6 - The Michigan Daily - Football Saturday - November 14, 1998
QUICK INFO
Novemter 14, 1998 - Fo
When columnists from rival schools take on each other in a war of words
before a football game, sometimes it's clear that one of them is just...
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Wisconsin
Record: 9-0 overall (6-0 Big Ten)
Coach: Barry Alvarez, 9th year
Last meeting: Michigan 26,
Wisconsin 16; Nov. 15, 1997
Overall series: Michigan leads (42-
10-1)
Key Players:
RB Ron Dayne, junior
DE Tom Burke, senior
OT Aaron Gibson, senior
MICHIGAN LEADERS
The two-deep
- U
adger
0
g
0
I
I
I
I
I
Jiscons ootball?
Only for t e cheeseheads
Pss
PASSING
Player
Brady
Henson
Cross
C-A
145-233
16-36
0-1
Yds
1708
200
0
BATTLE OF BRAWN
The Battle of Brawn might be nearing
kickoff, but the battle of the brains took
place In Thursday's edition of Daily Sports.
Daily Sports Editor Sharat Raju and the
Wisconsin Badger-Herald's Dan Alter
squared off. You decide who won.
his is the time of year Madison is
the most beautiful. Trees are bare.
Pipes are frozen. Winds are howl-
ing off the two lakes, whipping automo-
biles into the air. Bars are full. The
cheese-buying season is in full swing.
Oh yes, it's great to be a Wisconsiner.
Growing up in suburban Chicago, I
have always had an opinion of
Wisconsin. Wisconsin was that place
where you knew
ets had a cot-
tage up there
probably in
Door County
- but you
would never
want to live
somebody whose par-
there.I
Parents SHARAT
would always RAJU
drag their kids
off to the Dairy Sharat k
State instead of in the Dark
wasting money
on an enjoyable vacation.
Parental unit: "Hey kids! We were
thinking about going to Disneyland for
summer vacation ... but the Wisconsin
Dells are just as fun. They've got
Tommy Bartlett's Robot World!"
Child: "Damn"
During pro football season,
Wisconsin's presence was always felt in
Chicago, especially when Green Bay
was in town. Thed, the world had that
dirty feel to it. I was scared to leave my
house, in fear that a cheesehead-wearing
lunatic would start gesticulating wildly,
screaming about the greatness of Bart
Starr or Don Majikowski or Brett Favre.
But I have to admit, of all the places
in Wisconsin that are backwards, the
least backwards is Madison. While help-
ing my brother move into Ogg East Hall
this year, I enjoyed the campus quite a
bit. Madison has that ambiance, that
quaint feel that reminds me of Ann
Arbor.
There is a distinct difference between
the two universities, however, and that
difference is in the football programs.
Normally at this time of year, football
season is essentially over for the
Badgers, with a team relegated to the
spoiler role. Michigan is almost always
still in the bowl picture, if not already
on its way to a Rose Bowl showdown
against Ohio State.
Bitt a funny thing happened to the
Badgers en route to basketball season:
The Wisconsinfootball team is actually
good.
Well, 'good' in a relative sense. The
Wisconsin football team is better than
the vegetables on its schedule. If the
Badgers faced any more tomatoes on its
schedule, they could make enough pasta
sauce to feed an entire football team.
Or at least Aaron Gibson.
It's understandable that the Badgers
desired a cupcake schedule.
Wisconsin has never won a national
championship and probably figured that
the easiest way to rise to the top would
be to play colleges that have been mis-
taken for high schools.
Wisconsin schedule maker No. 1:
"Hmmmmm ... Ohio State isn't on our
schedule this year. Let's just play Ohio
University. That's close enough."
Schedule maker No. 2: "Is there any
way we can get Michigan and Penn
State off our schedule, too?"
Schedule maker No. 1: "We'll work
on that for next season."
So Wisconsin now has a chance at the
Big Ten championship this season -
but no real chance at going to the Fiesta
Bowl.
Such is the glory of this new Bowl
Championship Series, which rewards
teams for strength of schedule. To be the
best, you have to play the best.
Consider the difference between the
Badgers this year and the Wolverines
last year: Michigan took on the toughest
schedule in the country, grabbed it by
the short-and-curlies and thwarted the
Buckeyes in the final game. Then
Washington State and the best offense in
the nation were stifled by the best
defense in the country. The rest, as they
say, is history.
That's the way everything is done at
Michigan - the hard way. This season
has been similar. The Wolverines lost
the first two games but have regrouped
and have a full head of steam. That's the
Michigan way of doing things.
Apparently, the Wisconsin way is to
tiptoe through the regular season until
the last two games. Which brings us to
the present.
As long as quarterback Mike Samuel
doesn't go into a fit of alcoholic rage
and 'running' back Ron Dayne actually
plays against the Wolverines on
Saturday, the Badgers may actually be
smelling roses again.
But there will be no Fiesta in
Madison this year.
- Sharat Raju can be reached via e-
mail at sraju(,umich. edu.
Madision knows how to ... Fiesta?2
Today 2=,
sms
Michigan Stadium
RUSHING
Player Att
Thomas 115
C.Williams 75 :
Fargas 71
Cross 23 :
Shea 13
Jackson 12
Henson 3
Knight 2
Dreisbach 1
Vinson 1
Brady 37
RECEIVING
Player No.1
Streets 41 f
Knight 29
Tuman 23
Terrell 11
Thomas 11
C.Williams 9
Shea 8
Bryant 6
Jackson 6
Campbell 6
Johnson 5
Walker 3
Fargas 1
Feely 1
Thompson 1
PUNTING
PlayerN
V'insonA
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player No.
Fargas 15
Thomas 5
C. W iams 5
Schanski 3
Brooks 1
Campbell 1
PUNT RETURNS
Player No.
Whitley 16
Knight 9
Streets 2
Terrell 2
Patmon 1
Yds
464
354
260
125
65
45
25
4
.3
"25
-84
Yds
647
410
213
112
82
61
76
67
60
48
100
25
5
2
0
Avg
4.0
4.7
3.7
54
5.0
3.8
8.3
2.0
-3.0
-25.0
-2.3
Avg
15.8
14.1
9.3
10.2
7.5
6.8
9.5
11.2
100
8.0
20.0
8.3
5.0
2.0
0.0
TD
10
3
0
Lg
69
58
27
66
13
9
17
3
-3
0
17
L9
76
51
22
32
41
21
26
16
17
13
28
18
5
2
0
Int
7
1
TO
6
0
1
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
TO
8
1
1
2
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Split End
88 Chris Chambers
22 Nick Davis
Short Tackle
75 Chris McIntosh
22 Mark Tauscher
Short Gaurd
60 Bill Ferrario
69 Jeremy Dox
Center
70 Casey Rabach
53 Rob Roell
Long Guard
54 David Costa
53 Rob Roell
Long Tackle
79 Aaron Gibson
66 Pat Daley
Tight End
89 Eric Grams
85 John Sigmund
Quarterback
10 Mike Samuel
12 Scott Kavanaugh
Tailback
33 Ron Dayne
4 Eddie Faulkner
Fullback
37 Cecil Martin
41 Chad Kuhns
Flanker
1 Ahmad Merritt
7 Willie Austin
Kicker
28 Matt Davenport
20 Vitaly Pisetsky
n
O
z
z
0
z
-H)
.._..
- m
W
W
N'
W
a
U
or all the time those stuffy Michigan
students spend with their heads
buried in books, you'd think a few of
them could have taken Mythology 101.
After all, practically everything that
their beloved university is based on -
from the hallowed "Michigan mystique"°
to their supposed academic excellence to DAN
years of athletic success - is steeped in a ALTER
whole lot of fiction and very little fact. Wisconsin
The notion of Michigan's superiority is as Badger-Herald
much a myth as Santa Claus, the Easter
Bunny or a talented Spice Girl.
The scores of Wisconsin fans descending on Ann Arbor
this weekend will not find the type of bustling, energized
campus they are accustomed to. Instead, they'll discover a
town filled with pseudo-intellectuals who sit around at cof-
feehouses sipping on their non-fat vanilla lattes. Compared
to the wild ride that is Madison, Ann Arbor is sort of a uni-
versity with training wheels; a campus that boasts only four
bars and even fewer attractive coeds.
When some Wolverine friends of mine came to Madison
last year for the Wisconsin-Michigan game, they found out
all of this information first hand. For weeks they had been
jawing endlessly about not only their impending gridiron tri-
umph, but the superiority of their institution as a whole.
After a few short hours in Madtown, my overmatched
friends had already changed their tune.
They were amazed by the majestic beauty of the campus,
undying spirit of the students and the plethora of fine drink-
ing establishments. After sampling a few too many of the lat-
ter, my friends were begging for mercy, and they barely man-
aged to escort themselves back to my apartment. When I
arrived home, they were sprawled on the living room floor in
a disgusting pile of human refuse.
Apparently, in Ann Arbor, bedtime comes before bartime.
All this is understandable, since they hail from a campus
that is essentially devoid of any social scene and offers very
little else besides an impressive assortment of libraries. In
fact, the nicest thing about Ann Arbor is that it only takes
about 10 minutes to drive through it.
Actually, there is one other landmark that's worth checking
out if you have the misfortune of driving through Ann Arbor.
Venerable Michigan Stadium has been home to some of the
most memorable college football games in recent memory,
and this weekend's tilt has the potential to be included on
that list.
As the resident Rodney Dangerfields of college football,
the Badgers have managed to enter the game as a three-
point underdog despite an undefeated record and a higher
ranking than the underachieving Wolverines. Pundits have
questioned Wisconsin all season, pointing to their soft
schedule as a reason to leave them out of the Fiesta Bowl
picture.
Today, Wisconsin will have a little fiesta of its own in
Michigan Stadium.
It'll take more than a bookish Michigan math major to
explain to me how the middling Wolverine offense will be
able to move the ball against the vaunted Badger defense.
Wisconsin ranks first in the country against the rush, and
Michigan couldn't even establish a ground game two weeks
ago against Minnesota, finishing that contest with minus-23
yards rushing.
Then there's the weighty matter of contending with Ron
Dayne, the Badgers' linebacker-sized tailback. The Great
Dayne is averaging more yards per game (141) than the
entire Michigan team, and his totals have topped the century
mark every time he has suited up this season. Michigan safe-
ty Marcus Ray didn't seem to be looking forward to knock-
ing helmets with Wisconsin's human bowling ball when I
chatted with him this summer.
"If I see Ron Dayne breaking through that line and he's
coming at me full steam, I think I just might lie down," Ray
said.
That would undoubtedly be the only intelligent thing Ray
has done in months.
About the only thing Ray wasn't yapping about heading
into the season is the very thing everyone seems to be talk-
ing about now: Wisconsin's schedule. There is no question
that the Badgers' slate hasn't been stellar, but if they defeat
Michigan and Penn State back-to-back to end the regular
season, there's no question they deserve an Alliance bowl
berth.
Meanwhile, Michigan can get back to the business of
another 8-4 season under Lloyd Carr. A team stacked with
the type of talent the Wolverines have every year should be a
national title contender each season, not once every 50 years.
Sure, there's something to be said for the past and
Michigan's impressive 1997 season. Badger fans were more
than a little jealous watching the Wolverines play in
Pasadena last January. But since Wisconsin is now in the dri-
ver's seat for the Rose Bowl, it's much healthier to look at
the glass as half full: At least we're not sentenced to four
years in Ann Arbor.
- Dan Alter is the Sports Editor of the
Wisconsin Badger-Herald.
No. Yd 3Avg g
45 1786 39.7 55
W
z
W
w
w
Q
0
Right End
96 John Favret
9 Sam Mueller
Right Tackle
98 Eric Mahlik
58 Chris Janek
Left Tackle
78 Ross Kolodziej
92 Brandon Williams
Left End
74 Tom Burke
99 Jake Sprague
Outside Linebacker
29 Bob Adarnov
45 Dan Lisowski
Linebacker
16 Chris Ghidorzi
49 Nick Greisen
Linebacker
44 Donnel Tiompson
42 Ben Herbert
Conerback
36 Mark Echols
24 Donte King
Free Safety
8 Jason Doering
26 Bobby Myers
Strong Safety
34 Leonard Taylor
15 Tim Rosga
Cornerback
2 Jamar Fletcher
6 Joey Boese
Punter
14 Kevin Stemke
23 Eric Skrzypchak
Split End
86 Tai Streets
9 DiAllo Johnson
Left Tackle
79 Jeff Backus
72 Ben Mast
Left Guard
76 Steve Hutchil
71 Jeff Potts
Center
67 David Brandt
64 Steve Frazier
Right Guard
64 Steve Frazier
54 Maurice Willi
Right Tackle
77 Jon Jansen
74 Jason Brooks
Defensive End
90 Juaquin Feaze
99 Jake Frysinge
Defensive Tackle
94 Eric Wilson o
91 Josh Williams
Nose Tackle
58 Rob Renes
60 Nate Miller
Outside Linebaci
56 James Hall
59 Grady Brooks
Outside Linebacl
55 Dhani Jones
43 Clint Copenh
Cornerback
30 Andre Weath
3 Todd Howard
DEFENSE
Player
Sword
Hendricks
Jones
Hall
Gold
Whitley
Renes
Weathers
Jordan
Patmon
J. Williams
Feazel I
Frysinger
G. Brooks
Brackins
Ray
Miller
Wilson
Peterson
Howard
Schanski
Foote
Kratus
Jacson
Shea
McCall
Copenhaver
Fargas
Epstein
Sechler
Young
Singletary
Rosel l
Streets
Campbell
K. Jackson
Smokevitch
Bryant
Terrell
Jansen
Coleman
Sacks
2
2
3
6
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
4
2
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
c
Yds
305
135
116
39
0
16
Yds
142
50
5
15
3
Solo
64
40
31
29
31
27
24
28
29
23
20
15
15
14
14
12
10
8
11
9
7
8
5
4
3
1
3
3
3
3
2
3
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
0
0
Avg
20.3
27.0
23.2
13.0
0.0
16.0
Avg
8.9
5.6
2.5
7.5
30
Asst
21
18
17
16
12
13
13
6
4
7
9
12
7
6
6
6
8
6
3
4
4
2
0
0
1
3
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
Lg9
29
45
32
15
0
16
L9
25
10
5
13
0
TD
0
0
0
0
0
0
TD
0
0
0
0
0
Total
85
58
48
45
43
40
37
34
33
30
29
27
22
20
20
18
18
14
14
13
11
10
5
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
Staff Picks
- all picks made against the
spread.
* Guest selectors have been
rotating throughout the season.
Last week's guest selector was
University President Lee
Bollinger.
Game (HOME TEAM IN CAPS)
MICHIGAN (-3) vs. Wisconsin
PENN STATE (-24) vs. Northwestern
TENNESSEE (-10) vs. Arkansas
Florida State (-26) vs. WAKE FOREST
FLORIDA (-31) vs. South Carolina
Purdue (-1.5) vs. MICHIGAN STATE
INDIANA (-4) vs. Minnesota
TEXAS A&M (-5.5) vs. Missouri-
Ohio State (-25) vs. IOWA
KANSAS STATE (-10) vs. Nebraska
UCLA (-7.5) vs. WASHINGTON
OREGON (even) vs. Arizona State
Best Bet
Last Week (best bet)
Overall (best bet)
SHARAT
RAJU
L-
MARK
SNYDER
JIM
ROSE
Michigan
Penn State
Tennessee
Florida State
South Carolina
Purdue
Indiana
Missouri
Ohio State
Nebraska
UCLA
Oregon
Indiana
6-5-1 (1-0)
59-48-2 (6-3)
Michigan
Penn State
Tennessee
Florida State
South Carolina
Michigan State
Indiana.
Missouri
Ohio State
Nebraska
Washington
Oregon
Nebraska
3-8-1.(0-1)
44-63-2 (3-6)
Michig
Northwes
Tenness
Florida S
Florid
Purdu
Indiar
Texas A
Ohio St
Nebras
UCLU
Arizona S
Nebras
6-51(1
51-56-2 (
I