ir. 0 '9 0 AV e Thursday, September 6, 2001 - ] 10C - The Michigan Daily - KICKOFF 2001 - Thursday, September 6, 2001 DAILY SPORTS. A B..B. Party (Bring your own Boo-Yah!) I U Wolvennes target of Big Ten opponents By Arun Gopal Daily Sports Writer Consider the following accolades: > Three bowl appearances (all victo- rious) in three seasons. Preseason Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors, as voted by the media. Nationwide recognition as one of the elite defensive linemen inscollege football., Sounds pretty impressive, doesn't it? These are just some of the credentials possessed by Wisconsin senior defen- sive tackle Wendell Bryant. Entering his fourth year as a starter in Madison, Bryant has a resume that would make just about any college football player envious.' Judging by what he has already accomplished, one might think that there isn't much else for Bryant to achieve as he begins his final year of Wendell Bryant is looking forwar HOTO college football. But, there is one lack- luster statistic in the 6-4, 302-pound his last chance at beating Michigan. All-American's portfolio: in three years at Wisconsin, Bryant has yet to taste Ten faster than anybody else: Michigan. victory'against Michigan. The reasons for this obsession are That might not seem like a big varied. In Johnson's case, he is a deal - despite losses to the Detroit native who was hated Wolverines, Wisconsin passed over by Michigan in still won back-to-back Big the recruiting process Ten championships in 1998 (Johnson was in the same and 1999. The Badgers high school class as David advanced to (and won) the Terrell and Marquise Rose Bowl in each of those Walker). As a result, he can't seasons. wait to play in front of his So, Bryant has nothing to be home fans and show the MI1IESOTA SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, TBA A fier leading Minnesota to back- to-back bowl appearances, coach' Glen Mason tried his best to replace John Cooper as coach of The Ohio State University. When he didn't get the job, he justi- fied his acts by saying that the Ohio State University was the only job he'd leave for and that he never openly campaigned for the job. Yeah, and Danny Almonte really was 12. While Mason looked bad in cam- paigning for the Ohio State position - and even worse when he didn't get it - he now needs to string together a third- straight bowl appearance, or risk falling from grace with the Minnesota faithful. Returning to the postseason will be a daunting task for Mason this season, as the Golden Gophers return only two starters defensively, and are still waiting for a quarterback to emerge as a starter, after last year's rotation between Travis Cole and Asad Abdul-Khaliq. The one thing Minnesota has going for it is the return of senior receiver Ron Johnson, who considered entering the NFL Draft last spring. "I had the paper- work filled out, I called up the school for a tran- script, I did everything I had to do," Johnson said. "I talked to Damien Anderson, and we talked about a few things. I talked to David Terrell once or twice. I just sat at home, and it just came to me. I was having too much fun in college. "I wasn't ready to leave yet." At least one Golden Gopher says that. - Raphael Goodstein L ast year, Michigan fired two State faithful know where his mind coaches: Basketball coach when he announced - on the Brian Ellerbe and Ohio State that he was hired - that Buck football coach John Cooper. fans would be proud of that te Cooper's putrid 2-10-1 record 310 days later in Ann Arbor. against the Maize and Blue, Tressel adopts a team retu along with a 3-8 bowl record ing 13 starters, including qu were enough to have a coach with terback Steve Bellisari and a s< an otherwise impressive track defense with All-America stro record run out of town. .: safety Mike Doss leading the v The Buckeyes brought in The Buckeyes also return all th Youngstown State's Jim Tressel to right linebackers. But after that, the te the ship. The new coach let the Ohio lacks the depth that Tressel would lik OHIO STA SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1 P.M., A f T1CHIGAEMESTU SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, TBA A (~;. A fer a long 2000 season, Michigan State is looking for- ward to a new start in 2001. Leading the Spartans is Heisman Trophy candidate T.J. Duckett. At 6- 1, 250 pounds, Duckett is built like a linebacker but plays run- ning back. Last year, he suf- fered on an inexperienced offense where he was the s only real threat. But with the matura- tion of quarterbacks Jeff Smoker and Ryan Van Dyke and the now-eligible Charles Rogers at wide receiver, Duckett will have some of the offensive pressure relieved. "I thought last year (Duckett) primarily carried the load," Michigan State coach Bobby Williams said. "He didn't have the benefit of big plays in the passing game like he had in 1999." The offense will be helped by senior tight end Chris Baker when he returns from an injured knee in two weeks. Baker ranked third on the team in receptions last year with 33. On defense, the Spartans are led by senior linebacker Josh Thornhill - who is a potential All-American - and tackle Josh Shaw. Shaw ranked second on the team in tackles for loss last season with eight and should improve on that this season. The secondary may be even less experienced than the defensive line. Junior strong safety Thomas Wright is the only returning starter. Senior DeMario Suggs will likely fill one of empty cornerback spots with classmate Lorenzo Guess getting his first full-time starting position at free safety. - Jeff Phillips regretful about, right? Think again. When asked at this year's Big Ten media gathering what his thoughts were on Michigan, Bryant smiled. And rolled his eyes. And clenched his fists. "I've got one last crack," he said. "I've got one last crack, it's Senior Day, and let's just say I'm going to try and make that a very memorable perfor- mance in Camp Randall Stadium." But Bryant was by no means alone in his feelings. Minnesota wide receiver Ron Johnson was equally anxious to face the Wolverines. "I think this is going to be a fun game for me," Johnson said in regard to the Golden Gophers' Nov. 10 visit to Ann Arbor. Johnson, who is generally regarded as the best receiver in the Big Ten this year, added that, "anytime any- body says the Michigan game, I just get the biggest smile. I could've just failed a test, if somebody says Michigan, it picks me up and I'm ready to go." And on and on it goes. Illinois quar- terback Kurt Kittner, Purdue tailback Montrell Lowe and Penn State quarter- back Matt Senneca, to a man, each pointed to last year's Michigan game as the turning point - for better or worse - in their teams' seasons. After a while, it became evident that the league-wide fixation on Michigan is at a level that Freud would be proud of. Despite the recent success of Wisconsin and Purdue and the storied traditions at Ohio State and Penn State, one school gets blood boiling in the Big Wolverines what they gave up. But the other aforementioned players have no strong ties to Michigan. Their feelings about Michigan were best described by Bryant. "The name says it," Bryant said. "When you hear Michigan, you hear pride, tradition and things like that. That just always motivates you to go out there and play them." The Wolverines wear a huge bulls- eye on their chests whenever they step onto the field, whether it is for a non- conference game or a Big Ten tussle. The winged helmets, the famous fight song and the mammoth crowds at Michigan Stadium have all contributed to making Michigan one of the most recognizable names in college. As a result, the Wolverines aren't fazed by all of the attention they receive. On the contrary, they seem to thrive on it. "That's the history of Michigan foot- ball," senior defensive end Jake Frysinger said. "Everybody shoots for Michigan. That's how it's always been and how it always will be, and that's one of the reasons you come here, because everybody's coming out to get you. You've got to be that much more pre- pared every week." Out of all of the opposing players, Bryant had maybe the best line about what it means to play Michigan. Instead of a profound explanation, the Wisconsin standout was to the point., "I don't know," Bryant said. "There's just something about them." " Chicago Deep Dish & Traditional Pizza " Pasta Wings * Burgers * Chipatis " Lunch Specials " Kids' Menu " Reservations Taken for Large Groups Good Food & Great Service...You "Of all the pizzas we 1 that actually drew rav @ WISCONSIN SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17, TBA H eading into last season,- Wisconsin was the near-unanimous favorite to win its third- straight Big Ten title. But, as is so often the case, what looked good on paper didn't look so good1 on the field. Wisconsin had a decent season and beat UCLA in the Sun Bowl. Still, the Badgers weren't satisfied with last year's results and have something to prove this season. "I think it's always " going to be a situation-where we're trying to prove ourselves," senior defensive tackle Wendell Bryant said at the Big Ten media gath- ering last month. "I think that will help us as a football team." What will really help . Wisconsin as a football team is if Bryant main- tains his level of play from the last three years. He will have to anchor a defense that lost several starters, including All-America cornerback Jamar Fletcher and linemen Ross Kolodziej and John :. Favret. :..On offense, Jim Sorgi has the quarterback job due to an injury to Brooks Bollinger. He will have the benefit of handing off to Anthony Davis, the Badgers' new tailback. -A run Gopal