I-q Wednesday October 30, 2002 michigandaily.com sportsdesk@umich.edu SPORTS 10 'Frustrated' program loses two players By J. Brady McCollough and Jeff Phillips Daily Sports Writers EAST LANSING - The only positive coming out of Bobby Williams' press conference yesterday was that things can't get much worse. Just five days after the Michigan State coach announced the suspension of starting quarterback Jeff Smoker, Williams confirmed that two redshirt sopho- mores, fullback Jason Bradley and linebacker James Cooper, voluntarily left the team. Bradley, who hails from Sara- sota, Fla., played mostly on spe- cial teams for the Spartans. Cooper, a St. Louis native, played two games this season and record- ed three tackles in limited duty. FOOTBALL Notebook entz said. "I haven't seen many of the players that are talked about just because I haven't had a chance to look at their film. I know there are a lot of great play- ers out there, and I'll also say this: I don't think any- body involved with our team would be willing to trade Brad for anyone in the country. But whether or not he is deserving of Heisman mention, I'm really not quali- fied to say." Banks' mobility has earned him comparisons to for- mer Indiana quarterback Antwaan Randle El and Iowa State's Seneca Wallace. "I led the campaign for Seneca Wallace after seeing him," Ferentz said. "He's an outstanding player and I felt the same way about (Antwaan) Randle El last year." QUITE A GAMBLE: Ohio State's 13-7 victory over Penn State last Saturday was keyed by the play of sophomore Chris Gamble, who returned an intercep- tion 40 yards for the Buckeyes' only touchdown. His play is all the more impressive when considering Gamble was in on nearly 100 plays on offense, defense and special teams. Initially just a wide receiver, Gamble began playing cornerback after Ohio State lost Richard McNutt for the season. Gamble's defensive prowess was exposed If 7T- when the Buckeyes had the wide receiving corps play defense in the spring and early fall. "He always did very, very well when he was over there on the cover side, as well as the good job he does running routes," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. Playing as much as Gamble is no small task, and he might not be able to keep up all season. But should his time be limited, Tressel will have a tough decision to make. "I'm not sure a young man can play 95 plays week after week, but Chris is one of those special kids: He is a punt returner, a kick returner, an excellent receiver, an excellent corner," Tressel said. "I think we are going to have to pick-and-choose how to maximize his tal- ent." GIMME SOME Mo: Ohio State freshman running back Maurice Clarett left the Penn State game with a shoul- der injury shortly after passing 1,000 yards rushing for the season. The injury may have killed Clarett's Heisman hopes, but it has hardly ended his season as Tressel said that Clarett is listed as "probable" for the Buckeyes' upcoming game against Minnesota. His status isn't surprising considering Clarett missed just one game after arthroscopic knee surgery earlier this season. TONY DING/Daily Michigan freshman defenseman Danny Richmond has proven he can put it in the net, but wants to improve his play on the defensive end. Extra effort pacing 'M'icers' strong start By Kyle O'Neill Daily Sports Writer Hustle plays made the difference Saturday night for the Michigan hockey team against Alaska-Fair- banks. With three second-chance goals, the Wolverines put the game out of reach before the final period even began. "I think we left (goalie Preston McKay) out to dry," Alaska-Fair- banks coach Guy Gadowsky said. "I don't think we got the puck out of our zone when we had to. We cer- tainly didn't clear any rebounds when we had to, and we got out- worked in the corners and in front of the net. "They outworked us, period. You can say they're more talented, or whatever you want, but the bottom line is that they outworked us badly." And while being outhustled isn't something that Gadowsky wanted to see from his team that was predicted by many to be the upstart team in the CCHA, it serves as a compliment to the Wolverines who were without sophomore Jason Ryznar and alter- nate captains John Shouneyia and MO FOMHUGHT A BOMBSHELL Yung Krall, whose father was a member of North Vietnam's Politburo and its ambassador to Moscow during the Vietnam War, recently told me that North Vietnam was once within four days of surrender. The orders had been issued, even to soldiers in the field. Then the protest movement forced a halt to our bomb- ing of North Vietnam. The war went on for several years after that. This proves whatany serious stu- dent of the war must conclude: The protest movement did not end the war; it extended it, costing tens or hundreds of thousands of lives. Protest movements cost lives, unless done correctly. Watch for more info in coming ads. GARY ULLIE & ASSOC.. REALTRS WWW.GARYULCE.COM Andy Burnes. "We have a lot of skill and it can only take you so far," freshman Danny Richmond said. "But we're one of the fastest teams in the league that I've ever seen play, so if we work hard we'll just keep going at people and keep forcing mistakes. No matter what they do, we'll out- work them and we'll win." It's that extra effort that has helped Michigan recover from its mistakes, as seen with Richmond especially. Known for his offensive skills the young defenseman has been known to make his share of mistakes - either by not clearing out a defender on a rebound or making ill-advised moves like the one that led to a 2-1 breakaway for the Nanooks in the first period Saturday night. "My offensive skills are pretty good, but defense is something I have to work on," Richmond said. "It includes taking the man instead of the puck, but it's a lot more than that. When the puck's coming back my way I have a tendency to move for- ward in front of the play sometimes and I shouldn't be doing that, because I leave my partner back to dry." It's undetermined whether or not the players' exit from Michigan State has anything to do with Smoker's recent suspension. Williams said that Smoker, who sat out the Spar- tans' 42-24 loss to Wisconsin this past Saturday because of a violation of team rules, could possibly return before the season is over and that Smoker is still enrolled at Michigan State. "It's an indefinite suspension, which means it's open-ended," Williams said. "He could come back or he may not come back. It depends on the terms that he has to go through." Smoker was widely considered the top quarterback in the Big Ten coming into the season and was also named a contender for the Davey O'Brien Award, given annually to the nation's top quarterback. "It was a very tough decision, very disappointing, but it was the best decision for him and the program," Williams said. The recent downward spiral of the Michigan State program, particularly Smoker's suspension, has been widely discussed in internet chat rooms. A wide vari- ety of vicious rumors are circulating about Smoker and other Spartans. "We have no control over what is written in the print media, and we have no control over what is going on on the internet," Williams said. "The internet, the infor- mation that is out there is unbelievable. We deal with fact. The frame of mind is positive. There's so much negative surrounding the program about things being said about some of the players and things going on inside the program that we have no control over." BANKS FOR HEHsmAN?: After Iowa quarterback Brad Banks' outstanding play against Michigan, when he passed for 222 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 53 yards, the Hawkeyes are eyeing an undefeated conference season and Rose Bowl berth. And come December, Banks could be eyeing something else: The Heisman Trophy. Banks is no doubt a darkhorse to win, but the race is wide open again this year and Banks is arguably play- ing as well as anyone in the country. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz isn't quite ready to throw out Banks' name for Heisman consideration. "I'm kind of in the dark on the national scene," Fer- AP PHOTO Michigan State coach Bobby Williams (center) has already suspended starting quarterback Jeff Smoker (9). Williams announced yesterday that redshirt sophomores Jason Bradley and James Cooper left the team as well. Top to bottom, Big Ten could be tough to beat By Daniel Bremmer Daily Sports Writer CHICAGO - While they may be biased towards their own conference, the talk among Big Ten coaches at Sunday's annual women's basketball Big Ten Media Day was nothing but praise. Many coaches said they felt the Big Ten was the strongest confer- ence in the nation. "I think it's a very competitive conference top to bottom," Michigan coach Sue Guevara said. "All you have to do is look at how many teams get selected to the NCAA tourna- ment and how well we do." Last year, nine Big Ten teams advanced to postseason play, includ- ing six NCAA Tournament teams and three in the WNIT. "We have enough TV exposure that people have picked our confer- ence to go up against the SEC and go up against the Big 12," Penn State coach Rene Portland added. "Our records against those leagues are very sound, so I think the league is one of the premier leagues in the country." Penn State and Purdue are expect- ed to lead the Big Ten this season as both are coming off strong finishes last year. Purdue won the Big Ten regular season title with a 13-3 con- ference record, while the Lady Lions tied for second with an 11-5 mark. Penn State was selected as the pre- season favorite by Big Ten coaches this year, and Portland thinks her team has improved from last season. "I don't believe there's any nega- tives, only positives," said Portland, comparing this year's squad to last year's. The Lady Lions return four of their five starters, including Kelly Mazzante, who led all Division I, players in points per game (24.9). Mazzante, a member of last year's Kodak All-American Team, was selected as this year's Big Ten Pre- season Player of the Year by the coaches and media. Penn State will have its hands full at the top with Purdue, selected No. 1 in the Big Ten by the media. Led by Shereka Wright, a member of the 2001-2002 All-Big Ten First Team, the Boilermakers return three starters and add six freshmen to the mix. Purdue coach Kristy Curry believes her team's newcomers will be able to step in and contribute. "We're so much deeper than we were a year ago," Curry said. "If we can stay healthy, we have a lot more depth and versatility." Minnesota - which tied Penn State for second in the Big Ten last year - was picked to round out the top three by both the coaches and media, but this came as no surprise to new coach Pam Borton. "We expected to be in the top three," Borton said. "I would've been disappointed (if we weren't). With the way this team ended last year, that would've been a lack of respect for the players themselves." In addition to the obvious favorites, Ohio State has gained recognition as a sleeper pick by many coaches. Despite narrowly finishing under .500 last year (8-8 Big Ten, 14- 15 overall), the Buckeyes return 11 Preseason picks Big Ten media top three: Team 2001-02 record 1. Purdue 24-6 2. Penn State 23-12 3. Minnesota 22-8 Big Ten coaches Top Three: Team 2001-02 record 1. PennState 23-12 2. Purdue 24-6 3. Minnesota 22-8 players from their overall roster and have a new head coach in Jim Foster. Formerly the head coach at Vander- bilt, Forster led the team to a record of 256-99 and 10 NCAA Tournament appearances in 11 seasons. "I think everyone has a lot of respect for Jim Foster in the league," Borton said. "He's got a very athlet- ic team, and he's got some veterans returning. I think everyone's going to be watching out for Ohio State this year." Tired of being a Harriers' early success put to test at Big Tens MEN 'S CROSS COUNTRY mETEN WEST LAFAYETTE 4 By Daniel Bremmer Daily Sports Writer Want to be a It's nice to do well early, but it's the end of the season that counts. Sunday, the No. 12 Michigan men's cross country team will begin to see what it is made of as it travels to West Lafayette to compete in the Big Ten Championships. The Wolverines will have their hands full as the Big Ten is perhaps the strongest conference in the nation. It boasts an impressive record with seven of its 11 teams in the national top 30. Heading into this weekend, No. 11 Wisconsin is considered to be the has been resurging as of late, along with No. 20 Ohio State. Both teams - pre- viously unranked - jumped into the top 30 this week. Rounding out the top competitors are No. 18 Indiana and No. 23 Iowa. Warhurst believes the Big Ten Cham- pionships are a very important part to his team's year. "It's a start towards respectability, towards stepping into the national scene," Warhurst said. The Big Ten Championships will be the team's first championship meet, and it will be followed by the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship on Nov. 16. 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