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 <.F. TI fnirurv -R anDsrfo~r C91 QPxinrd! nn I - I