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SPORTS
TUESDAY
OCTOBER 3, 2000
9
CHRIS
DUPRE Y
DUPE S SCOOP
zitk Jeff
De nze
here are your team characters.
And then there's fifth-year
senior Jeff Del Verne. Anyone
ho has spoken to Del Verne for
five minutes knows that he's the
best quote on the Michigan football
team.
Rather than keep him a media
secret, here's Del Verne unplugged
in The Michigan Daily's version of
.the Sunday Conversation.
Duprey: So are you somewhat
recognizable around campus, now
-that you're the starting kicker?
Del Verne: Not really. If you
ould take a lineup of 10 people, I'd
probably be the last one they'd pick
(to be a Michigan football player).
I don't really go on campus that
often. No one has any idea who I
am. I live with (long snapper)
Jeremy Miller. We just beat each
other up in video games all the
time.
Duprey: You're seen as one of
e team's biggest jokers. Is this
well-deserved?
Del Verne: Me, Dave Armstong
and Jake Frysinger are all known as
jokers. I like to impersonate the
coaches.
Duprey: You must do a great
loyd Carr.
Del Verne: Nah. He's not as fun
as the other guys. He's kind of
lemn.
Duprey; What other amusing
Stuff have you done in the past?
Del Verne: My freshman year, we
(the kickers) started doing tackling
drills. The first couple of days we
were all beat up. One day I came
out with a neck roll and eye black
and said. 'All right, let's do some
>hitting.'
[Duprey: What's a part of your
~fe outside of football'?
Del Verne: Since I'm only going
to be here one semester, I have a
sublet. I'm living with four girls:
Michelle, Kristin, Rebecca and
Susan, They're so supportive of
Jeremy and I.
Duprey: Anything unusual about
that arrangement?
Del Verne: They clean all the
time. They leave a lot of notes - if
you take a smelly dump or if your
r is blocking them in.
UWLiving with girls is a lot differ-
]:nt. Its been fun, because the house
is always clean.
Duprey: After this experience,
does your girlfriend see you as a lit-
tle bit more of a polished, refined
Del Verne: She likes it, because
my room doesn't smell. Otherwise,
i'd get a note if it smelled.
* Duprey: Was this experience a
surprise to you?
Del Verne: I didn't expect it to be
so much different in terms of clean-
liness, house meetings ...
Duprey: House meetings?
Del Verne: I've only been to one.
We just talked about the parking
and the cleaning duties. It took like
a half-hour. I thought it was hilari-
ous. Girls are so much more orga-
nized than guys.
*At the meeting, they were talking
about closet space, you know, in the
kitchen. Jeremy and I were like,
'We haven't cooked in three years,
so you can have all the space.' They
were in shock.
Duprey: How has it been?'Would
you get into this kind of arrange-
n)ent again?
Del Verne: Yeah. There's always a
,ean place to shower and sleep.
WDuprey: So what are your plans
for life after football?
Del Verne: I've been looking for
some jobs, doing some interviews.
Duprey: What do you think will
come out of it?
Del Verne: Hopefully someone
Fargas may
face spread
at Purdue
By David Den Herder
Daily Sports Editor
Mention hitting to new Michigan
defensive back Justin Fargas, and he'll
give you a grin.
The junior can't talk about this aspect
of the game without exposing a bias.
"1 love hitting," Fargas said.
And after making the switch from tail-
back last week, Fargas will have plenty
of time to do it.
"There's only one ball, and a lot of
hungry mouths to feed," Fargas said of
the Michigan offense. "I want to help
Michigan win."
Fargas may get what he wants soon.
Michigan coach
Lloyd Carr said yes- FOOTBALL
terday that he expects Notebook
Fargas to see action
against Purdue.
"He's very close," Carr said. "I antici-
pate he'll play this week."
In just his first week on the defensive
side, Fargas was already listed in the
two-deeps at free safety. Purdue's four-
receiver spread this Saturday will offer a
perfect opportunity for experience.
"Safeties get to come and make more
hits, and that's something I like," Fargas
said.
The Wolverines could use that mental-
ity Saturday at Ross-Aide Stadium,
where the Michigan secondary will face
its toughest test of the season.
"Nobody in this conference, in my
opinion, has ever thrown the ball as
effectively as they have." Carr said of
Purdue. "They can run what normally
would be considered a high-risk offense
and make it low-risk."
Carr called Michigan's upcoming
leers No. 2
in both polls.
Could face No. 1 North Dakota
Saturday at Yost Ice Arena
By Ryan C. Moloney
Daily Sports Writer
When Michigan hosts the Ice Breaker Tournament this
weekend, one game could feature the top two teams in the,
nation.
Released yesterday, both the USA Today/AHM and
USCHO preseason polls have North Dakota and Michigan in
ALEX WOLK/Oadly
Down the middle: Senior kicker Jeff Del Verne was named Big Ten special teams player of
the week after converting two field goals against Wisconsin.
game a tremendous challenge and said
that West Lafayette is one of the toughest
Big Ten venus for visiting teams.
"You always expect Purdue to be at the
top of the stat sheet offensively," Carr
said. "They've been there for hundreds
of years, it seems like.
JUNE BACK FOR BOWL.? Michigan free
safety Cato June, sidelined thus far with
a torn anterior cruciate ligament, may
yet return this season to the Wolverines'
defensive secondary.
"Hopefully, I should be ready for the
bowl game," June said after the game
Saturday.
The junior played all 12 games last
season and started the final four at safe-
tv, recording 17 solo tackles. Seven of
those were against Ohio State, where
June also recovered a fumble.
The free safety slot has been filled this
season by fourth-year letterman
DeWayne Patmon and Fargas is now sec-
ond string.
DET-icIOUs: Fifth-year man Jeff Del
Verne made Michigan's first field goal in
five attempts last Saturday against
Wisconsin. That, along with another chip
shot for good measure, earned Del Verne
Big Ten special teamer of the week hon-
ors yesterday.
The light-hearted Del Verne was a lit-
tle surprised, but said he appreciated
honor.
"I just wanted to be ready to play,"
said Del Verne, who talked about what
ran through his head after missing the
first attempt of the game Saturday.
"I was pretty ticked off that I shanked
that one," he said. "I apologized to the
guys after that one."
Del Verne took over place kicking
duties for junior Hayden Epstein half
way through the Illinois game Sept. 23.
Epstein had gone 1-for-5 to that point,
and Carr said he was "pressing a little"
- overanalyzing every motion of his
approach.
"You can get in those situations," Del
Verne said. "So you hit the reset button,
go back to square one."
Epstein, who has exceptional distance
ability, has still been tending to kickoffs
and punting.
"I'm not going to go up to the coaches
and tell them I can make a 56-yarder,"
Del Verne said. "That's not my bag.
Hayden - he's the Tiger Woods.
the first two slots, respectively.
North Dakota faces No. 9
New Hampshire in the first
game at 5:05 p.m. Michigan
battles Colgate at 8:30 p.m.
If the Fighting Sioux and
Wolverines win their semifi-
nal games, both could play for
No. I in the nation Saturday
night.
Meanwhile, as Michigan
prepares, walk-on cuts were
made yesterday before the
team's afternoon practice. And
by first appearance, it looked
as though some of the regulars
had failed to make the grade.
Jeff Jillson, Geoff Koch,
Mark Kosick, L.J. Scarpace
and Mike Komisarek all
missed parts or all of practice
because of various injuries.
Jillson has been battling
the flu for an unspecified
THIS WEEKEND
YosT iCE ARENA
Ice &eaker Tournament:
No. 1 North Dakotavs. No.
9 New Hampshire; No. 2
Michigan vs. Colgate;
playoff
When: 5:05 p.m, and 830
p.m. Friday. Losers play
consolation game 5:05
p.m. Saturday, winners play
for championship at 8:30
Latest Second-ranked
Michigan could come out of
the weekend No.,1 if the
wolverines take the tourna-
ment.
FACEOFFThURSDAY -The
Daily hockey writers preview
the season with a 16-page
section inserted Thursday.
ainount of time and sat out practice. Koch and Kosick are still
plagued by groin injuries that kept them out of action this past
weekend. Komisarek is also battling a groin ailment and left
practice after a short time on the ice. Scarpace sat out the rest
of practice after taking a shot off a shoulder early on in prac-
tice.
Berenson expressed concern about the availability of each
player saying he "can't guarantee they will all be ready to
play" for this weekend's IceBreaker tournament.
"They are all day to day but there are too many guys not
skating," Berenson said. "We've had guys out for six weeks
See HOCKEY, Page 10
Michigan linksters rally
to finish third in Illinois
By Mike Bloom
For The Daily
The Sunday morning dew coated the
greens of Stone Creek Golf Club in
Urbana, Ill., as the Michigan men's
golf team stared a 14-stroke deficit in
the eve.
Searching for their first tournament
win this year, the Wolverines trailed 12
of 18 teams in the Northern
Intercollegiate heading into the second
day of play. The team's goal of a top-
five finish was out of reach and they
now hoped to enter the top 10.
At the top of coach Jim Carras's
lineup were fifth-year senior Scott
Haves and redshirt freshman Scott
Carlton. Hayes and Carlton were the
top two Michigan finishers last week-
end at the Wolverines' North
Invitational.
Juniors Andv Matthews and Andrew
Chapman steadied the middle of the
pack while the only new face appeared
in the No. 5 spot.
Searching for an answer to the
team's frequent slow start in tourna-
ments, Carras turned to quiet and com-
posed freshman David Nichols.
In the previous week, Carlton made
his collegiate debut and fired an open-
ing round of 69.
It was now Nichols' turn to display
his talents and he did not disappoint.
Topping teammates Matthews and
Carlton by four strokes, he shot a first-
round team-best 73 and tied for 15th
amongst the field.
"He played extraordinary," said
Carras, referring to Nichols's perfor-
mance. Unfortunately, the coach did
not have such kind words for his team-
mates, who failed to shake off their
Saturday struggles.
Fifth year senior and team leader
Hayes stumbled home with a team-low
six over par. All Carras said on Hayes'
falter was, "I certainly don't expect
Haves to shoot a 78"
That night Carras refused to make
any drastic changes saying, "I don't
give pep talks. Golf is a game where
you don't go out and change your strat-
egy." He said he believed it was only a
matter of time before his team clicked
and played up to their ability.
When the sun rose over the first tee
on Sunday morning, the coach's words
proved true. The Wolverines came out
flying, lead by Matthews's uncon-
scionable score of 68. The team's sec-
ond-round total of 294 was second
only to Iowa.
With one round to go, the team's
original goal of a top-five finish
danced in their heads, but it would
require another valiant effort by all
five players.
As if on command, the sizzling
.Wolverines ate up the field and fired
another round that was second-best
overall. Their total of 298 shot the team
to an unexpected third-place finish.
With his team finally coming
together, Carras said he sees Sunday's
remarkable comeback as a glimpse of
things to come.
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