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michigandaily. com/sports
TUESDAY
OCTOBER 16, 2001
8
Two-minute drill, Walker
give 'M' early Big Ten lead
JON
SCHWARTZ
By Jon Schwartz
Daily Sports Editor
With strong play that would make Kenny
Mayne proud, Michigan's two-minute drill has
been leaving opponents in the dust all season
long.
With Saturday's game providing the one
failed attempt, Michigan has scored six touch-
downs in the seven chances it has made in the
two-minute offense.
In each of its first five FOOTBALL
games, Michigan went into Noebok
halftime directly after a Noebo
touchdown, and in three of
those cases, the game's face was changed from
that point on.
"It's always really good to go in (for half-
time) after you score," wide receiver Calvin
Bell said. "Our two-minute offense is going
real well. And that goes back to (quarterback)
John (Navarre)."
Against Washington, Michigan ran a touch-
down drive in the game's waning minutes. Tak-
ing just under two minutes, the drive brought
the Wolverines within five points before failing
to convert on the onside kick.
"We've done a good job with under two min-
utes on the clock in setting up good drives
when the pressure is on," defensive tackle Jake
Frysinger said. "It just changes the whole atti-
tude and it definitely helps us out."
Saturday, it looked like Michigan was going
to stay perfect on the drill, but wide receiver
Marquise Walker threw an interception to Pur-
due's Stuart Schweigert.
Indiana still i1
By B1n4amin Singer
Daily Sports Editor
After the Bobby Knight saga, Mike Davis
put together the best season of any first-year
coach in Indiana's history with a 21-13
record.
Now, Davis' challenge is how to repeat the
Hoosiers' success without last season's leading
scorer and rebounder Kirk Haston.
Certainly the Hoosiers are not lacking talent.
The team returns four regulars from the start-
ALONE AT THE TOP: With Michigan's win and
Ohio State's loss to Purdue, the Wolverines are
now the only unbeaten team in Big Ten confer-
ence play. With five games to go, the Wolver-
ines control their own destiny in the hunt for
the conference title.
"Wesalways had confidence that it was going
to be something that was in our hands,"
Frysinger said, but added, "there's a lot of foot-
ball left to be played this season."
Last year, Michigan tied Purdue and North-
western for the title, but since the Wolverines
lost to both teams, they had to spend their time
watching scoreboards, hoping that either team
would lose. This year, Michigan's fate is in its
own hands.
"That's a huge thing for us," senior line-
backer Eric Brackins said. "We know we just
have to go out every week and work."
Also, since Michigan is now teetering
around the top 10, Rose Bowl hopes are pop-
ping up for the first time since the loss to Wash-
ington.
"At Michigan we set high goals and that's
always in the back of our mind," Frysinger said.
BYE WOES: Michigan is off this weekend
before heading to Iowa City for its next game.
Coach Lloyd Carr said after the game that his
team could use a week off to nurse injuries and
his players agreed with him.
"This bye week's going to be huge in terms
of getting people healed up," Frysinger said.
But in the last two years, Michigan has lost
its first game back from the bye week - last
year to Northwestern, and the year before to
Illinois.
Red Wings are the only game in
town with poor Detroit sports
DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily
John Navarre and Michigan have converted six
of their seven two-minute drills.
"We'd like to keep this momentum going,"
Frysinger said, "and I think we can still do that
with a bye week."
HAND HIM THE HEISMAN?: For the first time
this season, people have started talking about
Walker's chances at taking home the Heisman
Trophy. With several preseason favorites falling
on hard times, Walker's consistent play has
earned him national recognition.
Last year, David Terrell was a preseason can-
didate for the award. Through six games, he
had caught 33 balls for 554 yards and six
touchdowns. This season, Walker has 43 catch-
es for 587 yards and six touchdowns.
Walker also has thrown two passes, one com-
plete to quarterback Jermaine Gonzales on a
trans-continental play, and the other, an inter-
ception.
"Marquise is just one of those guys who runs
really great routes," safety Charles Drake said.
've never played on a well-organized football
team. Sure, I love throwing the ball around
with friends and watching my opponents fly
by me, but I've never put on pads, I don't own
cleats and I've yet to have a number grace my
back.
But I'm not the least experienced football
player in the world - I have extensive experi-
ence on both the college and professional levels.
Of course I'm talking about video games, but I
still know my way around the game enough to
watch, enjoy and criticize poor play.
So here's what I know for sure - if I'm Ger-
mane Crowell, and I just caught a ball with about
10 seconds left in a game my team is losing by 5
points, I'm getting out of bounds.
Sure, in my case it would have a lot to do with
fear of crumbling at the hands of a Minnesota
cornerback, but I'd still stop the clock.
Unfortunately for the Lions, Crowell cannot be
blamed for the team's 0-4 record. No, that mark
of futility is entirely related to the fact that the
team plays in or around Detroit.
It's no coincidence that the Motor City likes to
call itself "Hockeytown." In my opinion, it's not
because of any success that the Red Wings have
found, it's simply a result of the fact that hockey
is really the only game in town.
No, Detroit politicians and businessmen spend
nights in rooms painted with Red Wings wallpa-
per. They kneel beside their bed, praying to the
Little Caesar in the sky that nothing ever happens
to that team. Because if it does, I am certain that
the city will cease to exist.
As far as I can tell, there has never been a
more amusing city in terms of its sports teams.
It's not just because they're awful - which the
Lions, Tigers and Pistons most certainly are. It's
because I've never seen a city so convinced that
"this is the year things turn around," even though
last year wasn't and the decade before that cer-
tainly saw no such changes either.
I'm convinced that the old-English "D" on the
Tigers' hats actually stands for "Doh!" It comes
in handy every time the team opens camp, looks
great and then wins just eight games in April.
I've only been in the metro Detroit area for a
little more than two years now, but I have already
seen enough to know that the city is so undeserv-
ing of participating in athletic competition, it's
amusing.
I've seen Tiger Stadium, rotting from asbestos,
close down. In its place, I've seen Comerica
Park, rotting from the Tigers.
I've seen the fans in the Silverdome so drunk
by the second half, they have no idea what's
going on in the game. Which is a good thing,
because a sober fan would probably be in tears.
I've seen The Palace - no wait, I haven't.
Auburn Hills is too far away. But I've definitely
seen it on television, enough to know that the Pis-
tons fit in perfectly.
Red Wings' coach Scotty Bowman could run
for mayor of Detroit and win in a landslide.
Why? Because he's actually created something
respectable that the city can brag about. If the
Wings fall below .500 this year I plan on going to
Windsor so I can watch the city go up in flames.
So what do I suggest? It's hard to tell at this
point. There's nothing that can save these teams.
But here's something to think about.
The Lions are about to get a new stadium to
suck in. It's being constructed right next to Com-
erica Park. I suggest a new arena for the Pistons
in the same locale.
It would be perfect. All three of Detroit's mis-
erable sons will be hanging out in the same
neighborhood, causing trouble and public drunk-
enness.
And then, they can all be taken out in one fell
swoop.
Until that point, coach Mornhinweg, sign me
up.
Jon Schwartz can be reached atjlsz@umich.edu.
Sgood shape tmnus Haston
BIG TEN PREVIEWS
As the college basketball season approaches, the Daily
basketball writers will give you the inside scoop on every mliiim
Big Ten team as they count down the days until they CONFERENCE
release their special section "Tipoff" in November.
ing lineup.
"I expect Jared (Jeffries) to have a good sea-
son," Davis said. "You want him to be a
leader."
The 6-foot-9 forward won the Big Ten
Freshman of the Year award and was a Sport-
ing News Freshman All-American after scor-
ing 14 points and tallying seven boards a
game. Jeffries is a part of a frontcourt made up
of mostly forwards.
"We don't have a true center," Davis said.
"The issue is just finding points."
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