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SECTION B
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The longest yard: Rams are World Champs
in Jones' arms, stretching the ball toward
the goal line in vain. So, a team known for
its high-powered offense won its first
Super Bowl with the most memorable of
But he almost had to rewrite the script
after the Titans scored on three straight
drives to tie the score at 16.
Tennessee's comeback was engineered
defensive plays.
Warner passed for a
Super Bowl record 414
yards and was voted MVP,
capping a season that began
with him fighting for a
backup job and ended with
him as the NFL's MVP.
"Kurt Warner is Kurt
Warner and it's not a fairy
tale," coach Vermeil said.
"He is a book. He is a
movie."
Added Warner: "You may
as a Hollywood story, but it's.
'M' connection
Only one tormer Michigan
player appeared in the Super
Nowl XXXIV' lineup. Four-year
pro Jon Runyan is an offensive
tackle for the Titans. Runvan
played three years for the
Wolverines, including the 1995
comeback game against Virginia.
SovCeoSNL.Mmcga, Atetcs
by Steve McNair and Eddie
George. But it was Dyson
who almost pulled off his
second miracle finish in four
weeks, coming up just short
of the tying touchdown after
taking a look-in pass from
McNair at the 5 and scram-
bling for the end zone.
"I thought we could do it
but we came up about 6
inches from having a chance
Titans coach Jeff Fisher said.
as this hurts we have an awful
Dyson was the man at the end of the
"Music City Miracle," the 22,16 win over
Buffalo in a wild-card game, taking a lat-
eral from Frank Wycheck and returning it
75 yards for the winning touchdown with
three seconds left.
"I thought he was going to get in,"
McNair said. "But you've got great ath-
letes on both sides of the ball and they
made the play. It was a matter of who won
the one-on-one battle and they won it."
Jones said, "The name of the game is to
the man on the ground. They won the
wild-card game with a big play and we
knew they'd come roaring back. We just
made the big play at the end. You get tired
chasing Steve McNair and making plays."
It was the first NFL title for the Rams
See SUPER BOWL, Page 2B
to do it,"
"As much
think of this
just my life."
lot of pride in coming so close."
tie
own
Blue
SAM HOLLENSHEAD/Daily
Sophomore Amy Kuczera scored a 9.725 on the bars as
No. 3 Michgan trounced Kentucky, 197.5-192.05.
'M'women eye
o. 1rankng
By Richard Haddad
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan women's gymnastics team continues to set
precedents for excellence. And it continues to exceed its prece-
dents the very next time on the mats.
Coming off of a meet against Michigan State. in which the
Wolverines earned the highest score in the nation this year, they
bred the score and set the bar a little bit higher against No.
1 entucky Friday night. In posting the fourth-best team score
in school history by tallying a 197.5-192.05 victory, No. 3
Michigan set season highs in all four events and thoroughly
dominated the competition, taking both first and second place
in each event.
"1 told the team before we walked out here tonight, we're not
out here to beat Kentucky, we're out here to continue to improve
our performances," Michigan coach Bev Plocki said. "That's all
we need to be concerned with, and let the outcome take care of
itself. We cannot control what the other team is doing. We can
oiecontinue to strive to be better individually, and by doing
that, it makes our team better."
The Wolverines achieved what they were striving for.
Michigan set nine individual career highs and eight more
season highs, including Karina Senior's three personal bests
and an all-around score of 39.35 to shatter her previous mark.
"It's taken me awhile to get everything together, and I feel
like it's finally all coming together," Senior said. "Bars have
See GYMNASTS, Page 3
Cagers rough
up Minne 4isota
By Dena Beth Krisder
Daily Sports Writer
Qop me if you've heard this one.
Fans at Crisler Arena were watching a wrestling match, and
a women's basketball game broke out,
No, really. The players - from both Michigan and
Minnesota - were all over the floor, fighting for the ball more
often than they were looking towards the basket.
But, in all actuality, the game wasn't all that physical.
"Other teams that we've played
before have been as physical or
more physical," junior center MINNESOTA 55
Alison Miller said. "It's just basket- 33 MICHIGAN 73
istles weren't sounding as
arms and legs were sprawling out out all over the court as
Michigan somehow managed to pull out a 73-55 victory.
Not that the victory was undeserved.
"I have to give credit where credit is due," Minnesota coach
Cheryl Littlejohn said. "Michigan came out and executed its
game plan against us. Yes, I'm disappointed because a lot of
the things we've been working on the past few days, we didn't
come out and execute."
ichigan (6-3 Big Ten, 14-6 overall) outshot, out rebound-
e d out-everythinged Minnesota (1-8, 8-l2).
In the first half, the Wolverines overpowered the Gophers
from the floor - outshooting them 38 to 26-percent.
Despite two easy three-pointers from freshman center
LeeAnn Bies, the first two attempts of her college career,
Michigan was held back by double-teaming, even triple-team-
ing, which caused players to rush themselves and made sink-
But Yostfans
win wit/ class
T he greeting Ohio State received on
Saturday night from the Yost Ice Arena
faithful was appropriate. One week ear-
lier the Wolverines had been subjected to
ridiculous behavior from patrons of Ohio
State's Value City Arena, and the Michigan
faithful had every right to take revenge.
Even before the Wolverines' hated rival from
the south had completed its trek down from the
lockerroom to the players entrance, the boos
had begun. And before the Buckeyes reached
center ice, the boos reached fervor pitch,
obscenities from the witty
to the ridiculous were
tossed and taunting
makeshift signs were
raised (My favorite:
"How's it feel to be in I11th
place...Sluts!").
But unlike last weekend
in Columbus, no one threw
anything. No one clam- CHRIS
bered down behind the vis- GRANDSTAFF
iting bench in an attempt The Grand
to steal sticks or harass Scheme
players and coaches. No
one was tossed from the
game while flipping off the visiting head coach
right in front of the Fox Sports cameras.
No one was out of line.
And while the crazies of Yost are certainly no
angels, they are also certainly not stupid -
which in my experience, cannot be said for the
Ohio State faithful.
This goes far beyond the debacle at Value
City last weekend, when the Ohio State fans lit-
tered the ice with Yoo Hoo, beer and garbage,
and a select few attempted to liberate those
sticks from the Michigan bench after the
Wolverines scored their sixth goal. This is a
trend that extends across the entire board of
Ohio State athletics. I've. seen several events at
Ohio State -- none of which have been pleas-
ant.
I've had bottles thrown at me_ I've had my
car, distinctively marked with a Michigan
bumper sticker, almost run off the road by an
angry Buckeye fan. I've had a seemingly inno-
cent elderly woman belch out the words "Bucks
Bitch!" to my face.
Now, for Ohio State fans, these types of
actions may be considered par for the course.
See GRANDSTAFF, Page 4B
L '
SAM HOLLENSHEAD/DAIL\
Michigan's Mark Mink and Mike Cammalleri make things difficult for Ohio State's Mike McCormick in Saturday's 1-1 tie. The
overtime tie was Michigan's first of the season as they closed the season series with Ohio State at 3-0-1.
Season sweep of OhioSae as so
By Geoff Gagnon
Daily Sports Writer
Thousands showed up early to Saturday's CCHA battle
between Michigan and Ohio State expecting a free shirt -
and maybe something more from the game.
Aside from the shirt, few could have expected what they
got.
With a Yost Ice Arena record 6,738 fans on hand, No. 3
Michigan battled a struggling Ohio State team to a 1-1 tie
in a game that bore little resemblance to the previous three
meetings between these teams.
Hyped as a high-energy show-
down between a pair of teams that OHIO STATE I
combined for nearly 30 goals in MIchKIAN I1
three previous meetings and more
than 100 penalty minutes a week
ago, fans expected an explosive finale to a season series
fueled by the tension of game-delaying melees in its last
two meetings.
In a break from the trend, they were treated to a game
without much scoring and a meager 20 minutes of penal-
ties.
"I expected the game to be a cleaner game," Michigan
coach Red Berenson said. "We made a special point of
having our team play focused and mentally tough in terms
of walking away from stuff, not looking for trouble. I know
the referee was instructed by the league to make sure that
this game had no problems. As a result, you saw a good
"We came out strong, but we didn't put them away,"
Berenson said. "We had our chances in the first period: We
had two breakaways and a back-door open net. When you
don't score on those, it gives the other team confidence."
Michigan's lone goal, a poke from defenseman Sean
Peach on a break led by Andy Hilbert at 1 1:47 of the first
period, put the Buckeyes on their heels and Michigan in
control early.
"I jumped up in the play," Peach said. "I noticed it was a
two-on-two and I wanted to give it an odd-man rush. I went
to the net, and I saw [Geoff] Koch go wide. He made a
great pass across the ice, and I put my stick on it."
Michigan maintained its pressure on Ohio State netmin-
der Ray Aho,,peppering the Buckeye with 14 first-period
shots but failing to connect again.
"We had our chances to score in the first period," Peach
said, "and we have to bury a team like that when they're
ready to give in - it was like, next goal and they're done.
We just didn't capitalize on our opportunities."
Peach's fifth goal of the season kept Michigan, which
boasted a 14-0 mark when leading after two frames, in
charge as it entered the third period.
After Michigan's Scott Matzka was whistled for rough-
ing at 5:38, the Buckeyes netted their only score as Miguel
Lafleche found Eric Meloche. Moving to Michigan goalie
Josh Blackburn's left, Lafleche, on a give from Ryan
Jestadt, pushed the play deep into the Michigan zone
before sending a streak though the crease to a waiting
Meloche. The power-play goal came on. only Michigan's
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