16A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 10, 1998
McNabb looks to limit
Blue's defensive options
-4,P
By Mark Snyder
Daily Speris Editor
Weaving, bouncing and swaying are
Donovan McNabb's fortes. He moves
around the football field as easily as he
dodges the Heisman hype that has
plagued him since the preseason.
But his ability to skirt tacklers in
Syracuse's multi-faceted offense places
him in a class by himself - as a man
with unlimited options but serious bur-
dens of leadership as well.
On Saturday, he carries the weight of
upstate New York - not to mention his
Orangemen teammates -into Michigan
Stadium.
And, as with any time he steps onto the
field, the glare of the opposing players
eyes will be focused on his blue number
five and his shiftiness.
Earlier this week, Michigan nose tack-
le Rob Renes said that there are not too
may variations on the option attack.
Notre Dame ran one version last week
behind the sharp cuts of Jarious Jackson,
and Michigan was dumbfounded.
Jackson's ability to scramble befud-
dled the Wolverines, but, after adjust-
ments, preparing for McNabb should be
easy, right? Not a chance.
The Notre Dame attack revolved
around using the runs ofAutry Denson to
set up an occasional pass by Jackson.
McNabb, on the other hand, unveiled a
whole new attack last week, throwing the
ball at his leisure, but with remarkable
accuracy, completing 22 of 28 passes.
McNabb refuses to classify his brand
of the option attack as any different than
others around the nation, but the variation
is obvious - it's McNabb himself.
"I just try to go out and play Donovan
McNabb-style of football;"he said, refer-
ring to his improvisational technique.
Standing 6-foot-3, 220 pounds,
McNabb sports an athletic physique,
especially from a defensive lineman's
point of view.
"He looks like he could play any sport
he wanted to," Renes said. "It doesn't
matter what offense they run, as long as
he's running it" they'll have success.
Whether he knew or not, Renes was
correct about McNabb's athletic prowess.
The roots of his quick thinking could
come from a number of sources, but the
most likely it is his penchant for round-
ball that allows him to shift on the fly.
Despite starting at quarterback in each
of his first two falls in Syracuse, his ath-
letic skills blossomed on the Syracuse
basketball team under Jim Boeheim,
where he spent his freshman and sopho-
more seasons in the gym, before taking
last season off to "focus on football."
A four-year starter at quarterback,
McNabb always had talent and versatili-
ty to lead -- he was a unanimous selec-
tion as Big East freshman of the year in
1995. It was just a matter of improving
himself
This year "I've been taking care of the
little things, he said. "I focus on different
spots on the body of receivers."
Now, he's at the point where he strikes
fear into coaches, even before they're
playing him.
When asked about McNabb, Lloyd
Carr sounds like a man afraid of what he
has seen - or even what he hasn't.
"I don't think it's ever an advantage to
play a guy like McNabb who can hurt
you so many ways" Carr said. "There
isn't any way he doesn't test you."
Last weekend's Battle of the Orange
taught Tennessee that valuable lesson -
McNabb alone can bring his team to the
brink of victory.
The senior star passed for 300 yards as
the game of cat-and-mouse ensued.
Tennessee would score, then McNabb
would answer. He placed Syracuse in a
position to win when he left after his final
drive, departing the field with a 33-31
lead and an apparent victory in hand.
Unfortunately for McNabb, the 'Cuse
defense didn't hold the lead, but McNabb
gave coaches throughout the Big East -
in addition to Carr- nightmares.
His versatility -- he threw for two
touchdowns and ran for one on an option
play - keeps opponents off guard.
Complimenting the opposition is rarely a
practice Carr indulges in, but when it
come to McNabb, the positives flow like
Notre Dame's second-half offense.
"I don't think there's a greater threat at
quarterback in the country" Carr said.
"It's going to be a busy afternoon for our
defense" on Saturday.
One Michigan veteran can attest to
McNabb's skills. Wide receiver Tai
Streets grew up with McNabb in Illinois.
"I went to the same grade school"
Streets said of their time at Dirksen
Junior High. "He was a star even then."
The two continue to cross paths during
their summers off from college, often
working out together at Bloom High
School outside of Chicago.
"It's convenient for both of us,"
McNabb said. "We're both seniors trying
to get our name out there?'
. While that's hardly a problem for
McNabb anymore, he is reluctant to give
in to the mounting Heisman trophy can-
didacy.
"I don't think about thatsat all,"he said.
"It's a particular accolade given to ateam
first, based on their success"
As goes McNabb, so go the
Orangemen.
And until Saturday, that means more
sleepless nights for Lloyd Carr.
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AP PTO
Helsman hopeful Donovan McNabb and the Syracuse Orangeman Invade the newly renovated Michigan Stadium this weekend.
McNabb will give the Wolverines fits with his deadly combination of quick feet and a strong arm.
Williams, Sampras make semis
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NEW YORK (AP) - Venus
Williams needed a set to adjust to the
wind and cold before turning on her
power game. Pete Sampras needed no
such warmup period, hitting his first
serve of the match at 134 mph.
Undermined by repeated errors in
the first set, the fifth-seeded Williams
overwhelmed No. 4 Arantxa Sanchez-
Vicario during the rest of her 2-6, 6-1,
6-1 victory to set up a semifinal match
against No. 2 Lindsay Davenport.
The top-seeded Sampras had 13
aces in a 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 victory over No.
9 Karol Kucera, who had eliminated
Andre Agassi a day earlier. Sampras
will play defending champion Patrick
Rafter in the semifinals.
"Considering the conditions, I think
I played pretty well. It was really nasty
out here, really cold, and I'm just glad
to get out of it," Sampras said. "'With
Rafter
advances
to semis
after easy
match
NEW YORK (AP) -- Patrick Rafter
was faster than the wind, and far too
quick for Jonas Bjorkman, as he
breezed into the semifinals of the U.S.
Open.
The third-seeded Rafter had 44 win-
ners and only 14 unforced errors, and
lost his serve just once in a 6-2, 6-3, 7-
5 victory yesterday over No. 12
Bjorkman, who played in long sleeves
on a chilly afternoon made even colder
by a 24-mph wind.
Rafter, the defending champion, will
face top-seeded Pete Sampras in the
semifinals.
The wind 'turned service tosses into
adventures. On one toss, the ball was
blown so far away from Rafter that he
didn't even attempt to catch it -
instead, letting itbounce and roll toward
a ballboy.
But Rafter said the conditions were
no worse than those in Mount Isa, the
Australian sown where he grew up play-
ing tennis.
"I've been brought up in the wind,
whether it's winter or summer it's very
windy conditions,"he said. "I've played
in that since I'm 10 years old."
Rafter used his exceptional speed to
control the match. He ran down
Bjorkman's passing shots and darted to
the net for winning volleys.
Also overcoming the wind was
the conditions tonight, it wasn't fun to
play. With the wind gusting in the third
set, I couldn't even feel the racket my
hands were so cold."
Once Williams adjusted to the wind
and cold, she was able to play her game.
Williams began the match wearing a
bright yellow hooded sweatshirt, but
still seemed bothered by the chilly
evening. She was trailing 3-2 and had
already lost her serve twice when she
stripped to a light-blue tank top.
Williams seemed to lunge for shots
the rest of the set, battling the swirling
wind as much as her opponent.
But then she decided to become
more careful with her shots, and began
to turn the match around.
"It was windy. I wasn't hitting my
big serves. I just had to spin them in;"
Williams said. "The errors had to stop
or else I was just going to be heading
home. There was just no.other alterna-
tive, no other option available."
After 18 unforced errors and three
double faults in the first set, Williams
had just 17 unforced errors and two
double faults the rest of the match. And,
as she regained control of her shots, she
was able to turn up the power.
The game of the match came late in
the second set. On the 22nd point of the
game, Williams finally converted 4
sixth set point to even the match.
Williams broke Sanchez-Vicario's
serve in the first game of the third set,
and again in the fifth on a shot the
Spaniard thought was going out and
watched as it hit the line. Williams
closed out the match with yet another
break, wrapping up the victory with a
backhand down the line.
"She started playing much more
aggressive. She started attacking,"
Sanchez-Vicario said. "I mean, she*
player that hits the ball really hard."
AP POT
Third-seeded Patrick Rafter was able to dispose of Jonas BJorkman in dominant
fashion to advance to the semifinals of the U.S. Open. He will play Pete Sampras.
women's 11o. 2 Lindsay Davenport,
whose power was too much for No. 13
Amanda Coetzer in a 6-0, 6-4 victory.
Davenport will play the winner of
Wednesday night's match between
Venus Williams and Arantxa Sanchez
Vicarto in the semifinals.
Davenport was consistent, if not
spectacular, getting 94 percent of her
first serves in during the first set. She
never lost her serve in the match,
despite struggling with the wind.
"It's tough. When you're with the
wind, you can't hit the ball too far or it
flies long. On the other side, you have
to hit the ball hard," Davenport said.
"You never know what's going to hap-
pen out there in the wind"
There were two shortrain delays dur-
ing the Davenport-Coetzer match.
"The wind and the delays probably
helped me a little bit. I was definitely
struggling with the way she was hitting
the ball," Coetzer said. "Oftenthe wind
is a little bit of an equalizer.'
Coetzer, whotat 5-foot-2 ismore thn
s foot shorter than her 6-2 1/2 o*~
nent, said she was intimidated by the
power and depth of Davenprt's shots.
"It's tennis. There's no requirements
to play, no age requirements, no height
requirement, no weight requlrement.
Tennis is tennis" Davenport said. "I
can't help it that I'm a lot taller than her
and I hit the ball harder."
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