6- The higan Daily - Footbal urday-- October 11, 194
FeATu Us-
1 0t4
QUICK INFO
Se~mber 20, 1997 ---
1
i
Getting their
kicks
Trio of kickers off on the right foot
Northwlestern
1996 Record. 7-1 Big Ten
(tie-ist place), 9-3 overall
Coach: Gary Barnett, 6th season
Last meeting: Northwestern 17,
Michigan 16; Oct. 5, 1996
Overall series: Michigan leads, 44-13-2
Key players
WR Brian Musso, Sr.
DE Casey Dailey, Sr.
RB Adrian Autry, Sr.
MICHIGAN
LEADERS
The two-deep
By Alan Goldenbach
Daily Sports Editor
The path to a spot on a major college
football team involves hard work, dedica-
tion, committment, and ... lying.
The Michigan kicking triumvirate -
punter Jason Vinson, placekicker Kraig
Baker and kickoff specialist Jay Feely -
was supposed to be Michigan's greatest
liability coming into this season.
Now, it's more like they are liable for a
good deal of the Wolverines' success four
games into the campaign.
"The kicking game can be momentum
changing plays," Michigan coach Lloyd
Carr said. "There's a lot of things that can
go wrong, and when they do. they almost
always create momentum shifts in the
game.
Fortunately for Michigan. there hasn't
been an instance where the kicking game
has created such a shift. Three of
Michigan's four victories haxve been of
the blowout nature, meaning that special
teams really does not have much of an
impact.
In Michigan's seven-point win over
Notre Dame. the kickers did their job,
upholding the sports adage which says. if
a typical problem spot isn't making any
noise, then it's no longer a problem.
But if Vinson hadn't had his gift for
gab when he approached Carr about
walking on two years ago, this story may
be all about those former problems still
present. Anyone who thinks that lying
xwill only get you in trouble appearantly
has not heard Vinson's story.
As a freshman. Vinson was like any
ordinary newcomer to Ann Arbor. A biol-
ogy major, he worked at the University
Hospital, attended football games, and
complained about Michigan's abysmal
punting game.
But what has subsequently made
Vinson anything but an ordinary fan is
that he actually put his money where his
mout - er, foot - is and tried out for the
Michigan football team as a punter.
The man who was the second-stringer
on his high school team was seeking to
become the punter on one of the elite pro-
grams in the nation. -
"At the time I told them I was a
punter,"Vinson said. "I had never punted.
but I figured that might get me in the
door quicker."
It got him in the door all right, and it
almost slammed the door in his face just
as quickly. When Vinson's first real punt-
ing test came in the 1996 spring game.
Carr had to wonder whether or not he
was wasting his time with Vinson.
"He went out in the spring game and
punted poorly" Carr said. "He couldn't
have punted worse."
But a year and a half later and a wk hole
lot of practice behind him, Vinson is now
the averaging 41.8 yards per kick, a fig-
ure that if he maintains. would be better
than any Michigan punter since Monte
Robbins averaged 43.5 yards in 1987.
'He's punted in this stretch as well as
anybody we'xe had in here in a long
time:' Carr said. "It's a really wonderful
story. Jason Vinson has made us a much
better football team."
Feely and Baker don't have the drama
behind their stories. yet the do equal
Vinson's drive to earning major con-
tributing roles.
Coming into fall practice Feely.
responsible for kickoffs last season, bat-
tled his good friend, Baker, for the place-
kicking duties. Whichever of them won
the job knew that he was already starting
out on shaky ground having to replace
the graduated Remy Hamilton, the most
efficient kicker in school history.
Rather than trying to exceed their pre-
decessor, Feely and Baker just tried to
exceed each other, which was not only
was challenging, but beneficial as well.
"The competition made. us better
because if you're the only one out there,
whether you miss it or make it, you're
still the kicker," said Baker, who has con-
verted five of seven field goals and all 15
extra points this season.
And even though the battle was cut-
throat at times, Feely thinks that their
friendship only impoved the caliber of
both their games.
"There wasn't any animosity betwen
us," Feely said. We were both there for
each other. It was a great situation
because Kraig and I are so close. We
\were both pulling for each other."
Relegated to kickoffs and the occa-
sional long field goal. Feely has excelled
at giving the Wolverines a near-automat-
ic in an area that is often overlooked. Five
of his kickoffs have gone clear out of the
end zone and seven others have been
wisely downed for touchbacks.
Pinning opponents deep in their zone
to start is always a boost for the defense
according to Carr.
"When they start at the 20 it's a
tremendous advantage as opposed to
starting at the 30 or 35.' Carr said.
"That's another first down they have to
earn on the line of scrimmaue."
"
E
Wide Receiver
22 Brian Musso
7 Aaron Burrell
Left Tackle
79 Brian LaBelle
71 Jack Harnedy
Left Guard
70 Brian Hemmerle
68 Neil Carroll
Center
63 Nathan Strikwerda
57 Ty Garner
Right Guard
69 Chris Leeder
56 Mike Souza
Right Tackle
74 Paul Janus
67 Leon Brockmeier
Wide Receiver
18 Toussaint Waterman
80 John Burden
Quarterback
8 Tim Hughes
4 Chris Hamdorf
Fullback
46 Matt Hartl
34 Levelle Brown
Tailback
32 Adrian Autry
37 Fajari Leary
Tight End
84 Jay Tant
87 Joel Stuart
Kicker
13 Brian Gowins
39 Shannon Jones
Defensive End
56 James Hall
57 Chris Singl(
Defensive Tack
91 Josh Williar
95 Pat Kratus
Nose Tackle
58 Rob Renes
94 Eric Wilson
Defensive End
81 Glen Steele
90 Juaquin Fey
Outside Lineba
43 Clint Coper
45 Jeff Holtry
Cornerback
30 Andre Wea
5 James Whitl
PASSING
Player
Griese k
Brady
Kapsner
RUSHING
Player /
Howard
Thomas
C. Williams
Floyd
C-A
66-98
12-15
Yds
808
103
TD
5
0
Int
1
0
2-3 21 0 0
Att
53
47
29
25
RECEIVING
Player No.
Howard 14
C. Williams 13
Streets 12
Tuman 8
Shaw 7
Floyd 6
McCall 5
Woodson 4
Thomas 4
Yds
257
213
167
97
Yds
112
81
161
170
89
86
32
95
37
Avg
4.8
4.5
5.7
3.9
Avg
8.0
6.2
13.4
21.3
12.7
14.3
6.4
23.8
9.3
Lg
27
19
16
14
Lg
13
19
41
53
24
43
10
35
26
TD
3
2
1
2
TD
1.
0
2
0
1
0
0
1
0
- -
L MA
urn
m
After a slow start, placekicker Kraig Baker has settled into
five of seven field goal attempts on the season.
his role. He has hit
Floyd does it all for rejuvenated offense
By Danielle Rumore
C.ulv Sports ,it r
hris Floxd doesn't play the cheerleadin
role well. For the past three years. he
has been an instrumental part of
Michigan's backfield. starting 12 games over
the past two seasons. At 6-feet-1. 227-pounds.
he is a bruising fullback who is as comfort-
able running through a defender as he is run-
ning around one.
He blocks, he catches. he runs. and he has
done it week in and week out, with the excep-
tion of Michigan's second game against
Baylor. He was suspended for violating team
rules and missing that game was difficult for
Floyd, so difficult in fact that he opted to stay
away from the stadium and watch the game at
home. He said that would be less painful than
standing on the sidelines unable to play.
"I sat at home. I didn't want to come to the
game because I was hurting so bad." Floyd
said after Michigan's 38.3 victory over the
Bears. "(Against Notre Dame in the next
game). I wanted to show the world what I can
do and show the coaches what I can do."
And he showed what he could do against
the Irish, and then again the next week at
Indiana and maybe today against
Northwxestern. Floyd is averaging 3.9 yards a
carry, and is currently ranked third on the
team in rushing with 98 yards and two touch-
downs. He also has 86 receixing yards at a
14.3 average.
Last week against the
Hoosiers. he led Michigan
in rushing. carrving the
ball 10 times for 29 yards
and he was third in receiv-
ing. with a 43-yard recep-
tion.
But Floyd's breakout
game was against Notre
Dame. the game he said
that he felt he had some-
thing to prove. It was his Floyd
chance to make up for
missing the second game of the season.
And he did make a statement. He rushed for
41 yards on seven carries, including a 14-yard
touchdown run, and was Michigan's leading
receiver with four catches for 35 yards.
He showed that he is a versatile fullback
and one of the more talented ones in the coun-
try. His numbers Nveren't stellar against the
Irish, but he made timely plays. including
blocks, which helped the Wolverines hold on
to their 21-14 win.
In the first half. the Wolverines didn't have
many offensive opportunities because the Irish
controlled the tempo and topped the
Wolverines in possession time. In fact, at the
half. the Irish edged out the Wolverines 19:11
to 10:49 in possession time and held a 14-7
lead.
So entering the third quarter. some of the
Wolverines said that they felt an urgency to
score whenever they had an opportunity.
Floyd was instrumental in one scoring drive
and some of the Wolverines' other drives,
even those which ended in a punt.
"He ran the ball hard, blocked hard,"
Michigan quarterback Brian Griese said after
the Notre Dame game. "If he's not the most
valuable player on offense, I don't know who
is."
Floyd gave the Wolverines the go-ahead
touchdown and their first lead of the game on
a 14-yard touchdown run with 9:21 remaining
in the third quarter. His score came on the
drive immediately proceeding the one which
tied the game at 14, just 24 seconds into the
second half.
At second-and-I on the Notre Dame 33-
yard line. Floyd raced up the middle for a
three-yard gain and the first down. Fixe plays
later at second-and-seven. Floyd raced
untouched into the endzone for the score. The
extra point put the Wolverines up. 21-14.
"It was great blocking. just great blocking,;'
Floyd said of the run. 'It was a sweep play. I
thought of cutting inside but I saw that they
had good blocks. So I ran around the edge.
(Wide receiver) Russell Shaw had a block on
the goalline. '
Although the Wolverines entered the fourth
quarter with the lead, three fumbles in eight
minutes almost let the game slip away. Floyd
was responsible for the last one on third-and-5
when he fumbled the handoff from Griese.
But with the exception of the fumble. Floyd
made some big plays on second and third
down opportunities throughout the game. such
as on the ensuing drive after his touchdown
run. Floyd ran a similar route for a 14-yard
gain and a first down on a second-and-10 situ-
ation. On the next play, Griese rolled right and
hit Floyd for the first down.
"He played hard. He caught the ball,
blocked," Michigan receiver Tai Streets said.
"He's a great fullback. He is probably the best
fullback in the Big Ten. I'd put him up against
anyone in the country."
PUNTING
Player No. Y
Vinson 16 6
Griese 2
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player No. Yds
C. Williams 7 154
PUNT RETURNS
Player No. Yds
Shaw 4 45
Woodson 11 79
Whitley 2 8
DEFENSE
Player Solo
Sword 27
Ray 12
Jones 17
Mayes 15
Hendricks 12
Woodson 14
J. Williams 10
Steele 10
Weathers 10
Hall 10
Renes 8
Peterson 9
Copenhaver 7
Taylor 7
Gold 6
Whitley 7
Feazell 4
Patmon 2
Frysinger 4
Wilson 1
PASS DEFENSE
Player Int Yds
Woodson 2 1
Hendricks 2 0
Copenhaver 1 19
Jones 1 17
Patmon 1 0
Taylor 1 0
Ray 0 0
Left Defensive End
44 Keith Lozowski
95 Dwayne Missouri
Left Defensive Tackle
88 KeJaun DuBose
99 Jeff Dyra
Right Defensive Tackle
98 Bobby Russ
78 Daryl Hodge
Right Defensive End
36 Casey Dailey
90 Thor Schmidt
Left Outside Linebacker
55 Barry Gardner
43 Preston Letts
Middle Linebacker
53 Don Holmes
47 Conrad Emmerich
Right Outside Linebacker
9 Kevin Buck
10 Anwawn Jones
Cornerback
6 Harold Blackmon
11 Gerald Conoway
Free Safety
26 Mike Nelson Jr.
24 Rashad Morton
Strong Safety
33 Eric Collier
14 Mycal Jones
Cornerback
21 Fred Wilkerson
17 Josh Barnes
Punter
8 Tim Hughes
13 Brian Gowins
Yds Avg Lg
368 41.8 53
76 38.0 39
Not:
M
m
1'!7'
1'1'1
-1'17'
Avg
22.0
Avg
11.5
7.2
4.0
Lg
22
20
5
iW
CA
TD
0
0
0
Asst
11
16
9
10
9
3
7
7
6
5
6
3
5
3
4
2
4
4
0
3
Tot
38
28
26
25
21
17
17
17
16
15
14
12
12
10
10
9
,8
6
4
4
Staff
Picks
- all picks made
against the
spread.
Wide Receiver
86 Tai Streets
85 Marcus Kn
Left Tackle
79 Jeff Backus
71 Jeff Potts
Left Guard
76 Steve Hutc
67 David Bran
Center
68 Zack Adan
64 Steve Frazi
Right Guard
52 Chris Ziem
67 David Bran
Right Tackle
77 Jon Jansen
72 Ben Mast
Game (HOME TEAM IN CAPS)
MICHIGAN (-24) vs. Northwestern
Michigan State (-18 1/2) vs. INDIANA
PENN STATE (-6 1/2) vs. Ohio State
WISCONSIN (-13) vs. Illinois
Purdue (-6) vs. MINNESOTA
ARIZONA ST. (-2 1/2) vs. Southern Cai
CLEMSON (-5 1/2) vs. Virginia
Colorado (-3) vs. OKLAHOMA STATE
Florida (-15 1/2) vs. LOUISIANA STATE
TENNESSEE (-10) vs. Georgia
Best Bet
Last week
Overall
Overall best bet
Lg TD
28 0
-e-t
CO
Mon
NICHOLAS J.
COTSONIKA
Northwestern
Michigan State
Penn State
Wisconsin
Purdue
Arizona St.
Clemson
Colorado
Louisiana State
Tennessee
Colorado
6-4
31-27
ALAN
GOLDENBACH
Northwestern
Michigan State
Ohio State
Wisconsin
Purdue
Arizona St.
Clemson
Oklahom State
Florida
Tennessee
Michigan State
5-5
25-33
2-3
JOHN
LEROI
i
Mict
Michiga
Penn
Wisc
Pui
Arizor
Cler
Oklahor
Flo
Tenn
Tenn
29
Lg
1
0
19
17
0
0
0
Brk-up
0
0
0
1
0
0
3_
TD
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2-3