The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - September 13, 2000 - 7B
Whitley switches r l s, eallamy finds niChe
By Mark Francescutti
Daily Sports Editor
Senior James Whitley has gone to
the other side.
Michigan coach Lloyd Carr insert-
ed the co-captain into a four-wideout
set on Saturday after he worked with
ceiver David Terrell and quarter-
ack John Navarre this summer.
"We are trying to work James into
our four-wide set to be utilized in
certain situations," Carr said. "That
will help us. James has tremendous
hands and he is a guy that can run
with the football.
"It gives us more depth. If we get
into a game where we are behind or
in a two-minute drill you want a bet-
*r athlete in there instead of a tight
end to stretch the defense. He under-
stands coverages since he plays over
there"
Whitley follows famous two-posi-
tion players such as Heisman winner
Charles Woodson and recently,
Terrell.
Terrell, though, will probably not
see any time at cornerback like he did
last year, as Carr has a deep crew in
the defensive backfield.
On whether Whitley played better
at receiver than Terrell did at defen-
sive back, Terrell responded "defi-
nitely me at defensive back."
A PERFECT FIT: Carr may have
finally found his punt returner in
sophomore Ron Bellamy.
The wideout, who caught two
touchdown passes against Bowling
Green on Sept. 2, helped out this
' eekend on punt returns, bringing
back two punts for 56 yards, includ-
ing a 48-yarder in the first quarter
which helped Michigan jump on the
Owls early.
Bellamy would have went all the
way had it not been for Rice punter
Travis Hale, who grabbed Bellamv's
leg and tripped him up.
A FOOTBALL WORKOLT: Incoming
basketball freshman Josh Moore
needed to lose some weight: Entering
the summer at 7-foot-2 and almost
330 pounds, Moore found his basket-
ball workout regime wasn't getting
him the results he wanted.
So one day at the gym Moore
courted a group of football players -
freshmen Calvin Bell and Ryan Perry
- to work out with.
"I was at the gym one day and they
were working out so I asked them,"
Moore said. "So far, so good."
The results speak for themselves.
"I came in this summer at about
328," Moore said. "I weighed myself
the other day and I weighed 298."
Moore will be a vital component of
this year's basketball team, with a
possibility of starting at center.
PASSING A LITTLE MORE THIS TIIME:
Rice threw four passes last year and
completed one. Feeling a little looser
with their offense. the Owls threw IIl
times on Saturday for 107 yards,
although most of the passing bril-
liance consisted of a 68-yard touch-
down from Ben Wulf to Adrian
Sadler.
Wuilf, who converted from running
back to quarterback, and Sadler a for-
mer defensive back, connected for
Rice's first touchdown pass of the
DAVID KATZ/Daily
Ron Bellamy's contribution to the Michigan effort was a 48-yard punt return that set up Michigan's second touchdown of the
afternoon. Bellamy took the ball all the way to the Rice 36. The Wolverines would later score on a slant to Marquise Walker.
season and the first pass and catch by
the duo.
The score prompted Rice coach
Ken Hatfield to find something posi-
tive in the blowout - a Rice victory
in the second half.
"It was 35-0, and I just told our
guys to fight as hard as they can, take
pride and don't slack up. We win the
second half 7-3, so really it's a tie
right now. We're going into a
tiebreaker right now," Hatfield joked.
RicE BAND? Many fans seemed
confused after several Rice students
dressed in black and calling them-
selves "The Mob" appeared on the
Big House field Saturday. For a
marching band, "The Mob" took a lit-
tie liberty in its performance. Band
members performed comedic skits
poking fun at Ohio State students
working at fast-food restaurants, and
Michigan State students torching
couches.
The plea to the Michigan faithful
worked, as the fans gave them a
hearty round of applause.
GAME PROGRESSION
FIRST QUARTER:
Things went vvrong right out of
the gate for Rice. Quarterback
Corey Evans fumbled the snap
from center and Michigan's Evan
Coleman recovered at the Rice
18.
Two plays later, the Wolverines
had the lead for good. Anthony
Thomas followed up an 8-yard
run with a 10-yard scamper for
the score with just 19 seconds
elapsed.
Michigan 7, Rice 0
Rice failed to get the offense
moving and was forced to punt.
Michigan took over at Rice's 36.
thanks to a 48-yard punt return
by Ron Bellamy.
A deep pass to Dave Terrell for 29
yards got things moving, and the
touchdown drive culminated in a
John Navarre slant pass to
Marquise Walker.
Michigan 14, Rice 0
Rice shot itself in the foot again
with a penalty on the kickoff
return. Backed up on the 7-yard
line, the Owls could manage little
and had to kick it away.
The Wolverines again had great
field position to start the drive,
this time on the Rice 47. A 20-
yard pass to Terrell preceded a
second-effort filled, 27-yard
touchdown run by Thomas.
Michigan 21, Rice 0
After a Rice punt. Michigan tooK
its time on its next drive. It
assembled an eight-play, 65-yard
march. Walker's second touch-
down catch of the game set a
new Michigan record for points in
the first quarter.
Michigan 28, Rice 0
SECOND QUARTER:
Rice received a Michigan punt
and started a drive at its own 33.
The Owls proceeded to march
down the field ever so slowly,
chipping away at the Michigan
defense just like Lloyd Carr said
they would -- a few yards at a
time.
The Wolverines tightened the
screws and stacked Rice up at
the 3-yard line. Facing 4th-and-1,
Rice came out of a timeout with
nothing to lose and attempted to
score. Evans, the quarterback,
kept the ball and was dropped by
DeWayne Patmon for a loss.
Michigan sought to re-establish
the running game, in part because°
it was successful, in part to rest
its tired defense. Rice was no
match up front, and the
Wolverines were able to move the
football. Solid clock management
by Carr led Michigan to score on
a pass from Navarre to Terrell
with 16 seconds left in the half.
Michigan 35, Rice 0
THIRD QUARTER:
Michigan took the kickoff and
went 65 yards in 13 plays, 11 of
which were rushing plays. The
Wolverines milked 5:31 and the
drive culminated in a 27-yard field
goal by Hayden Epstein.
Michigan 38, Rice 0
FOURTH QUARTER:
In garbage time. Rice picks on
Michigan cornerback Brandon
Williams. Backup quarterback Ben
Wulf found Adrian Sadler down
the sideline for a long pass and
Sadler did the rest, for a 68-yard
touchdown.
Michigan 38, Rice 7
WHO'S NEXT:
UCLA
UCLA looked tar more impressive in its
season-opening victory over Alabama
than it did on Saturday night.
The Bruins slipped past Fresno State 24-
21 in a surprisingly close contest.
Fresno State was driving with a chance
to win the game, but lost the ball on a
fumble and never gotit back. UCLA is
2-0 heading into t is week's battle.
THE QUESTIONS: How will Navarre, and
Michigan, handle the road? How will the
Wolverines handle a decent opponent for
the first time? Will Drew Henson surprise
everyone and play?
THE CONcERNS: DeShaun Foster breaking
big plays; Michigan beating itself.
BIG TEN STANDINGS
Smokin'! Backup quarterKack, Duckett save Spartans
r4
EAST LANSING (AP) -Thick and quick.
That's what T.J. Duckett wanted to become this
season and he seemingly achieved his aim. The
burly running back displayed power, by running
over defenders, and speed by running past them on
veral occasions. Michigan State's 6-foot-2, 252-
und running back has lost 23 pounds since the
Spartans beat Florida in the Citrus Bowl on New
Year's Day.
Duckett ran for 219 yards on 26 carries as the
No. 24 Spartans beat Marshall 34-24 on Saturday,
snapping the Thundering Herd's 18-game winning
streak.
Michigan State (1-0) scored two touchdowns
and Marshall (1-I) added one in the final five
minutes.
*Duckett did most of his damage in the second
alf, with 16 carries for 185 yards and a touch-
down. He.put Michigan State ahead 27-17 with a
36-yard touchdown run with 4:44 left in the game.
His 64-yard run to begin the final quarter set up a
field goal that gave the Spartans a 20-10 lead.
Jeff Smoker was another Spartan ready to per-
form for Michigan State,
Smoker completed 16 of 24 passes for 138 yards
with a touchdown and an interception.
Marshall sliced its deficit to 20-17 with 8:33 left
on Leftwich's 4-yard pass to David Foye.
After Duckett's long touchdown run, Dawan
0oss gave Michigan State a 34-17 lead on a I-
yard plunge. Leftwich threw a 4-yard touchdown
pass to John Cooper as time expired.
No. 5 WiSCONSIN 27, OREGON 23: The suspen-
sion-ravaged Wisconsin Badgers aren't running
away from anybody.
Michael Bennett is, however.
The Big Ten sprint champion who bypassed a
spot in the Olympics so he could play football this
fall rushed for 290 yards on 28 carries and scored
*o long touchdowns as Wisconsin outlasted
Oregon 27-23 on Saturday.
Wisconsin got three interceptions from star cor-
nerback Jamar Fletcher, whom coach Barry
Alvarez had considered sitting out.
As it was, the Badgers (2-0) had to do without a
dozen players who were suspended for receiving
unadvertised discounts at a shoe store.
For two more weeks, against Cincinnati and
Northwestern, the Badgers will be missing key
components - including Fletcher - of a team
that hopes to contend for the national title.
NAlvarez got to choose which players had to sit
APPHOTO
Michigan State freshman Jeff Smoker became the starting quarterback after Ryan Van Dyke left the game
with a bruised right thumb. Van Dyke is expected to be ready to play at Missouri next week.
out Saturday and he selected four starters, includ-
ing cornerback Mike Echols, whose substitute, IL
Tucker, was repeatedly burned by the Ducks (I-I),
especially Marshaun Tucker, whose six catches
covered 196 yards.
Oregon had just taken a 23-20 lead on line-
backer, Matt Smith's 47-yard interception return-
Wisconsin's first turnover in five games - when
Bennett ran off left guard and didn't stop until
Rashad Bauman dragged him down by the face
mask at the 1.
No. 11 SouTTH RN CAL 17, CoLORADo 14
David Newbury, who missed two earlier field-
goal tries, kicked a 24-varder with 13 seconds left
to lift Southern California to a 17-14 victory over
Colorado on Saturday.
Colorado's Mark Mariscal left the game tied
when he was wide left on a 41-yard field goal
attempt with 1:14 remaining.
Carson Palmer drove the Trojans 72 yards to the
winning field goal, completing third-down passes
of 23 yards and 19 yards to Karcem Kelly, with the
second reception putting the ball at the Colorado
21.
Palmer threw for 275 vards and one touchdown
for the Trojans (2-0) and Kelly had 10 receptions
for 143 yards.
No. 15 Omo STarE: 27, ARIZoNA 17: There
won't be any talk about a defense-oflensc imbal-
ance this week at Ohio State practices.
Steve Bellisari saw to that as he passed for two
touchdowns, including a 60-yarder to Chad
Cacchio, to lead the Buckeyes to a 27-17 win over
Arizona on Saturday night.
Nate Clements set up another score with a 47-
yard punt return late in the third quarter, and Dan
Stultz kicked two field goals as the Buckeyes (2-0)
won in their first visit to Arizona Stadium.
"Any time you can win a game in Arizona coach
Dick Tomey's backyard, it's an accomplishment,"
said Buckeyes coach John Cooper. "You have to be
grateful for it, especially when you made as many
mistakes as we did"
Ortege Jenkins ran for one TD and passed to
Bobby Wade for another as Arizona (1-1) took a
17-10 halftime lead.
Ohio State was having difficulty moving until
Bellisari took to the air, hitting Ken-Yon Rambo
for 8- and 11-yard completions to the 40. On the
next play, he went downfield to Cacchio, who ran
under the ball at the 8 and cruised into the end
zone, tying the score at 17 midway through the
third quarter.
No. 17 UCLA 24, FRESNO STxrE 21: An obvi-
ously upset UCLA coach Bob Toledo insisted the
Bruins didn't suffer a letdown against Fresno State.
Performance, especially at the quarterback posi-
tion, was the problem.
DeShaun Foster ran for two fourth-quarter
touchdowns, and the No. 16 Bruins withstood two
late scoring passes from David Carr to Charles
Smith for a 24-21 victory over the Bulldogs on
Saturday.
"We're 2-0, but I am very concerned," Toledo
said. "We have to get a better performance from
our quarterback position to be successful. We have
to pick up blitzes, we have to see guys open, we
need to get better fast."
When asked who the quarterback will be, Ryan
McCann or Scott McEwan, Toledo replied: "I
don't know, I've got to think about it. We'll talk
about it Monday."
Starting quarterback Cory Paus separated his
throwing shoulder on the first play of the Alabama
game and will be sidelined for at least two more
weeks. McCann was effective against the Crimson
Tide, but not against Fresno State, at least in the
view of Toledo.
No. 1 NEBRASKA 27, No. 23 NOTRE D~AME 24
- Notre Dame did everything in another classic
game under the Golden Dome but win. Eric
Crouch made sure of it.
Crouch scored on a seven-yard run in overtime
and top-ranked Nebraska overcame a tidal wave of
emotion and a disastrous day on special teams to
edge 25th-ranked Notre Dame, 27-24.
It was the third touchdown of the day for ,
Crouch, who also scored on runs on 62 and one
yard to give third-year Cornhuskers coach Frank
Solich his first-ever road win over a ranked team
in four tries.
After building a 14-point lead, the Cornuskers
(2-0) allowed a 100-yard kickoff return for a score
by Julius Jones and an 83-yard punt return for a
TD by Joey Getherall to tie the game at 21-21 early
in the fourth quarter.
Notre Dame had the ball first in overtime and
settled for a 29-yard field goal by Nick Setta.
Jeremy Sletcher sacked Aranaz Battle for a six-
yard loss before the kick.
The Cornhuskers moved the ball just one yard
on two plays, but Crouch kept the drive alive with
a nine-yard pass to tight end Tracey Wistrom on
3rd-and-9. After an eight-yard run by Dan
Alexander, Crouch raced around left end for the
winning score.
Team
Illinois
Michigan
Northwestern
Ohio State
Purdue
Wisconsin
Michigan State
Minnesota
Penn State
Indiana
Iowa
Big Ten
0 0
0 0
S0
0 0
'J 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
Overall
2 0
2 0
2 0
2 0
2 0
2 0
10
11
1 2
0 2
.::
WEEKEND'S BEST
HOW THE AP TOP 25 FARED
USA TODAY/
E SPN TOP 25
CHRIS WEINKE - The old man threw for
a career-high 443 yards and two
touchdowns in No. 2 Florida State's
nailbiting victory over Georgia Tech,
26-21.
* The 28-year-old senior became the
Seminoles' career-leading passer with
6,433 yards, passing both Danny
Kanell and Gary Huff.
After passing up a chance to enter
the NFL draft, Weinke had the best
game of his career.
1. Nebraska (2-0)
2. Florida State (2-0)
3. Michigan(2-0)
4. Florida (2-0)
5. Wisconsin (2-0)
6. Texas (1-0)
7. Kansas State (2-0)
8. Vir. Tech (2-0)
9. Tennessee (1-0)
10. Washington (2-0)
11. S. Cal (2-0)
12. Purdue (2-0)
13. Alabama(1-1)
beat Notre Dame 27-24 OT
beat Georgia Tech 26-21
beat Rice 38-3
beat Mid. Tenn. St. 55-0
beat Oregon 27-23
beat La. Lafayette 52-10
idle
beat E. Carolina 45-28
idle
beat Miami 34-29
beat Colorado 17-14
beat Kent 45-10
beat Vanderbilt 28-10
idle
North Carolina
at UCLA
at Tennessee
Cincinnati
at Stanford
Ball St.
Rutgers
Florida
at Colorado
idle
at Notre Dame
Southern Miss.
(first-place votes in parentheses
TEAM
1. Nebraska (48) (2-0)
2. Florida State (10) (2-0)
3. MICHIGAN (2-0)
4. Florida (2-0)
5. Wisconsin (1) (2-0)
6. Texas (1-0)
7. Kansas State (2-0)
8. Virginia Tech (2-0)
9. Tennessee (1-0)
10. Washington (2-0)
11. Southern Cal (2-0)
12. Purdue (2-0)
13. Alabama (1-1)
14. Miami Fla. (1-1)
PTS
1,461
1,415
1,336
1,241
1,165
1,137
1,124
1,113
916
875
842
797
707
669
S)
PVS
1
2
3
5
6
8
7
9
11
15
12
13
14
4
THIS WEEKEND'S RESULTS
MICHIGAN38, Rice 7
Illinois 49, SAN DIEGO STATE 13
NORTHWESTERN 38, Duke 5
PURDUE 45, Kent 1C,
WIscONSIN 27, Oregon 23
MIcHIGAN STATE 34, Marshall 24
Ohio 23, MINNESOTA 17
PENN STATE 67, Louisiana Tech 7
Ohio State 27, ARIZONA 17
North Carolina State 41, INDIANA 38
Western Michigan 27, IOWA 21
'M' SCHEDULE
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