4 Wednesday October 9, 2002 michigandaily.com sportsdesk@umich.edu SPORTS 8 0 Hawks banking on } QB against Spartans New Yost P.A. announcer Scott Spooner will take over for Glen Williams this year. Spooner is a former Michigan graduate. eers welcome new announcer to Yost By Jeff Phillips Daily Sports Editor One of the biggest surprises of the young Big Ten season is Iowa's place at the top of the conference, tied with Ohio State at 2-0 and 5-1 over- all. The Hawkeyes edged Purdue 31- 28 last Saturday and gave Penn FOOTBALL State its onlyN loss on Sept. 28. Notebook The rejuvena- tion of the Iowa program has turned the heads of Big Ten coaches, includ- ing that of Michigan State coach Bobby Williams, whose Spartans face the Hawkeyes this Saturday. "Iowa is very impressive," Williams said. "This team has really come around and is by far our biggest test of the season." That's a pretty strong statement considering Michigan State's season- ending stretch that includes games at No. 13 Michigan, at No. 15 Penn State and at home against No. 23 Wisconsin. Williams has plenty to worry about in stopping Iowa, which has the top scoring offense in the Big Ten by averaging nearly 40 points per game through six contests. Leading the way is mobile quarter- back Brad Banks, who leads the Big Ten and is third in the nation in pass- ing efficiency with 12 passing touch- downs and just two interceptions. But more of a concern for Michigan State is Iowa's rushing game. "The biggest thing is that they have an excellent running attack," Williams said. "It is always our prior- ity to control their running game - I don't think you can shut down their running game." The Hawkeyes have made the most of what they have since the departure of Ladell Betts. Junior running back Fred Russell has rushed for 722 yards, which leads the Big Ten, and five touchdowns. Sophomore Jer- melle Lewis also has five touch- downs. At 5-foot-8 and 185 pound, Russell doesn't have the typical size for a big-time running back, but he is extremely quick with the football. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz knows the limitations of recruiting to Iowa and that he may not be able to get the most physically gifted athletes. "As' far as his size, we are Iowa, we don't have one of those bars, like at an amusement park, where you have to be so tall to ride a ride," Fer- entz said. "We are just looking for good players, and Fred is certainly a good player." NO DO-OVERS, YET: The Big Ten has had its fair share of controversy regarding officiating in the past, and this season is no different. Following the firing of a group of Big Ten offi- cials that worked the Purdue-Wake Forest game, the coaches talked about the possibility of adding instant replay. "I think if it is at all feasible, we should definitely look into it," Wis- consin coach Barry Alvarez said. "I would certainly be in favor of it." The coaches pointed to the finan- cial strain that instant replay would put on a school and the Big Ten by requiring several television cameras in order to catch the angle of a play under review. Despite this concern, Purdue coach Joe Tiller still thinks it is feasible and has changed his previ- ous no-replay stance. "We are all human beings and as long as humans are involved in the game, we are going to have a mis- take here or there," Tiller said. "I don't think anyone is making an intentional error, etc., but I think (adding instant replay) would help everybody and would eliminate AP PHOTO Iowa quarterback Brad Banks has been one of the nation's top signal-callers thus far, leading the Hawkeyes to a surprising 5-1 overall record. By Dan Rosen Daily Sports Writer When Scott Spooner graduated from Michigan, he always anticipated that he would keep his season hockey tickets. But he had no idea how good of a seat he would eventually get. Spooner, the new public address. announcer at Yost Ice Arena, will watch all of Michigan's home games from the scorers table between the penalty boxes this season. The 29- year-old native of Battle Creek replaced Glen Williams, who retired after 33 years of calling Michigan home games. Spooner doesn't think his arrival will have any drastic effect on the atmosphere at the arena. As a Yost vet- eran, he's well aware of what drives the Wolverine crowd. "Glen wasn't a real flashy type announcer and I'm not either," Spoon- er said. "I'm not going to sit there and be like a cheerleader for the crowd. I think the crowd does that well enough on its own. They don't need somebody to lead them." Spooner arrives at Michigan via the Ice Cube in Ann Arbor, where he has been calling United States National Team Development Program hockey games for the past four years. When his former colleague at the Cube, Ryan Rezmierski, who is now Michi- gan's video coordinator, encouraged him to apply for the opening at Yost, Spooner decided that he would give it a shot. His booming voice impressed Williams and the Michigan staff enough that they offered him the job. Spooner will continue to work the games at the Ice Cube this season when Michigan's schedule allows it. But he was excited about the chance to work at place with more crowd energy. "At the Cube we get about 200 fans each game," Spooner said. "So it's quite a step up to go to 7,000 fans every night and a lot of crowd partici- pation, especially with a minute to go." As far as the exhibition between Michigan and the US-NTDP team on Nov. 1 goes, Spooner says he will be a little bit torn. "That's going to be the one game that's going be tough," Spooner said "And I hope that the students will indulge me a little bit. I'll probably do the USA introductions the same way that I would do them at the Cube because it's basically a home game for them too." Before he departed, Williams was, able to pass on a bit of advice to Spooner. "Basically (he told me) just to relax, and he told me that I needed to slow down when I speak because I get nerv- ous and I get going faster and faster," Spooner said. He will rely on that advice the most late in the period when the traditional interaction between the crowd and the announcer occurs. "They're all counting on me to tell them how much time is left," Spooner said. "If I miss that, you know every- one will let me know it." Working at the Cube last season, Spooner also had a chance to get a close look at Michigan's new freshman goalie Al Montoya - who played for the US-NTDP last season. He was impressed with the Glenview, Ill. native and warned that his stats last year are not a fair indication of how good he is. "Al's going to turn 18 this year and he's competing against 20-21 year olds," Spooner said. "It's that way for the whole team. (He had) 16 or 17- year-old defenseman in front of him. So the stats aren't going to be as impressive. I think Al's going to be real good for us." From his new vantage point at Yost, Spooner will certainly be able to see if his prediction comes true. some postgame debate." But not all coaches are in favor of a change. Penn State coach Joe Paterno would prefer to remain faithful to tradition, despite his pub- lic dissatisfaction with officiating. "I am such a traditionalist, it just doesn't seem right that we can't live with some calls made by officials," Paterno said. "I'm very leery of instant replay - I'm just not sure if that's the way to go." TAKING A PASS ON PASS DEFENSE: Traditionally the Big Ten has been known for its strong defense and powerful running game. This sea- son, the Big Ten has shown a solid running game, but lacks any bite defensively, especially against the pass. Entering this week, four Big Ten teams - Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State and Iowa - are among the nation's 20 worst teams at stop- ping the pass, allowing more than 250 yards per game. What does all this prove? You don't necessarily need .to stop the pass to win -- the four teams are a combined 19-3 this season. Shodw nteSunshine Stt:Maisstriea at 27 By Brad Johnson For the Daily This weekend features a plethora of show- downs, with six of the nation's top 10 teams fac- ing one another in contests that will have huge national title game implications. No. 9 FLORIDA STATE AT No. 1 MIAMI, NOON, ABC: Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden put it best when he spoke to ESPN.com regarding this week's rivalry game: "It's Miami, and then the rest of the world. We're not at that ACROSS level yet." The Nation Indeed, Florida State prob- ably stands a better chance against the rest of the world than it does against Miami on Saturday. The Hurricanes look like the team to beat this year, possessing the nation's longest winning streak at 27 games, and two offensive weapons in quarterback Ken Dorsey and running back Willis McGahee. Last week, Dorsey threw for 216 yards and three touchdowns in little more than one half of work against lowly Connecticut. To make matters worse for the bespectacled Bowden, Miami boasts a very strong defense this season. Things in Tallahassee are slightly amiss these days, with a minor quarterback controversy brewing between starter Chris Rix and backup Adrian McPherson, who saw considerable action in last week's victory over Clemson. The 'Noles (and their fans) have little confidence in Rix at the moment, and the only player who has stepped up for.them thus far is star running back Greg Jones. Miami has won two in a row against Florida State, including a 49-27 romp in last year's meeting. Look for the romping to continue Sat- urday at the Orange Bowl as the Hurricanes roll on towards Tempe. Miami 34, Florida State 14 See NATION, Page 10 4 Florida State quarterback Chris Rix will try to stop Miami's 27-game winning streak on Saturday. I p For 'M', it's not easy beating Green In only one Middle Eastern Country are popularly elected Arab members of the Parliament allowed to speak freely. Israel. Invest in Democracy. Invest In Peace. Invest in Israel. By Gennaro FlIlce Daily Sports Writer Last season, the Wolverines fin- ished the year with a solid 10-7-1 overall mark, elated by talk that they had an outside chance to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. But when the Michigan soccer team was denied a bid to the prestigious 48-team "big dance," overwhelming devastation struck the team, and the lingering memory of a rainy Thursday evening in October retur'ned to the forefront of Michigan coach Steve Burns' mind. "Last year we lost to Bowling Green 1-0 in a game that we domi- nated," Burns said. "It was a game where they scored a 'cracker' of a goal in one of their few chances. We couldn't equalize, they won, and it was the game that really tipped the balance because we weren't selected to the NCAA Tournament." Tonight, the Wolverines look to erase any memories of last year's 'mud bowl,' and triumph in what Burns calls "a must-win game." "Two years in a row now, Bowling Green has beaten us," Burns said. "And it is one of our goals this sea- son to make sure that doesn't happen. again." Although Bowling Green enters tonight's match with a 2-8 record, the Falcons' two wins have come in their last two outings. Junior forward Paul Dhaliwal, who leads the team with seven points in 2002, engineers Bowling Green's 3-5-2 set. Freshman forward Robert Aouad has also proven his offensive prowess by accumulating the team's second highest total in points (6). Burns Sponsored By the Israel-Michigan Public Affairs Committee ELBEL FIELD Who: Michigan (3-5-1) vs. Bowling Green (2-8-0) When: 7 p.m. Latest: The Wolverines look to get a foot in the door in the series standings as Bowling Green has won the only two prior matches between the programs. feels that inexperience on both sides of the ball will play a big part in the match. "They are young this year," Burns said. "So in terms of having youth on the field for both teams, it will be a youthful game. That means it's a game where there's a lot of work and a lot of energy, and it's going to be the smarter team that wins this." For the Wolverines, playing smart on the offensive side of the ball could be as simple as feeding the ball to sophomore Mychal Turpin. Hav- ing scored in six out of nine games this season, Turpin leads Michigan with 17 points. Defensively for Michigan, sophomore keeper Joe Zawacki has never looked better, coming off a career high 10-save per- formance against Indiana. Although the Wolverines have an A I STATE PRIDE MATCH Michigan vs. Michigan State Wednesday, October 9 7 "T * r-l& ISif gin droesa 3 1 The University Of Michigan Depression Center and the Department of Psychiatry are pleased to host National Depression Screening Day October 10. 2002 e r II A