The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, September 10, 2002 - 11 Cougars do battle in Columbus Penn State and Michigan State will also host undefeated challengers this weekend By Reuben Wolfson For The Daily No. 10 WASHINGTON STATE (2-0) AT No. 6 OHIO STATE (2-0) - 3:30 P.M., ABC: The Horseshoe will be packed this Saturday when the highly touted Cougars of Washington State visit Columbus in a game that has the makings of a huge nonconference show-_ down, as well as having pos- AROUND THE sible BCS implications. B TEN Freshman running back BiG TEN extraordinaire Maurice Clarett had a mediocre performance against Kent State after looking like the second coming of Archie Griffin, when he rushed for 175 yards and three touchdowns in his first game, against Texas Tech. Washington State's stellar defensive line should prove a big test for Clarett and will force Ohio State to have a more balanced attack in what should be a closely contested game. The advantage goes to the Buckeyes, who are playing at home and should send the Cougars packing with a strong defensive effort and a solid per- fonnance from Clarett. Ohio State 24, Washington State 17 No. 8 NEBRASKA (3-0) AT PENN STATE (1-0) - 8 P.M., ABC: This battle between two of the most storied programs in college football should be a marquee matchup, right? It's doubtful. The Cornhuskers will invade Beaver Stadium Saturday night and should roll over the Nittney Lions like a tornado through a drought-stricken prairie. Penn State barely hung on to beat Central Florida 27-24. Nebraska is coming off a 44-13 victory, over Utah State and is led by Dahrran Diedrick at running back. The Nebraska offense scored on five of its first six possessions and the defense recorded six sacks in a very complete effort. Penn State, while still having the reputa- tion of a football powerhouse, has dropped off the national radar in the last few years and has even ceased to make noise in the Big Ten. Let me tell you folks, Central Florida is no Nebraska. Penn State may keep it close in the first half due to the home crowd but look for the Cornhuskers to roll. Nebraska 42, Penn State 13 CALIFORNIA (2-0) AT No. 15 MICHIGAN STATE (2-0) - NoON, ESPN2: Due to NCAA viola- tions, California has been banned from partici- pating in a bowl game this year, as if they had a chance of making it to one anyway. Last year, the Bears were 1-10, so they were happy to make a fresh start this year with new coach Jeff Ted- ford. Surprisingly, California has won its first two games this year, and are playing for pride much the same way as Alabama. Michigan State is coming off a lackluster per- formance, in which it gave up 137 first-half rushing yards to Rice. Look for the Spartans to come out a lot sharp- er this week and put away the Bears early with a quick offensive outburst from quarterback Jeff Smoker and receiver Charles Rogers, the Presea- son Big Ten Player of the Year. Michigan State 49, California 14 INDIANA (1-1) AT KENTUCKY (2-0) - 7 P.M.: In coach Gerry Dinardo's first road game last weekend, his Hoosiers committed four turnovers and gave up 500 yards of total offense in a 40-13 loss to Utah. Indiana is really struggling this year without the services of standout quarterback Antwan Randel-El, who is now in the NFL. Kentucky, on the other hand, has been an early season surprise and after. looking very good in an upset victory over Louisville and a 77-17 rout of Texas El-Paso. Super-sized quar- terback Jared Lorenzen may be bigger than Indiana's linebackers, but it is Lorenzen's strong arm that will power the Wildcats. Look for Dinardo's woes to continue as Kentucky will hand Indiana another embarrassing loss. Kentucky 38, Indiana 12 DUKE (1-1) AT NORTHWESTERN (0-2) - 1 P.M.: What a matchup. The two worst teams from the Big Ten and the ACC will square off in Evanston this Saturday as they look to improve their dismal records. Somebody's got to win. Duke actually won a game this year, ending a 23-game losing streak that was second only to Northwestern's 34 straight losses from 1979- 1982. Look for Duke to come away with their second victory of the season, but the only real question is whether the score will be higher than the attendance. Duke 17, Northwestern 13 NORTHERN ILLINOIS (1-1) AT No. 22 WISCoN- SIN (3-0) - 12:10 P.M.: Barry Alvarez's Wisconsin team is coming off of a 34-17 win over West Virginia, in which quarterback Brooks Bollinger passed for 218 yards and two touchdowns as the Badgers won their third consecutive game. The Badgers will roll to their fourth straight win even though last year's Big Ten rushing leader Anthony Davis has struggled of late. Wisconsin 35, Northern Illinois 6 WESTERN MICHIGAN (1-1) AT PURDUE (1-1) -- 2 P.M.: Purdue lost a tough game last Saturday 24-17 to Notre Dame, a team that has still yet to score an offensive touchdown. The Boilermakers committed four turnovers that resulted in all three of the Fighting Irish's touchdowns on the day. Western Michigan took a beating last Satur- day in the Big House, and Purdue should come away with an easy win. Purdue 27, Western Michigan 17 No. 6 Ohio State will test its perfect record and potent offense against Washington State this weekend, when the Cougars visit Columbus in a highly-anticipated nonconference battle. Lehman nearing school, record for blocks By Charles Paradis Daily Sports Writer Breaking records is nothing new to Michigan senior Katrina Lehman, who set three school I'm going to do it hopefully." While Lehman has the chance to etch her name into Michigan history this season, one aspect that will not show up in the books may be the most impressive marks last season. But this season, Lehman has the opportunity to rewrite the books completely. Lehman's run at the records continues tonight, when the Michigan volleyball team (3-1) squares off against Bowl- ing Green (2-2). Just four matches into the season, Lehman is three block assists shy of tying the school mark of 305, set by Lindsey Ebert in 1997. After breaking the school records CLIFF KEEN ARENA Who: Michigan (3-1) vs. Bowling Green (2-2) When: 7 p.m. Latest: The Wolverines will play host to one of the MAC's best teams tonight. The Falcons are 63-29 over the last three years. of all, her size. Standing a mere 5-foot-10 in a sport where most starters are more than six feet tall, the relatively diminutive Lehman is still a presence at the net. "I am the smallest middle hitter in the Big Ten, the shortest for the last three years," Lehman says with pride. "I'm the only one under six feet, but that just gives me motivation." According to Lehman, the secret to her success at the net has little to do in the last few years - finishing sixth overall in the Big Ten in blocks last season. Not only could Lehman set a new block assist record this year, but she is also on pace to break the total block record at Michigan. She is just 39 blocks away from owning that mark as well. Michigan's total block record has stood for more than a decade, since Julia Sturm patrolled the nets in 1990. Despite all the adversity, Lehman is determined to put her name at the top of the list. "I guess when everything's against you, you just have to dig deep and go as hard as you can," Lehman said. Going as hard as she can is Lehman's motto for the year. The lone senior on the team, Lehman enters her last season with the Wolverines with a sense of urgency and an attitude to relish every moment. "Every game I'm coming out here playing as hard as I can, thinking it is the last game," Lehman said. "I go hard and this is my last year. I have to give it all I've got." for block assists in conference and nonconference play as well as total blocks in conference play last season, Lehman is averaging more than a block per game this season. "I'm really excited and I want to break the record," Lehman said. "It is one of my goals and with her height or her leg strength. She relies on another muscle. "I've got a lot of heart and I work really hard and I don't even have the biggest ups," Lehman said. Even with the odds stacked against her, Lehman has proven to be one of the most prolific blockers Senior middle blocker Katrina Lehman (right) will try to break the Michigan block assist record tonight against Bowling Green. i T I I - --- - --------- - - - -- - ----- ---------- ---------------- .. ....... . .. .. . ... . ... . .... ... .. com by .4 setboor superstore I F www.hR If.com/textbooks Intro to Microeconomics Intro to Psychology Intro to Calculus College Writing Skills Principles of Marketing Retail Price $64.O& $2495 - 53.9& Price on Half.com $11.50 $8.95 $14.99 $14.00 $18.99 m0 mM.u $ nff $50 e * $5O purchase* I r-a_1 U I U I U . U .. .... . ...... . ...... ... rAL - $390364 $68.43 I Enter promo code "TEXT2002" in your shopping cart U ' _ \ l ~ W