Scoreboard NATIONAL F~OOTBALL LEAGUE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Chicago at MINNESOTA, inc. Phoenix at MONTR EAL, inc. Washington at COLOR~ADO, inc. Tuesday October 29, 1996 9 No love lost between Wolverines and Spartans By Will McCahiu Daily Sports Writer The Montagues and the Capulets. The Hatfields and the McCoys. The Wolverines and the Spartans. In the hierarchy of storied rivalries, the first two pale in comparison to the last, if you are the Michigan football team. "It's something you don't understand 'til you've been in it," senior linebacker Jarrett Irons said. Senior center Rod Payne was more elaborate. "(Playing) Michigan State is as close to the Civil War as you can get:' he said. "There's no middle ground in this rival- ry. Indeed, there is little to be civil about this year as the Wolverines start their week of preparation for Saturday's game against the Spartans. In a seesaw affair on a bitterly cold day in East Lansing last season, Michigan State pulled out a 28- 25, come-from-behind victory that still leaves a bitter taste in the Wolverines' mouths. "We had that game won:' Irons said. "The defense let down at the end. We didn't play a total 60 minutes, and we gave up that loss." Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, who has had ample time to study the rivalry in his 17 years with the Wolverines, said the annual clash is loaded with emotion on both sides of the ball. "Back in the '60s, it seemed like ... across the state, everybody was on one side or the other," Carr said. "Because of that, it's very intense, and there are a lot of bragging rights at stake." Carr, Irons and Payne all agreed that it took them all a very short time to learn exactly what the fuss was about. "Once I came to Michigan, it didn't take long to know the intensity that exists within both teams in terms of the way they want to perform in this game;' Carr said. Irons said the intensity of the annual contest is a perfect example of the Big Ten's physical brand of football. "Both teams have always played hard," he said. "That's what this rivlary is all about." Payne, who like Irons, is from outside Michigan, said that losing to the Spartans in 1993 was what brought the significance of the rivalry home to him. "Oh man, when we went up there and lost-you really realize what Michigan- Michigan State is all about," Payne said. SUCKING wlND: With all the bitterness of the intrastate rivalry, a certain amount of trash-talking should be expected to go on. "Yeah, we've got some guys out there who like to tell us how their families are doing," Payne said. Although he saw little action in last season's contest, Michigan sophomore linebacker Sam Sword has heard the mouthing off. "I know there's a lot of trash-talking on the field," he said. "Everybody's going to go all out and leave everything they have on the field.' On the other side ofthe Michigan coin is Irons, who said he gets too involved in the game to indulge in idle chatter. "People might say a couple things, but that's not my style;' Irons said. "I'd be too tired to sit up and talk.' Even the normally-gregarious Payne admitted that the Spartans sometimes leave him at a loss for words. "I don't say too many things;' he said. "I'm too tired - I'm gasping for air" NIFTY FIFTIES: Saturday's contest will mark Michigan's 1,050th game of all time. Only Rutgers and Navy have played more games (1,084 and 1,056, respectively), but the Wolverines have nearly 200 more victories than the Midshipmen and 215 more than the Scarlet Knights. Michigan is currently under .500 in "50th" games (50th, 100th, 150th, etc.) with a 9-10-1 mark. The Wolverines, however, are on a three-game winning streak in such con- tests, having won their 900th game (at Indiana, Sept. 29, 1984), their 950th (vs. Michigan State, Oct. 8, 1988) and their 1000th (vs. Minnesota, Oct. 24, 1992). JOE WESTRATE/Daily Michigan wide receiver/kick returner Tyrone Butterfield and the rest of the Wolverines will have their hands full with a Michigan State squad that has reeled off three straight wins and is sure to be fired up for Saturday's game. *Women' s swimnmers thrashIllini .. . < Blue follows victor over Illinois with Northwestern Relay triumph °. . {s=.. aV I x By}Evan Braunstein For the Daily if last weekend is any indication, the Michigan women's swimming team is geared toward challenging for the °national championship this season. * The Wolverines (2-0 Big Ten, 2-0 overall) pummeled Illinois, 204-96, on Saturday before taking home the title .atithe Northwestern Relays by 44 points over the Wildcats on Sunday. Yet Michigan coach Jim Richardson said the meet was a lot-closer than the score reflects. This meet had a lot of great races - very few of them were blowouts," he said. "One reason the score was so.lop- sided is because we got a lot of second-, third- and fourth- place finishes. We have more depth than (Illinois)." Even without star senior Rachel Gustin, who is sidelined iue to injury, the Wolverines strolled to an easy victory over the Illini, taking first place in 12 out of 16 events. Senior Anne Kampfe and freshman Shannon Shakespeare took charge, each capturing two first-place finishes. "Illinois is a really young team, so we were not sure exactly what to expect going in to the meet," Kampfe said. "But we ended up swimming a lot better than we antici- pated." Also swimming well for the Wolverines was Jodi Navta, who has picked up a lot of the slack left by Gustin's absence. Navta grabbed first-place finishes in the 100- and X00-yard breastroke. Gustin excelled in both the brestroke and individual medley, and her injury forced Navta into the spotlight.. We ended urp swimming a lof better thafn we anticipated." - Ann Kampfe Michigan senior swimmer "Jodi has stepped up her swimming, and I'm sure she will continue to perform well," Kampfe said. However, Richardson said he does not look to any one particular person to take the place of Gustin. "It would be impossible for one person to make up all (the points Gustin gave the team);' he said. "Everybody has an added responsibility now." The team showed it is willing to accept this responsibil- ity in the Northwestern Relays, as many younger, inexpe- rienced swimmers helped Michigan top the likes of Northwestern, Michigan State, Northern Illinois and Wisconsin-Green Bay. The relays did not count toward the Wolverines' record, and Richardson said he used many younger swimmers that needed to gain experience. "My main goal right now is to keep up our training cycle. I always want to win, but sometimes it is neces- sary to sacrifice a short-term goal for the swimmers to develop." MARGARET MYERS/Daily The Michigan women's swimming team continued its dominance over the Big Ten this past weekend, beating Illinois and Northwestern. Michigan coach Jim Richardson, however, felt his team's wins weren't as impressive as the scores indicated. Saban concerned about overanxious Spartan squad EAST LANSING (AP) - It doesn't take much to get Michigan State fired up this week. This is Michigan week. * In fact, the hard part might be reining -gin the Spartans so they're competitive but cool come Saturday at Michigan Stadium. Even Michigan State coach Nick Saban said you can energize a team so much they can't execute. "Getting them wound so tight that they can't beat the drum is not necessarily the best way to go about it," he said Monday at his weekly news conference. "It's pos- sible to create too much anxiety. "That part of the game is probably the most difficult to control in terms of how a team practices, their spirit level during the course of the week relative to how they'll respond during the game,"he said. "If you create too much anxiety, I think it can affect your performance in a negative way. "I think spirited practice and good preparation is always something that con- tributes to confidence and poise in the game." The Spartans, flying high after three straight wins, take on the Wolverines just after noon on Saturday. Michigan State is 5-3 overall and 4-1 in the Big Ten, while Michigan is 6-1 overall, 3-1 in the Big Ten and ranked ninth in the country. "In every experience I've had here in playing this game, it has been a little more spirited through the course of the week," Saban said ofthe yearly Michigan game. "And I think that's good. It certain- ly helps the preparation." Both teams are coming off solid victo- ries. 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