2 - ThAichigan Daily - ba y-- October 18,
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GAME PREVIEW
9tober 18, 1997 - F
- INSIDE FOOTBALL SATURDAY -
m3-
Just like old times
Last w t.knd, No. 6 M iti - n
ercised a demon by beating
Northwestern. 23- Ther
\\c b1 dn 1: Vi
npo~i u of the enX /one
coe itlylr th tm th time
hi she a t ruined
lec3ich4's season the revious
J 10 rin th i r fir t esboth
times
Other SportsM
The search for a new men's bas-
ketball coach is underway. At
least three of Athletc Director
Tom Goss's top candidates have
ths jb but fomeir Mcia
great C azzie Russell interviewed
for the position Thursday. Plus,
outside hitter Karen Chase returns
to the volleyball court after suffer-
ing a nerve injury in her back.
-6-
Rags to riches
Fifth-year senior Brian Griese
almos didn't return to Michigan
for his final year of eligibility.
v Griese, who wn the
quarterback job inder otest,
has pro vd to be the Wolaerines
mot conMistent oicsive payer.
Stillu Daly Sports Editor John
Lceroi says Gries e mighnt not be
enough t o ca rry M ichigan's
oense to victory Instead, the
de fense will have to lead.
Quick info
T he depth charts f or both teams
on offense, defense and special
teams, as wel asicomplee
Plus, the Dailys football writers
offer their picks for all the Big
Ten games this weekend along
with some big non-conference
matchups.
- 8-
The Rosters
Complete numeric roster
information for both teams,
including Michigan's retired
numbers
The atchups
Daily Sports Editor Danielle
Rumore breaks down the
matchups on offense, defense and
special teams for today's game.
-11-
The Hawkeyes are no longer
undefeated after a reality check at
Ohio State, but coach Hayden
Fry has had two weeks to prepare
fr the Wolverines. For star tail-
back Tavian Banks, that might b
more than enough time.
Bank on it
Blue's defense
Tavian Banks has been a stalwart for Hayden Fry's offense. Banks averages
almost 200 rushing yards per game to the lead the high-scoring Hawkeyes.
COVER PHOTO BY WARREN ZINN/Daly
By Nicholas J. Cotsonika
1\vo weeks ago, on a dark day in
Colrmbus iowa tailback Tavian Banks
knifed and cut and strained through the
line but had nowhere to run every time.
Waiting to swallow him was a sea of
scarlet and gray. Id by Ohio State n
backer Andy Katzenmoyer, that was
intent on stopping the nation's leading
rusher.
Banks, who averages 183.8 yards per
game and 8.1 yards per carry. rushed for
just 84 yards then as his Hawkeyes failed
their first test against a ranked team this
season, losing, 23-7. The 15th-ranked
Hawkeyes (1-1 Big Ten, 4-1 overall)
have had 14 days to think about that -
being idle last week - and how to avoid
the same problem at 12:30 p.m. today
against No. 5 Michigan (2-0, 5-0).
But it will be difficult to keep history
from repeating itself. Like the Buckeyes,
the Wolverines have a good enough
defense to shut down the Hawkeyes' Big
'Ten-best offense in a showdown.
They have the league's top defense, in
fact, one that is better than the
Buckeyes'. After Penn State's Curtis
Enis ran for 211 yards against Ohio State
last week, he said the Buckeyes' crew
was a "one-man" show. The Wolverines'
defense is not, and that worries Iowa
coach Hayden Fry, no matter how suc-
cessful his team has been thus far.
"I think the defense always has the
advantage in a situation like that," Fry
said. "It's like having a whole field of
pheasant and not knowing which one to
shoot. So you just pick the good-looking
one."
The Hawkeyes have several fat birds.
Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said "by far,
they're the most explosive team we'll
have faced. No one has the weapons they
have." No one scores more in the Big
Ten. Iowa puts up 45.6 points per game.
Banks, quarterback Matt Sherman
and wide receiver Tim Dwight are as
devastating a trio as the Wolverines have
faced all season. Sherman is the nation's
10th-rated passer, averaging 198.6 yards
passing per game, and loves to find
Dwight.
Against Ohio State, Sherman was able
to throw to Dwight when Banks was
being stuffed. He hit him seven times for
90 yards and added to Dwight's gaudy
statistics. Dwight has 441 yards receiv-
ing on 23 catches.
Of course, the Buckeyes boast no
defensive backs the likes of Michigan's
All-American, Charles Woodson, who
has three interceptions. But Fry has con-
sidered that.
"I'm kind of hopeful they'll just stick
him on Tim Dwight, and we'll know
where he is," Fry said. "Because I may
want Dwight to come sit down on the
bench with me, and it would be nice to
have Charles there with us."
Fry has very little interest in Woodson
on the field, whether Woodson is on
offense or defense. Woodson is
Michigan's only true big-play threat on a
team that wins with depth and discipline.
"We have a very versatile attack,"said
Carr, who has six players with more than
100 yards receiving and four with more
than 100 yards rushing. "Now whether
we can continue to be versatile, w 'I1
find out, because defenses are going to
get better. We've got a much tougher
schedule ahead of us. Teams are going to
have more of a chance to study us.
"I don't think we have a back that
doesn't catch the ball very much. That's
an important factor"
The Wolverines will have to be smart
on special teams, as the Buckeyes were
when they held Iowa to zero return
yards. Dwight was the nation's leading
punt-returner last year, and he isn't even
the Hawkeyes' best this season. Tony
Collins leads the nation with 24 yards
per return.
Field position could be vitally impor-
tant, even though Fry is down on his
defense. "We'd have a hard time stop-
ping somebody in pregame warmups,"
Fry said, even though the Hawkeyes are
ranked third in the Big Ten in total
defense. "That's no lie."
No matter, though. The focus of this
game will be on Michigan's defense and
Iowa's offense. The winner of that battle
likely will win the war.
Carr said earlier this week that the
Wolverines "don't have a lot of time to
get ready for a team that I think is the
best team that we've played this year.
Offensively, Hayden does more tricks
than most guys. It's a very difficult thing
to be sound against every play, and we're
going to have to be at our best."
It's unusual that Iowa's Tavian Banks suffers a setback, but that's exactly
though, rushing for over 200 yards against the Golden Hurricaines. No team
In two weekends
Football Saturday
Homecoming
Michigan vs. Minnesota
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