4 - The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, October 10, 1994
GAME STATISTICS
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H
I
G
A
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4
Wolverines'rushers overnower State defense
PASSING
Player C-A Yds
Collins 16-23211
Carr 0-1 0
Totals 16-24 211
TD
1
0
1
Int
0
0
0
RUSHING
Player
Wheatley
Biak'tuka
Davis
Howard
Floyd
Collins
Totals
Att Yds
23153
15 141
7 26
3 12
3 10
1 7
52349
Avg
6.7
9.4
3.7
4.0
3.3
7.0
6.7
Lg
24
47
13
6
4
7
47
RECEIVING
By RACHEL BACHMAN
Daily Football Writer
Michigan coach Gary Moeller is
always happy to see one of his run-
ning backs rush for 100 yards. So you
can bet he was grinning from ear-
phone to earphone when Tshimanga
Biakabutuka racked up 141 yards
against Michigan State Saturday.
Yes, the coach was quite pleased.
But - and this is what a Michigan
coach dreams of - Biakabutuka was
not even Moeller's leading rusher.
Tyrone Wheatley was.
"Tim complements me really
well," said Wheatley, who rushed for
153 yards himself.
Almost 150 yards is complement-
ing? That's like calling ground beef
"one of the ingredients" in a ham-
burger.
Wheatley's and Biakabutuka's
feat - each rushing for over 100
yards - had not been done by the
Wolverines since Ricky Powers and
Jesse Johnson did it against Illinois in
Nov. 1991.
"I think the two complement one
another and I'm sure they keep heat
on one other. That's important as
well," Moeller said.
Moeller said that the running game,
balanced with the passing game,
which accounted for 211, is begin-
ning to show its potential.
"All running backs, the last week
and a half, ran better," Moeller said.
"Were they terrible before? No."
Wheatley and Biakabutuka led the
way. But with the ground gained by
quarterback Todd Collins (seven
yards), backs Chris Floyd (10), Chris
Howard (12), and Ed Davis (26),
Michigan finished with 349 rushing
yards.
What can explain the offensive
explosion? Wheatley offered an an-
swer for his own performance, and
perhaps for that of his team as well.
"It's not so much revenge (for last
year's 17-7 loss to the Spartans),"
Wheatley said. "It's just (what I
needed to do) for me to get to where I
need to go, and that's Pasadena."
Last week against Iowa, Wheatley
returned to last year's form, when he
rushed for 182 yards on a personal-
record 35 carries. It was his first 100-
yard game this season.
Wheatley missed the year's first
two games with a shoulder injury. He
left Saturday's game several times,
after what he called, "a little pile on
here, a little poke there, little silly
things."
On a third-quarter pitch play, he
was shaken up and had to replace the
pads he wears under his uniform to
protect his shoulder. But he emerged
from the game with no permanent
injury.
"I think it meant a lot for our
team," Moeller said of Wheatley's
showing. "I know he stumbled a little
bit early with his injury. Tyrone's one
of those guys who's got to lather up.
You know that horse who's got to get
lathered up to roll? I think he's that."
However, much of the ground-
game success had to be attributed to
the Wolverines' domination on the
front line, which opened huge holes
for the runners as well as allowing
Collins plenty of time to pass.
"Our linemen don't like to just
hear about how great Michigan State's
line is all the time," Moeller said.
"They like to be recognized as well."
k ' ;Vi i
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V
Player I
Hayes
Toomer
R'mersma
S. Smith
Wheatley
Biak'tuka
Totals
PUNTING
Player I
Baker
Totals
No.
4
4
4
2
1
1
16
No.
2
2
Yds Avg Lg
96 24.0 33
67 16.821
30 7.512
16 8.012
5 5.0 5
(-)3(-)3.0 0
211 13.133
Yds Avg Lg
58 29.0 35
5829.035
DOUGLAS KANTER/Dail
Tyrone Wheatley led the Michigan running game with 153 yards and two running touchdowns. He also caught a
scoring pass from Todd Collins.
PUNT RETURNS
Player No. Yds Avg Lg
Toomer 3 (-)3(-)1.0 5
Totals 3 (-)3(-)1.0 5
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player No. Yds Avg Lg
Hayes 2 2311.512
Ultimately, two statistics decide
the majority of games, and Moeller
recognizes that.
"Same-old, same-old," Moeller
said. "It gets down to turnovers and
rushing the football. Add it up any
way you want to. I know that's not
exciting to talk about or write about.
There's no controversy in there; it's
just the truth."
Truth be told, Michigan was i
pretty good shape in both depart.
ments. Besides the ground yardO
racked up, the Wolverines had n
turnovers.
ROUNDUP
GAMES PLAYED OCT. 8,1994
Illini defeat Buckeyes in
Columbus once again
Biak'tuka
Totals
1
3
11
34
11.0 11
11.3 12
Associated Press
Illinois has found a new home at Ohio
Stadium in Columbus, where the Fighting Illini
won for the fourth straight time.
During a conference call Monday, line-
backer Dana Howard had guaranteed a victory.
The Illini came through with 24-10 defeat over
the Buckeyes.
"They voted me captain, and last Monday I
said what I thought they wanted me to say,"
said Howard, who had 14 tackles and an inter-
ception. "It feels good to have never lost in this
stadium. I have no more predictions."
He set a school record by pushing his career
tackle total to 512.
"They completely dominated us in the fourth
quarter, converting third down after third down
after third down," Ohio State coach John Coo-
per said. "We knew going in they had a good
defensive team. They're as good as adver-
tised."
The Buckeyes head to East Lansing next
week to face the Spartans while Illinois plays
host to Iowa.
State, remain as the only teams unbeaten in
conference play.
The Boilermakers look to keep that un;
beaten streak alive next week at Wisconsin
while Minnesota hosts Northwestern.
Wisconsin 46, Northwestern 14
Wisconsin's Terell Fletcher scored three
touchdowns and rushed for 186 yards whO
Brent Moss gained 145 yards at Evanston.
"I just wanted to get back to playing our
brand of football," said Wisconsin coach Barry
Alvarez, whose team is struggling after a
Rose Bowl win a year ago behind a powerful
running game.
Northwestern was hurt by five third-quar-
ter penalties.
"We had total breakdowns in the second
half. I'm disappointed and embarrassed.'
times we looked like a junior high team
there," Northwestern coach Gary Barnett
said.
Indiana 27, Iowa 20
Biakabutuka
Purdue 49, Minnesota 37
DEFENSE
Player
Morrison
Irons
Horn
Pryce
Winters
Henderson
Thompson
Law
Zenkewicz
Hankins
Sanders
Charles
Noble
Dyson
Anderson
Floyd
Hamilton
Lovell
Swett
Steele
Walroup
Tac
5
4
5
5
4
2
4
3
3
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Ast
3
4
1
0
1
3
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Toto
5 ;.
4
4
3 Wisconsin's Brent Moss rushed for 145 yards in the Badgers' 46-14 defeat of1
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2
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1 CONFERENCE OVERALL
1TEAM W L W L T
1 PennState 2 0 5 0 0
1 Michigan 2 0 4 1 0
I Purdue 2 0 4 1 0
1 Indiana 2 1 5 1 0
1 Wisconsin 2 1 3 2 0
Purdue's Mike Alstott rushed for a career-
high 183 yards and four touchdowns in West
Lafayette. In two years he3has scored nine
. i touchdowns and rushed for 354 yards against
Minnesota.
"I made a couple of moves out there today
that juked them. I try to muscle people more
than outrun them," said Alstott, who moved up
six positions on Purdue's career-rushing list to
12th place with 1,559 yards.
Minnesota' s Chris Darkins made it tough
on the Boilermakers with a career-high 234
yards on 31 carries, including scoring runs of
47 and 7 yards. It was not enough as the Golden
AP PHOTO Gophers fell to 0-3 in the conference.
Purdue, along with Michigan and Penn
Indiana's Alex Smith was compared to
former Hoosier greats Anthony Thompson
and Vaughn Dunbar by his coach, Bill Mallory,
after Smith ran roughshod over the Hawkey
with 232 yards at Iowa City.
"It's early, but he's got that kind of
potential. Those guys were finished prod-
ucts and had great careers for us. I think
Alex has the potential to get to that level.,"'
Mallory said.
The victory gave the Hoosiers their fifth
overall victory of the year and put them
above .500 in the Big Ten.
Iowa coach Hayden Fry said injuries along
the defensive front made it a long day for t
Hawkeyes as they dropped to 0-3 in Big Te
play.
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