The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - November 18, 2002 - 5B
"WE'RE NOT TOO FAR BEHIND (OHIO STATE). WE COULD SPOIL THEIR WHOLE
SEASON. WE CAN HANG WITH THEM, MAYBE EVEN BEAT THEM."
-- MICHIGAN CORNERBACK MARLIN JACKSON
WEEKEND'S BEST
HOW THE AP TOP 25 FARED
DEATH IN THE VA.EY: Tiger Stadium, com-
monly known as "Death Valley," is
regarded as one of the most hostile
environments in college football.
On Saturday night, one could hear a
pin drop.
That's because Louisiana State fans
were shocked as their 14th-ranked
Tigers were embarrassed, 31-0, by
Alabama in their worst shutout loss
since 1950.
Santonio Beard led the way with 109
yards and two touchdowns for the
Crimson Tide.
"We could not stop the run," Louisiana
State coach Nick Saban said.
SPARTY SMACK: Michigan State's resur-
gence proved to be short-lived.
The Spartans (2-5 Big Ten, 4-7 over-
all) were once favorites to finish atop
the conference. Now, after losing in a
45-42 shootout to Purdue at home,
Michigan State can't play in a bowl.
In a wild game with 875 yards of total
offense and eight turnovers, the Spar-
tans fell short when Purdue backup
quarterback Kyle Orton threw a 40-
yard touchdown pass to John Stande-
ford on 4th-and-8 with just three
minutes to go.
"We didn't always play smart,"interim
head coach Morris Watts said.
Associated Press Poll for week of November 12.
All games played November 16.
Team:
1. Miami (Fla.)
2. Ohio State
3. Washington State
4. Texas
5. Oklahoma
6. Iowa
7. Georgia
8. Southern Cal.
9. Notre Dame
10. Alabama
11. Kansas State
12. Michigan
13. Virginia Tech
14. Louisana State
15. Florida State
16. Penn State
17. Colorado
18. Pittsburgh
19. Maryland
20. Florida
21. Colorado State
22. North Carolina State
23. Oregon
24. Auburn
25. Texas Christian
Last week:
idle
beat Illinois 23-16 (OT)
idle
lost to Texas Tech 42-38
beat Baylor 49-9
beat Minnesota 45-21
beat Auburn 24-21
beat Arizona State 34-13
idle
beat Louisana State 31-0
beat Nebraska 49-13
beat Wisconsin 21-14
idle
lost to Alabama 31-0
beat North Carolina 40-14
beat Indiana 58-25
beat Iowa State 41-27
idle
beat Clemson 30-12
beat South Carolina 28-7
beat San Diego State 49-21
lost to Virginia 14-9
lost to Washington 42-14
lost to Georgia 24-21
idle
This week:
vs. Pittsburgh
vs. Michigan
vs. Washington
idle
vs. Texas Tech
idle
idle
at UCLA
vs. Rutgers
vs. Aubum
at Missouri
at Ohio State
vs. West Virginia
vs. Mississippi
at North Carolina State
vs. Michigan State
idle
at Miami (Fla.)
at Virginia
idle
vs. New Mexico
vs. Florida State
at Oregon State
at Alabama
at East Carolina
NEW AP
TOP 25
(first-place votes in parentheses)
TEAM PTS PVS
1. Miami (Fla.) (74) 1,850 1
2. Ohio State 1,766 2
3. Washington State 1,628 3
4. Oklahoma 1,622 4
5. Iowa 1,617 6
6. Georgia 1,472 7
7. Southern Cal. 1,341 8
8. Notre Dame 1,284 9
9. Alabama 1,264 10
10. Kansas State 1,171 11
11. Texas 1,124 4
12. MICHIGAN 1,060 12
13. Virginia Tech 847 13
14. Florida State 796 15
15. Penn State 755 16
16. Colorado 754 17
17. Pittsburgh 638 18
18. Maryland 637 19
19. Florida 572 20
20. Colorado State 511 21
21. Lousana State 344 14
22. Texas Christian 246 25
23. Boise State 212 NR
24. Texas Tech 145 NR
25. UCLA 121 NR
Dropped out: North Carolina State, Oregon,
Auburn
AP PHOTO
Iowa players Colin Cole, Fred Barr and Brad Banks celebrate earning at least a share of the Big Ten trophy during a pep rally.
SCOUTING THE NATION
THE DAILY'S PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
This week, the Daily's players of the week set a new standard for incredible
numbers. Penn State's Larry Johnson and Texas Tech's Kliff Kingsbury make
legitimate claims for this season's Heisman trophy and Washington's Reggie
Williams makes a legitimate claim for the trophy in 2003. The players put up
three of the best performances by an offensive player this season and in a wide-
open Heisman race, these are the games that matter most.
LARRY JOHNSON,
PENN STATE
Why Johnson?: What does it take to be
one of The Daily's players of the week.
You can't just break your own record
once - you have to break it twice.
Against Indiana on Saturday, Johnson
strengthened his Heisman campaign by
k rushing for 327 yards and a career-high
E four touchdowns. With the performance,
Johnson set the Penn State single-season
rushing record with 1,736 yards, shatter-
ing the previous mark of 1,567 yards, set
in 1971 by Lydell Mitchell. With one
game remaining against a porous Michi-
gan State defense, the magic 2,000-yard
plateau isn't out of the realm of possibili-
ties. The last player to accomplish such a
feat was Texas Christian's LaDainian
Penn State's Larry Johnson Tomilinson in 2000.
REGGIE WILLIAMS,
WASHINGTON
Why Williams?: After falling behind 14-0
to rival Oregon, Reggie Williams and the
Huskies went off, scoring 42 unan-
swered points to crush the plummeting
Ducks. Williams caught three of Wash
ington's six touchdowns on receptions of
47, 41 and 27 yards. Williams finished
with 198 yards receiving on the day.
What makes the Huskies' performance
all the more remarkable is that they
were 5-5 coming into the game and
embarrassed Oregon at home in Autzen
Stadium. With his remarkable game,
Williams challenges Michigan State's
Charles Rogers for best wide receiver in
the nation. He has NFL scouts salivating
at the thought of another year of experi-
ence before the lanky 6-foot-4 star likely,.
enters the 2004 NFL draft. Washington's Reggie Williams
KuFF KINGSBURY,
TEXAS TECH
Why Kingsbury? Everyone knew that
Texas Tech quarterback Kliff Kings-
r'.bury could pass for 500 yards and 12
touchdowns against the bottom-feed-
ers of the Big 12, but nobody knew
91just how successful he would be
against a vaunted defense like Texas'.
Just like he did against the likes of
Baylor and Missouri, Kingsbury tore
apart the Longhorns' secondary, pass-
ing for 473 yards and six touchdowns
in the Red Raiders 42-38 victory on
Saturday. Add this to his season sta-
tistics and his 2002 campaign is so
outrageous, EA Sports would blush.
He has now passed for 4,455 yards,
EE 41 touchdowns and completed more
Texas Tech's Kliff Kingsbury than 68 percent of his passes for a
AP PHOTOS 145.4 quarterback rating.
GAME PROGRESSION
First Quarter:
Michigan drives down the field on
the opening drive, led in large part
by running back Chris Perry. A 28-
yard run puts the Wolverines in
Wisconsin territory, and B.J. Askew
caps off the drive with a 27-yard
run.
Adam Finley converts the extra
point.
Michigan 7, Wisconsin 0
On Wisconsin's first play from
scrimmage, Marlin Jackson forces a
fumble by Wisconsin's Anthony
Davis, which is recovered on the
Badgers' 19-yard line. Perry finishes
off the drive with an 11-yard run.
Finley converts the PAT.
Michigan 14, Wisconsin 0
Deep in their own territory, the
Wolverines go three and out and
punt the ball from their own 8-yard
line. Jim Leonhard returns the punt
39 yards for a touchdown.
Mike Allen converts the PAT.
Michigan 14, Wisconsin 7
Second Quarter:
Leonhard gives the Badgers good
field position again, returning a punt
to the Wisconsin 46. Davis has two
big runs to move the Badgers inside
the red zone, and caps off the drive
with a two-yard run.
Allen converts the PAT.
Michigan 14, Wisconsin 14
Wisconsin obtains the ball courtesy
of an intercepted pass from John
Navarre. But the Badgers fail to con-
vert on the opportunity, as Allen
missesa 27-yard field goal attempt
wide right.
Third Quarter:
Starting deep inside its own zone,
Michigan uses more than eight
minutes to move down the field
on short plays -- the longest
being a 12-yard reception by tight
end Bennie Joppru. Navarre com-
pletes all eight passes on this
drive, including an eight-yard toss
to Braylon Edwards that puts the
Wolverines up for good.
Finley converts the PAT.
Michigan 21, Wisconsin 14
Fourth Quarter:
Starting at its own 41-yard line
after intercepting another Navarre
pass at the beginning of the
fourth quarter, Wisconsin again
fails to capitalize when its drive
stalls on the Michigan 34-yard
line. A shanked pooch punt adds
to the Badgers' frustration.
In its final chance to tie up the
game, Wisconsin takes over at its
own 46-yard line. The Badgers
drive down to the Michigan 31-
yard line, two consecutive passes
are broken up by Jeremy LeSueur
and Markus Curry on second and
third down, respectively.
Bollinger's final pass sails over the
head of intended receiver Darrin
Charles to turn the ball over to
Michigan.
Michigan 21, Wisconsin 14
NEWS AND NOTES
. It seems like Iowa fans forgot which stadium they were in
Saturday when they clinched at least share of the Big Ten
title for the first time since 1990 and finished unbeaten in
conference play for the first time since 1922. The Hawkeyes
also won 11 games for the first time in their history.
For all of these reasons, the Hawkeyes' fans rushed the
Metrodome field in Minneapolis and tore down one of the
goalposts. Now, Iowa players and fans can only wait for the
result of the Michigan-Ohio State showdown Saturday in
Columbus. If Michigan wins, Iowa will most likely go play in
the Rose Bowl. If Ohio State wins, the Buckeyes will play in
the Fiesta Bowl for the national title, which would most likely
open up a Rose Bowl bid for Iowa.
There are Georgia players who weren't even born the last
time that the Bulldogs won an SEC Championship. Saturday,
with its dramatic 24-21 win against Auburn in "the oldest
rivalry in the South," Georgia clinched its first SEC Eastern
division championship since the conference was divided into
two divisions in 1993.
Kansas State's 49-13 rout of Nebraska Saturday was a
record-breaking game in many ways. Quarterback Ell
Roberson ran for 228 yards - the most by a Kansas State
quarterback - and three touchdowns. The win was the most
lopsided in school history against the normally-dominant
Cornhuskers.
Tennessee receiver Kelley Washington will not play football
again this season. Washington is scheduled to have surgery
tomorrow to fuse two vertebrae in his neck, which he injured
in a game Oct. 12 against Georgia. Tennessee coach Phillip
Fulmer said that he had not talked to Washington, but that his
top receiver was "in good spirits."
The Maryland Terrapins (as odd as it sounds) are very close to
winning a second straight ACC title. All the Terps need is to win
out against Virginia and Wake Forest and for North Carolina State
to beat Florida State Saturday.
Oregon running back Onterrio Smith will have arthroscopic
surgery on his left knee today and will miss Oregon's finale
against Oregon State. Oregon said that Smith should be back
for its bowl game. Smith originally injured the knee against
Southern Cal. Oct. 26.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
Oregon State will face a "frustrated" Oregon team when the
two teams square off in a game known as "The Civil War."
Oregon lost to Washington 42-14 at home in its last game.
"It hurts but I think we have to move on now to our next
game," Oregon's Rashly Webster said. "We have to focus on
Oregon State next week and take our frustration out on
them."
Minnesota quarterback Asad Abdul-Khaliq had nothing but
good things to say about the Hawkeyes - and their rowdy
faithful - after Saturday's game.
"I've never seen 25,000 of the opposing team's fans at a
home game," said Gophers' quarterback Asad Abdul-Khaliq.
"That just shows the type of team they've had. If I was an
Iowa fan, I'd go anywhere, too. They've proven that they're
worthy of it."
Last Tuesday night, 40 Arizona players met with the Universi-
ty president to complain about coach John Mackovic's overly
harsh verbal style. Mackovic then apologized to his players,
and Saturday, after a 52-41 win over California, two players
hoisted Mackovic on their shoulders.
"They showed unbelievable courage, character, heart - every-
thing," said Mackovic, who got a brief postgame ride on two
freshmen's shoulders before hugging athletic director Jim Livin-
good. "I don't think they'll ever forget this game. It will not nec-
essarily be the biggest victory they ever have, but it's something
they'll use as a lesson for a long time."
Staff and wire reports contributed to this report.
AP PHOTO
Ohio State's Craig Krenzel
WHO'S NEXT:
OHIO STATE
It took just seconds for the focus of the
Wolverines to switch onto the undefeated
Buckeyes on Saturday. This weekend's
meeting in Columbus marks another
unique opportunity for Michigan to play
the spoiler role and ruin an Ohio State per-
fect season and national title run.
But to do so, Michigan will have to stop
the run. Ohio State freshman sensation
Maurice Clarett has already surpassed
1,000 yards on the ground despite miss-
ing action in the past few games with a
shoulder injury. He's expected to be ready
for Saturday's clash between the rivals.
The Buckeyes may not have lost yet, but
they've come close the past few weeks.
They squeaked past Illinois this past Sat-
urday in overtime, and beat Purdue the
week before in the final minutes.
BIG TEN STANDINGS
Best bets bite
best bettor
Another ho-hum week for Staff
Picks, as football writers David
Horn, J. Brady McCollough and
Jeff Phillips continue to slowly
add to their winning percentage
by finishing each week a bit
above .500. Another trend that
has emerged is the collapse of
Phillips' best bets and converse-
ly the rise of Horn's best bets.
Now, with both writers at 6-5,
Horn's promise of the best bet
throne at the end of the season
no longer seems quite as outra-
geous. Phillips again proves that
if you are going to bet with his
picks, you will have to bet on all
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STAFF PICKS
WEEK 11 SELECTIONS
ALL PICKS MADE AGAINST THE SPREAD.
HOME TEAMS IN SMALL CAPS.
Purdue (-3) at MICHIGAN STATE
Iowa (-10.5) at MINNESOTA
Ohio State (-8.5) at ILLINOIS
Penn State (-21) at INDIANA
Texas (6) at TE TECH
North Carolina State (-7) at VIRGINIA
KANSAS STATE (-11) vs. Nebraska
TEXAS A&M (-9.5) vs. Missouri
David J. Brady
Horn McCollough
Purdue Purdue
low aIowa
Ohio State Illinois
Penn State Penn State
Texas Texas
North Carolina State North Carolina State
Kansas State Kansas State
Texas A&M Texas A&M
Iowa
Ohio State
Michigan
Penn State
Minnesota
Purdue
Illinois
Michigan State
Wisconsin
Indiana
Northwestern
Bg Ten
8 0
7 0
6 1
4 3
3 4
3 4
3 4
2 5
1 6
1 6
1 6
Overall
11 1
12 0
9 2
8 3
7 4
5 6
4 7
4 7
6 6
3 8
3 8
Jeff
Phillips
Joe
Smith
MIthigsn State Meh gan States
Iowa Iowa
Penn State Penn State
Toxe T"xas
North Carolina State North Carolina State
KansA&Stt Nebras a
Texas A&M Texas A&M
THIS WEEKEND'S RESULTS
Michigan 21, Wisconsin 14
Ohio State 23, Illinois 16 (OT)
Iowa 45, Minnesota 21
Penn State 58, Indiana 25
Purdue 45, Michigan State 42
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