Thursday, November 11, 1999 - The Michigan Daily -- 21A
Oayne looking for record, Rose Bowl berth
y cholas Chang career rushing record of 6,279 yards.
r theDaly In Wisconsin's victory last week at
Afer Penn State's crushing defeat at Purdue, Dayne racked up 222 yards
the hands of Minnesota last week, the against a much better defense than he
Bowl Championship Series rankings will see from the Hawkeyes.
now show five undefeated teams Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez said
remaining in Division I-A college he will give Dayne as many carries as
ttall. necessary to break the milestone.
A prospective Sugar Bowl situation Since yards gained in bowl games
has interestingly arisen through all the do not count towards the record,
mayhem of the past two and a half Saturday will be Dayne's final shot to
competition-filled months: a national make history.
championship rematch between last Iowa's lone win this season was
year's top two teams seems very possi- back on Sept. 18, over Northern
ble. . Illinois. Its 109th-ranked rush defense
On Saturday, Florida State and allows over 220 yards per game on the
Tennessee both face unranked oppo- ground. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, who
nents, while Virginia Tech finds itself has been looking forward to next year
staring at its toughest contest of the since the season opener, simply does
.ason. not have the tools to handle
Meanwhile, Joe Paterno and Penn Wisconsin, let alone Ron Dayne.
State must not lose focus if Pasadena With a win against the Hawkeyes,
is on their minds. Four Big Ten teams and a Penn State loss to either
are vying for hopes of a Rose Bowl Michigan or Michigan State,
appearance, with the Nittany Lions Wisconsin will be celebrating the new
and Wisconsin atop the pack. millennium in southern California.
IOwA AT NO. 9 WISCONSIN: The WISCONSIN 49, IOwA 3
final outcome will more than likely No. 17 MICHIGAN STATE AT
take a back seat to another aspect of NORTHWESTERN: Michigan State is
this game. still in the hunt for the Big Ten title as
on Dayne needs just 99 yards to it makes an appearance this week at
. pass Ricky Williams' one-year-old Northwestern. The Spartans have a
M' field hockey makes
very, very slim chance of going to the
Rose Bowl, but Michigan State still
controls its destiny for spending New
Year's Day in Florida.
Quarterback Bill Burke, tailback
Lloyd Clemons and wide receiver
Plaxico Burress were key contributors
in last week's 23-7 destruction of Ohio
State. The win not only kept major
bowl hopes alive, but redeemed a team
that had dropped its previous two
games in uninspired fashion to Purdue
and Wisconsin.
Northwestern has been whipped in
its last two games, surrendering a total
of 77 points. Although fundamentally
sound, the Wildcats have experienced
trouble putting points on the board.
After being outscored 37-3 against
Michigan last week, expect first-year
coach Randy Walker to once again
look to running back Damien
Anderson to challenge the Spartans'
second-ranked rush defense.
Michigan State has not won in
Evanston since 1992, but against a
weak overall defense, Burke and
Burress should have little trouble con-
necting at Ryan Field.
MICHIGAN STATE 31, NORTHwESTERN
6
INDIANA AT No. 20 MINNESOTA:
Minnesota attempts to prove its win
over Penn State was no fluke. The
Golden Gophers return home to take
on upset-minded Indiana.
Freshman kicker Dan Nvstrom's 32-
yard field goal as time expired against
the Nittany Lions validated a
Minnesota season full of close
defeats. Running back Thomas
Hamner will see plenty of time run-
ning the ball, as the rest of the calm,
cool offense tries to be as flawless as
in last game's turnover-free, one
penalty performance.
Unlike Minnesota, Indiana is not
bowl eligible. The Hoosiers must
defeat Minnesota and then Purdue in
order to finish with a .500 record and
keep its bowl hopes alive.
Quarterback Antwaan Randle El
and the rest of Indiana is ready to
compete again, coming out of their
bye-week. Randle El's versatility as a
top-ranked passer and rusher will be
demonstrated as he can single-hand-
edly beat an opponent with his preci-
sion and athleticism.
MINNESOTA 24, INDIANA 21
ILLINOIS AT OHIO STATE: Ohio
State's steady decline into mediocrity
has dropped the Buckeyes' from a
national ranking and jeopardizes their
Ron Dayne will play his final game at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday with a
Rose Bowl berth and the NCAA rushing record on the line.
chance at a prestigious bowl game.
Ohio State has lost four times this
year, and only two of its victories have
come against ranked opponents.
Those ranked opponents include
UCLA and Purdue, two programs
which have since dropped out of the
top 25.
Poor attitudes amongst the
Buckeyes' team members have caused
further trouble. Buckeye coach John
Cooper has been forced to bench and
even suspend some players due to lack
of unity and poor behavior on and off
the field.
Illinois is looking for its sixth win
of the season which would mean
bowl-eligibility for the first time since
1994. Compact tailback Rocky
Harvey and surprising quarterback
Kurt Kittner want to drive the offense
into Ohio State territory and jump out
to a big lead in Columbus.
The Fighting Illini are conscious of
the explosive potential of Buckeye
quarterback Joe Germaine, senior tail-
back Michael Wiley and wide-outs
Reggie Germany and Ken-Yon
Rambo.
OHIO SEATE 17, ILLINOIS 10
weekend
first ever trip to NCAA tourney this
By David Roth
Daily Sports Writer
After winning the Big Ten
Tournament and receiving an automat-
ic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the
.*chigan field hockey team will
migrate south to face Duke at Wake
forest. The Wolverines will knock
,ticks Saturday at 1:30 in the Kentner
;enter in Winston-Salem, N.C..
16 teams made postseason play, an
increase from the eight-team tourna-
iment last year. This is the first time in
Michigan history that it will tango in
the NCAA's.
The four teams playing in Wake
'est this weekend are the fifth-
ranked Wolverines, No. 3 Wake Forest,
No. II. Duke, and No. 9 James
Madison. If'the Wolverines beat Duke,
they will play the Wake Forest-James
Madison winner. Should the
Wolverines win both games, they will
head to Boston next weekend for the
NCAA final four.
Michigan coach Marcia Pankrata
looks forward to playing Duke on
Ourday. Even though they are ranked
!ow Michigan, Pankratz said that no
games in the NCAA Tournament will
be easy to win.
"We're pretty happy with the draw.
They're a formidable opponent.
They're I Ith and we're fifth. But if
you make the tournament, you're auto-
matically in the sweet sixteen. So no
matter who you play, they're going to
be tough."
Duke plays in the Atlantic Coast
Conference (ACC) where they are only
1-4. But since its high level of compe-
tition parallels the Big Ten, the Blue
Devils should be ready for Michigan
"Duke plays a tough schedule so we
know they're chiseled and ready to play
us," said Pankratz.
The Blue Devils hold a 13-7 record
and have lost two games in a row, both
to Virginia. The Blue Devils lost in a 2-
0 shutout Nov. 4 and in a 3-2
tubthumper Oct. 31. The match-up will
be a powerful Duke offense versus an
unforgiving Michigan defense.
The Blue Devils are led by senior
offensive powerhouse Corey Ceccolini,
who has tallied, a mind-boggling 19
goals this season and has nabbed four
assists. Ceccolini was an all-ACC and
National Field Hockey Coaches
Association Regional all-America
selection last year and was selected to
participate in the NFHCA North/South
All-Star Game.
Though Ceccolini has very strong
statistics, her numbers might not show
how good she actually is during field
play.
"Most of her goals have been on
penalty corners," Pankratz said. "We're
going to have to do all we can not to
give any (penalty corners) up."
Senior Michigan defenders Ashley
Reichenbach and Erica Widder,
NFHCA All Star Game selection them-
selves, will try to avoid making mis-
takes inside the arc that might give
penalty corner specialist Ceccolini a
shot on goal.
Another Blue Devil star is Jekkyl
and Hyde goalkeeper Jenn Robb.
Before Duke's losses to Virginia, Robb
was a brick wall. She allowed just five
goals in six games, leading her squad
to consecutive victories. But the
Wolverines hope she plays like the
sieve she was against Virginia, when
she allowed five goals in two gatnes.
The two teams will be coming from
two different directions into the tourna-
ment. Michigan has won four games in
a row, including victories over top 10
opponents lowa and Penn State in the
Big Ten Tournament.
"Our team is on a role. We're ready
to play," Pankratz said.
Duke is trying to shake off its con-
secutive losses.
"Our preparation is coming off two
losses against Virginia," Tchou said.
"Against Michigan, we want to play
our game. We know that they're com-
ing off three big wins."
The Michigan field hockey team is coming off a four-game win streak over top opponents to face Duke this weekend in its
first ever NCAA appearance.
i
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