The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 27, 1996 - 15
The Matchups:
Bruins look to
steal close game
By Ryan White
')P ly Sports Writer
Michigan doesn't enter this week-
end's game against UCLA in the best
of positions.
Sure, the Wolverines are ranked sev-
enth while the Bruins are unranked.
Michigan is 3-0 and UCLA is 1-1.
But the Bruins have had a week to
prepare for the Wolverines, and
Michigan doesn't know what to expect
from UCLA.
First-year UCLA coach Bob Toledo
brought with him a fancy for trick-
plays and innovative offense, and since
UCLA's last game was a 44-0 romp
over Northeast Louisiana, Toledo did-
ni't have to show a whole lot of any-
thing in terms of schemes and strate-
gies.
As a result, this edition of matchups
comes with a warning: If the Michigan
coaching staff isn't exactly sure what
expect from the Bruins, how should
e?
On with the show:
MICHIGAN RUSHING OFFENSE VS.
UCLA RUSHING DEFENSE:
The Bruins are allowing a scant 57-
yards per game on the ground. Of
course their two opponents have been
Northeast Louisiana and Tennessee,
and can anyone name Tennessee's run-
ning back?
Then again, UCLA does throw an
*teresting defense at its opponents.
According to Michigan coach Lloyd
Carr, the Bruins line up in what is
basically a 3-3-5 formation with three
down linemen, three linebackers
directly behind them and five defen-
sive backs.
The point is to be able to bring four
players from the right, the left or
straight up the middle at any time.
Tennessee quarterback Peyton
anning admitted to being kept off
guard by UCLA's defense, Michigan's
offense could face the same problems,
but not on the ground.
Tailback Clarence Williams had his
best rushing game of the season last
week with 133 yards on the ground.
Fellow tailback Chris Howard
missed last week's game with a rib
injury suffered against Colorado.
Michigan coach Lloyd Carr hopes to
cave Howard back and split the work
load between the two backs.
It could be double trouble for the
Bruins.
ADVANTAGE:
MICHIGAN PASSING OFFENSE VS.
UCLA PASSING DEFENSE:
It's against the pass that UCLA's
defense presents the most problems.
Carr called the Bruins' secondary
the most talented he's seen, and that's
not good news for the Wolverines.
Michigan quarterback Scott
Dreisbach had his best game of the
young season against the Eagles, but
e offense still isn't producing the
ay anyone would like.
Against the Bruins, Dreisbach will
have to face a secondary led by senior
strong safety Abdul McCullough.
McCullough was UCLA's Most
Valuable Player on defense last year as
a linebacker. He returned an intercep-
tion 51 yards for a touchdown in the
Bruins' season-opening loss to the
Vols.
9 Michigan's receivers have improved
every game, but the passing game may
not have improved enough.
ADVANTAGE:
College, and linebacker Jarrett Irons
was upset about it.
The Wolverines are holding then-
selves to high standards, and they're
capable of achieving them.
Skip Hicks leads the Bruins rushing
attack, averaging 73-yards a game, but
that's after 101 yards against
Northeastern Louisiana.
Michigan has allowed just over 89-
yards a game rushing. Irons leads the
team with 31 tackles, and nose tackle
Will Carr leads the linemen with 25
take downs
Skip may want to do just that with
this game
ADVANTAGE:
UCLA PASSING OFFENSE VS.
MICHIGAN PASSING DEFENSE:
This is where things get interesting.
Toledo has promised at least one
trick play a game, and it will most like-
ly involve a pass somewhere along the
line.
Bruins quarterback Cade MNown
is as athletic as they come. He started
nine games as a true freshman last
year. He threw for 1,698 yards, and
was UCLA's second leading rusher
with 311 yards.
Michigan, however, has been caus-
ing a lot of problems for opposing
teams offenses, and the main agitator
has been defensive end David Bowens.
Through three games, Bowens has
six sacks and 18 tackles. When quar-
terbacks have gotten the pass off,
Michigan's secondary has been there
to tee-off on the receivers.
None the less, UCLA, with a week
to prepare, will keep the Wolverines
on their toes and possibly even off bal-
ance.
ADVANTAGE
EVEN
SPECIAL TEAMS:
Well, Remy Hamilton is Michigan's
leading scorer with 18 points on the
season. That's the good news.
The bad news is that he's made only
4-of-9 field goal attempts and missed
an extra point. All of the misses have
come in Michigan Stadium, including
three field goal misses and the extra
point miscue last weekend against the
Eagles.
Punter Paul Peristeris didn't exactly
have a career day against Boston
College either, but it's easy to excuse
both performances due to the weather.
UCLA posses a special teams secret
weapon, however, and his name is
Bjorn Merten. He's attempted four
field goals this season, and made them
all.
While not that impressive, his name
is Bjorn, and that's cool.
ADVANTAGE:
EVEN
Once again this game will most
likely come down to the Michigan
defense. The Wolverines will have to
concentrate for a full 60 minutes or
UCLA is liable to turn a little chi-
canery into six points.
The Bruins proved that were a better
team than people thought when they
walked into Neyland Stadium and
gave Tennessee everything it could
handle.
Michigan wants to prove that its a
much better team than it showed last
week against the Eagles; a team wor-
thy of its No. 7 ranking.
It won't be an easy one, but
Michigan will move to 4-0 for the sec-
ond season in a row, and they'll score
more than 20 points for the first time
since last season's win over Ohio
State.
PREDICTION: Michigan 21, UCLA 17
UCLA Quick Facts
N The Bruins' all-time record against
Michigan is 2-7-0. The Wolverines
won the last meeting, 38-15, on
Sept. 22, 1990, in Ann Arbor.
* UCLA's two victories against
Michigan both came during the 1982
-83 season. The Bruins rallied from a
21-0 second quarter deficit on Sept.
25, 1982, to win, 31- 27. The teams
met in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1,
1983 with UCLA winning, 2444.
* UCLA's impressive secondary fea.
tures brothers Javelin and Paul
Guidry. Paul, a senior, is a returning
starter at left cornerback. Javelin, a
junior, starts at right cornerback.
0 Tomorrow will be the Bruins' third
consecutive game in a stadium with
a capacity over 100,000. UCLA
opened the season at Tennessee,
whose Neyland Stadium is the
largest in the country. Two weeks
ago, the Bruins hosted Northeastern
Louisiana in the Rose Bowl.
UCLA has niot given up any points
in the third quarter this year.
* The Bruins have scored nine times
out of 10 inside their opponents' 20.
Staff
Picks
- all picks made
against the
spread
NICH
COT
Game (HOME TEAM IN CAPS)
MICHIGAN (-8) vs. UCLA
MICHIGAN ST. (-20) vs. E. Michigan M
INDIANA (+3 1/2)vs. Northwestern No
NOTRE DAME (+3) vs. ONo State. N
WISCONSIN (+8 1/2) vs. Penn State P
PURDUE (-4 1/2) vs. N.C. State N
TEXAS A&M (+3 1/2) vs. Colorado t
ARIZONA STATE (-12) vs. Oregon Ar
SYRACUSE (- 1) vs. Virginia Tech Vi
FLORIDA (-36) vs. Kentucky
Best Bet N
HOLAS J.
SONIKA
Michigan
ichigan St.
Orthwestern
otre flame'
Penn State
N.C. State
Colorado
izona State
rginia Tech
Florida
orthwestern
BARRY
SOLLENBERGER
Michigan
Michigan St.
Northwestern
Notre Dame
Penn State
N.C. State
Texas A&M
Oregon
Virginia Tech
Florida
Northwestern
5-5
14-15-1
1-2
RYAN
WHITE
UCLA
E. Michigan
Northwestern
Notre Dame
Penn State
N.C. State
Colorado
Oregon
Virginia Tech
Florida
Virginia Tech
3-7
14-15-1
Last Weelk
Overall
15-14-1
Overall Best Bet 241
r.. ,.C.
Maine hockey releases appeas on NCAA sanctions
.. ..
ORONO, Maine (AP) - The University of
Maine reiterated yesterday its claim of unfair
treatment as it released a copy of its appeal of two
of the sanctions imposed for violating NCAA
rules.
The 38-page appeal concludes that the NCAA's
ban on postseason play for the hockey team and
the loss of 13 football scholarships was inappro-
priate and excessive.
"These two appeals are being filed to protect the
interests of our students," said athletic director
Suzanne Tyler. "President (Frederick) Hutchinson
and I feel strongly that students and programs are
being unfairly treated in these two areas, and that
the NCAA's own findings did not justify such
harsh penalties."
Tyler said the university agreed with virtually
all of the NCAA's findings, including the lack of
sufficient institutional control at Orono from the
mid-1980s until 1994.
The NCAA Committee on Infractions found
that Maine violated NCAA rules in such areas as
extra benefits, recruiting, eligibility, financial aid
and personnel. Among the instances cited were
those in which players improperly received free
meals, lodging, use of a car and skybox seats at a
Boston Red Sox game.
The university imposed several penalties on
itself in December, when it suspended hockey
coach Shawn Walsh for a year, reduced the num-
ber of athletic scholarships and barred the hockey
team from competing in the 1996 NCAA tourna-
ment. Tyler said Thursday that the committee's
sanctions last June failed to reflect the university's
cooperation, self-investigation and corrective
measures.
UCLA RUSHING OFFENSE VS.
ICHIGAN RUSHING DEFENSE:
No question here.
The Michigan defense gave up 110-
yards rushing last week against Boston
Georgia seeks second
jnvestigation extension
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - Georgia
has asked for a second extension of
its deadline for responding to 10
NCAA allegations of wrongdoing in
its football program.
Green said Wednesday. "Our bylaws
say an institution should have 90 days
(to respond) ... but sometimes things
happen as a case develops."
If the extension is granted,