2 - TheMichigan Daily - FotblSaturday - September 26, 98 CONTENTS S ember 26, 1998 - INSIDE FOOTBALL SATURDAY - Irvin, in his third season as a Spartan tailback, leads the offense With Mich injuries, I Sedrick Ir Belowi< 23-7 Eagles grounded Last weekend, it finally came together for the Wolverines, as they romped past Eastern Michigan for their first victory of the season. Anthony Thomas got Michigan's running ame off the ground and Tom Brady earned his first win as Michigan's starter. 4- Spartans march into Ann Arbor In a rivalry of this magnitude, the state s plits and fans t*oughout Michigan form allegiances. With over 110,000 fans looking on today in the Big House, loalty is of little consequence, but, according to Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, intensi is at an all-time hig. Head to head Michigan-Michigan State week brings out the best in everyone - even sports writers. Jim Rose, of The Michigan Daily, and Joe Rexrode, of The State News, square off in a heated debate about which town is better: Ann Arbor or East Lansing. -7- Quick info Everything you need to know for game day: the two-deeps for both teams, Michigan's season stats thus far, Michigan State's facts - even the weekend picks by the experts at the Daily. -8- The Rosters Player by player, all the vitals of everyone on either team. Above and beyond From the time Michigan line- backer Dhani Jones was a mere tot, his parents instilled in him the importance of the Michigan- Michigan State rivalry. This sea- son has not been easy for Jones, however, as he's changed posi- tions to accommodate all of Michigan's defensive injuries. -11- Swervin' Irvin As the only Spartan to score in last season's Michigan victory in East Lansing, Sedrick Irvin is determined to make this season's outcome different. The tailback from Miami is the heart of the Michigan State offense, and through three games he is the team's lea ing rusher. Jones Wrapping up By Sharat Raju Daily Sports Editor The ball is pitched to him, standing in the backfield with his hands on his knees. He grabs it and cuts up between right guard and tackle. A couple yards upfield, he suddenly darts to the left. A linebacker closes in - he swings right, quicker than the Earth- bound would-be tackler. Finally, a quick safety brings him down, behind the pri- mary line of defense after a sizable gain. That's 'Swervin' Irvin,' Michigan State's elusive tailback Sedrick Irvin; and when he's swervin', it's unnervin' for the opposing team. "He's a great tailback," Michigan line- backer. I played against him last year. He's fast. Sometimes he eludes you in certain fashions. Because he does that, he's a hard person to get a hold of." If you do manage to get a hold of him and get the ball back, your offense better score. Because if you have to punt - bad news -you've got to give it to him, again. And if the punt is bad, look out. Irvin scored a touchdown last year and averaged 13.6 yards per return. "Irvin is a great back," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. Irvin has been a hard person to get a hold of since he stepped on campus at East Lansing. In his freshman year, Irvin set the Michigan State single-season rushing record, compiling 1,067 yards The freshman scored 18 touchdowns - another freshman record - and aver- aged 4.5 yards per carry. He was also the second leading receiver on the team.. After that breakout freshman cam- paign, the Miami native didn't slow down a bit. In fact, he got even better and finished with 1,270 yards rushing in his sophomore season, good for seventh on Michigan State's all-time list. He is the only player in the school history to rush for a 1,000 yards in his first two seasons. His accomplishments were worthy of a second-team All-Big Ten selection, finishing fifth in the Big Ten with 105.8 yards per game. But to Michigan fans, the most notable part of 1997 was the fake field goal attempt last season against the Wolverines. Irvin lined up wide left and went unnoticed. The holder stood up, passed the ball to Irvin who waltzed into the end zone with a 22-yard score. "That was good for them and bad for us that they did have that last year," Michigan nose tackle Rob Renes said. "With the emphasis being up front, some times those things are left open. We're well aware that they may try something like that." All the accolades that he has gotten or will receive over his career don't seem to matter to Irvin. He just plays. "But all the rivalry and all the hype about Michigan and Michigan State - I don't get into that," Irvin said. "It's just a game I want to win. Just like every game I play." But the Spartans have only won one of the games in which he's played. And in that victory, Irvin was huge. He scam- pered for 119 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries against Notre Dame. Needless to say, Michigan State romped, 45-23. The Spartan is averaging 101.7 yards per game, averaging 4.6 yards a contest, thus far. The Spartans have been utiliz- ing play-action passes to keep defenses from cheating and keying on just Irvin. It worked successfully two weeks ago in their victory over the Fighting Irish. But this week provides another chal- lenge for the shifty junior running back. "I think it's great playing in the biggest college stadium in the country," Irvin said. "If you can come out with a victory there in front of I11,000, it would be a great win." - Daily Sports Writer Tracy Sandler contributed to this report. Seven tackles, one for a loss HoEI 50c Free toee0 il _ _da of vee MARGARET MYERS/Daily Last week, the Wolverines finally notched one in the win column, with a 59-20 victory over Eastern Michigan. 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