The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - October 4, 1999 - 7B
Pr t sa12g
rerrell goes both ways against spread offense
4+
Josh Kleinbaum
y Sports Editor
)ayid Terrell had been practicing it all
ek Take a turn with the offense. Take
arn with the defense. Study film of
due's secondary. Study film of
due's receivers. He was ready.
'ossibly the most talented player to
1 winged helmet since, well,
r s Woodson, the Michigan wide
Diver finally got a chance to show
it he could do on the other side of the
Saturday. The sophomore played in
kel and dime defensive packages,
chi Michigan used for most of the
ue.
I can't really critique him said Todd
Nard, one of Michigan's regular cor-
>acks. "Being such a gifted athlete,
ng to do things his own way."
he most favorable critique given
bably came from Drew Brees,
lue's quarterback phenom, and not
is words, either. Brees simply didn't
to Terrell's man all that much. At
e's end, Terrell had two unassisted
lea, three total tackles and no pass
kips.
rrrell took a students approach to his
ceback role - he knew he was
i a new position, and he wasn't
. seek out help. He constantly
d other defensive backs questions
it technical aspects of the position,
ing in every bit of information he
d get. And he gave some advice,
Being a receiver, he sees stuff that we
I see," Howard said. "He knows the
ancies of receivers"
LINE CHANGES: No, that wasn't Kirk
Maltby, Darren McCarty and Chris
Draper coming off of the Purdue sideline
Saturday, although with the
Boilermaker's substitution patterns, it
sure seemed like they were using line
changes.
To confuse the Michigan defense,
Purdue frequently waited until after the
huddle to send in substitutions. As soon
as the Boilermakers lined up on the line
of scrimmage, a package of subs would
come onto the field, frequently changing
the look of the offense from pass to rush
or vice-versa.
"They huddled up, and we thought
there was one personnel group in the
game, and then they ran three, four or
five off and substituted from the side-
lines;' Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said.
"It's a tremendously difficult thing to
handle"
Early in the game, Michigan had trou-
ble stopping the run, something line-
backer James Hall attributes to the
wacky substitution patterns. But as the
Wolverines adjusted to the substitutions,
they also adjusted to Purdue's rush
game, and held the Boilermakers to just
16 second-half rushing yards.
INJURY REPORT: Michigan's offensive
line was a little thin Saturday. The
always-ambiguous Carr said that guard
Steve Hutchinson was 'resting' a previ-
ously-sustained injury so he can play
against Michigan State next Saturday,
and tackle Adam Adkins did not play.
Tom Brady, who left the Wisconsin
game early after being crushed by Chris
Ghidorzi, admitted to having a mild con-
- x : ; x . < .f . ...>., .. ... ,.
cussion. Obviously, it didn't affect him
that much, as he completed 15 of 25
passes.
IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE?
Not all the injuries at Michigan Stadium
take place on the field. With over
110,000 fans watching the game -
which usually includes a fair number of
inebriated students - problems are
bound to arise in the stands. But don't
worry, like any good Boy Scout, the
University is prepared.
Just minutes before Saturday's open-
ing kickoff, a female fan sitting in sec-
tion 30, one of the student sections, suf-
fered a seizure. About the time Michigan
running back Anthony Thomas fumbled
the ball, the patient was taken to
Michigan Stadium's first aid center.
"As far as I know, she's doing fine;"
Roger Simpson, the vice president of
general operations for the HVA said.
Either an usher or police officer spot-
ted the fan and used his radio to call the
first aid center. A golf cart was brought
to the top of section 30, which was tem-
porarily closed off to fans attempting to
find their seats.
"All of the ushers and police officers
out in the stands have radios," Simpson
said. "The golf carts we have are basi-
cally mini-ambulances."
Patients are evaluated at the first aid
center and are either released to go back
to the game, or brought to the hospital
for further treatment, according to
Simpson. The first aid center, staffed by
an emergency physician and nurses,
neanlran c 2n1+^324Z rwntpuius c-1
DAVID ROCHKIND/Dai
David Terrell showed his versatility on Saturday, playing defensive back against ,
Purdue's multiple-receiver sets.
generally treatsm3e.to 35
game.
:I
LATACK
Continued from Page 11B
While Michigan's front seven - the
hard-as-nails unit that allowed Dayne
nary a rushing yard in the second half
last week - was among the best in the
nation, the secondary had experienced
its share of problems.
It gave up some big plays to
Syracuse, which had an offense that was
about as efficient as the DMV There
was no way it could stack up against the
Big Ten's deadliest passing attack, oxy-
moronic as that last term sounds.
Well, I've got news for you. The sec-
ondary has heard it all before. They've
been the target of criticism since the
preseason, viewed as the weak link in
Michigan's stalwart defensive unit.
But the defensive backs have rallied
around the doubts, taking the criticisms
as a challenge. The unit calls themselves
'The Suspects,' a moniker coined when
a Syracuse newspaper described the
unit as 'suspect' prior to the game with
the Orangemen.
But as Brees can attest, these are not
your usual Suspects. The secondary
completely manhandled Purdue's talent-
ed receiving corps on Saturday, break-
ing up countless passes and putting
some serious licks on the Boilermakers
when they managed to catch the ball.
The primary Suspect was corner-
back Todd Howard. Forget his brutal
third-quarter hit on Purdue wide receiv-
er Larry Shyne - Shyne certainly has.
Along with his name, his birthday, and
what quickly-fading team he plays for.
Howard was also all over the field in
coverage, breaking up a team-high four
passes on the day.
Actually, that statistic isn't that
itprttc5-oIc Some guy broke up four
passesn one game, not even two years
ago, in the Rose Bowl. I don't remem-
ber his name, but let's put it this way-
he won the very award Brees and Dayne
had their eyes on before they ran into
Michigan.
But this year's secondary doesn't
have anyone like Charles Woodson.
They can't ignore one half of the field,.
knowing that the quarterback will only
throw over there if the ball slips out of
his hand. With the absence of a super-
star, the secondary has to look out for
one another. Especially when others are
writing them off.
"We joke with them in practice
sometimes," linebacker Ian Gold said.
"We say, 'You guys are suspect. You
guys can't cover anyone.' Nobody
believed in them, and I think that drives
them to play."
The way they played Saturday, the
secondary unit won't have to deal with
any more negative press for a while. In
fact, the only question that remains
about the secondary is: How the hell did
they keep track of Purdue's four-
receivers-at-a-time subsititution pat-
tern? Groups of players were hopping
on and off the field like a hockey line
change.
But after the disarming of the
Boilermakers, Michigan's defense looks
as strong as ever. With consecutive wins
over the ground-oriented Badgers and
the pass-happy Boilers, both aspects of
the defense have been put to the test and
passed with flying colors. If the Big
Ten's best rushing and passing offenses
can't move the ball against the
Wolverines, then who can?
Looks like this defense might be
better then anyone Suspected.
-Andy Latack can be reached via
e-mail at latack(aTumich.edu.
GAME RECAP
FIRsT QUARTER
On th'econd play from scrimmage, Anthony
Thornas fsmbles the bal afeatwosyard gain,
puting the ball in the hands of Drew Brees and
the Pude offense The Boilermakers drive to
the 11- yatd line before Michigan's defense
sifens, forcing Psdue ts kick the field goal.
Purdue 3, Michigan 0
Tom Brady hits David Terrell in the back corner
of the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown,
capping a drive in which Brady completed all
four of his passes.
Michigan 7, Purdue 3
Drew Brees fumbles a snap, recovers and is ther
upanded by Ian Gold, fumbling the ball again.
James Hall recovers the ball. On the next play,
Thomas breaks a 39yard rush and Brady later
finds Knight for a t7yad touchdown.
Michigan 14, Purdue 3
SECOND QUARTER:
Thomas caps a 63-yard drive - including 43
yards that he rushed for - with a one-yard
touchdown run.
Michigan 21, Purdue 3
Thomas fvmbles the ball on a handoft
ichange from De H son with just 2:22 left
in the half, and Purdue's Rose recovered, giving
the Boilermakers the ball at Michigan's 16-yard
line. After an eightyard completion on first
down, the Michigan defense holdPurdue to a
31-yard Travis Dorsch field goal.
Michigan 21, Purdue 6
THIRD QUARTER:
Brees passes across the middle to tight end Tim
Stratton for a 17-yard gain, two plays later,
Vinny Sutherland beats ames Whitley along the
left sideline, and Brees threw a perfect strike for
a 66-yard touchdown. Dorsch hits the extra
pint, hct Michigan was offsides, and Purdue
opted to accept the penalty and go for two.
Brees' throw to Randall Lane was low, and
Purdue missed the conversion.
Michigan 21, Purdue 12
Michigan answered with one of its best drives
of the season. Thomas and Walter Cross both
saw a fair number of carries, Aaron Shea turned
a simple dump pass into a 36-yard gain and
rady hit all four of his passes as the Wolverines
marched 7S yards downfield. Thomas ran five
yards for the touchdown to cap the drive.
Michigan 28, Purdue 12
Wide receiver Larry Sihv. takes a pitch from
Brees and runs around left end. Cornerback
Todd Howard pursu, the play and deliversta
crushing blow to Shyit, one of the hardest its
of the season that elicits a roar from the
Michigan Stadium crrd On the play, Purdue is
penalized for holding, negating the first down
that Shyne gained. Ih. Bvilermakers would
later punt the ball aw.
FOURTH QUARTER:
Brees throws his first interception of the game,
a perfect strike to Michu, Larry Foote at the
Wolverines' 22yard line ote had read the
play and stepped in front of the receivers cross-
ing route.
In a thirdandone srturt, on its own 31-yard
line, everyone, inclodic I the Purdue defense,
expected Michigan to run the hall. Instead,
Brady found MarcU Knight wide open down-
field, who spun arosli a defender and dashed
upfield. fy the time hi was forced out of
bounds, he had gone 56 yards downfield.
Freshman s. Askewv bou t. defenders
from 10 yards ot, sct :e.s t touchdown
of his Michigan career
Michigan 35, Purdue 12
Drew Henson completes two passes for a com-
bined 45 yards, drirvn Michigan to the Purdue
seven. The drive 4al forcing a 24-yard Jeff Del
Verne field goal
Michigan 38, Purdue 12
BIG TEN STANDINGS
erback James Whitley (above right) and the rest of the secondary backed up Whitley's promise that no HE
icluding Purdue quarterback Drew Brees - would help his cause against Michigan.
=TP
25
de snaps Swamp streak in wild overtime win
Team
Michigan
Michigan State
°^^State
Minnesotar
Purdue
Wisconsin
Indiana
Ohio State
Iowa
Illinois
Northwestern
Big Ten
2 0
2 0
1 0
1 0
1 1
1 1
0 1
0 1
0 2
0 2
Overall
5 0
5 0
5 0
40d
4 1
3 2
2 3
3 2
1 3
3 2
2 3
SAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) - It was
kind of victory that can make a sea-
and save a career. No. 21 Alabama
its embattled coach, Mike DuBose.
pped No. 3 Florida's 30-game win-
streak at The Swamp on Saturday
:n tris Kemp got a second chance
ani tra-point attempt in overtime
drilled it for a 40-39 win.
an effort that would have shocked
late Bear Bryant as much as it would
o pleased him, the Crimson Tide (4-
1-0 Southeastern Conference) con-
led the ball for 41:22, racked up 447
in offense and matched Steve
rrier's Gators score for score.
I am so proud of this coaching staff
tlootball team for staying togeth-
or- elieving in each other," DuBose
emp got his second chance after
-ida's Bennie Alexander jumped off-
s on the conversion attempt follow-
Shaun Alexander's 25-yard touch-
n run - his fourth score of the day
an the first play of Alabama's over-
possession.
emp nailed the second kick, provid-
the difference, just moments after
i c cker Jeff Chandler's conver-
a mpt went wide right.
How we handle this win will be a
ning moment for this football team,"
lose said. "How we move forward
be the tale of how much we've
ned and how much we've grown and
re our program is."
he Gators went on offense first in
time and scored when Doug
Rson hit Reche Caldwell for a 6-yard
touchdown. Chandler jogged on for the
kick, but missed, marking the second
time in a year Florida has missed a key
chip shot in overtime.
Chandler took over the kicking job
last year when Collins Cooper missed a
short field goal in a 20-17 overtime loss
to Tennessee.
"I felt bad," Chandler said. "I let a lot
of guys down. I tried to make them for-
get about what happened last year. But
this is worse than last year."
Last year, like this year, probably
ruined the Gators' national title hopes,
but Florida owns the tiebreaker over
Tennessee, and could still win the SEC
title game.
No. 1 FLORIDA STATE 51, DUKE 23:
Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden says
his team is improving quarter by quarter.
A week after getting 28 points at North
Carolina in the first quarter, the top-
ranked Seminoles rolled up a 44-0 half-
time lead.
"This time we played two quarters
instead of one," Bowden said.
The veteran Florida State coach had
to find several starters for some fourth
quarter action after Duke scored 13
unanswered points in the third period
against a host of Florida State reserves.
"Maybe our guys were trying too hard
to make plays,"
Bowden said. "We felt we had to put
our first team back in and try to just
show people we could still play football.
"I don't mind them (offense) not doing
anything, but I don't like letting the other
team get points," Bowden said.
TEXAS TECH 12, No. 5TEXAS A&M
19: Sammy Morris, a reserve running
back with little action since 1996
because of academic problems, was a
Ricky Williams lookalike on Saturday,
running for 170 yards on 33 carries to
leadTexas Tech to an upset of the
Aggies.
"Sammy Morris had a great running
effort," Aggies linebacker Jason Glen
said. "We weren't prepared for him.
Leave it to Tech to get a backup to run
like an all-star."
No. 6 NEBRASKA 38, OKLAHOMA
STATE 14: Nebraska didn't like it that
Oklahoma State had a better defensive
ranking, and it certainly showed.
Nebraska's defense made its state-
ment early, setting up three first-quarter
touchdowns in the
No. 6 Cornhuskers' 38-14 win
Saturday. The 'Huskers allowed just 45
yards --all rushing -- in the first half and
shut the Cowboys out for nearly three
quarters.
"We had to prove to them that our
defense was No. I -- nottheir defense.
I think we proved our point," said line-
backer Julius Jackson, who had one of
two Nebraska sacks.
No. 7 TENNESSEE 24, AUBURN 0:t
Tennessee's offense was pretty good up
to a point in Saturday night's 24-0 victo-
ry over Auburn. Too bad that point was
outside the Tigers end zone.
"If the goal line had been around the
10 or 15 (yard line) we'd have had 60
points tonight;'Volunteers coach Phillip
Fulmer said. "Obviously we have some
work to do."
Tennessee (3-1, 1-1 Southeastern
Conference) didn't need a whole lot of
offense as the Tigers (3-2, 1-2) had red-
shirt freshman Jeff Klein making his
first start at quarterback in place of the
injured Ben Leard.
"He's not the second-team quarter-
back anymore. He's the starter," Auburn
coach Tommy Tuberville said. "He's got
to make better decisions, but he'll learn."
No. 8 VIRGINIA TECH , No. 24
VIRGINIA: Corey Moore hopes the
secret is finally out. Four games into the
season, including two on national televi-
sion, Moore figures it's time people real-
ized that Shyrone Stith can play with
anybody.
Stith ran for 113' yards and a career-
best three touchdowns Saturday night
and joined quarterback Michael Vick in
taking the spotlight away from the
nation's top-ranked defense.
"You guys talked all week about
(Virginia tailback) Thomas Jones being
one of the best backs in the country,"
Moore said. "I don't disagree with that,
but we play against one of the best backs
in the country every day in practice."
---------------- -------- ----~
For more Top-25 games, please
see Page 11-B.
THIS WEEKEND'S RESULTS
Michigan 38, Purdue 12
Indiana 34. Illinois 31 (OT)
Michigan State 49, Iowa 3
Minnesota 33, Northwestern 14
Wisconsin 42, Ohio State 17
W H O ' S NEXT:
N o 11
MICHIGAN STATE
S PA R T A N S
THE OPPONENT:
The 11th-ranked Spartans. Michigan State
improved its record to 5-0 with a 49-3 drubbing
of less-than-stellar Iowa on Saturday.
THE OUTLOOK:
Unlike 1997, when the Spartans lost to
Northwestern the week before, both teams
enter this game undefeated,
THE CONCERNS:
This is the highest-ranked
Spartans team Michigan has
faced in some time. And they
haven't beaten arch-rival
Michigan since 1995.
NEXT WEEKEND'S GAMES
Michigan at Michigan State, noon
Norwestern at mdiana
Pei State at Iowa
Purdue at Ohio State
Wisconsin at Minnesota
SCHEDULE
SEPT. 4 NoTRE DAME W, 26-22
Sept. 11 AT RicE W, 37-3
SEPT. 18 AT SYRAcUSE W 18-13
SEPT. 25 AT WiscONsIN W, 21-16
Oc. 2 PURDUE W,38-12
OcT. 9 AT MIcH. STATE
OCT. 23 ILL= NOIS
Ocr. 30 AT INDIANA
Nov. 6 NO RTHWESTERN
No.v 13 AT PENN STATE
Nov. 20 OHIO STATE