n n a n . . ....... .,.. .. j~IjIgI an 311lY iso y~ ursaay, el MW mm ptember 12, ~ o T~ SINSI CONT FF ' -..INSIDE KICKOFF '96 1*90 FEATURE Thursday, SeptemberY 1996 -- Kickoff Promise unkept? Daily sports columnist and foot- ball writer Ryan White dissects Michigan's recent absence from the Rose Bowl, loss of the nation's largest stadium and pos- sible fall from its own tradition. Didn't Bo'say, "Those who stay will be champions?" What hap- pened to the old Blue? 4- Position previews The Daily breaks down the Wolverines offensively and defensively - the quarterbacks, offensive line, running backs, receivers, secondary, lineback- ers, defensive line and special teams - player by player. Team previews Every opponent the Wolverines will face the rest of the season is examined. Will there be revenge dished out in Boulder? Will Penn State march all over Michigan again? What about Ohio State? Can Northwestern's Cinderella shoe fit again? Get the answers. "16- Picks'and polls The Daily top 25. The Associated Press top 25. The USA Today/CNN top 25. Sports ,Illustrated's top 25. They're all here, and so are the Daily's staff picks. Get the knowledge. - 18- Key quarterback Scott Dreisbach's thumb has healed, and everyone says he'sready. But the Wolverines' fortunes rest on a quarterback who had played but four games entering this season. Following in the tradition of Elvis Grbac and Todd Collins, Michigan needs a quality quar- terback to make it to the Rose Bowl. Is Dreisbach up to the task? Can he stay healthy? Is he good enough? Will he play better than he did against Illinois, a game in which he showed he was healthy yet unspectacular on the stat sheet? The task is clear, And proven or unproven, Dreisbach has a tough task ahead. -19- Irons will Jarrett Irons remembers, and the memory won't go away. As a redshirt freshman in 1993, Irons was in uniform for the Wolverines' last appearance in the Rose Bowl. And he considers that day - one in which he didn't play - his greatest moment. That's why he isn't in the NFL now. He wants to return to Pasadena. r S Captain returns for ring COVER DESIGN: By Nicholas J. Cotsonika and Mark Friedman COVER PHOTOS: By Mark Friedman U Tastes of Ann Arbor Dining Guide By Nicholas J. Cotsonika T hird and short from the Washington 15-yard line. Quarterback Elvis Grbac went under center and called the play, squinting in the sun and cut off from the 94,236 fren- zied fans by his own concentration. This was the Rose Bowl, and this was routine. It was 1993, another big-time, winning season for the Wolverines. Grbac was about to extend the tradition of his school another year and keep Bo Schembechler's promise, all in one quick play. He took the snap, fired the ball to Tony McGee on the two, and when McGee fell in to score the winning touchdown, Grbac's hands flew into the air. The place erupted. The score was 38-31, Michigan. And Grbac, in his final Rose Bowl appearance, was a champion. Somewhere, amid the hugging, chest-thumping and Gatorade- dumping, a redshirt freshman linebacker whooped and hollered, jumped and slapped fives. Young Jarrett Irons - a fierce competi- tor and future Butkus Award candidate - hadn't played. He hadn't played a down all year. But it didn't matter. He considers it his finest hour. "It was the greatest," Irons said. "Just being there, at the Rose Bowl, that was it." As he watched Grbac celebrate after his third and final Rose Bowl, Irons had no idea he could have been celebrating in Pasadena for the last time, too. Didn't Bo say, "Those who stay will be champions"? It surely wasn't "those who stay might be champions" or "every few years, those who stay will be champions." He said those who stay will be champions. Everyone. He promised. That's why, five years later, Jarrett Irons is still at Michigan. He has his undergraduate degree. He has a future in the NFL. But, in four years, he hasn't been back to the Rose Bowl. This is not about money or playing time or prestige. It's about a promise, and it's about a ring. And for Irons, it's about time. Irons could be gone now, and no one would have blamed him. He could be playing for some team like the Carolina Panthers, just.like his former teammate Tshimanga Biakabutuka, making money. After all, he has his degree in sports management and communication, and getting a degree is what college is all about. Right? But most often, decisions are made on what one doesn't have. Biakabutuka didn't have his family. So he went pro to earn the money to bring them over from Africa. Irons doesn't truly have a ring. So he stayed, started earning a master's degree and hoped. "I didn't play my freshman year, so it doesn't really count;' Irons said. "My reason for staying was, one, to go to the Rose' Bowl, and, two, because I'll never have this experience again. The pros, they'll be there. If it was meant for me to go to the pros, they'll be there. If not, then I've enjoyed myself here. "I don't want to leave this tradition, leave Michigan without leaving my stone here, leaving my legacy here, without people saying he went to the Rose Bowl and played his senior year." Irons is serious, and it only takes one glance to be sure. After practice last week, he sat in a Schembechler Hall lounge shirtless, with an ice pack strapped to his back so tightly, it pinched his skin all the way around his torso. Clusters of lines decorated his shoul- ders. They looked like nasty little battle scars, but they're just stretch marks that relieve the spots where his muscles are too big for his skin. His most striking feature is his hands. Big, powerful hands that had brought down 334 collegiate rushers entering this season. Big, powerful hands devoid of jewelry. As Irons rubbed them together, he talked about the ring he was given for watching the 1993 Rose Bowl in uniform. It didn't really belong to him. "I gave it to my dad," said Irons, whose father, Gerald, played for Tennessee State, the Oakland Raiders and the Cleveland Browns. "When the Raiders went to the Super Bowl, he got traded right before. So he never got a ring. He helped me through some hard times my first year, so he deserved it." Irons' first season couldn't have been easy. He comes from a religious family where the father - good God - hugs his sons in public. Big guy to big guy. Bear hugs. Irons called his father four or five times a week as a freshman. Ann Arbor's Finest Mexican Style Food. Michigan's Largest Selection of Gourmet Hot Sauces & Salsas. Italan Restaurant Let Mama Rosa cookfor you! " Homemade Pizza and Pasta " Beer & Wine E C EnVoEt available I. . . - -if s Ari' r's, it's genuine ftalian.- 300 Detroit St 66ry =0444 (Across from Kerrytown) *fomnsRamy-CiT SeOsm Whm, Han d WnMm dais"k Exokc Codclas * Dkft~ Uost mr Spea open?7 Dan a wd Forbidden, City 3535 Plymouth Road " 665-3591 WE DELIVER! 761-6650 open 11-11 seven days a week 333 E. HURON Happy Birthday! Charley's w/uld like to be thi first to congratulate you, with a free meal. Just bring along a friend and proper 1D, and sdet your favorite entree from our famous menu, Ihsjust our way of saying ood rTm eCongratulations and thank for celebrating Chly with us. 110CurhS U iverityat 68-41 1100 E. Catherine at Glen - 761-8996 Open 6 a.m. - 4 p.m. weekdays 6 a.m. - 3 p.m. Sat, 7 a.m. - 2 p.m. Sun. Serving breakfast and lunch all day. Featuring homemade raisin bread Favorites for over 30 years. ' " " t .. ' Voted "Ann Arbors. Best Mexican Food, \1 ~ '~2.P ~93 19411- The Michigan Daily Readership Poll "Tex-Mex without guilt.., a cheerful bustling atmosphere ... healthier versions of Tex-Mex classics." -Laura McReynolds, The Ann Arbor News "A definite cut above... The Burro's menu is aimed directly at the cash-conscious and health-minded." -Dave Medine, Orbit Magazine 619 E. William St (at State St.) 994-1888 M-Th 11-9:30 F & Sat 11.11 Sun 12-9:30 t eli & bakery The Healthy Alternative 715 N. University Phone: 662-4700 Fax: 662-5224 7 am-7 pm M-Th - 7 am-5 pm F & Sat 9 am-3 pm Sun The memories, while wonderful, last time the Wolverines made it see the looks on their faces. He receive the torch. But he hasn't this season, and Michigan's first feels the pressure to keep the p he was coach. If "those who sta can't leave without appearing in he? Only he and his teammates A memory. And he walked away briskly, hoping it won't be the only one he ever has.