The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 16, 1998 - 15
film class
isn't all
.fun and
ames
By Mark Snyder
daily Sports Editor
For the Michigan football team,
accepting two defeats may not be as
difficult as analyzing them.
The early part of this week forced
the Wolverines to re-examine them-
selves and their production as indi-
aduals, in light of their recent loss-
-es to Notre Dame and Syracuse.
Unfortunately for the 0-2
?Wolverines, analyzing the game tape
is hardly a release from reality.
"We definitely improved this
~week from when we played against
Notre Dame," captain Jon Jansen
said, trying to draw a positive theory
,from a game that was all-too nega-
ve.
*He contended that breakdowns
*Were not the source of Michigan's
problems, but the game tapes
Michigan religiously analyzes might
'show otherwise.
"I look at the film to look at what
I need," Jansen said. "I need to make
'better sets and push off the ball
myself."
But on the whole, Jansen con-
tends, the offense should execute
ore consistently.
HW~is biggest concern lies not so
"Ruch in the inability of Michigan's
offense to score, but more to merely
stay on the field.
"When you go three (plays) and
- out every time, it wears on the
defense," said Jansen, Michigan's
offensive captain. "Whenever you
don't protect (your own) defense, it
doesn't help them out."
I In the first three quarters of
Saturday's game - although it
remained competitive -- the
Michigan offense struggled mighti-
ly
The Wolverines scored only one
touchdown as three-and-outs
became the norm on their posses-
,sions.
During the first 45 minutes of
game time, Vinson punted five times
and Michigan sustained only two
ives of more than 17 yards.
So, now that it's clear that the
reward of watching game film will
be eye strain, the Wolverines shift
their efforts away from their first
two losses.
"We're not focusing on the last
_two weeks, but instead on the next
two weeks," Jansen said.
This week, though, Michigan
tach Lloyd Carr is pretty sure
they'll be able to avoid the option
.attack.
And that's a welcome relief for the
defense.
The option experience gave them
fits as Jarious Jackson and Donovan
+McNabb ran wild against the porous
defense. According to safety Tommy
Hendricks, some of the holes
McNabb slipped through will seal
up fast this time around.
"Some of those things," he said,
:'like on third down when he scram-
bled - if everyone's in place, that
could have been avoided."
Carr is looking forward to redis-
covering the defense that dominated
the nation last year, a group that
chased down quarterbacks and
smothered them in the pocket.
"We're not going to face the
4 tion -- at least for awhile," he
id. This week "we'll d>e able to
exert more pressure."
Limauro's lucky charm
makes difference in OT win
By Rick Freeman
Daily Sports Writer
YPSILANTI -- Jessica Limauro's
good luck charm is beaten and bat-
tered.
A stuffed Snoopy that's been at her
side since she was three days old,
he's seen better days.
Limauro's mom, Robin, wasn't
allowed to sew Snoopy's ear or eye
back on.
It'd ruin his luck, she was told.
And the way Limauro's been playing
of late, he definitely won't be getting
his mouth back.
So maybe being a little battered is
a good thing.
The Michigan soccer team didn't
get quite that battered in yesterday's
2-1 overtime victory over Eastern
Michigan, but, like Snoopy, they
took their lumps.
And maybe there's a few more
bruises than after a normal game, but
there's one more mark in the win col-
umn.
Thanks to Snoopy, and six goals
from Limauro, Michigan (5-0) is off
to its best start ever.
The two armies tugged, pulled,
yanked, smacked, bumped, bruised,
tripped, elbowed and tackled each
other for 95 minutes and 16 seconds
yesterday.
Which didn't leave much time for
soccer.
"It got crazy at times," senior
defender Carrie Brady said.
Nearly every time two players
would approach each other, they
somehow found a way to make con-
tact that was, well, more than inci-
dental.
And more than usual for a colle-
giate soccer match.
Eastern's coach, Paul Scicluna,
who has coached several Wolverines
in club soccer, "knows we'd like not
to be touched," senior Vanessa Lewis
said.
But her attitude is "If you touch
me, I'll touch you back," she said.
For the most part, Lewis, as a
defender, doesn't usually bear the
brunt of any 'touching.' Neither do
goalies.
Opposing forwards who chase
down a loose ball near a goalie usu-
ally defer to the keeper and fall out
of the way if the goalie has the ball
and a collision is imminent.
But early in the first half,
Michigan goalie Jessica Jones
received no such treatment.
"She went out for a save," Lewis
said, "but she got an extra kick in
there."
Jones stayed in the game, but late
in the half she tried to jump to catch
an arcing kick.
The ball slapped her hands, and
spun over them, into the goal.
Sophomore Carissa Stewart played
the second half, and Jones limped
around the sidelines after the game
in pain.
"Cheap shot," said Lewis.
"The whole game was one-on-one
basically," said forward Jessica
Limauro, who scored the game win-
ning goal for Michigan.
"It was aggressive; said Scicluna,
who said he tries to preach a high-
pressure, but not a violent or dirty,
game.
"It's not Europe," Scicluna said,
explaining that none of the aggres.
sion deteriorated into open violence.
As the saying goes, it takes two,
and not only blue jerseys were being
yanked.
But to hear some Michigan players
tell it, only the blue jerseys were
being called.
"I thought (the officiating) was
really one-sided." Lewis said, and
some of the parents in the stands
agreed, and shared these sentiments
with the officials who made the calls
- and everyone else at the game.
One of the parents said this years'
game was " a lot milder" than last
year's slugfest.
But "I think it was just dirty,"
Brady said.
DANA LINNANE/Daily
Junior midfielder Marl Hoff gets Into one of many collisions in yesterday's 2-1 vic-
tory over Eastern Michigan.
Couch leads potent Kentucky offense in Heisman race
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Quarterback Tim
Couch is making no idle boast when he says the
Kentucky offense can score every time it gets the
ball.
The numbers bear him out. In their first two
games this season, both easy wins, the Wildcats
have averaged 60 points -- the kind of offensive
output normally seen at Wildcats basketball
games.
Couch personally has thrown for 870 yards and
12 touchdowns. He has not thrown an interception,
and he has led only four drives that have ended
with Kentucky punts.
On Saturday, Couch had five touchdown passes
and 372 yards passing in a 52-7 win over Eastern
Kentucky.
That followed a 68-34 beating of Louisville on
opening day, when the junior threw for seven
touchdowns and set a school record with 498 pass-
ing yards. k
Although numbers like that undoubtedly help
his Heisman Trophy chances, Couch said he cares
more about wins.,
"The only number I'm worried about is the
score," he said. "As long as we keep putting points
on the board, I don't care how many yards I throw
for."
If there was one weakness in Couch's game last
season, when he led the nation in passing yardage,
it was his failure to stretch defenses with deep
throws.
Couch and his receivers spent the spring and
summer working on deep reads, and when
Louisville played Kentucky man-to-man in the
opener, Couch burned the Cardinals with scoring
bombs to receivers Quentin McCord and Jermaine
White.
Eastern Kentucky played more zone against
Kentucky, so Couch threw underneath the cover-
age and watched his receivers break big gains.
Couch benefits from playing behind a veteran
offensive line that has given him nearly flawless
protection.
And the Kentucky receiving corps is very deep
- seven players already have caught touchdown
passes.
Craig Yeast is Couch's favorite target, with 16
catches for 263 yards and three touchdowns.
But it's been the emergence of new receivers
like McCord, back after a year off from school;
James Whalen Jr., newly installed at tight end; and
White, having a breakout sophomore season, that
has increased Couch's effectiveness.
With so many receivers to look for, he invariably
finds the open man and delivers the ball where it
can be caught.
Couch credits coach Hal Mumme's system,
which emphasizes simulating as many game situa-
tions as possible during practice, with polishing
his technique.
"It's not only repetitions, it's correct repetitions
- doing things the right way all the time," Couch
said. "He (Mumme) just wants me to be perfect all
the time, and I try to be as close to it as I can."
So far, Couch's near-perfection has come
against weak opponents: a rebuilding Louisville
team and Division I-AA Eastern Kentucky.
Kentucky won't hit the heart of its schedule -
and Couch won't face the defenses that will truly
test his Heisman credentials - until after this
week's home game against Indiana.
That's when the Wildcats enter a four-week
stretch when they play Southeastern Conference
road games at Florida (Sept. 26), Arkansas (Oct.
3) and LSU (Oct. 17), plus a home game against
South Carolina (Oct. 10).
Couch said the key to SEC success will be the
Wildcats' defense, which has looked much
improved over 1997.
"They're giving us every chance to win games
right now," Couch said. "As long as they can keep
doing that against the big guys that we play in our
conference, I think we're going to give a lot of
people some trouble."
a q.
F.
.
4~
Tim Couch, who
spurned national
football power-
houses to remain
In his home state
is currently
carrying the
Kentucky pro-
gram with his
right arm.
AP PHOTO
_ _ I
University of
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your wor.'( nerd not be l'Li1.
That is uhere they shoild be.
Now pt the foundations under them.
-Hetry David Thorcau
iconsin-Platteville
't L
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