines told me we
had :52 and to get ready for a field
goal."
As he stepped into position with
the play clock in single digits, it
seemed as if Hamilton may have to
rush the play. But the Irish called a
timeout. Trying to psyche out the
kid?
"We got fouled up on thinking
that we had 12 men on the field,"
Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz said.
"It was not an attempt to ice
(Hamilton)."
After being pumped up by injured
wide receiver Walter Smith and
former Michigan kicker Mike Gillette,
Hamilton walked on to the field and
readied for the most charged moment
of his life.
The timeout appeared to calm
things down for Michigan, allowing
the unit to prepare.
"(Notre Dame) did us a favor (by
calling the timeout)," Hamilton said.
"Thanks Lou (Holtz)."
With Riemersma holding,
Hamilton booted the ball through the
uprights for his fourth field goal of the
day with room and height to spare.
There were just :02 on the clock.
"I'm sure I won't appreciate this
until I'm older," Hamilton said fol-
lowing the game.
Following a mobbing of the field
by Wolverine fans, Hamilton
squibbed the kickoff to Notre Dame
tight end Pete Chryplewicz and the
game was in the books.
Michigan placed itself in dire
straits prior to Hamilton's
heroics.Thanks to a Powlus fumbled
snap that was recovered by Michigan
linebacker Steve Morrison, the Wol-
verines had the ball at the Notre Dame
34 with 4:35 to go in the fourth quar-
ter.
Up by three points, Michigan
tried to pound the ball into the
endzone on the ground and put the
game out of reach, running tailback
Tshimanga Biakabutuka on five suc-
cessive plays. On third down and
five at the Irish 13, the sophomore
was stuffed and Hamilton put his
team up six.
That set the stage for Powlus, who,
six plays after benefiting from Michael
Miller's 55-yard kickoff return, found
wideout Derrick Mayes in the back of
the endzone for six points.
The game's outcome haqj to be
considered a surprise, given the fact
that Moeller was forced to play with-
out four of his top players.
Tailback Tyrone Wheatley, re-
ceiver Walter Smith, linebacker Matt
Dyson and offensive lineman Ed
Marinaro all had to sit and watch
Michigan's last game against Notre
Dame until 1997.
Sophomore tailback Tshimanga
Biakabutuka rotated with starter Ed
Davis and racked up 100 yards rush-
ing, 23 yards receiving and one touch-
down.
"The yards came a lot tougher this
week than they did last week,"
Biakabutuka said, referring to the sea-
son opener against Boston College.
"Notre Dame's defense is a lot tougher
and they hit harder. I had to fight hard
for the extra yards."
Like last week, Michigan's of-
fense started slowly, gaining just 90
total yards - to Notre Dame's 183-
in the first half. But the teams were
,tied, 10-10 at the half.
In the third quarter Michigan's
defensive front seven began to exert
solid pressure on Powlus, sacking him
six times for the game.
Irish tailback Lee Becton's lost
two key fumbles, his first in 233
carries.
Last season Notre Dame fumbled
more than one time in a game only
once, fumbling twice against Michi-
gan State. The three Irish turnovers
were key for Michigan
The Wolverines lost the ball just
once, when Collins was sacked by
linebacker Jeremy Nau and coughed
it up late in the fourth quarter. But
Powlus flubbed the snap two plays
later (revcovered by Tony
Henderson, setting up Hamilton's
third field goal of the day and the
game's astounding finish.
Morrison
DEFENSE
Player Tac
Morrison 7
Irons 6
Zenkewicz 4
Winters 6
Horn 2
Johnson 5
Pryce 4
Henderson 2
Law 2
Waldroup 3
Noble 2
Thompson 2
Hankins 2
Anderson 1
Foster 1
Swett 1
Evans 0
Ast
5
2
4
1
5
1
2
3
3
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
Tot
12
8
8
7
7
6
6
5
5
4
3
3
2
1
1
1
1
Northern Illinois at Illinois
Indiana at Kentucky
kowa at Penn State
Notre Dame at Michigan St.
San Diego St. at Minnesota
Northwestern at Air Force
Pittsburgh at Ohio State
SACKS
Player
Pryce
Morrison
Zenkewicz
No. Yds
2 -15
1 -8
1 -2
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