12 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 23, 1998 Spartans put 26-year hurt on Minnesota By Michael Dougherty Minncsota )Daly (U. Minnesota) MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (U- WIRE) - The last time the Gophers beat Michigan State in Minneapolis was Nov. 18, 1972, when Minnesota won 14-10 at Memorial Stadium. -- To get an idea of how long ago that really was, Gophers coach Glen Mason was in his first year of coach- i:)g as a graduate assistant at Ball State. Current Michigan State coach ' ick Saban, meanwhile, was a senior at Kent State. Minnesota has lost 17 games in a row to Michigan State, including a 31-10 win in East Lansing, Mich., during the Spartans' homecoming last year. , The key to ending the losing sIreak will be stopping the Spartans' running attack, which features all- Big Ten selection Sedrick Irvin at tailback and former Eden Prairie star Leroy McFadden at fullback. In last year's game, Minnesota contained Irvin with some success on the ground, limiting him to 72 yards on 21 rushes. But, he caught five balls for 79 yards and a touch- down. The Gophers' defense, which had been ranked eighth nationally against the run before giving up 236 yards to the Buckeyes in Saturday's 45-15 Ohio State win, saw its rank- ing plummet nine spots to No. 17 and the per-game average rise from 84 yards allowed to more than 109. Mason said he blames the huge numbers on the tentativeness of his defensive line - especially his line- backers. "I was not pleased with the play of our linebackers in the Ohio State game," Mason said. "They were worried about making a mistake and that's not how you're supposed to play." Gophers defensive lineman Jon Michals was one player who Mason said played well in the loss to top- ranked Ohio State. The junior from Oak Creek, Wis., said he thinks Irvin is a great back, but is confident the Gophers (3-3, 0- 3 in the Big Ten) match up well with the Spartans (3-3, 1-1). lie admitted the Minnesota defense was not up to par against the Buckeyes. "Last week we took a step back as a unit, and that happens once in awhile," Mason said. "But hopefully it will be the last time." The Gophers will also have to contain Michigan State quarterback Bill Burke. A junior who has looked spectacular in wins over Notre Dame and Central Michigan, Burke has experienced trouble in other games when he gets some intense pressure. Protected by a fairly inexperi- enced offensive line, Burke has been sacked 26 times this season, the sec- ond-worst in the Big Ten conference ahead of only Minnesota. Gophers defensive coordinator David Gibbs said his defense is specifically designed to stack the line and put pressure on the quarter- back, and the Spartans offensive line has been hit hard by injuries. But while he admits the defense has been lit up the past couple of weeks, he said he feels confident his group is improving. "Michigan State has had some injuries on offensive line and they've given up some sacks, so we're going to try to get after (Burke)," Gibbs said. But Gibbs said his squad has to be careful to pursue the quarterback recklessly, otherwise they will get burnt by Irvin. "I don't think you ever stop a guy like Irvin because he's too hard to tackle," Gibbs said. "So despite the injuries to the offensive line, when they've got a running back that good, I don't know that they have to block everybody." Gibbs said Irvin killed his team catching balls out of the backfield last year, and his players had trouble wrapping him up and bringing him down. In the Ohio State game, Gophers defensive end Curtese Poole dropped back in pass coverage a few times, but Gibbs said the experiment didn't work as well as planned, adding not much of anything worked well against the Buckeyes. "We've watched a lot of film on those screen plays they run," Poole said. "We'll have a lot of guys going to the ball, so we think we're pre- pared." A W ARREN lNy~ Greg Crozier, one of several experienced forwards who look to help the Wolverin this year, has been to Alaska before. But for some of his teammates, this week- end's trip is their first, Icers hope to take advantage of big ice By T.Berka" Daily Sports Writer There's nothing more dangerous than a perky Nanook. The Michigan hockey team may dis- cover the truth of this statement as it trav- els to the great frozen North to take on well-rested Alaska-Fairbanks (0-0 CCHA, 1-1 overall) in a two-game series today and tomorrow. "It'll be cold," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "Last time we were there, it was 20 degrees below zero with two feet of snow in October." Similar to the eskimos who live a few hours north of Fairbanks, the Nanooks seem as if they have stored food for the winter, as Alaska-Fairbanks boasts a big, physical team. Along with being big, the Nanooks are also fresh, with a six-hour drive to Anchorage last weekend their only road trip. So after Michigan deplaned in Fairbanks Wednesday following a 12- hour flight, and spent a few days at Captain Bartlett's Inn, the team will trudge through the snow to the Carlson Center to take on the Nanooks. And the Wolverines will try to stay awake in the process. The Nanooks are "not going to be tired. They're going to want to put on a show at home,' Berenson said. While the Nanooks may be physical, the square footage of the Carlson Center ice may be an advantage for the Wolverines. The rink is about 15 feet wider at the Carlson Center than at other CCHA arenas, potentially giving speedy Michigan centers Mike Comrie and Mark Kosick an advantage. Although the Wolverines have speed that may be an asset on a wider rink, Berenson thinks that intelligent play is more important than speed when playing at the Carlson Center. "You have to be a smart player to use the whole rink," Berenson said. "If you have 10 guys chasing the puck all over the ice, it really doesn't matter how big the rink is. People like Comrie, Bobby Hayes and Kosick are pretty smart play- ers, so they should benefit from the ice." If Michigan uses the ice to its advan, tage, it will still have to get the puck by senior goalie Ian Perkins. The Wolverines, who have made Lake Superior's Scott Galatiuk and Niagara's Greg Gardner into all-star goalies w past two weeks, face a goalie in Perkins who could be an all-star without help. Perkins' play in last week's two games against in-state rival Alaska-Anchorage helped the Nanooks keep state bragging rights, and also earned Perkins CCHA defensive player of the week honors fof this past week. The Wolverines will try the same strat- egy they have used thus far in the young season - pepper Perkins with bushel'f shots and hope that he will crack u x the barrage. "We are going to have to test him early," Comrie said. "We need to get a lot of shots and a lot of opportunites against him." Michigan goaltenders Josh Blackburn and Kevin O'Malley also have to be aware of a barrage of shots, especially from junior forward Sjon Wynia. Wynia is the Nanooks' biggest o - sive threat, and is known for being in Te right place at the right time. To come out of Fairbanks with two victories, Michigan will need to be wary of Wynia "We'll respect him," Berenson said. "Our players will know that he's on the ice, and hopefully they can minimize his impact on the game." Whatever impact Wynia and his fellow Nanooks will have on the Wolverines this weekend, it will pale in comparison tothe impact of the cold. While the Wolvea will be bundled in 20 layers of clot 9g and may even come to loathe the Grcat White North, it could be worse. They could have gone in January. SCORE WITH MADE-TO-ORDERSUBS! What do you do with an after-game hunger that's as big as the stadium? Bring it to BLIMPIE®! We stack our subs and salads with enough fresh-prepared meats, cheeses and veggies to satisfy even the most ravenous appetites. And with our subs and combo meals, there's no - tastier way to fill up fast. Come to BLIMPIE® today! """* 6" Sub Sandwich, $ .9 .22oz. Drink and Chips Please present this coupon before ordering. Not valid if altered or dupcated. One order percoupon. One coupon percustomer per visit. Custume rmust pay any sales tax due. Not good in combination with any othernoffer.Cash salue 1It00 ot to. Offer expires 10/30/98 Offer good at: 113 E. Liberty St. * 741-2567