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November 08, 1999 - Image 14

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The Michigan Daily, 1999-11-08

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4B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - November 8, 1999

I

GAME STATISTICS

Team Stats
First Downs
Rushes/Yards
Passing Yards
Offensive Plays
Total Offense
Return Yards
Comp/Attlnt
Furnbles/?ost
Penalties/Yards
Time of Poss

MICH
23
42/247
226
81
449
128
17/39/0
6/43.5
1/0
8164
31:54

NW
12
381165
79
67
200
118
11/29/1
10/43.3
3/1
9/83
28:06

Blitzing, nickel key
new-look secondary
By Josh Kinbaum tight secondary, but we weren't playin
Daily Sports Editor likes it W ted t d t fte thi t

~

<K .

F

g
")

M I C H I G A N

PASSING
Player (
Brady P 12
Henson 3
Kapsner
Totals 17-
RUSHING
Ahmas 17
Askew 9
Shea 3
Cross 6
Drake 4
Henson 3
Totals 42
RECEIVING
Player No.
Terrell 5
Johnson 3
Knight 2
Askew 2
Dubuc 1
1 u 1
A. Thomas 1
Shea 1
Totals 17
PUNTING
Epstein
Henson
Totals
KCKOFF RETURNS
Player No.
Cross 2
Totals 2
PUNT RETURNS
Player No.
Johnson 5
Bellamy 2
Totals 7
DEFENSE
Player
Jones
Whitley
Hendricks
Wilson
June
Howard
Hobson
Gold
Ptak
Drake
IScanski
Jordan
Askew
Foote
Patmon
Hall
Renes
Cwayna
i~(iurair"
Lazarus
Brackins
Williams
Frysinger
Sechler
Smokevitch

C-A
-23
3-13
2-3
F39

Yds
185
19
22
226

Yds
172
34
18
7
-9
247
Yds
71
49
57
5
23
11
5
4
226

Avg
3.8
6.0
1.2
0.3
-3.0
5.3
Avg
16.3
28.5
2.5
23.0
11.0
5.0
4.0
1.0
13.3

TO
3
0
0
3
67
8
13
6
2
10
60
22
21
45
6
23
11
5
4
1
45

Int
0
0
0
0
TD
2
0
0
0
0
0
2
TD
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
3

The game seemed to be well in hand.
Anthony Thomas had just dived into the
end zone to give Michigan a 27-0 lead
with 48 seconds left in the first half. But
in the back of every Michigan fan's
mind, something whispered, 'Oh no. Not
again.'
Each of the last two weeks, those fans
watched their Wolverines blow big leads
to Illinois and Indiana (although they
came back for the win against the
Hoosiers). Now, they watched Zak
Kustok and the Wildcats drive into
Michigan territory, gaining the 39 yard
line,just one big play away from a touch-
down.
Then Michigan's defense did some-
thing remarkable. Instead of the antici-
pated Todd Howard-beaten-for-touch-
down, Cato June rushed through the line
of scrimmage, nearly untouched, and
crushed Kustok for a seven-yard sack.
Welcome to Michigan's new-look sec-
ondary, Where safeties and corners blitz,
nickel packages pop up, four different
players play safety and wide receiver
David Terrell grabs an interception.
"We weren't playing up to our capa-
bilities," Michigan safety Tommy
Hendricks said. "We are an aggressive,

ue t. we waneu o get aftertns tearn.
The key? Getting to the quarterback.
For the last three weeks, while the
Spartans, Illini and Hoosiers were piling
up points, their quarterbacks were sitting
in the pocket, picking apart Michigan's
secondary. The Wolverines weren't
going to give Kustok the same opportu-
nity.
So they went after him, and not just
the front seven. Much like the 1997
defense, when Charles Woodson was
just as likely to level someone in the
backfield as he was to grab an intercep-
tion, this secondary blitzed. A lot.
"We just want to show people that the
last couple of weeks is not the way we
play," safety DeWayne Patmon said.
"We came to a realization as a defense
that we have to step it up."
So after three weeks of watching his
defense get decimated, Michigan coach
Lloyd Carr finally made some adjust-
ments, and the blitzing was just the start.
The secondary utilized Michigan's
most talented player, Terrell. The sopho-
more wide out has dabbled at defensive
back all season - he was in on Indiana's
last-ditch Hail Mary last week- but the
only game he saw significant playing
time was against Purdue, when Carr

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SAM HOLLENSHEAD/Daily
Comerbacks James Whitley (5) and Todd Howard (3) help out linebacker Ian Gold sack Northwestern quarterback Zak
Kustok. For the first time this season, Michigan frequently blitzed its secondary.

No. Yds Avg Ig
5 223 44.6 52
1 38 38.0 38
6 261 43.5 52

used a nickel package for most of the
game to shut down Purdue's vaunted
passing attack. It worked then, so, with
the secondary struggling now, Carr went
back to it. With Terrell as the nickel
back, Michigan routinely used the pack-
age instead of its standard 3-4 in third-
and-long situations.
Terrell even grabbed his first career
interception, a floater right to him after
he accelerated past his receiver.

The third major change in the sec-
ondary was the safety rotation.
Hendricks, Patmon, June and Tate
Schanski all saw playing time through-
out the game - this was the first time all
season Schanski played defense in non-
garbage time.
The last two weeks, the Wolverines
couldn't explain their defensive collaps-
es. One reason could be tired legs. With
the safety rotation, Michigan had fresh

legs in the secondary the entire game.
Did Carr's adjustments work?,The
jury's still out. While the secondary held
Northwestern to just I l-of-29 passing
for 79 yards, the Wildcats offense isn't
too powerful and Kustok never tested
Michigan's cornerbacks deep, where
Michigan State, Illinois and Indiana
thrived.
But rest assured, a verdict is comidn
just five days.

Yds
57
57
Yds
53
7
60
solo
7
5
5
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
0
1
1
1
0
0

Av
28.5 30

TD
0
0
TD
0
0
0

Av
3.5
8.6

19
19

BicTzF-mu

i

Asst
0
1
0
0
1
1
1
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
6'
0
0
0
1
1
1

Tot
7
6
5
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

Gophers end Lions' title hopes

PASS DEFENSE
Player int Yds
Terrell 1 11
Hendricks 0 0
Petruztello 0 0
Williams 0 0
Totals 1 11
N O R T H W E

W Brk-up
1 1
0 1
0 1
0 1
11 4
STERN

PASSING
Plaer
K k
Kreinbrink
Totals
RUSHING
Aneron
Kustok
Ayeni
Totals
RECEIVING
Player
Thompson
Anderson
Miller
Totals

C-A
8-21
3-8
11-29

Att
21
13
4
38
No
4
2
11

Yds
74
41
6
121
Yds
41
11
13
14
79

Yds
51
28
79
Avg
3.2
1.5
3.2
Avg
10.3
2.8
6.5
14.0
7.2

TD
0
0
Lg
24
28
7
28
4
7
14
15

TO
0
0
0
0
0
Int
1
0
1
TD
0
0
0
0
TO
0
0
0
0
0

The Allentown Morning Call
STATE COLLEGE - Kicking the
field goal never crossed their minds. The
Lions figured Minnesota faced 80 yards,
the wind and too much history. They
never figured Ron Johnson would catch
an underthrown ball on first down. They
never figured Arland Bruce would slith-
er his fingers under a tipped ball on
fourth-and-16. They never figured an
18-year-old kicker, who already had
missed an extra point, would have the
chance to beat them.
But with two seconds left and both
sidelines drenched in prayer, Minnesota
freshman Dan Nystrom made a 32-yard
field goal to beat Penn State 24-23.
The Lions never figured their champi-
onship season would end here, at Beaver
Stadium in November, instead of there,
at the Sugar Bowl in January.
"You work so stinking hard during the
offseason, you bust your butt during the
season, you're sore, you're body's about
had it, and it comes to this," fullback
Mike Cerimele said. "A field goal, gone,
just like that."
At 9-1, the formerly second-ranked
Lions may have a mathematical chance
at the mathematically determined cham-
pionship game. Some held out hope.
Others weren't sure.
"It's a shame we're not going to have
a shot now," safety Derek Fox said.
For Minnesota, meanwhile, the victo-
ry offered a measure of vindication. The

Golden Gophers (6-3) had lost three of
their last four games by a total of I l
points. Under the circumstances that
greeted their final drive, they appeared
destined to add another troubling defeat.
"You don't expect a program like us to
win," Minnesota Coach Glen Mason
said.
Winning, 23-21, late in the fourth
quarter, Penn State drove from its 39-
yard line to the Minnesota 33, seeking to
stake its defense a touchdown. But after
two negligible runs and Kevin
Thompson's overthrow of Chafie Fields,
the Lions faced a fourth-and-10.
Coach Joe Paterno opted to punt
instead of allowing Travis Forney
attempt a 51-yard field goal with the
wind at his back. Forney had made two
of his three field goals in the fourth quar-
ter, both covering 44 yards. He also
missed a 51-yarder in the first quarter (it
was plenty long but hit the left upright).
Paterno said he did it betting his
defense would make the timely plays,
like it had against Pitt, Miami and
Purdue.
"I didn't think Minnesota could do it,"
he said.
But the Gophers, beginning on their
20 with 1:50 left, went straight for the
Lions. They lined three receivers right,
and went to quarterback Billy
Cockerham, who was 12-for-20 to that
point. Penn State countered with man-
to-man coverage.

Cockerham's underthrown bal n
first down somehow found n
Johnson, who caught the pass in front of
a twisting Derek Fox. He turned a poten-
tial interception into a 46-yard gain,
pushing the Gophers to the Penn State
34-yard line.
After an. incomplete pass on first
down, Minnesota's hopes grew fainter
on second down. Penn State linebacker
LaVar Arrington, who made a career-
high 15 tackles, blew through a block to
sack Cockerham for a 6-yard #s.
Another incomplete pass followed.
Then came fourth-and-16.
Cockerham lofted a Hail Mary toward
two receivers near the 15-yard line.
Defen sive backs Fox, David Macklin
and Askari Adams shrouded Johnson
and Bruce.
The ball bounced off Johnson's hands
and dropped to the turf. Six inches
before landing, it was scooped by B e.
Mason couldn't watch the play.
"I can't lie," he said. "I had my eyes
closed."
Cerimele only heard the play.
"You're waiting for the crowd re
action," he said. "Then my heart
stopped."
Fox, who said he tipped the ball,
began running off the field, waving the
pass incomplete. Then he realized what
happened.
"Before you know it," he said, "th e
kicking the field goal."

PUNTING
Playerp
Standring
Totals
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player No.
Thompson 2
Ania 1
arshall 1
Johnson 1
Total 5
PUNT RETURNS
Player No.
Thompson 4
Totals 4
DEFENSE
Player
Sanders
Bentley
Morton
Harris
Emmerich
Cummings-John
Blackmor
Collins
Brown
Wheeler
Silva
Simon
Missouri
Miller
"urr
Ayeni
Gooch
Taylor
Konopka
Tant
Martin
Long
Harnedy
PASS DEFENSE
Player Int
Blackmon 0
Missouri 0
Morton 0
Simon 0
Totals 0

Penn State coach Joe Paterno was upset here, but his entire team had its national
championship hopes halted when Minnesota upset the Lions Saturday, 24-23.

No. Yds Avg
10 433 43.3 61
10 433 43.3 61

Wisconsin wins, Dayne closes in on rushing record

Yds
38
18
15
12
'83
Yds
35
35
Solo
9
5
6
6
4
5
4
1
3
2
2
2
2
1
0
Yds
0
0
0
0
0

Avg
18.0
15.0
12.0
16.6

21
18
1 5
12
21

7
2
S

AV
8.8 17
Asst
2
4
i
2
0
0
3
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1

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

WEST LAFAYETTE (AP) - One
down, one to go for Wisconsin's unstop-
pable Ron Dayne.
With 222 yards in a 28-21 victory
over No. 17 Purdue on Saturday, Dayne
passed Tony Dorsett for second place in
NCAA major-college career rushing,
98 yards behind Heisman Trophy win-
ner Ricky Williams' year-old record of
6,279.
"I was just out there having fun,
doing what I had to do to help the team
win," Dayne said.
Now with 6,181 yards, he can break
the record next week at home, where the
10th ranked (6-1 Big Ten, 8-2 overall)
finish the regular season against Iowa.
"I can't wait," said Dayne, who also
had a 41-yard touchdown run in the
fourth quarter against the Boilermakers
(3-4, 6-4). "As long as we're back home
in front of the fans, that'll be great to
break the record."
Drew Brees passed for 350 yards
and one touchdown and ran for a career-
high 85 yards and two touchdowns for
the Boilermakers. But he had two pass-
es intercepted by Jamar Fletcher,
including one returned 34 yards for a
clinching touchdown with 4:43 to go.
"It really came down to two things,
turnovers and what you do with them,"
Purdue coach Joe Tiller said. "We didn't

do a great job with our turnovers and
they did."
No..19 MICHIGAN STATE 23, No.
20 OHio STATE 7. A year ago, Ohio
State was upset by Michigan State.
This time, it was no upset. The
Spartans were clearly superior.
Bill Burke passed for 174 yards and
two touchdowns as No. 19 Michigan
State rolled over the 20th-ranked
Buckeyes, who may have cost them-
selves a shot at a New Year's Day bowl
game.
"You just saw an old-fashioned butt-
whupping," Ohio State coach John
Cooper said.
The Buckeyes (3-3, 6-4) had been
pointing to this game for almost a year,
ever since their hopes for the 1998
national championship were dashed by
a loss in Columbus last season. But
they were completely outplayed by
Michigan State (4-2, 7-3) which used an
off week to get over a two-game losing
streak.
The Spartans' defense, tops in the
Big Ten against the run, held Ohio State
to zero yards rushing and just four first
downs. "The key was to put as much
pressure as possible on their quarter-
back," Spartans' cornerback Amp
Campbell said. "We knew he had happy
feet, so we didn't want to let him get

comfortable in the pocket."
It was the Buckeyes' worst rushing
performance since finishing with
minus-22 yards rushing in a 32-7 loss to
Michigan State in 1965. The last time
Ohio State had less total offense was
1963 when Penn State held the
Buckeyes to 63 yards.
"We just didn't do anything offen-
sively," Cooper said. "We came here
knowing that we had to establish the
running game, but we couldn't do that.
We just didn't block anyone."
The Buckeyes didn't cross the 50 in
the first half, going three-and-out on
their last five possessions before half-
time. Michigan State's swarming
defense held the Buckeyes to just 61
yards in the half, nine on the ground.
ILLINOIS 40, IowA 24: Neil Rackers
kicked four field goals and caught a
touchdown pass on a fake field goal as
Illinois held off Iowa.
The Illini ( 2-4, 5-4) were able to
move the ball early but couldn't put it in
the end zone against an Iowa defense
ranked last in the conference. The
Hawkeyes (0-6, 1-8), who had beaten
Illinois three straight times, have lost II1
straight conference games.
Illinois built a 26-10 lead early in
the third quarter, with Rackers account-
ing for 20 points.

Ln
00
0
0
0

Brk-up
4
1
1
7

TOD
0
0
0
0
0

PLAYER OF THE GAME:
.......................................................................
DAVID
TERRELL

With a victory over Purdue on Saturday, Wisconsin took a big step towards return-
ing to the Rose Bowl for the second year in a row.

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