4B - The Michigan Daily - SportsWednesday - January 6, 1999

Michigan
Arkansas

45

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
"1
1
1
1

0

Michigan player of the game: Tal Streets

L ~ I

AW

31

Although he did not score a point in Michigan's Citrus Bowl victory, Streets
made critical plays, just as he has all season. In the fourth quarter, the
senior grabbed a late-game pass on fourth down to continue the game-tying
drive.
Stat line: Catches Yards Touchdowns Long

7

129

0

33

0

GME MLTCSU~
MICHIGAN

Offense, defense each contribute to 45-point burst

PASSING
Player
Brady
Henson
Johnson
Totals
RUSHING
Player
A. Thomas
C. Williams
Coleman
Brady
Totals

C-A
14-27
2-2
a-1
1424

Uds
209
21
0
230

Att
21
19
1
5
46

RECEIVING
Player N.
Streets 7
C. Williams 2
Shea 2
Terrell 1
0. Johnson 1
A. Thomas 1
Campbell 1
Knight 1
Totals 16
PUNTING
Player
Epstein
Team
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player No.
C. Williams 1
A. Thomas 1
Renes 1
Bryant 1
Totals 4
PUNT RETURNS
Player No.
D.Johnson 3
Totals 3

Yds
139
76
3
.3
215
Yds
129
15
10
26
21
12
11
6
230
No.
5
5
Ys
40
10
10
14
74
Yds
31
31

Avg
6.3
3.8
0
-0.6
9.3
Avg
18.4
7.5
5
26
21
12
11
6
14.4

TO
1
1
0
2
Lg
24
18
3
10
24
L9
33
8
13
26
21
12
11
6
33

hit
2
0
0
2
TO
3
0
0
0
3
TO
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1

YUs Avg Ig
200 400 45
200 40.0 45

By Mark Snyder
Daily Sports Editor
ORLANDO - Over the course of Michigan's
roller coaster season, ,offensive effectiveness
was hardly the team motto.
Prior to the Citrus Bowl, Michigan had
topped 30 points only twice -against Mid-
American Conference doormat Eastern
Michigan and against Hawai'i, the worst team in
Division I.
So when the Wolverines exploded with 45
points against No. I I Arkansas, Michigan fans
had reason to celebrate.
Citrus Bowl MVP Anthony Thomas contin-
ued his dominance from the Hawai'i game,
rolling over the Razorbacks for three touch-
downs on the ground. That pushed his season
total to 15 touchdowns, a high for the
Wolverines.
Though his three touchdowns came on short
runs of one, two and five yards, Thomas had to
work hard for the yards he earned, giving most
of the praise to his line.
"My offensive line and my fullback did a
great job opening holes for me," he said.
"Sometimes I missed the hole, but it turned out
good."
More surprising than anything was the scor-
ing production from Michigan's defense. But
against the Razorbacks, the pass coverage came
up with two huge plays and contributed to the
final margin.
Linebacker Ian Gold intercepted Arkansas
quarterback Clint Stoerner's screen pass five
minutes before halftime and raced 46 yards into
the end zone for his first career score.
The touchdown provided Michigan with a
I0-point cushion but the defense wasn't ready to
rest. With Michigan storming back to take the

lead late in the fourth quarter, the most unlikely
of heroes emerged. Cornerback James Whitley,
who had fumbled repeatedly on punt returns
earlier in the year, redeemed himself by inter-
cepting Stoerner's last-ditch effort and returnii*
the pass for a touchdown to ice the game.
"This is the way we wanted to finish,"
Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said.
CATCHING A BREAK: When the worst injury of
his career - a broken leg - occurred at the end
of the Wisconsin game, Michigan's freshman
tailback Justin Fargas was dumbfounded.
"I couldn't believe it happened," he said,
recalling the gruesome sight. "It was pretty
much a shock because I've pretty much be
injury-free my whole career in sports. I gues
kind of took it for granted that it couldn't hap-
pen."
Fargas, Michigan's third-leading rusher this
season with 277 yards, is focusing more on the
future than the past. Rehabbing his broken leg is
his No. I priority.
"He'll be working on cardiovascular fitness,
armbike riding and we'll have him (running) in
the pool before too long," Michigan head train-
er Paul Schmidt said. "He's got a good mental
attitude, he's a hard worker and he's right
schedule."
That plan included some time at home in
California for the holidays with his family
before meeting up with the team in Florida.
Fargas hobbled around Orlando on crutches last
week but remains determined to come back at
full speed.
"You've got to put the injury in the past," he
said, adding that he's "on a mission" to return.
"I've got a lot of work to do but I'm going to get
it done. Everyday I just have to remind myso
of the reward at the end."

Avg
40
10
10
14
185

19
40
10
10
14
40

DEFENSE
Player
Sword
D. Jones
Gold
Hendricks
Hall
Feazell
Whitley
Ray
Patmon
Brackins
E. Wilson
Renes
Howard
G. Brooks
Walker
Brandt
D. Johnson
T. Brady
I. Williams
Frysinger
PASS DEFENSE
Player
Gold
Whitley
Hendricks
D. Jones
Patmon
Jordan
Totals
Team Stats
First Downs
Rushes/Yards
Passing Yards
Offensive Plays
Total Offense
Return Yards
Comp/Att/Int
Punts/Avg
Fumbles/Lost
Penalties/Yards
Time of Poss
PASSING
Player
Stoermer
Totals
RUSHING
Player
Chukwuma
Hill
Stoemer
Branch
Norman
Totals
RECEIVING
Player I
M. Williams
Lucas
E. Smith
Morreale
Hill
Davenport
Chukwuma
Totals
PUNTING
Player
Akin
Team

Sol
9
5
4
3
4
3
2
1
3
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0

Avg tg
10.3 14
10.3 14
Ast
2
4
3
4
2
2
2
3
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1

TD
0
0
0
0
0
TO
0
0
Tot
11
9
7
7
6
5
4
4
3
3
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1

WARREN ZINN/Dily
Michigan linebacker Ian Gold returns his interception of Clint Stoerner 46 yards for a touchdown. Gold's
touchdown was the first of two Michigan defensive scores in Its Citrus Bowl victory.

in
7
t
t
t
t

t Yds Ii
1 46 46
1 26 26
0 0 0
0 0 0
0 0 0
0 0 0
2 72 44
MICH
21
46/204
230
76
434
183
16/30/2
5/40.0
1/1
12/104
31:17
ARKANSAS

L9
36
26
0
16

BA-up
0
2
2
1
1
1

1
1
h Jo son, whiley unliel
0 heroes down the stretch

I

ARK
20
40/116
232
82
348
94
17/42/2
7/33.9
0/0
4/31
28:43

Two touchdowns in fourth quarter secure Blue victory

CA Y1 T2
17.42 232 2

Att
17
7
8
1
40
No.
7
3
3
1
1
1
1
17

KICKOFF RETURNS
Player No.
E. Smith 2
Total 2
DEFENSE
Player
Kennedy
Wilson
Caver
Gamer
J. Harris
Barrett
Bradley
Green
Flowers
Lancaster
Mc Lain
H. Harris
Painter
Harper
Latourette
Moss
Hale
McDougle
Mahan
Caston
PASS DEFENSE
Player at
Flowers 1
Painter 1
Barrett 0
Kennedy 0
Green 0
H. Harms 0

Ys
56
38
14
9
2
Ys
90
63
19
36
14
9
1
232
No.
1
Yds
33
33
solo
8
4
6
4
3
5
4
4
3
3
2
2
1
2
2
1
1
1
1
0
Yds
24
24
0
0
0
0

Avg
3.3
2.7
1.8
9
2
2.9
Avg
27.5
21
6.3
36
14
9
1
13.6
Yds
237
237

Lg
9
12
17
9
2
17
Lg
35
25
11
36
14
9
1
36

!et
2
2
TD
2
0
0
0
0
2
TD
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
2

By Jim Rose
Daily Sports Editor
ORLANDO - In perhaps the biggest game
of the year, Michigan's most timely perfor-
mances on the field came from a pair of per-
formers who each had to deal with a large
amount of time spent on the bench.
The game-winning touchdown? It wasn't
caught by Tai Streets, so often the object of
quarterback Tom Brady's tosses. Try DiAllo
Johnson, in the only pass he caught all game.
The game-clinching interception? It came
from James Whitley, who returned it 26 yards
for a touchdown.
Johnson's Michigan career is one of those
that is referred by many as "up-and-down," but
in reality, not all that much had been on the
upside until this season.
He signed, a blue-chip otball and basket-
ball recruit out of Orchard Lake St. Mary's
High School, expecting to be a college quarter-
back.
His plans changed. He agreed to try his tal-
ents in the defensive backfield, but that didn't
work out, either.
Finally, this season, he agreed to move to
receiver. And the results have been encourag-
ing.
"DiAllo Johnson is one of those players that
makes coaching so much fun, and so reward-
ing," Lloyd Carr said. "There were times when
he thqught about leaving Michigan. And now,
he has become one of the very best players on
our football team."
Johnson also seems to have found a niche
as Michigan's most reliable punt returner - he
netted 31 yards on three returns against
Arkansas.

Avg Ig
33.9 43
33.9 43

But his lone catch of the game - a 21-yard
touchdown reception with just 2:25 to play -
was the most visible example of years of hard
work coming to fruition.
"One of the most exciting plays of the sea-
son was that touchdown," Carr said. "Not only
because it put us ahead, but because of who
caught it."
Whitley began the season as a starting cor-
nerback and the full-time punt returner, but
several games into the season, he lost the punt-
return job. His duties in the defensive back-
field were reduced, as well.
Throughout the season, Carr repeatedly
voiced publicly his confidence in the sopho-
more, saying that before long, he'd back to the
form that made him a steady contributor to
Michigan's 1997 national championship sea-
son.
Against Arkansas, Whitley didn't play a
perfect game - there was a pass interference
call that set up a touchdown, and the occasion-
al breakdown in coverage.
But if he didn't have the tough-it-out atti-
tude that Carr claimed he had all season long,
Whitley wouldn't even have been around to
clinch the game by snatching away Clint
Stoerner's final pass.
It was a fitting end to a tough year - not an
absolutely perfect ending, but a gratifying one,
and one worth sticking around for.
"It just shows you what type of character
there is on this team, and what type of charac-
ter James has," fellow cover man Andre
Weathers said. "At cornerback, it's always fun
when you have a chance to affect the game. It's
fun for the whole defense. But you have to be
ready all the time."

Avg tg
16.5 18
16.5 18
Asst
2
5
1
2
3
0
0
0
1
0
1
1
2
0
1
0
0
.0
0
1

TD
0
t 0
Tot
10
9
7
6
6
5
4
4
4
3
3
3
3
2
3
1
1
1
1
1
TD
0
0
0
0
0
0

MARGARET MYERS/Daily
DiAllo Johnson was bumping chests against Arkansas in the Citrus Bowl this past Friday, and for good
reason. Johnson caught the game-winning touchdown pass with just 2.25 to play.
Thomas puts fumble behind
him, earns Citrus MVP honors

Lng
24
24
0
20
0
0

Brk-up
0
0
3
1
1
1

i1

1999 Schedule
Michigan's schedule for 1999 includes
six home contests and rematches with
the three teams that defeated them this
past season.
Sept. 4 NOTRE DAME
Sept. II RICE

By Mark Snyder
Daily Sports Editor
ORLANDO - When Michigan tailback
Anthony Thomas left the field following his third
quarter fumble in the Citrus Bowl, Michigan's 24-
10 halftime lead appeared in jeopardy. And despite
eventually winning game MVP honors, Thomas
was well on his way to goat status.
"I went up to him after the fumble and said,
"This game's going to be won by running the foot-
ball and you've got to put that (fumble) out of your
mind," Michigan running. backs coach Fred
Jackson said.
The Razorbacks had momentum enough to

achievements in the last month created his coach-
es' optimism.
"The last four weeks of the season, starting with
the Wisconsin game, he started getting healthy, he
started running tough, he started playing hard," said
Jackson, referring specifically to Thomas's 182-
yard, four-touchdown effort at Hawai'i. "I thir
he's going to be a good football player."
With fellow backfield mate Clarence Williams
graduating and freshman Justin Fargas in rehabili-
tation for a broken leg, Thomas will be expected to
carry the load once again in the fall.
"Anthony Thomas is very, very good back,"
Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said. "He's solid, he

F ,. '.00d-