The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 21, 2001- 13A Irish set to exploit Spartans' weakness NOTRE DAME (AP) - Notre Dame cornerback Shane Walton tries to contain a smile when asked whether he is looking forward to trying to block a punt against Michigan State. "The whole team is," he said. Walton can't help himself, though. Like the rest of the Irish, Walton simply can't hide the fact he can't wait for a chance to go after Spartan punter Craig Jarrett tomorrow. "There's no doubt we're going to try to block a punt. We'll probably try to block the first one," Irish coach Bob Davie said. The cause of the Irish giddiness is the fact that during Michigan State's last game, a freshman from Central Michi- gan blocked four punts against the Spar- tans to tie Division I-A individual and team records. The Irish excelled at special teams last year, blocking five punts and a field goal and once tackling the West Vir- ginia punter before he could get the punt off. They also returned two punts for touchdowns. Even in struggling against Nebraska two weeks ago, Walton managed to block a punt that set up Notre Dame's lone touchdown in a 27-10 loss. The thing the No. 23 Irish (0-1) find hardest to believe is that James King, the freshman who blocked the four punts for Central, did. it from the same outside spot every time. "We made this guy a national hero," Michigan State coach Bobby Williams said. "He was very good at what he did and clearly challenged our protection. He really put us in a bad position because he's shown people what they can do against our punt protection." The problem for the Spartans (1-0) is the fact that they couldn't stop one Cen- tral Michigan player, even when they knew where he was coming from. The Irish have several players who have blocked punts. In addition to Wal- ton, David Givens blocked three punts last year, Chad DeBolt blocked one and Glenn Earl blocked a punt and a field goal. Notre Dame special teams coach Bill Sheridan, who coached special teams at Michigan State last year, said it could turn into a chess match for the coaches. "Do you try to exploit the outside BIG TEN Continued from Page 12A Wisconsin. Two players, R.J. Luke and T.C. Cosby, have continued to practice despite being arrested last week for charges that stemmed from a fight at a fraternity party in late July. Both the Nittany Lions and the Bad- gers are coming off losses to top-15 teams. Wisconsin fell to Fresno State despite a 20-10 second half lead. And Joe Paterno was unable to tie Bear Bryant's major college record of 323 victories, losing to Miami 33-7. The Badgers have played three games already this season and should be much closer to midseason form then Penn State. Wisconsin's uncharacteristically high-powered offense will overcome the Nittany Lions' desire to win a big game for Patemo. Wisconsin 31, Penn State 23 Louisville (3-0) at Illinois (2-0), 12:10 p.m., ESPN: It will be a battle of the unbeatens when the Cardinals go to Champaign to battle the Fighting Illini. After a dominant offensive performance in its opener against California, Illinois was extremely unsteady in a close win over Northern Illinois. Louisville has displayed a versatile offensive game plan - putting up 31 points in its last game despite a sub-par performance by star quarterback Dave Ragone, who leads the nation with 858 passing yards this season. If that Western Carolina game is any indication of the rest of the Cardinals' talent, Illinois will have a difficult time stopping them. Both teams come into this weekend undefeated, but both have faced weak competition this season. Louisville showed that it can win without Ragone being totally effective, and will outscore Illinois in a battle of explosive offenses. Louisville 36, Illinois 27 Utah (1-1) at Indiana (0-1), 5:00 p.m.: If Indiana has a chance to wil against the Utes, Antwaan Randle El will have to take more snaps under cep- ter than he did in game one. He is by fr the best player on Indiana's roster -int may be its only weapon. The Hoosiers were completely unsuc- cessful in trying to move their.star to wide receiver in the opening game. Ran- dle El only caught four passes for 30 yards and the Hoosiers lost to North Car- olina State 35-14. Utah lost to a talented Oregon team 24-10 in its last game. But the Ducks are on a different level than the Hoosiers. The Utes will be able to move the foot- ball on the ground against Indiana. The key for Utah is to play a more controlled and careful game. Against Oregon, ten flags cost the Utes 89 yards. Look for fewer penalties and more points from Utah tomorrow. Utah 27, Indiana 10 AP PHOTO Notre Dame coach Bob Davie and his Fighting Irish plan to attack the Spartans' special teams, who allowed four blocked punts against Central Michigan. again, or do you figure they're going to go on the outside so you go on the inside?" he said. Sheridan wouldn't say which move he would make. He also wouldn't say who will to line up on the right side where King lined up against the Spar- tans, saying several players will get a chance to play there.' The Irish also have been working 'on defending against fake punts, figuring the Spartans might use that approach to keep Notre Dame off guard. "We're a rush team," Sheridan said. "We'll try to get them back on their heels." AP PHOTO Gwynn, after retirement, will head the coaching staff at his alma mater. Gwynn to coach In college SAN DIEGO (AP) - Tony Gwynn isn't quite finished with his old job and he's already got a new one. The San Diego Padres' batting star was hired yesterday by his alma mater, San Diego State, to replace baseball coach Jim Dietz following the 2002 season. Gwynn was given a three-year con- tract beginning June 1. He will serve as an unpaid volunteer coach next season and will earn a base salary of $100,000 per season beginning in 2003. "Tlis is the dream gig for me. What I think I do best is teach," Gwynn said at a campus news conference. "I can't believe I'm standing here. This is really awesome." Athletic director Rick Bay said Gwynn is one of San Diego State's most famous alumni and "one of the city's true icons." "The passion he carries for this uni- versity, and for the baseball program in particular, is obvious to all who know him," Bay said. Gwynn, who's won eight NL batting titles in his 20-year big league career, has 16 games left before retiring from the Padres. His final game will be at home on Oct. 7 against Colorado. He's been lobbying hard for the San Diego State job since the school announced in late May that Dietz will retire after next season, his 31st. The Aztecs play in Tony Gwynn Sta- dium, which was financed by Padres owner John Moores. Gwynn's son, Anthony, is a sophomore outfielder for the Aztecs. And now they've got arguably the best pure hitter of his generation to take over a program that could use a boost. "This is the job I wanted. I want to make sure the kids graduate, I want to teach them everything I know about baseball and I want to teach them everything I know about life. That's my challenge. I wish I could start today," Gwynn said. The 41-year-old Gwynn played for Dietz and also was a star point guard on San Diego State's basketball team from 1977-81. He still owns the Aztecs' game, season and career records for assists.