i3* SI W znnurruornvo . iw.....;S - a t uiw rnaTxf i er n rer rX--Tm _ I yr . disk 'Lj I IIM Iti11 1 a Ually rXIV~t :I IuI~udy, aejielfiuer i.LL.ZJ l POSos- 9 9 ' Thursday, September - 1996 - Kickoff POLLS ichian ositlo ly p s Offense For those who enjoy a good mystery, Michigan's quarterback situation must be a real bore. Because unlike a year ago, it's no secret who the Wolverines' top signal- caller is. Sophomore Scott Dreisbach tops a group of quarterbacks that looks to be at least four deep. "A year ago, the biggest problem was that we had no experience at quar- terback," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "We have a lot of experience coming back at quarterback, and that position should be a strength of the team." Last season, the Wolverines appeared headed for a year of quarter- back by committee when Virginia came to town for the Pigskin Classic. Carr gave Dreisbach the nod, and the redshirt freshman responded by throw- ing for a school-record 372 yards and two touchdowns, including the game winner with no time left on the clock. Not bad for a first-career start. Dreisbach was 4-0 as a starter before tearing ligaments on his right (throwing) hand. He missed Michigan's last nine games as the team faded to a 9-4 finish. "It's been my view that (Dreisbach) did an outstanding job in the four games he started," Carr said. "So with his hand recovered, there's no reason to think he's not going to pick up where he left off." Against Illinois two weeks ago, Dreisbach had mediocre passing stats (11-of-23 for 117 yards and a touch- down), but showed surprising speed on a 72-yard scoring jaunt. While Dreisbach was out last sea- son, Brian Griese led the Wolverines. He was 5-4 as Carr's head man, throw- ing for 1,577 yards, 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The junior also helped engineer Michigan's stunning 31-23 upset of then-No. 2 Ohio State in the regular-season finale. But Griese's offseason did not mir- ror the success of the win over the Buckeyes. He had a run-in with the law at a local sports bar last spring. And Griese has struggled on the field, too. "Brian did not have a great spring," Carr said. "I think he has to play better this fall than he-did this spring." Still, Griese's experience is a plus for the Wolverines, even if he isn't Dreisbach's No. I backup. That slot belongs to redshirt fresh- man Tom Brady.._ ition around, he was 188, and at the start of w fall practices, 196. Williams insisted that the extra weight didn't slow him down, and he proved it against the Fighting. Illini, hitting holes as quickly as he did last season in limited back-up time. The final variable in the Michigan backfield is junior fullback Chris Floyd. Floyd rushed for only 18 yards on seven carries against Illinois, but Carr is expecting big things from him this season. "I think he gained confidence from the fact that, a year ago, he had a very good fall," Carr said. "I look for him to be as good a fullback as there is in the conference." - Ryan White Try our famous colliders! Choose any of our 22 fruit, cereal, and candy toppings to create your own Colombo non-fat yogurt shake. 812 South State SI AP PHOTO Lendon Henry and Colorado ran by rival Colorado State last weekend. The Buffaloes' speed and quickness will test Michigan on Saturday in Boulder, Colo. Many believe Colorado has the talent to challenge for the national championship this season. Quarterback Koy Detmer'leads the Colorado attack. The senior signal-caller has a couple of weapons to choose from in wide receiver Rae Carruth and-tailback Herchell Troutman. EVAN PETRIE/Special to the Daily Clarence Williams will have to get by a lot of tacklers to make up for Michigan's loss of Tim Biakabutuka. "I think Tom Brady is going to be a factor in the quarterback race," Carr said. "He had a great spring and has a lot of ability." Redshirt freshman DiAllo Johnson will make sure Dreisbach, Griese and Brady come ready to practice every day. Johnson has the ability to press the others. "DiAllo Johnson is a guy we are going to look at very hard this fall," Carr said. "He has a lot of abilities the other three don't have." - Barry Sollenberger If anything was learned about Michigan's running game from the first contest, it's that we're going to have to wait until Colorado for any real answers. Yes, sophomore Clarence Williams ran for 95 yards against Illinois, but he is only half of the tailback contingent that Michigan coach Lloyd Carr had expected to use in the game. The other half, junior tailback Chris Howard, was ineligible for the season opener due to unfinished course work. "Chris Howard is a guy that we've always felt was going to be a very good tailback," Carr said. "He has not proven that yet. Chris Howard has to step up and run the football like we know he can." Howard should get his chance to step up and return to the field Saturday against Colorado. Carr is hoping the duo of Howard and Williams will be able to give him the yardage and the amount of work given to the Wolverines last year by Tshimanga Biakabutuka. In his junior season, Biakabutuka set team records for number of carries (303) and yards (1,818). Biakabutuka opted out of his final season and was taken eighth overall in the NFL draft by the Carolina Panthers. Williams is expecting the work load will be split evenly. "I'm sure Chris thinks he can carry the ball over 300 times, and I think I can carry the ball over 300 times, but I think it will be more of a shared role where we utilize each other's talents to the fullest,"he said. Aside from the lack of a Biakabutuka, there is another differ- ence this season, at least as far as Williams is concerned. And that's his size. Against Ohio State last season, Williams weighed in at 178 pounds. By the time spring football rolled Questions come from everywhere about Michigan's receivers. Can they catch? Can they compare to present pros Amani Toomer and Mercury Hayes? Can they survive with a guy whose name sounds a little too much like butterfingers? Questions. Questions. Heck, they even come from the coach. "The question mark is our receivers," Lloyd Carr said before the season. And his players are out to erase it. "That's the big goal," sophomore Tyrone Butterfield said. "They haven't seen us play, and they're already say- ing we can't catch. That's the goal for me personally - to prove we have receivers." Michigan surely has them, but when a team loses players like Toomer and Hayes, there is cause for concern. Butterfield and sophomore Tai Streets will compete with Anthony Williams for receptions, but remember, among the three of them, they had nine career receptions entering the season. Nine. Career. Toomer (44) and Hayes (48) each had about five times that just last sea- son. Undaunted, however, Carr glows See RECEIVERS, Page 5B