The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - October 27, 1997 - 58 [olverines show strenth in the red zone GAME STATISTICS PASSING Player Schultz I Burke Totals RUSHING Player A Irvin McFadden Renaud Ornstein Burke Totals C-A 16-30 5-8 21-3 Yds 130 47 177 Att 20 2 4 1 2 29 Yds 81 15 11 1 -13 95 Avg 4.1 7.5 2.8 1.0 -6.5 3.3 TO 0 1 1 Lg 21 14 7 1 0 21 Lg 27 17 20 9 9 27 That's discipline. "Discipline means you can stay focused on the task at hand," Michigan State coach Nick Saban. "When you play a game like this, you have to be continually able to think about the present moment. You are very emotional, but every play is important, so you have to concen- trate on that particular play. That's not the time to be thinking about the big picture." Focusing as they have been, the Wolverines have been affecting the big picture, however. They took a 38-3 victory over Baylor and a 37-0 victory over Indiana, but some observers have been waiting for them to choke, as they did in miserable losses to Northwestern and Purdue last sea- son. Woodson said there is no need to worry about games like next week's Minnesota matchup: "We're not going to have any letdowns this year." And as much as Woodson and the defense will play a big role in attempting to make that statement come true, so will the offense. Production in the red zone may indi- cate that it is up to task. On their first drive Saturday, the Wolverines got to the Michigan State 14, and Kraig Baker kicked a 30- yard field goal. The next time they got into the red zone, in the second quarter, they ran six straight running plays and scored on a one-yard run by Griese to take a 10-7 halftime lead. The first drive of the second half was as productive as it has been all season. The Wolverines have scored on that drive in six of their seven games, and they scored Saturday on another Michigan running back Chris Howard bruised his ribs against Iowa last weekend but returned to rack up 110 yards on the ground and race for one touchdown against Michigan State. WARREN ZINN/Daily 30-yarder by Baker. As it turned out, when Baker missed a 38-yard field goal later in the third quarter, the Wolverines failed to score from inside the red zone for just the second time this season. They had advanced to the 19, when Chris Howard lost two yards to set up Baker's attempt. Howard scored on a two-yard run in the fourth quarter, and Baker hit a 27-yarder soon afterward to com- plete Michigan's dominance in the red zone. RECEIVING Player No. Irvin 9 Renaud 6 Rance 2 Long 2 Richardson 1 Totals 21 PUNTING Player Edinger KICKOFF RETURNS Player Renaud Scott Total NO. 3 1 4 ,1 r Spartans 'trick' Blue for lone score DEFENSE PlayerS Reese C. Ledyard Morris Kanu Austin Hill Smith MSU Team Thomas Sayler Carter Emsberger Campbell Underwood Adams Long Greene McFadden Mudge Newkirk Marshall Garland Turner Reece PASS DEFENSE Player Int1 Reese 0 Hill 0 Campbell 0 Totals 0 Yds 57 11 68 9 10 9 4 4 3 2 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 Yds 0 0 0 0 Yds Avg 77 8.6 32 5.3 3819.0 16 8.0 9 9.0 177 8.4 it 5 1 TD 0 0 0 0 0 0 TD 1 0 0 0 0 0 L9 47 TO 0 0 0 No. Yds Avg 6 236 39.3 Avg 19.0 11.0 17.0 Ast 4 1 3 1 2 3 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 ot 16 14 10 7 5 5 5 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 Lg 26 11 26 By Nicholas J. Cotsonika But Michigan looked down on the aily Sports Editor i EAST LANSING - Nobody saw it coming, except for those snickering on the Michigan State sideline. Only they saw Sedrick Irvin as he crept onto the field in Saturday's first quarter, camou- flaged against his team's green back- drop, smiling from ear to ear, waiting patiently to score the Spartans' only points of the game. Behind, 3-0, the Spartans had made their second drive an impressive one, with Irvin practically moving them from their own 20-yard line to the Michigan 22 per- sonally. But when the drive stalled there, Michigan State's field goal unit trudged onto the field near the section holding a raucous group of Michigan fans. And that's when it happened. Suddenly, after the snap, holder Bill Burke stood up with the ball. Burke is also the Spartans' backup quarterback, and as he cocked his arm, the Wolverines' cheers turned to fear. "I was wondering who they were throwing to," said , Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson, who also plays on the punt- block unit. Burke was throwing to Irvin, who had been standing quietly along the left side- line, his uniform blending with his team- mates' to hide him. Irvin, the Miami kid who chose Michigan State over Florida State so he could be center stage for plays like this, caught the pass and waltzed into the end zone easily. Spartan Stadium nearly burst. "It's one of those once-a-year plays that you can try," Michigan State coach Nick Saban said. "It worked for us. The kids did a good job of executing it and timed it out right." to be the best (interception) I've ever said. "Especially coming against apartans Tor t . wima a e ense tat allows an average of 8.1 points per game - best in the nation - a treat of a trick play, no matter how close to Halloween, wasn't enough to scare the Wolverines. It was seen as a sign of weakness. "We knew that in order to get into the end zone, they had to trick us somehow," Woodson said. "Usually on field goals, I check that. For some reason, I didn't check the guy coming in. They made a great play and caught us off-guard." PENAIrY PROBLEMS: Many Spartans attributed their lack of offensive produc- tion to their inability to execute, not to Howard then ran for a yard, then ran for another, and then lost two. Kraig Baker came on to attempt a 38-yard field goal, which he missed. After the game, Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said he "second-guessed" his strategy of settling for a field goal at the time. He said he told offensive coordina- tor Mike DeBord to mix in a pass or two next time, despite the fact that quarter- back Brian Griese had thrown three incomplete passes on a three-and-out series minutes before. Next time came quickly. Woodson intercepted his second pass of the day five plays after Baker's miss. And the Wolverines, spurred by a 16-yard pass from Griese to Howard, scored a touch- down to go ahead, 20-7. The scoring play? A two-yard run by Howard. BRANDT COMES UP BIG: Redshirt freshman David Brandt, listed as a cen- ter, played left guard for the injured Chris Ziemann as part of a young, hob- bled offensive line that allowed one sack. "He did a great job. If you look at a guy that was pivotal in this game, you have to look at David Brandt," Griese said. "He came in and played on an offensive line that was dominating. It's not easy, especially on the road, in a hos- tile environment, for a young kid to come in and play well. I'm just happy for him." SIDELINE SNIPPETS: Michigan Athletic Director Tom Goss, who played defensive tackle for the Wolverines from 1966-68, made his first trip to Spartan Stadium since his playing days. Standing on the sidelines after the game, Goss said he often attended Michigan- Michigan State games at Michigan Stadium, but he'd never in enemy territo- ry. ... Michigan's six interceptions tied a Michigan State opponent record for a game. Maryland (1950) and Minnesota (1958) also picked six in a single after- noon against the Spartans. ) c Lng 0 0 0 0 Brk-up 1 1 1 3 TO 0 0 0 0 Footba ' Zate oak , the Wolverines' defense. And despite quarterback Todd Schultz's 16-for-30, five-interception day and poor blocking by the offensive line, their biggest problem was discipline. Michigan State was penalized 10 MICHIGAN STATE Sept. 6 W. MICHIGAN Sept. 13 MEMPHIS Sept. 20 Notre Dame Oct. 4 MINNESOTA Oct. 11 Indiana Oct. 18 Northwestern Oct. 25 MICHIGAN Nov. 1 OHIO STATE Nov. 8 Purdue Nov. 22 Illinois Nov. 29 PENN STATE HOME GAMES IN CAPS W 42.10 W 51-21 W 23-7 W 31-10 W 38-6 L 17-19 L 7-23 1 p.m. 1 p.m. 2 p.m. 1 P.M. times for 96 yards in losses and took two personal foul penalties at crucial times. "We shot ourselves in the foot," Irvin said. "It wasn't so much what they did, or what we did, it was the penalties." As for the Wolverines, their I I penal- ties for 75 yards was disappointing but not unexpected. They were not called for any personal fouls, and most of their troubles can be blamed on youth. The entire left side of the line was replaced this year. RUNNING IRONY: After Woodson's spectacular interception in the third quarter, Michigan had excellent field position at the Michigan State 20. Chris Up next Who: Minnesota (0-4 Big Ten, 2-6 overall Where: Michigan Stadium (102,501) When: Saturday, 12:30 p.m. Series: Michigan leads all-time 61-23-3. Although the Golden Gophers nearly upset No. 2 Penn State two weeks ago, they lost last Saturday, 22-21, in a heart-breaker to Wisconsin. The Wolverines and the Gophers play each other for the Little Brown Jug, which Michigan currently owns. The Gophers last had the trophy in 1986, after they upset the second-ranked Wolverines, 20-17, with no time on the clock. The Wolverines were 9-0 at the time and that defeat was Michigan's only loss in the regular season. Michigan's previous loss to Minnesota was in 1977, when Michigan was the top-ranked team in the coun- try. Again, the loss was Michigan's only blemish in a near-perfect season. ply out of awe. "I think that has made," Woodson ed on his cal- can lost to e Wolverines' cause :as the ntual winning iely playmak- Michigan State, it was a big play for me." Then, on the first series of the fourth quarter, Woodson thwarted a Michigan State drive that was beginning to click with another interception as he snuck up from behind Spartans' receiver Octavis Long on his left and picked off his second pass of the day. "They threw the same play to the other side and I was kind of insulted that they tried to get me on the same play Cougars remain lone unbeaten team in Pac-10, eke out 35-34 win At a glance Key Performers For Michigan, comerback Charles Woodson had two interceptions. On his first, a one-handed catch late in the third quarter, he managed to keep one foot in-bounds as he fell out. And he stripped Octavis Long early in the fourth quarter for his second. For Michigan State, linebacker Ike Reese recorded 16 tackles, 9 solo. Key Play With Michigan State up, 7-3, late in the second quarter, the Wolverines went 95 yards in 11 plays to score a touchdown that gave them the lead for good. On first and 10 from the Michigan State 16-yard line, Michigan running back Chris Howard ran left and then raced 51 yards to Michigan's 33-yard line. Ten plays and two Spartan penalties later, Michigan signal caller Brian Griese scored the one-yard touchdown on a quarterback sneak. Big Ten Standings TOaM Cmi. Ovlws iMtchigan40 T0 Purdue 4-0 6-1 Penn State 3-0 6.0 Wisconsin 4-1 7-2 Ohio State 3-1 7-1 Iowa 2-2 5-2 Michigan State 2-2 5-2 Northwestern 1-4 3-6 Minnesota 0-4 2-6 Illinois 0.4 0-7 Indiana 0.5 1-7 ink that has to be }et interception ever made" - Charles Woodson lichigan cornerback on his first of two interceptions twice," said Woodson in true form. In fact, it was the first time since Michigan's season- opening victory over Colorado, that a team actual- ly challenged Woodson through the air, to which he responded, "I think so, and I think it was the wrong move." The Associated Press On a day of shootouts and shutouts, the Rose Bowl managed to stay in the running for a national title game. But just barely. No. 10 Washington State remained the Pac-10's lone unbeaten team on ,Saturday with a 35-34 victory over Arizona, when the Wildcats failed on a two-point conversion in overtime. The Rose Bowl doesn't join the bowl alliance until next season. But, there's a chance it can upstage the Orange Bowl - the alliance's top game - especially if it can present a defensive end Grant Wistrom said. "Kansas doesn't have the most high- ly touted offense in the world. But shutouts are still hard to come by." NO. 3 FLORIDA STATE 47, VIRGINIA 21 The Seminoles (7-0) scored touch- downs on three of their first five plays, including freshman Travis Minors' 87-yard scoring run on Florida State's first play from scrim- mage. Minor, making his first start, had 227 total yards - 159 rushing and 68 receiving - and three touch- downs. Thad Busby threw for 285 down in the first overtime, the Tigers went ahead 51-44 on Jones' 15-yard run. Oklahoma State scored on Tony Lindsay's six-yard run, but was tack- led well short of the goal line on a two-point conversion try. Jones had four touchdown passes and ran for two scores. Lindsay threw for four touchdowns and ran for one. "We have been involved in over- time games, but one that wild, I don't know if I have ever been involved in one of those," Missouri coach Larry Smith said. PITTSBURGH 55, RUTGERS 48 Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said that the second I.,