The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - November 25, 2002 - 5B
"PERSONALLY, I DON'T RESPECT (OHIO STATE'S) SECONDARY."
- - MICHIGAN WIDE RECEIVER RON BELLAMY.
WEEKEND'S BEST
HOW THE AP TOP 25 FARED
NEW AP
TOP 25
APPLE SAUCE: In the battle for the
Apple Cup between Washington
and Washington State, the final
play of the game will no doubt be
argued by both sides for years to
come.
Washington entered the third over-
time and kicked a field goal to go
up 29-26. On the first play for the
Cougars, quarterback Matt Kegel
(Jason Gesser injured his ankle in
the previous series) dropped back
for a pass, and the Huskies' Kai
Ellis knocked the ball lose, the
ball hit the turf and Ellis picked it
up, seemingly ending the game.
The referees conferred, and decid-
ed it was a backwards pass, so it
was a live ball when Kegel let it
go, and Ellis recovered the fum-
bled to end the game, 29-26.
"That was just a bad pass. It was
a forward pass," Washington
State coach Mike Price said, indi-
cating it was incomplete and the
Cougars should have retained pos-
session.
SPARTANS SPANKED: Larry Johnson
stepped up his candidacy for Heis-
man this weekend against Michi-
gan State, rushing for 279 yards
and four touchdowns in Penn
State's 61-7 thrashing of the Spar-
tans.
Johnson's day was done at half-
time, but it was enough to give
him more than 2,000 yards rush-
ing on the season and make him
one of the frontrunners for the
Heisman Trophy.
Associated Press Poll for week of November 19.
All games played November 23.
Team:
1. Miami (Fla.)
2. Ohio State
3. Washington State
4. Oklahoma
5. Iowa
6. Georgia
7. Southern Cal.
8. Notre Dame
9. Alabama
10. Kansas State
11. Texas
12. Michigan
13. Virginia Tech
14. Florida State
15. Penn State
16. Colorado
17. Pittsburgh
18. Maryland
19. Florida
20. Colorado State
21. Louisiana State
22. Texas Christian
23. Boise State
24. Texas Tech
25. UCLA
Last week:
beat Pittsburgh 28-21
beat Michigan 14-9
lost to Washington 29-26 (30T)
beat Texas Tech 60-15
idle
idle
beat UCLA 52-21
beat Rutgers 42-0
lost to Auburn 17-7
beat Missouri 38-0
idle
lost to Ohio State 14-9
lost to West Virginia 21-18
lost to North Carolina State 17-7
beat Michigan State 61-7
idle
lost to Miami 28-21
lost to Virginia 48-13
idle
beat New Mexico 22-14
beat Mississippi 1413
lost to East Carolina 31-28
beat Nevada 44-7
lost to Oklahoma 60-15
lost to Southern Cal. 52-21
This week.
at Syracuse
idle
idle
at Oklahoma State
idle
at Georgia Tech
vs. Notre Dame
at Southern Cal.
at Hawaii
idle
at Texas A&M
kle
vs. Virginia
vs. Florida
idle
at Nebraska
vs. West Virginia
vs. Wake Forest
at Florida State
vs. UNLV
at Arkansas
vs. Memphis
idle
idle
vs. Washington State
TEAM
1. Mian
2. Ohio
3. Okla
4. lowa
5. Geor
6. Sout
7. Notr
8. Kan
9. Was
10. Tex
11. Per
12. Mic
13. Col
14. Ala
15. Flo
16. Col
17. Pitt
18. Lou
19. Boi
20. Aut
21. Nor
22. V/irg
23. Flor
24. We
25. Ma
(first-place votes in parentheses)
PTS I
mi (Fla.) (71) 1,823
State (2) 1,748
homa 1,654
1,625
gia 1,513
hern Cal. 1,421
e Dame 1,366
sas State 1,305
hington State 1,239
as 1,196
nn State 1,019
HIGAN 958
orado 924
bama 849
rida 757
orado State 743
tsburgh 619
risiana State 559
se State 372
burn 370
rth Carolina State 300
ginia Tech 284
rida State 255
st Virginia 251
ryland 120
PVS
1
2
4
5
6
7
8
10
3
11
15
12
16
9
19
20
17
21
23
NR
NR
13
14
NR
18
Dropped out: Texas Christian 22, Texas Tech
24, UCLA 25
Washington State's Jason Gesser
HEISMAN HYPE
After weeks and weeks of naming its players of the week, the Daily football writers will finally make their endorsement for the Heisman trophy. Unlike many Daily players of the week, these four players have not
simply been flashes in the pan. They have led their teams to have absolutely incredible seasons - and in the case of Iowa and Penn State, surprising ones. The list includes two Big Ten players (Iowa's Brad
Banks and Penn State's Larry Johnson) and the duo from Miami (Ken Dorsey and Willis McGahee). Although all four may not be invited to the ceremony, each should be given his due.
BRAD BANKS,
IOWA
Why Banks?: Why Banks? Why Banks? Are you
kidding? Because he's the only guy you hadn't
heard of before the season began; because he
came out of nowhere to engineer arguably the
most prolific offense in the country. Because he
is the second-highest rated passer in the country,
behind only Ryan Dinwiddle of Boise State.
Because if you go to a sporting goods store in
Iowa City you can't find a No. 7 jersey. Yet.
It would be great if there were a slew of close
games that Banks won with dramatic fourth quar-
ter comebacks, but there are not, because the
Hawkeyes' offense has trampled nearly every
defense they have faced. The only game that
Iowa lost, and the closest game the Hawkeyes
have played, was a Sept. 14 loss to instate rival
Iowa State. But even then Banks threw two
touchdowns and no interceptions, and Iowa post-
ed a 31 on the scoreboard. Banks has thrown
just four interceptions all season.
Iowa is averaging 38.8 points per game, and has
gained momentum as the season has continued.
One of the nuances of Heisman voting is the ten-
dency of voters to look for guys to finish strong.
Two of Banks' competitors, Miami's Ken Dorsey
and Willis McGahee, have continued to post good
(not great) statistics, but their offense has
slowed down.
Banks, meanwhile, saved his best for last, pro-
ducing nine touchdowns in his last two games
(five in the air, four on the ground) and going a
perfect 10-for-10 on passing in his second-to-last
LARRY JOHNSON,
PENN STATE
Why Johnson?: Anyone who has tried to tackle
Larry Johnson this season would tell you how
absolutely ridiculous that question is. Johnson is
by far the most versatile player in America. He is
impossible to bring down, and maybe the most
important thing he has brought to the Penn
State offense is his ability to catch the football
out of the backfield.
Johnson has been the key to the Nittany Lions'
resurgence this season, because in the prior
three seasons, Penn State could never establish
a consistent ground attack. Johnson spent his
first three years trying to break through the pack
of Penn State runners who were trying take over
the starting role, but Paterno never gave him his
shot. Paterno said that he regretted that John-
son was not his starter last season, and the sen-
ior has shown why.
Saturday against Michigan State, he became the
ninth player in NCAA Division 1-A history to run for
2,000 yards in a season, as he carried 19 times
for 279 yards and four touchdowns in the first half
alone. In the first half, folks! This came after last
week when he ran for 327 yards in Penn State's
win over Indiana. Johnson leads the nation in rush-
ing and all-purpose yardage, and get this - he's
rushed for eight yards per carry on the season. To
put it in perspective, that means that Johnson
gets three first downs in four carries.
Heisman Trophies are traditionally won by being
a veteran player who leads his team to success
in the month of November. Penn State, after two
Iowa's Brad Banks
game, against Northwestern.
The only thing that could get in the way of Banks'
Heisman candidacy is that the only thing he will
have done in the waning days of November and
early days of December is study for his finals. The
Hawkeyes' regular season is done; but truly,
Banks' Heisman hopes are not.
- David Horn
KEN DORSEY,
MIAMI (FLA. )
Why Dorsey?: He may be a dorky-looking, lanky
beanpole, but Dorsey sure knows how to win
football games. He's the unquestioned leader on
the best team in the nation and is an impressive
20-0 as a starter. How many other quarterbacks
can say that?
Dorsey's numbers are nearly identical to those
from last season's national title season - when
he was a finalist for the award. He completes 55-
percent of his passes, boasts a 139.2 quarter-
back rating and has more than twice as many
touchdowns (22) as picks (9).
Yes, the 6-foot-5, 200 pounder does have one of
the best tailback's in the nation in Willis McGa-
hee and numerous NFL prospects around him,
but there's something to be said about a guy
who can effectively lead a group of superstars
and keep the defending national champs moti-
vated and focused throughout a quest for a
repeat.
o Dorsey's the one they look to in the huddle, the
one who helps set up the running game with his
cannon of an arm, and unfortunately the one
who takes the heat when Miami showed that it
is, in fact, human over the course of this season.
He may not be racking up an absurd amount of
fantasy points (sorry guys) but part of that is
because the coaching staff has put more empha-
sis on running the ball - and McGahee reaps
some of the benefits near the goalline.
Dorsey wins football games in a pressure-packed
situation for a school that expects nothing less
WILLIS MCGAHEE,
MAmI (FLA. )
Why McGahee?: It is as simple as this: McGahee
is the best player on the nation's best team. As
ESPN analyst Trev Alberts would say, "There is
no better player in the nation, obviously." But
unlike Alberts, I will provide much information as
to why McGahee deserves the award.
First, aside from his team's current ranking as
No. 1, McGahee is putting up the numbers. He
has rushed for nearly 1,500 yards, 6.4 yards per
carry and has broken former Hurricanes' stand-
out Edgerrin James' record for most rushing
touchdowns.
Second, he is a complete player. Like James,
McGahee is a dangerous receiver out of the back-
field. On the season, he has 22 receptions for 329
yards - an average of 15 yards per catch.
Third and most importantly, he has kept Miami
winning. The team's struggles have been well doc-
umented, but McGahee's play has kept the Hurri-
canes unbeaten against some stiff competition.
o He broke on to the national scene by rushing for
more than 200 yards in the Hurricane's 41-16
romp over Florida and has been clutch ever
since.
Against Florida State, with five minutes left in
the game, McGahee caught an 58-yard pass to
set up the game-winning touchdown run by Jason
Geathers.
This past week, Miami edged Pittsburgh 28-21.
In the game, McGahee rushed for 159 yards and
two touchdowns, including the game-winning
score in the fourth quarter.
GAME PROGRESSION
First Quarter:
Ohio State's opening drive is a short
one. With Maurice Clarett on the
sideline, the Buckeyes go three-and-
out and punt. Two times on the
Wolverines' opening drive they face a
third and long and both times John
Navarre completes first down pass-
es. But the drive stalls and Adam Fin-
ley boots a 36-yard field goal.
Michigan 3, Ohio State 0
When Ohio State gets the ball back,
Clarett is on the field and quickly
makes an impact. He catches a
screen pass from Craig Krenzel and
runs nine yards for a first down. Later
in the drive he runs 28 yards to the
Michigan 11-yard line. It appears that
the Buckeyes will have to settle for a
field goal, when Krenzel throws the
ball away on third down, but Jeremy
LeSueur is called for pass interfer-
ence. Clarett runs two yards for a
touchdown on the next play.
Mike Nugent converts the extra point
Ohio State 7, Michigan 3
Second Quarter:
Michigan gets the ball and quickly
goes to work. Chris Perry runs for 30
yards during the drive and Navarre
completes passes to Ronald Bellamy
and Braylon Edwards to convert on
3rd-and-long. The Wolverines get to
the Ohio State 15-yard line, but no
further. Finley kicks a 35-yard field
goal to cut into the lead.
Ohio State 7, Michigan 6
Ohio State moves the ball to midfield,
but the drive stalls. On third down
deep in his own territory, B.J. Askew
runs 11 yards for a first down. Later
in the drive, both Askew and Navarre
run to keep the drive alive. On 2nd-
and-goal, Navarre completesa pass
to Braylon Edwards in the end zone,
but Edwards is called for pass inter-
ference. The 19-play drive ends with
a 22-yard field goal by Finley.
Michigan 9, Ohio State 7
Third Quarter:
Both offenses struggle to put togeth-
er a long drive.
Fourth Quarter:
After two more punts, Ohio State
gets the ball at their 37-yard line,
where Krenzel takes over the offense.
He completes a pass for 15 yards on
the first play of the drive. Three plays
later, on 3rd-and-seven, he scrambles
for six yards. On 4th-and-inches, he
sneaks past the marker for a first
down. On the next play, Krenzel finds
Clarett open on the left side. The 26-
yard pass gives them first and goal at
the 7-yard line. Two plays later, the
Buckeyes' run the option and Krenzel
pitches it to Maurice Hall, who scam-
pers into the end zone.
Mike Nugent converts the PAT
Ohio State 14, Michigan 9
Michigan puts the ball in Navarre's
hands and asks him to take the
offense down the field. A pass inter-
ference and a 12-yard pass to Bel-
lamy on fourth down move the ball
into Ohio State territory. But after
another first down, Darrion Scott
sacks Navarre and forces a fumble.
The Buckeyes' Will Smith recovers.
Michigan forces Ohio State to punt,
and gives the offense one last
chance with 56 seconds left and no
timeouts. Then Navarre completes an
11-yard pass to Edwards on fourth
down. Navarre completes passes to
Bellamy for 15 and 17 yards, sand-
whiched by a pass interference
penalty. At the 24-yard line with
seven seconds left, Navarre is hit and
sails a throw over Edwards in the
end zone. With one second left,
Navarre throws a passto the goal
line that is intercepted by Will Allen to
end the game.
WHO'S NEXT:
Obviously the Wolverines don't know who
they will face in their next game, but it's
fun to try and guess. Michigan will return
to Florida for the fifth straight season, but
likely a new location for the first time since
1999: Tampa. The Outback Bowl seems
the likely game for the Wolverines, which
has a matchup against the SEC's No. 3
team. If bids were handed out today, that
team would be Florida (Georgia and
Louisiana State would go to the Sugar and
Capital One Bowls, respectively). The
Gators have two wins against top five
teams this season, but their season looked
in doubt after losing two in a row, including
a 36-7 embarrassment to Louisiana State.
There's an outside chance that Auburn,
which upset Alabama this weekend, could
sneak into the game.
-Joe Smith
AP PHOTO
Miami's Ken Dorsey
than a national championship.
He's not as mobile as Brad Banks, and doesn't
have the gaudy numbers of a Byron Leftwich.
But he shouldn't lose votes just because his
team is so damn good and actually has a running
game to support him.
He wins football games. And he should win the
Heisman.
Penn State's Larry Johnson
down years, is back in the top 15 and will most
likely be playing in a New Year's Day bowl game.
That's because of Johnson, and anyone who says
there's been a more impressive performer in the
last month of the season is kidding themself.
Johnson is the the best player in college football
- and the most valuable.
AP PHOTO
Miami's Willis McGahee
Although Penn State's Larry Johnson has the
better statistics, McGahee is a winner and he is
only getting better. In a year where class stand-
ing is a hot topic (see: Maurice Clarett), McGa-
hee's standing as a redshirt sophomore
shouldn't lose him any votes.
Ken Dorsey may be at quarterback for Hurri-
canes, but McGahee is the reason they are unde-
feated.
- JeffPhillips
.I Brady McCollough
i J
BIG TEN STANDINGS
Gray's Sports
Almanac, or Horn
Things appear to be tightening
up as David Horn emerged from
this weekend with an 11-4
record, riding the strength of five
straight best bets, tying him with
Jeff Phillips for the overall lead in
that category.
Horn boasted that the only way
to make guaranteed money is to
place it on his best bets.
"If you have a time machine, I
strongly recommend going back
five weeks and betting $1,000,
your farmand your sister on my
best bets," Horn said.
J. Brady McCollough and Horn
STAFF PICKS
WEEK 12 SELECTIONS
ALL PICKS MADE AGAINST THE SPREAD.
HOME TEAMS IN SMALL CAPS.
ohio State (-4) vs. Michigan
Illinois (-14.5) at NORTHWESTERN
Purdue (-22) vs. Indiana
Wisconsin (-7) vs. MINNESOTA
Penn State (-21) vs. Michigan State
Southern Cal. (-5.5) at UCLA
CAUFORNIA (-11) vs. Stanford
An__r CTT AR v rc
David
Horn
Ohio Stte .
Illinois
Purdue
Wisconsin
J. Brady Jeff Joe
McCollough Phillips Smith
Illinois Illinois Illinois
Minnesota Wisconsin Wisconsin
Team
Ohio State
Iowa
Michigan
Penn State
Purdue
Illinois
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Michigan State
Indiana
Northwestern
Big Ten
8 0
8 0
6 2
5 3
4 4
4 4
3 5
2 6
2 6
1 7
1 7
Overall
13 0
11 1
9 3
9 3
6 6
5 7
7 5
7 6
4 8
3 9
3 9
Penn State Penn Stat. j MtchiganIate nt
Southern Cal. Southern Cal. Southern Cal. Southern Cal.
California :.:Ca:ifom:. C..:..lif ia C li ri
fl..., 4~4 flvdi. Q4t Arndn oflrn
THIS WEEKEND'S RESULTS
Ohio State 14, Michigan 9
Penn State 61, Michigan State 7
Wisconsin 49, Minnesota 31
Illinois 31, Northwestern 24
Purdue 34, Indiana 10
I.
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