0 0 U.S 23 & WASHTENAW IN THE NEW ARBORLAND MALL 734-677-2370 "FUj77A2.7 HOURS:MON.0A 8 TO11 SUNDAY 8 TO 9 OUR OD & THE HOME TEAM... A WINNING COMBINATION! Thursday, September 7, 2000 - Kic LETHAL WEAPON S RUNNING BACKS RECEIVERS F C ANTHONY THOMAS had 301 carries, 1,297yards, 17 TD (301 carries good for second place all-time) Thomas averaged 4.3 yards per carry, serving at times as Michigan's only back. He also returned kickoffs. Deflected mild NFL pressure to return for his senioi sea- son. Will start at tailback and share carries with Justin Fargas. A back that blocks and catches well, Thomas is looked by Carr as a "team" player. He had 108 carries and a touchdown this past weekend. JUSTIN FARGAS has recovered completely from the broken leg suffered against Wisconsin that ended his 1998 season and caused him to miss the entire '99 campaign. Was Michigan's best kickoff returner with a 19.4-yard average his freshman season. Arrived on the scene with a 120-yard performance in the driving rain at Northwestern in '98. Fargas shook off the jitters of a first-carry fumble to run for 70 yards on eight carries against Bowling Green. MARJORIE MARSHALL/Da ly MARQUISE WALKER has made some big catches in his Michigan career to date. Walker had 37 catches last year, good for fourth on the team. RoN BELI.aM is highly regarded and will field punts in addition to play- ing flanker. He shined against the Falcons with two touchdowns. CALVIN BE. is a freshman that will see more time returning punts than at wideout. Amidst all the Terrell talk, Michigan's other wide receivers are relatively underappreciated. w BRAD QUINN /Daily WALTER CRoSS had a 104-yard game in garbage time against Syracuse in 1998. Hasn't done much since. The junior had just 67 yards on 30 carries last season, but nevertheless figures into the mix. Cross also serves as a kickoff returner on special teams. B.J. ASKEW is a sophomore slated to take over for Aaron Shea at full- back. Played in all 12 games last year, both as a back and as a cov- erage man on special teams. Askew showed his prowess as a receiv- er, catching three passes for 87 yards against the Falcons. CHRIS PERRY was immediately singled out by coach Lloyd Carr. Carr said to "remember" the name of Perry, a freshman who attended Fork Union Academy last year. His 40 has been timed in 4.4 seconds. He had 103 yards and a touchdown in cleanup duty this past weekend. TIGHT END Junior SHAWN THOMPSON, hero of Michigan's Orange Bowl victory after catching the game- winning touchdown, injured his left knee fast weekend and is out for the season. Sophomore Bennie Joppru will help fill the void. MICHIGAN'S HEISMAN CANDIDATE A member of themedia ask would be disappointed if he candidate. "You know I would be," Terr gathering into roaring laugh Never one to hide his emotic some of the emotional slack golden opportunity to show qualities he has. Thompson SPECIAL TEAMS i it -By Chris Duprey Dally Sports iltor A shanked 30-yard .field goal by Dan Stultz that - would have given Ohio State a 10-point lead late in the third quarter at Michigan. And of course, the famous missed extra point that sealed the Wolverines' Orange Bowl victory over Alabama. Both were special teams plays that backfired last season. Neither of those were miscues made by Michigan. And7 each was a key play that resulted in the victory for the Wolverines. e Coach Lloyd Carr can again take comfort in his special teams roster this season, left him with minimal options for kick returns. The result was overuse of tail- back Anthony Thomas, tiring him out and puting him at risk for injury. "We will be better than we were a year ago," Carr said of the kickoff return game. "Walter Cross was solid down the stretch with a big return against Penn State. Chris Perry could factor in there, Anthony (Thomas) is back and (Justin) Fargas. "If we stay healthy our return game should be more effective than a year agio. Michigan has capable backups everywhere on special teams. While it appears Epstein will handle both kicking and punting chores, seniors Jeff Del Verne and Cory Sargent pro- vide capable legs at both positions, respectively. Wide receiver Ron Bellamy will be given a chance to field punts, Carr said. James Whitley, who was shaky returning punts as a sophomore in the 1998 season, and freshman Calvin Bell may have an opportunity as well. Carr said David Terrell might be called upon also. Terrell starred at wide receiver last year for the Wolverines, and played some corner- back. So the addition of punt return duty could be Terrell's third responsi- bility. Any of the aforementioned four punt returners could help Michigan -- the Wolverines were last in the conference in that category, averaging just eight yards per return. "We will look at some different guys in the first two games," Carr said. "We want to give as many guys experience as we can." Via (& I * Semester & Short-Term M-Ship " Free Group Exercise & Spinning " Free Child Care " Free Boot-Camp & Tal-Box Clas * Free B-Ball, R-Ball & V-Ball " Free Power Yoga " Area's Largest Selection Of Equ " Area's Top Personal Trainers * Group Discounts " M-F 5:30-11pm, Weekends 8ar " Less Than 2 Miles From Campu ONEON 734-761-444 iio Call Today And Save ChecoutOurWebSit ( Epstein if only because RII junior Hayden Epstein is back with his distance foot. Epstein alone will give the Wolverines the edge in special teais almost every Saturday. Even though Michigan was last in the Big Ten in punting average with a 33.3, Epstein averaged 40.1 on his kicks. He also recorded 29 touchbacks on kickoffs. Toss in the increased depth in the kick return game, and the usual com- plement of hard-hitting specialists that find their way onto the Wolverines' coverage units. It's not a stretch to expect that Michigan's spe- cial teams will produce one positive play each game that has a factor in the outcome. Carr grew to appreciate the impor- tance of depth last season, as injuries VISIT US ON THE WEB AT www.hillersmarkets.com 2875 Boardwalk N.E. of Eisenhower Pkwy & S ..