Women's Cross Country
Miami University Invitational
Tomorrow, 10:30 a.m.
Oxford, Ohio
SPo)
S
Football
vs. Notre Dame
Tomorrow, 2:30 p.m. (NBC)
South Bend, Ind.
NOTRE DAME
Continued from page 1
But leave it to Irish coach Lou Holtz to
level the playing field.
"Right now I'm worried about Michi-
gan embarrassing us," Holtz said in
Tuesday's teleconference. "I just don't
know how good a football team we are, or
how bad a football team we are."
Perhaps it should be the other way
around. Without Dyson, Michigan could
be in serious trouble on the defensive side
of the ball.
"That's a big blow. He was one guy
who was playing very well," Moeller said
of Dyson, who fractured his foot against
Boston College. "It's a tremendous hole to
fill, as much of a hole as we had to fill
anywhere on the football team with an
injury."
Sophomores Kerwin Waldroup, who
started against the Eagles, andTrevorPryce
will be counted on to pick up the slack at
outside linebacker created by Dyson's ab-
sence.
And with redshirt freshman phenom
Ron Powlus under the Irish center,
Michigan's problems are only com-
pounded.In his NCAA debut against North-
western last week, Powlus threw for 291
yards and four touchdowns as Notre Dame
coasted, 42-15.
"He's always on the money," Moeller
said of Powlus. "And he's got the great
receivers in (Derrick) Mayes and (Michael)
Miller. Those are big play guys."
But Powlus may not need to air it out,
with a tremendous Irish offensive backfield
hungry for the ball.
Tailbacks Lee Becton and Randy
Kinder and fullback Ray Zellars lead a unit
that returns the team's top five rushers
from 1993.
But if junior tackle Trent Zenkewicz
and therest of theWolverine defensive line
can put pressure on the quarterback -
something they failed to do last Saturday
- Powlus may show his youth.
That's where Michigan junior
cornerback Ty Law comes in. In his first
game in South Bend two years ago, theAll-
America candidate was flagged for a ques-
tionable pass interference call on the apron
of the Michigan endzone. The penalty led
to an Irish touchdown and a 17-17 tie.
Close games
the story for
Michigan-
Notre Dame
Somehighlights and lowlights from
the Michigan-Notre Dame series since
1989:
1989 - Raghib "Rocket" Ismail
takes off in the pouring rain at Michi-
gan Stadium. Ismail returns one kick
for a touchdown in the first half. Then-
Michigan coach Bo Schembechler de-
cides against kicking the ball away
from Ismail. The Wolverines pay as he
returns another to clinch the 24-19 Notre
Dame victory.
1990 - In Gary Moeller's first
season as head coach, the Wolverines
lead at halftime but can't hold on for
the win. Rick Mirer, in his first start at
quarterback for the Irish, leads Notre
dame to a 28-24 comeback win.
1991 -The game that will forever
belong to Desmond Howard. On fourth
and one from the Notre Dame 25 and
ahead, 17-14, quarterback Elvis Grbac
heaves one to the end zone. Howard
pulls off one of the most spectacular
catches in Michigan history, clinching
the 24-14 victory. With his two touch-
downs in the game, Howard makes his
stake for the Heisman Trophy, which
he would eventually win in a landslide.
1992 - The one game nobody
won. Grbac threw an interception late
in the game as the Wolverines were
A.;rvina fr ainning crre_ Then the
fIsh DB
hTaylors
made
By George Dohrmann
Notre Dame Observer
It's too bad such a play will never
be recognized in the stat books.
In the third quarter of Saturday's
Notre Dame-Northwestern game,
cornerback Bobby Taylor scampered
down the sideline, ball cradled in his
arms and two points on his mind.
He had done what he has become
best at in the country - cover wide
receivers. Northwestern quarterback
Tim Hughes had looked to his right and
thrown to what he thought was an open
target. The Longview, Tex. native saw
it differently. He stepped up, took the
pass between the numbers and was off
to the races. The two-point conversion
had failed for the Wildcats, creating an
opportunity for Taylor to get his name
in the scoring column.
"I was going along but then I got
cramps or something," Taylor said,
smiling.
It was an excuse, but an acceptable
one. Hughes cut Taylor off and herded
him out of bounds. No two points; not
even credit for an interception.
Scoring would have been icing on
the stellar game for Taylor. He already
had an interception and ended with
three tackles.
"Bobby Taylor had an excellent
game," Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz
said. "He was a bright spot."
A spark on an otherwise damp day
for the Irish defense. Praise from Notre
Dame's coach was thin toward a de-
fense that allowed Wildcat tailback
Dennis Lundy to run rampant and
Northwestern 186 total rushing yards.
But there has always been praise
for Taylor. It began his freshman year
when he started seven games and high-
See TAYLOR, Page 13
JONATHAN LURIE/Daily NOTRE DAME SPORTS INFORMATION
"It was one play that cost us the game,"
Law remembers. "This time I want to do
something that can help us win. Hopefully
it will come down to the same kind of
situation and (Notre Dame) will come to
me again."
On the other side of the ball, Collins
will have to draw upon his experience to
make things happen for the Wolverines.
Against Boston College, the offense stalled
early until Collins found his receivers and
opened up the game.
Junior wideouts Amani Toomer and
Mercury Hayes will be counted on to pro-
vide the big play. Last week,Toomerracked
up 179 receiving yards and two scores
while turning the game in Michigan's fa-
vor.
End Brian Hamilton and nose guard
Oliver Gibson lead a typically strong Notre
Dame defensive line, and Justin Goheen is
the top defensive stopper at inside line-
backer.
They will be in charge of shutting down
Davis and Biakabatuka. If the Irish can
stop Michigan's backs early, the Wolver-
ines could have a long day.
But don't expect Biakabutuka to get
rattled. A native of Longueuil, Quebec, the
sophomore remains ignorant about much
of the Notre Dame mystique.
"I've heard about Touchdown Jesus,"
he said, "that's all I know about."
Says Toomer: "When (Biakabutuka)
gets the ball in his hands and sees the
defense coming at him, he'll run the ball
just like he did last week."
And that remains just one piece of what
Michigan needs to win in its last crack at
the Irish until 1997.
U U
1950 SOUTH INDUSTRIAL HIGHWAY
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN 48104
PHONE 665-4475
I
Conser
va tive,
in a liberal
*Best selection
*Most styles
eBest prices
L
a
-- f--