Volleyball vs. Northwestern Today, 7 p.m. Evanston S S Football vs. Colorado Tomorrow, 3:30 (Ch. 7) Michigan Stadium Offenses figure to dominate By MICHAEL ROSENBERG Daily Football Writer The Michigan football team is scheduled to take on Colorado tomor- row at 3:30 p.m., but only if Colorado stops scoring on Wisconsin in time to fly to Ann Arbor. Okay, that's a slight exaggera- tion. It only seems like Colorado is still scoring. The Buffaloes drilled the Badgers last week, 55-17, in a game that instilled more fear in the hearts of Wolverines than any pre- game trash-talk ever could. Colorado humiliated the defending Big Ten titlists, rolling up yardage like the Fruit Roll-Up people roll up fruit. Colorado's offensive firepower is the biggest concern for Gary Moeller and his team. Here are all the matchups: Colorado's rushing attack against Michigan's run defense: The Buffaloes' running game, like Michigan's, starts with an outstand- ing tailback. Rashaan Salaam is a big, bruising runner with breakaway speed. In fact, Salaam is probably more like the Wolverines' Tyrone Wheatley than any other player in the country. Salaam is a step slower than Wheatley, and he doesn't have the same did- you-just-see-that moves, but he is averaging 134.5 yards per game and leads the nation in scoring, with seven touchdowns. But as good as he is, Salaam is only part of the story. Colorado quar- terback Kordell Stewart is a Moeller headache waiting to happen. Stewart is averaging 8.5 yards per carry, with most of those yards coming when he's been flushed out of the pocket and forced to improvise. That means that even if the Wolverines do a good job covering Colorado's receivers, they still run the risk of giving up major yardage on a Stewart scramble. Michigan limited Notre Dame's Lee Becton and Randy Kinder two weeks ago, thanks to the strong play of linebackers Jarrett Irons and Steve Morrison and linemen Tony Henderson and Jason Horn. But on several occasions Ron Powlus was able to escape for big gains. If Stewart escapes, the scoreboard operator is going to be awfully busy. Advantage: Colorado Colorado passing game against Michigan pass defense: Stewart must have been a good boy when he was younger, because he has been blessed with more offensive weap- ons than he knows what to do with. WidereceiversMichael Westbrookand Rae Carruth have All-American poten- tial. Tight end Christian Fauriais a solid possession receiver. Salaam is also a threat to catch out of the backfield. All of this talent has helped Stewart be- come the highest-rated passer in the nation this season. Michigan's pass defense has been fairly inconsistent. All-American cornerback Ty Law is so well-re- spected that Notre Dame rarely tested him, and on the other side Deon Johnson has been adequate but not super. The safeties are also a good news/bad news proposition. Free safety Clarence Thompson is a sprinter with a knack for the big play. He has caused turnovers in fourof Michigan's last five games. Strong safety Chuck Winters, on the other hand, is the defense's weak link, giving up too many big plays. Advantage: Coliorado Michigan running game against Colorado run defense: The big news here is that Wheatley returns. He won't start, and Moeller says he likely won't get more than 20 carries. But if Wheatley gets going, don't expect Moeller to sit him out. And if the past is any indication, Wheatley will get going. Tshimanga Biakabutuka gets the nod to start, and Ed Davis will also see some time. Biakabutuka has been phenomenal in the first two games, rushing for 228 yards. Davis has been subpar, but he has been too solid in the past to have Moeller worried. Colorado gets defensive tackle Shannon Clavelle back from a one- game suspension. He will be charged with clogging up the middle while the Buffalo linebackers try to gang-tackle Michigan's backs. Clavelle's a solid. player, but the Wolverine running game is simply too deep for Colorado to stop. Advantage: Michigan Michigan passing game against Colorado pass defense: A similar situation to Colorado's passing game. Like Michigan, the Buffaloes have one great cornerback (Chris Hudson). And like Colorado, Michigan has too many receivers for the passing game to be completely shut down. Amani Toomer is one of the best in the nation, and Mercury Hayes and Seth Smith are speedsters with solid hands. Quarterback Todd Collins has shown he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath with Stewart and Florida's Terry Dean. Advantage: Michigan Intangibles: Colorado has the momentum. Michigan had a week off. Colorado has the confidence. Michigan has the home field. Colorado coach Bill McCartney worked under Bo Schembechler. So did Michigan's Moeller. Colorado has cool uniforms. So does Michigan. Advantage: none EVAN PETRIE/Daily Mercury Hayes and the Michigan receivers will have to come up big if Michigan is to beat high-scoring Colorado. FOOTBALL Continued from page 1 -nally as an option quarterback, but three years ago McCartney abandoned that offense in favor of a more pro- style attack. However, the Buffaloes still run the option at times, making life difficult for the defense. "He's not just a good football gayer," Moeller said. "He's got speed at can kill you." While his speed may have made defenses miss the first two years Colo- rado presented the passing offense, Stewart's mercurial passing often let the Buffaloes down in big games. Now Stewart is arguably the most dangerous quarterback in college foot- ball with his improved throwing skills. He credits first-year quarterbacks and Szeivers coach Rick Neuheisel with helping him reach his potential . "Coach Neuheisel is doing a great job with keeping me focused on my game all the time," Stewart said. "Dur- ing practice ... he coaches you from the time he sees you to the time you leave." One player on the Michigan side who has not left is Wheatley. "Tyrone practiced well this week," oeller said. "I expect him to be better than normal. Whether he plays depends on the situation." Wheatley will not start tomorrow's game. Instead, Tshimanga Biakabatuka takes over as the starting tailback. Ed Davis filled in at the starting spot in the first two games but managed only 50 yards on 27 carries, mpared with Biakabatuka's 228 ards on 37 carries. Another injury casualty, offensive lineman Joe Marinaro, will also re- turn to the lineup, but not necessarily start. Thomas Guynes filled in at right guard for Marinaro against Boston College and Notre Dame. Marinaro's return, even if limited, will help the Michigan offensive line against a defensive front considered by some as the nation's best. Shannon Clavelle, returning from a one-game disciplinary suspension due to a fight, leads the self-dubbed "Regulators." Clavelle, a candidate for the Outland and Lombardi tro- phies, registered three tackles for losses in his one game this season. "Their defensive line is very physi- cal," Moeller said. "It's something we tell them in practice but can't imitate for you. They can literally knock you backwards." "I think their front seven might be a little like Washington's front seven in the (1992) Rose Bowl," Michigan quarterback Todd Collins said. Michigan lostthe 1992 RoseBowl, 34-14. And the game was not that close. As is Michigan tradition, Moeller wants to run the ball as much as pos- sible, but may have to rely on the combination of Collins and receiver Amani Toomer, who has 12 catches for 251 yards in two games, should the running game fail to generate yard- age. "Todd Collins has really come of age," McCartney said. "He plays with a lot of confidence and a lot of matu- rity and a flair to him now. Collins is the one guy they can't afford to lose." But getting open may be difficult for Hayes or any of the other Wolver- ine wideouts should Chris Hudson be defending against them. Hudson, a Playboy preseason All-America, roams all around the secondary for Colorado. Michigan has a standout coverman of its own in Ty Law, who along with Hudson was a preseason favorite for the Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in college football. Law will be in charge of shutting down game-breaking receiver Michael Westbrook. "I like everything about (Law)," McCartney said. "I like the way he competes. I think he may be as good of a corner as there is out there." Law shouldn't fret about his as- signment. Peter Graves succeeded on every one of his "impossible" mis- sions. 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