6B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - October 5 1998
Michigan
Iowa
12
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Michigan player of the game: Sam Sword
In the past two weeks, Sword has returned to the form that made him
Michigan's leading tackler in each of the past two seasons.
9
Stat line: UT
11
AT Sacks Pass Brk Fum. force
Fum. recov.
1
1 1-11
1
1
0
MICHIGAN
Turnovers, penalties slow Blue
C.-A
14-24
1444
Yds TO
146 1
146 1
RUSHING
P mayet Aft
A. Thomas 19
C. Williams 11
Shea 6
Forgas 1
Brady 5
Tot*ls41
RECWNG
"PN ' No.
umaen 4
Streets 3
C. Williams 3
A. Thomas 1
M. Campbell 1
Knight 1
Shea 1
Totals 15
PUNING
Vinson
Team
XICKOFF RETUJRNS
PlwNO.
C. Williams 1
A. Thomas 1
M. Campbell 1
Fargasn
Tota 4
PUNT RETURNS
Flayer No.
Streets 2
Terrell1
Whtley 3
Tttr 6
Sword
J. Williams
Q. Jones
Renes
Hall
Frysinger
A. Jordan
Hendricks
Patmon
Feazell
Weathers
N. Miller
Whitley
Schanski
T. Howard
R. Jackson
Streets
E. Wilson
Brackns
Foote
We
68
43
37
9
-10
Yds
34
51
36
10
9
7
-1
146
No.
7
7
Yds
19
15
16
20
70
Yda
5
2
20
27
solo
10
6
5
2
5
3
3
2
2
1
2
2
2
1
1
1
:1
0
0
0
Avg
3.6
3.9
6.2
9.0
-2.0
3.5
Avg
8.5
17.3
12
10
9
7
.1
8.7
L9
15
10
13
9
2
15
L9
9
20
21
10
9
7
0
21
Int
2
2
TD
0
0
0
0
0
0
TD
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
Ydls Atg t9
258 369 50
258 36.8 50
Avg
19
15
16
20
17.5
Avg
2.5
2
6.3
4.5
4E
19
15
16
20
20
L9
5
2
15
15
Ant
4
1
2
5
0
2
1
2
2
3
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
1
1
T7
0
0
0
0
0
TO
0
0
0
a
Tat
14
7
7
5
5
4
4
4
4
2
2
3
2
1
1
1
1
By SbaratRaJu
Daily Sports Editor
IOWA CITY - Iowa vendors who
sold yellow ponchos made a pretty
penny Saturday. Many of the 70,397
spectators in the stands at Kinnick
Stadium donned a yellow Hawkeyes
poncho, shielding themselves from
the rain.
The only question is, was there
more yellow in the stands or on the
field? Yellow penalty markers flew
from officials' pockets, levying 12
penalties, for a loss of 94 yards,
upon the Wolverines. Iowa was
flagged seven times for 52 yards.
"I know a lot of people are going
to talk about how ugly it is,"
Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "I
think it's a wonderful win in difficult
field conditions. I thought it was a
defensive football game."
Whatever spin one puts on the
game, the performance for both
teams can be summed up in one
word: sloppy. As sloppy as the actual
field was in the drizzle, the game
was sloppier.
Along with the mounds of penal-
ties, Michigan fumbled the ball five
times, losing it three times, and
threw two interceptions. The
Hawkeyes only lost one fumble, but
also fell victim to a critical safety at
the end of the game.
Of the 12 Michigan penalties, five
were for illegal procedure, otherwise
known as false starts. To avoid false
starts, offensive players need to
exhibit discipline and concentration.
But they also have to be able to
hear the quarterback. At Kinnick
Stadium, with the stands situated so
close to the sidelines, hearing tends
to become difficult.
"This crowd was tremendous, they
always are," Carr said. "We had
some real difficulty hearing the snap
count a couple of times, when you're
trying to check off like we were
doing. But again, it comes down to
the fact that you have to concen-
trate."
As rowdy as the fans may have
been, they couldn't be blamed for
fumbles. Michigan could not hold on
to the rain-covered football. It
shouldn't have mattered to the
Wolverines anyway because they
prepared for these conditions all
week.
"We practiced and punted with a
wet ball on Wednesday," Carr said.
"But when you turn over the ball and
you have penalties, you beat your-
self."
Punt returner James Whitley was
responsible for two fumbles, both of
which were recovered by the
Hawkeyes. David Terrell subbed in
for one punt and fumbled as well, but
covered up his miscue. In the third
quarter, a long snap out of the shot-
gun never made it to quarterback
Tom Brady but was recovered by the
Wolverines.
The final Michigan fumble was
perhaps the most troubling. The
Michigan defense just forced the
first Iowa turnover of the game when
Sam Sword stripped Ladell Betts of
the ball on the Iowa 17 yard line. On
the very next play, Clarence
Williams was hit in mid-spin and
coughed up the football, giving it
back to Iowa late in the third quarter.
"Clarence was down there spin-
ning," Carr said. "This is right after
we get a great break. Our defense
finally came up with a turnover, and
we gave it right back to them."
The Wolverines employed other
methods of turning the ball over, as
well. Brady completed two passes to
Tarig Holman. The problem, howev-
er, is that Holman is a cornerback for
Iowa. The first interception Brady
threw was on a pass that wideout
Marcus Knight missed and tipped up
to Holman. The second pick was
right to him.
"This was the first time the rain
has really played a factor for me,"
Brady said.
Fortunately for the Wolverines,
those plays came early in the first
half and Brady didn't make the same
mistakes again. The biggest disap-
pointment for the Hawkeyes was that
they were not able to score a single
touchdown following any one of the
Michigan turnovers.
In fact, only three points were
scored following an Iowa takeaway.
The Hawkeyes kicked a 49-yard
field goal after Brady's second inter-
ception.
"We're not a very good football
team because we make too many
mistakes," Carr said.
0
0
PASS DEFENSE
Sword
Hall
TOWaS
Ta" Stab
First Downs
Rushes/Yaerds
Passing Yards
Offensive Plays
Total Offense
Return Yards
Comp/Att/Int
Punts/Avg
Fumbles/Lost
Penalties/Yards
Time of Poss
Int
0
0
0
Yds
0
0
0
L9
0
0
0
MICH
14
42/166
146
66
293
97
14/24/ 2
7/36.9
5/3
12/94
31:04
MICHIGAN SUATE
C-A Yds
9.16 93
9,16 93
51
1
2
7
35/112
93
51
159
6
9/16/0
9/37.7
1/1
7/52
28:56
TD t
0
0
ti
24
11
3
3
24
Lg
20
15
25
8
8
7
0
25
TD
0
0
0
RUSING
Betts
Thein
Boilers
McCann
Totals
RECEIVING
Yamini
K. Bill
Boilers
Barton
Dull
Kasper
Wheatley
Totals
Flaer
PUNTING
Baker
Team
Aft
16
7
4
8
35
No.
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
9
WARREN ZINN/D
Iowa's Rob Them Is hauled down by two Michigan defenders. The Iowa ground
game never took root, as the MIchigan defense shut the Hawkeyes down.
Dehydration behind
him, Sword ovemns
Hawkeyes, Mc"ann
KICKOFF RETURNS
FlayerNo.
Tripeer 1
DEFENSE
Player
Holman
M. Hughes
Bowen
Thigpen
DeVdies
Senters
Klein
Slattery
Saidat
Loftin
Meyer
J. Kramer
R. Clark
Herron
Kampman 0
J. Allen
Boilers
D.J. Johnson
0. Miller
Hansen
Yls
60
27
5
-26
66
Yds
55
48
22
9
9
8
7
93
No.
9
9
We
7
7
Soa
8
6
8
5
5
4
3
4
3
1
1
1
2
2
2,
2
1
1
0
0
0
Avg
3.8
3.9
1.2
-3.2
1.9
Avg
27.5
24
22
9
9
8
7
10.3
W Avg t g
339 37.7 44
339 37.7 44
Int
0
0
TD
0
0
0
0
0
TO
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
By Mark Snyder
Daily Sports Editor
IOWA CITY - At Notre Dame,
the leader of the Michigan defense
emerged from the visitors locker-
room with his head hung and his
confidence shattered.
Sam Sword, Michigan's leading
tackler the last two seasons, left that
game with cramps after dehydrating
in the blazing sun, fearing he let his
team down.
That is no longer a consideration.
In the last two weeks, when the
Wolverines faced two dominant
opponents, Sword was at his best.
Michigan State felt Sword's fury
a week ago as the Saginaw native
singlehandedly dragged down his
intra-state rivals. His 15 tackles led
both teams and sent notice that he
was back.
"Coming off the (leg) injury, Sam
really picked it up," linebacker
James Hall said. "He's being a real
leader out on the field."
But individual accomplishments
never have been Sword's focus.
As the defense's roving leader at
linebacker, his calls determine
defensive shifts. And on Saturday,
the shutdown defense was in effect.
Against Iowa, he led a defense
that assumed the ferocious form of
last season by making its living in
the opposing backfield. And there's
little doubt that freshman quarter-
back Kyle McCann won't forget Sam
Sword and the Michigan defense.
As McCann dropped back mid-
way through the first quarter, Sword
bore down on him, tossing him to the
ground for Michigan's first sack of
the day. The result was the biggest hit
McCann absorbed, an Il-yard loss,
and the beginning of an afternoon of
punishment for the Iowa quarter-
back.
He would be dragged down three
more times - twice by Dhani Jones
- for a total loss of 30 yards.
"We have to get to the quarter-
back," Hall said. "We have to help
out our (defensive backs) and our
secondary."
Not coincidentally, Sword's
reemergence as the defense's top gun
is reflected in the tightening of the
defense.
Through the entire 1997 12-game
season, Michigan allowed just 114
points, while this year, the
Wolverines allowed 111 points
through their first 3 1/2 games.
Sword's return put a stop to that,
as Michigan pitched a second-half
shutout against Michigan State and
limited Iowa to just three field goals
Saturday.
His ability to blanket the field
enables Sword, Michigan's leading
tackler with 50, to impact the game
in a variety of ways.
Against Iowa, not only did he
tackle 12 Hawkeyes, but he forced a
fumble, recovered a loose ball and
broke up a pass.
But Sword takes pride in the over-
all work of the defense, a unit that is
finding its rhythm.
Avg
7
L9
7
7
Asst
2
4
1
2
1
1
7
0
1
3
3
3
1
1
1
0
0
0
1
1
1
Log BA4-p
0 0
0 1
TO
0
0
Tot
14
10
9
7
6
5
5
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
2
1
1
1
1
1
WARREN ZINN/Daily
Michigan linebacker Sam Sword was a major reason that the Wolverines were able to hold keep Iowa out of the end zone on
Saturday. Sword caused a fumble, recovered one, and sacked Iowa quarterback Kyle McCann once en route to Michigan's 12-
9 road vlctory.
"The defense, we're starting to
come together," Hall said. "It's not
like last year. This is different team."
Until Saturday, the difference was
in personnel. Originally the defense
was only going to lose two players
from last season, Charles Woodson
and Glen Steele, but then the injury
bug hit and players were shuffling in
and out.
Eric Brackins started the
Syracuse game in place of Sword,
who sat with a leg injury. Clint
Copenhaver, sidelined with an
Achilles injury, was replaced by
Anthony Jordan. And the defensive
secondary continues to be a hodge-
podge of names and faces.
But, with Copenhaver and Sword
healthy, as well as a final resolution
of the Marcus Ray situation on the
horizon, the defense is starting to hit
a groove and, as the Wolverines like
to say, 'play like a Michigan
defense.'
Lloyd Carr says there's no better!
place to get back to those tendencies
than in Iowa.
"What.I like is (that) we contin-
ued to play good defense and found a
way to win," Carr said.
And from this defense, he proba-
bly can't ask for more than that.
PASS -ES
Player
Homan
Kramer
Mt
2
0
0
0
YD
0
0
Wolverines hang on for 12-9 victory
HAWKEYES
Continued from Page 1B
James Whitley, his return troubles
from the Michigan State game trav-
eled with him to Iowa, and symbol-
ized all of Michigan's frustration.
The sophomore muffed two high
kicks, first causing a substitution by
David Terrell as his replacement. But
Terrell did no better, fumbling one of
his own before recovering it.
So as the game ended the punt
return duties rested in the hands of
Michigan's top wide receiver Tai
Streets.
The Wolverines did everything
handed starting quarterback, threw
directly to defensive back Tariq
Holman, instead of Tai Streets,
resulting in the second Michigan
interception of the day late in the
first quarter.
While his stat sheet will not read
as pretty as he might have hoped,
Brady had a little help with the first
errant toss. Michigan wide receiver
Marcus Knight deflected the ball -
also to Holman - after Brady hit
him in the hands.
Though execution on offense
proved problematic, just following
the rules seemed difficult enough for
the Wolverines.
things we can correct," said tight end
Jerame Tuman, who made a tightrope
catch on the game-winning drive.
"It's all mental:'
But Michigan's inability to sus-
tain a touchdown drive after the
game-opener truly spelled trouble
for the first 30 minutes.
The Wolverines gained just 40
yards of total offense in the ineffec-
tive second quarter after rolling up
117 in the first.
In contrast, Iowa controlled the
second quarter, gaining halftime
momentum after pushing the ball
forward for 110 yards.
More important, the Hawkeyes
!
1 M, om=