. , , 6 ---'the Mi higan Daily --- Kickoff "9'1--- ptember 1i-13 . - POtlmON 1EVIEWS - - 6 - T---Dal - K c f----tb rI 1-------..k. 8 C°a TAN KickdV Loss of Bowens, injuries weaken front seven, but Steele remains Banks, Sherman lead veteran Hawkeyes ..:. : ..lim e o JOE WESTRATE/Daily Sophomore defensive end James Hall has the daunting task of replacing David Bowens and matching the school-record 12 sacks Bowens made last year. Nev Open Late Nigi Restauran 333 E. Huron t Late Inside am-3am, Defensive linemen Michigan was ready to enter the 1997 season with its two sack leaders, fifth- year senior Glen Steele and junior David Bowens, lining up at opposing defensive ends. But before the season began, the line took more hits than it usually deals. Bowens, last year's starting left end, was released from the team for academ- ic reasons. He set a school record with 12 sacks last season. And last week, the Wolverines lost defensive tackle Ben Huff for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. "Ben was a very, very tough, hard- nosed competitor," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "His presence meant a lot to our team. That creates a real prob- lem for us up front defensively" That leaves Steele, the Wolverines' ironman, as the veteran of the line. Last season, Steele started all 12 games and recorded six sacks and 15 tackles-for- loss for the Wolverines despite suffering from constant back problems. But Steele isn't the only defensive threat remaining In fact, even with Bowens and Huff out, the Wolverines should have enough depth to keep the line packed with punch. Putting Steele aside, the Wolverines have the option of using sophomore James Hall and junior Juaquin Feazell at the ends. Hall had a sack that caused a fumble at Purdue and a sack at Ohio State last season. Feazell started in parts of the past two seasons and underwent shoulder surgery before the start of the 1996 season. He had 37 tackles and four tackles-for-loss last year. Sophomore Rob Renes will replace William Carr at nose tackle and redshirt freshman Eric Wilson will filter in to replace Renes. Behind Huff on the depth chart is sophomore tackle Josh Williams. He had 13 tackles in 11 games last season, zero for loss. Sophomore Pat Kratus backs up Josh Williams and could see time at tack- le or middle guard. And true freshmen Maurice Williams and Bill Seymour should have a chance to filter in and out. - Danielle Rumore We Deliver! 0 4~~7 g w Hours Open Sun-Sat 11 am-1amI ht Delivery Wed-Sat 1 Linebackers Jarrett Irons spent five years at Michigan and was an All-American at middle linebacker last season. Irons was Michigan's second leading tackler and will be missed, but experienced players return to fill his spot as well as the inside and outside spots. The Wolverines should once again have a strong sec- ondary. "We have a strong linebacking corps which I feel is one of the best and which can be one of the best," said senior co- captain and inside linebacker Eric Mayes. "We got guys that love to get to the ball, who love to cover. There are young guys ... who go from sideline to sideline." The least amount of experienced play- ers will be at the middle spot. The com- bination of Mayes and sophomore Dhani Jones will fill in for Irons. Mayes saw a lot of time on special teams last season and recorded 10 tackles over 12 games. Jones had four tackles over 11 games, and also had a sack and fumble recovery against UCLA as a freshman last season. The inside and outside spots retained the most experienced players and should be solid again with junior Sam Sword and sophomore Clint Copenhaver, respectively. Sword had 109 tackles to lead the team in 1996 and had 11 tack- les-for-loss and one sack. Copenhaver added 64 tackles, includ- ing nine for loss, and three sacks. Sophomore Jeff Holtry, who has returned from a two-year Mormon mis- sion, can back up Copenhaver. Fifth-year senior Rob Swett, who has battled injuries in past seasons, will backup the inside and middle spots. In fact, Swett missed spring drills due to offseason wrist surgery and missed prac- tice all last week with a head injury that is not expected to be serious. He had 17 tackles last season. Redshirt Grady Brooks and junior Chris Singletary also might see time at outside linebacker. There is also a slew of true freshmen, including Eric Brackins, Jake Frysinger, Bob Fraumann and Anthony Jordan, who might see time at all three spots. - Danielle Ruore Linebackers The starters Pos. No. Name Yr/Eig. OWB 43 Clint Copenhaver 5r./Jr ILB 93 Sam Sword Sr./Jr. ILB <26Eric Mayes Sr./Sr. The backups; OLB 45 Jeff Holtry So./So. #LB 44Ro Swet Sr.Sr. ILB 55 Dani Jons S.So. ' plr e ahead of you Dascola Balbers 615EL Liberty M-F 8:30-5:20 Sat ti 4:20 P r.,; R It, If there's one thing coach Hayden Fry has at Iowa, it's experience. He has coached more games than any other active Division I coach (397) in 35 years of coaching. Plus, the Hawkeyes return 15 starters from last season's third-place team, all of whom are either juniors or seniors. Senior quarterback Matt Sherman might be the best passer in the Big Ten. He has started since his freshman year, amassing 5,200 yards and 32 touch- _ downs in three years. Sherman's main target is senior wide receiver Tim Dwight. The speedy Dwight, who doubles as Iowa's punt returner, caught 541 balls last season and ran for three touchdowns, all on reverses. But Dwight is Sherman's only legiti- mate pass-catcher, a problem the Hawkeyes didn't have last season with wide receiver Demo Odems. But Iowa's biggest asset may be run- ning back Tavian Banks. Overshadowed by Sedrick Shaw last season, Banks had just 144 carries but gained 629 yards and scored nine touchdowns. The senior looked brilliant in Iowa's 66-0 shellacking of Northern Iowa on Saturday, running for 203 yards and two touchdowns and catching one of Sherman's three scoring passes. The Hawkeyes biggest weakness is in the secondary. Gone are safety Damien Robinson (110 tackles, six intercep- tions) and cornerback Tom Knight (four interceptions). - John Leroi Football scores aren't the. only ones that matter... THE PRINCETON REVIEW 1220 S. University #209 313-663-2163 Spartans have lofty expectations The last time people in East Lansing were this excited about their football team, Lorenzo White was their star run- ning back, George Perles's job was secure and Ronald Reagan was president. Since the Spartans won the Big Ten title in 1987 and finished eighth in the nation after beating USC in the Rose Bowl, Michigan State has fielded mediocre teams. But third-year coach Nick Saban has quite a bit more to work with this season. The Spartan's schedule couldn't be better. All of Michigan State's tough conference games are at home - Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. And Saban has some pretty good weapons on both sides of the ball. Sophomore running back Sedrick Irvin is nothing short of spectacular. Irvin ran for 1,067 yards and 16 touchdowns in his freshman season. Irvin has plenty of help on offense, mostly from the conference's leading returning passer, Todd Schultz and mas- sive offensive lineman, Flozell Adams. Adams was a second-team All-Big Ten pick a year ago and is being touted as an All-America candidate this year. Schultz threw for 1,693 yards last sea- son. When healthy, he was one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the Big Ten. But Schulz suffered three knee injuries in the fall and missed all of spring practice. Even if Schultz does survive the rest of the season unscathed, it doesn't look like he has too many targets to throw to. Irvin is an excellent receiver out of the backfield and tight end Josh Keur is solid. But thedSpartans lost both of their wide receivers from a year ago, Derrick Mason and Nigea Carter, to graduation. The Spartans finished 19th in the nation in total defense, but Saban would like to see a more aggressive unit this season. Senior outside linebacker Ike Reese is a Butkus Award candidate and Courtney Ledyard, the other outside backer, is a two-year starter. Saban says Michigan State's sec- ondary is one of its biggest strengths. It's true that the Spartans have experience on the corners and Sorie Kanu is one of the best safeties in the conference. Bututhe Spartans surrendered the most touch- downs and made the fewest interceptions of any team in the Big Ten. - John Lerni on them, you can sell of the semester for at least 50% of what you paid for them. 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