w w w w w w w w w
lqw
lqmpm
T
T
T
qq-w
T
-W
"W-
Friday, September 21, 2001 - FOOTBALL SA
6B - The Michigan Daily - FOOTBALL SATURDAY - Friday, September 21, 2001
Return to normalcy: Michigan takes on MAC team
h yi
riJ -1
PROC
S'
By Jeff Phillips
Daily Sports Editor
When big-time programs schedule
nonconference games, the majority of
schools find teams that are weaker and
are willing to take money for what will
likely be a loss. Western Michigan is one
of those weaker teams..
The Broncos may be a power in the
Mid-American Conference - they
advanced to the MAC championship
game last season - but have yet to show
they can play with the national powers.
Western Michigan knocked off Iowa last
season, 27-21, but it has yet to win a
game against a ranked opponent.
So, as the Broncos prepare to face No.
20 Michigan this Saturday, the odds are
not in their favor - but you never know.
MICHIGAN RUSHING OFFENSE VS.
WESTERN MICHIGAN RUSHING
DEFENSE: The Wolverines looked solid
in the running game against Washington
before giving it up for passing at the end
of the game. Chris Perry got the majori-
ty of the Michigan's 37 carries with 24
for 95 yards. The new offensive created
holes in Washington's line and made
superstar nose tackle Larry Tripplett a
non-factor.
Michigan will continue to use both
B.J. Askew and Perry at tailback and
each have shown that they are worthy of
the starting position and bring something
different to the table.
The Broncos return one of the MAC's
best defensive line with All-MAC per-
formers Anthony Allsbury and Chris
Browning. But Western Michigan, in its
first real competition of the season,
looked paper mache-like in surrendering
271 rushing yards and three touchdowns
to a powerful Virginia Tech rushing game
last Saturday.
Expect more of the same against
Michigan, which is averaging over 150
yards rushing per game.
Advantage: Michigan
MICHIGAN PASSING OFFENSE VS.
WESTERN MICHIGAN PASSING
DEFENSE: John Navarre has found a go-
to receiver in Marquise Walker, who
scorched the Washington secondary for a
Michigan record 15 receptions en route
to 159 yards and two scores. Walker will
likely match up against the Broncos'
biggest cornerback, the 6-foot-I-inch Joe
Bellard. Walker used his superior leaping
ability to his advantage against similarly
sized foes in Washington cornerbacks
Omare Lowe and Roc Alexander.
Bellard may get some help from safe-
ty Jermaine Lewis - a 6-foot-4, second
team All-MAC selection.
On the other side, Ron Bellamy will
face another second team All-MAC
selection in Ronald Rogers. The 5-foot-9
Rogers led the Broncos with four inter-
ceptions last season.
Despite the experience in the sec-
ondary, the big Michigan receivers will
be too much for Western Michigan.
WESTERN MICHIGAN RUSHING
OFFENSE VS. MICHIGAN RUSHING
DEFENSE: Western Michigan lost one of
the MAC's top running backs, Robert
Sanford, and has yet to find a solid
replacement. Sophomore Phillip Reed
leads the Broncos with just 96 yards in
two games and has yet to score a touch-
down.
Western Michigan's running game
was held in check by the Virginia Tech
defense, which allowed the Broncos to
gain just 34 yards.
Larry Foote's return to the defense was
felt immediately by the Wolverines.
Foote helped the Michigan defense hold
Washingtori's rushing combo of Rich
Alexis and Willie Hurst to under 70-
yards rushing last Saturday, but allowed
Miami, (Ohio) spread offense to rush for
127 yards the previous week.
Foote's performance earned him Big
Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors.
But the strength of the team doesn't
not lie in the rushing game and Michigan
- which is expecting senior co-captain
Eric Brackins back from injury -
shouldn't have a problem stopping the
Broncos.
Advantage: Michigan
punts for nearly 78 yards and it looked
like any one of them could be broken for
the score. Curry got tremendous block-
ing from his teammates and could again
be a factor in the game.
Advantage: Michigan
INTANGIBLES: What do the Broncos
have to lose? They are expected to lose
the game and won't face a team as strong
as Michigan during conference play. If
they pull off the upset, it will be national
sports news. From this position, Western
Michigan is free to take more chances
than it normally would.
But the Wolverines are coming off a
tough loss and would fall out of the
rankings with another one. They will
need to regroup and use the game to pre-
pare for the beginning of the conference
season.
But it is at the Big House and with
110,000 Michigan fans, the advantage
goes to the Wolverines.
Advantage: Michigan
ComingI Soon at a
quarterback near you
AP PHOTO
Wide receiver Marquise Walker had a career day - and a record-breaking day -
against Washington and should take the Western Michigan secondary to school.
By Jon Schwartz
Daily Sports Editor
The doubters were everywhere.
People read that this year's Michigan defense was going to be much
better than last year's and they scoffed.
They heard how strong the linebackers were going to be and they
said they were going to wait and see.
So they waited until the Miami (Ohio) game.
They saw.
And they weren't happy.
Larry Foote, one of Michigan's standout linebackers had gotten
injured after the first defensive series. He spent the rest of the game
watching from the sidelines.
Again, the nay-sayers were told to wait until Michigan played
another game, until Michigan had a chance to improve on the mis-
takes of week 1. They were told how much better the unit would be
when Foote returned.
So they waited until the Washington game, this time a bit more cyni-
ically..
They saw, this time with a far more critical eye.
And they were happy.
Foote - the senior inside linebacker, who along with Eric Brackins
and Victor Hobson should make up one of Michigan's finest line-
backer corps ever - was back. And he had taken over.
Foote's 12-tackle performance, which included six tackles for a
losses totalling 15 yards, was not enough to secure the win for
Michigan. What it did was establish himself, and his defensive mates,
as a tremendous force. The Big Ten named Foote its defensive player
of the week.
His performance took so much out of him that he needed an IV
after the game due to dehydration.
"My defensive linemen did a great job for me," Foote said. "They
get a lot of credit for all the plays I was able to make."
As a whole, the defense gave up just
nine points to the Huskies on three field
goals. Washington's two touchdowns
came on a field goal block that was
returned 77 yards and a 21-yard intercep-
tion return.
Foote's performance against
model that will influence
in a positive way the
young guys."
His performance cer-
tainly has been a positive
influence
It's nearly impossible to
assume that younger play-
ers weren't watching in,
amazement as Foote took
the defense under his wing
two weeks ago. His sixr
tackles for loss ties
Michigan's single-game
record.
His previous high was
three, against Bowling FILE PHOTO
Green last year. Larry Foote is now in the best shape of his
Also, while such projec- life and is leading the Michigan defense.
tions are probably prema-
ture, he is on pace to record 36 tackles for loss, 10 more than the
record set by Mark Messner in 1988.
But Carr knows that Foote is capable of achieving almost anything
this season.
"He's in the best condition of his life," Carr said. "He worked hard
this summer, but his greatest asset is his movement, his mobility, his
enthusiasm for the game. He's always had good mobility but he want-
ed to be faster and he's worked hard to do that."
Michigan's offense is not as strong this year as it has been in the
past. Because of that, Foote's contributions are going to be extremely
important as the season goes on. After all, as Michigan learned last
weekend, great defense is sometimes not good enough.
"We want, on the defensive side, to keep doing what we're doing,"
Foote said. "You have to be perfect some days in college football."
WESTERN MICHIGAN PASSING
OFFENSE VS. MICHIGAN PASSING
DEFENSE: Western Michigan's quarter-
back Jeff Welsh earned honorable men-
tion All-MAC honors last season and
hopes to improve upon that this year.
Thus far he has struggled, passing for just
430 yards and five touchdowns. The
majority of Welsh's stats came against
Division I-AA Illinois State, while he
was put on lockdown by the Hokies.
Michigan has played admirably thus
far, but has had trouble against bigger
receivers. The Wolverines allowed the
Huskies' 6-foot-4 receiver Reggie
Williams to go for 134 yards in his first
college game.
Luckily for Michigan, the Broncos
tallest starter is the 6-foot Micah Zuhl
and there shouldn't be too many match-
up problems in the secondary.
Miami (Ohio) showed that the
Wolverines are still weak in covering the
spread offense, so Western Michigan
should use it whenever possible. But
there is just too much athleticism on the
Michigan defense for the Broncos.
Advantage: Michigan
SPECIAL TEAMS: The Wolverines'
missed blocking assignment on a field
goal was costly against Washington and
was something that Michigan worked on
this week in practice.
Both teams are solid overall in special
teams, but what makes the difference in
this category is the play of Julius Curry.
The junior cornerback returned four
The Broncos enter the game without
pressure. But Michigan should win this
game - and it shouldn't be close. The
Wolverines have too many weapons and
too much experience for Western
Michigan.
Western Michigan will need to rely on
its passing game to have a chance against
Michigan.
Michigan 37, Western Michigan 14
MIC H IGAJ
WESTERN
Before every football
ers Jeff Phillips and .
matchup to the Plays
For this week's matc
and Schwartz took th
Play of the game -
advantage of untimel
Western Michigan's
Wolverines' DT No. 9
first half. Michigan th
score at 21-7 at theI
recover.
Most unrealistic pla)
caught off guard in a
seconds left in the g
by throwing a touchd
Player of the game -
rarely used slot rece
secondary, accumula
touchdowns.
Michigan key stats
Passing: QB No. 16
Rushing: RB No. 23
receiving); RB No. 8
Receiving: W R No. A
3 receptions, 144 ya
Defense: 2 forced fu
Western Michigan k
Passing: QB No. 12
Rushing: RB No. 23
Receiving: WR No. 8
WR No. 4 - 4 recei
Defense: 1 blocked
PRESS CO
Western Michigan hea
I knew we were in trc
ball bounced off RB r'
team - but hey, wha
The other fumble and
Turnovers were the ki
When we blocked his
cheating. What a joke
My guys blew it toda:
know if they had anyt
Give me the athletes
happen. That isn't to
Michigan head Coach
I'd like to think that n
Cheating never wins.
they want, but if we n
Truly a tremendous
inside and outside of1
it on fourth-and-long'
satisfaction of blocki
I like WR No. 19. He
got him the ball more
wasn't fazed by the r
night game at Michig
I could tell, other tha
We don't quite know
I can tell you for sure
that is affected..
-7
(TIX Oo- B-f
STAFF PICKS
WEEK 2 SEECTIONS
ALL PICKS MADE AGAINST THE SPREAD.
HOME TEAMS IN CAPS...
Raphael
Goodstein
Arun
Gopal
Jeff
Phillips
Jan
Schwartz
M ICHIGAN (-15,5) v. Western ichigan Michigan Mklhian igan gnMchigan
NOTRE DAME (-9) vs. Michigan State Michigan State Notre Dame Michigan State Michigan State
v in WsonsinsnsinWisconsin
PURDUE (-18) vs. Akron Akron Purdue Akron Akron
UCLA (-6.5) vs. Ohio State UCLA UCLA UCLA UCLA
ILLINOIS (-3.5) vs. Louisville illinois Illinois Illinois
Toledo (-27) at CENTRAL MICHIGAN Central Michigan Central Michigan Central Michigan Toledo
OREGON (-6.5) vs. Southern Cal. Southern Cal. Oregon Oregon Oregon
Fresno State (-13.5) at TULSA Fresno State Fresno State Tulsa Tulsa
ALABAMA (-10) vs. Arkansas Alabama Alabama Alabama Arkansas
..:.v.. ..:.4* :.. v r 4* , . .v. h......... .. . .,, < .~44 . . ~% ~. :h.:..... .{.. }/....: ::
... ... ... . 44. .. .. . 4... } .n" ..-.w ,/ . l:...4 k" 4...k"4 '44'" . 44..............4....4..
:.4. . vv .. . .. .:,s -: . . r . tr 4..... ... ..4. .:.. ?44trA}.
.v .. .. . n. .. : .v4 .,.Ux.> ....h..
Best bet Wisconsin Illinois Northwestern Michigan State
Washington is just what Michigan needed
after a disappointing performance against
Miami (Ohio). But in that first game,
Foote didn't play, and neither did
Brackins, who defensive lineman Jake
Frysinger will return for the Western
Michigan game.
After two games this season, Foote
already has 12 tackles and six for loss (he
did not register any stats in week 1.)
What's more important is that he has the
chance to stand among the best Michigan
linebackers of all time.
Six Michigan linebackers have been
named All-Americans in the last 30 years.
Their names are tacked atop Michigan's
record books. On paper, Foote's numbers
don't compare with the other six.
Even with a tremendous season, Foote
will most likely not crack the top 15 in
tackles (Steve Strinko, No. 15 on the list,
has 297, while Foote, to date, has 142.)
But statistics mean little if Foote can
rally this defense around his efforts and
leave Michigan the way coach Lloyd Carr
thinks seniors should.
"He understands that when you get to
be a senior, on your way out, it's more
than about yourself. It's about giving back
to your teammate, being the leader, role
Record last week
Season Record (Best bets)
11-4
11-4 (1-0)
7-8
7-8 (1-0)
7-8
7-8 (1-0)
12-3
12-3 (1-0)
FILE PHOTO
Michigan coach Uoyd Carr compared Foote favorably to former Michigan linebackers Dhanl Jones
and Ian Gold, both who are now playing In the NFL.
Advantage: Michigan