c -4 y -- rr n ", - " N 7, -i-l 0 AIL #I G ,-~ septbr 1:1-23 - Kick-off * 0 Great Dayne will have t the load for defenseless. FILE PHOTO Ohio State coach John Cooper has had his troubles with the Wolverines. Will his luck change this year or will Michigan win for the third straight year? Ohio State reloads for shot at another Big Zen title Quick quiz: Which team has been to the Rose Bowl most recently, Michigan, Michigan State or Wisconsin? As difficult as it may be to believe, it was the Badgers who entered the 1994 season as defending Big Ten champs. But now, all the members of that squad - the winningest in school history - are gone, and the Wisconsin that foes grew used to before the Barry Alvarez regime has returned. The Badgers are coming off back- to-back seventh-place finishes in the Big Ten, and although this season started with great promise on paper, it has turned into another episode of mediocrity on the field. Wisconsin looked simply awful in its opener, a 340 shellacking at the hands of an overrated Syracuse team, and then followed that up two weeks later with a near catastrophe, eking out a 28-24 decision at home against lowly Boise State. Non-conference inferiority is not what Wisconsin had in mind, espe- cially since the Badgers struggled to a 3-5 Big Ten record last year. But if Alvarez can motivate this team and get it to 4-1 before opening the Big Ten season, this team could wind up in good shape. The Badgers don't have to worry about facing Ohio State and Michigan State on their schedule and they play the four con- sensus conference patsies - Indiana, Illinois, Purdue and Minnesota. But to regain its place in the upper echelon of the Big Ten, Wisconsin must Qet a performance from Heisman Trophy hopeful tailback Ron Dayne similar to that of his remarkable freshman campaign of a year ago. After breaking into the lineup at tailback in the third game last year, the 260-pound Dayne pro- ceeded to plow through defenses like snowblowers in the streets of Madison. Along the way, Dayne powered through opponents for four 200-yard games and capped off the most pro- lific rushing season by a freshman in NCAA history with a three-game stretch during which he averaged more than 290 yards per contest and scored 11 touchdowns. Perhaps his most impressive and dominating per- formance came against Minnesota, No tir he the the gra thi rel Ba+ for Rc ba Wisconsin Against Michigan: Nov. 15 Where: Madison t._ 1 : . , Since 1915 a great Ann Arbor and 3ichigan tradition! Stop by our (Llea p06~ Game Day tent open before and after each game 1 block north of the Stadium at Parkman Printing I N ci) L.. 0 We proudly carry the best in jichigan apparel from..., and also featuring the authentic Michigan Team Sports Collection from... Wanna know how good Ohio State is? Despite being raided by the NFL for 12 first-round draft picks in the 1990s, the Buckeyes keep churning out one monster team after another that has amassed a 41- 8-1 record since 1993. With that said, the loss of a pair of first- team All-Americans - left tackle Orlando Pace and cornerback Shawn Springs, two of the top three picks in this past Draft - in addition to five other offensive and six other defensive starters, should not be any reason to think that the Buckeyes will not challenge for both the Big Ten and national championships for the third straight season. And if Ohio State is to do just that, the Buckeyes will put up a heck of a lot of points along the way. With the exception of wideout Dimitrious Stanley, Ohio State returns all of-its specialty players on offense, including both heads of its alter- nating quarterback system - Stanley Jackson and Joe Germaine -1000-yard rusher Pepe Pearson and stud sophomore receiver David Boston. These were the main components of an offense that racked up some staggering conference-leading numbers a year ago: 440 yards per game, 38 points per game and 61 touchdowns. With a year's experi- ence under their collective belt and the addition of blue-chip freshman receiver Ken-Yon Rambo, there is no reason why these figures can't be repeated. And although the defense has been decimated by graduation and the NFL Draft, the returnees are among the nation's best at their respective positions. Senior Winfield Garnett is a house at nose tackle, packing 310 pounds into his 6-foot-6 frame. The Buckeyes' secondary, which led the nation in pass defense last year, lost three starters but returns safety Damon Moore, the team leader in tackles (89) and interceptions (five) last year. And then there's this guy Andy Katzenmoyer; you might have heard of him. The hype that surrounded the 6-foot- 4, 260-pound freshman linebacker a year ago proved to be a modest amount by sea- son's end, when his stat line read: 85 tack- les, 23 for a loss, four interceptions and 12 sacks. Anything short of consensus All-America honors for perhaps the top defensive player in the country this year will be considered a disappointment by the Columbus faithful. -Alan Goldenbach 1996 Record: 3-5 Big Ten (7th place), 8-5 overall Coach: Barry Alvarez, 7th season Last meeting: Wisconsin 31, Michigan 19; Oct. 29. 1994 Overall sedies: Michigan leads, 534&6 Key players RB Ron Dayne, So. (QB Mike Samuel, Jr, WR Donald Hayes, Sr. Rc me len d; Hoover r, Coming in mid-September Moe 'S Close-Out Outlet Shop Located right next to our N. University store in Hamilton Square Visit us at our website: 546 Packard a Central 769-5555 Campus 927 Maiden Ln. 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