2B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - December 13, 2004
Weis near si
SOUTH BEND (AP) - New England Patri-
ots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis has told
friends he has accepted the Notre Dame coach-
ing job, returning to the school he graduated
from in 1978.
And Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said
yesterday the team wants to send Weis out "the
right way."
Mark Bavaro, a former Notre Dame player
who was with the New York Giants while Weis
was on the staff, said Weis told him Saturday
that he was taking the job at Notre Dame.
"He was excited, but he was much more con-
cerned about the Cincinnati game today," Bava-
ro said yesterday. "That's the way he is, very
focused."
Dr. Jim Benenati, who roomed with Weis for
four years at Notre Dame, said Weis had told
him he has agreed to take the job and he was
excited about becoming a head coach.
"It's the greatest thing that could ever happen
to the school, and probably the best thing that
could ever happen for Charlie," said Benenati, a
radiologist in Miami.
The Fighting Irish have been searching for
nearly two weeks for a replacement for Tyrone
Willingham.
A university source, speaking on condition of
anonymity, told The Associated Press on Satur-
day that Notre Dame was close to a deal with
Weis, but it was not a done deal.
Asked as he left the field after New England's
35-28 win over Cincinnati for his thoughts on
Weis, Brady told CBS, "Even though he's leav-
ing I think everyone's going to enjoy these last
few games and hopefully we send him out the
right way."
Weis will attempt to restore Notre Dame to
the powerhouse program it was when he attend-
ed the university as an undergraduate while Ara
Parseghian and Dan Devine coached the Fight-
ing Irish. Weis never played for Notre Dame.
Associate athletic director John Heisler said
Sunday afternoon that the school "was not in a
position to make an announcement yet."
"We're not prepared to say it's official yet,"
he said.
New England coach Bill Belichick wouldn't
comment about Weis' status after the game.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft was asked about
Weis after New England defeated Cincinnati
yesterday about Weis.
"Tomorrow, when they announce it," he said,
declining further comment.
Weis was not available after the game.
ESPN reported that Weis has agreed to a six-
year contract worth about $2 million a year.
inini with Notre Dame
Athlete of the Week
Name: Stann Waithe Team: Men's track and field
Hometown: Towson, Md. Class: Sophomore
Why: Waithe wrote his name into Michigan history by
setting meet records in both the 200- and 400-meter events
during the men's track and field team's Maize and Blue
Intrasquad Meet on Saturday. But Waithe's points weren't
enough to propel the Blue team to victory. Maize emerged
victorious, 660-560. Waithe finished the 200-meter race in
22.06 and paced the 400-meter event with a time of 48.69.
'M' SCHEDULE
Date Event
12/14 M Basketball vs. Boston University
12/14 W Basketball at Western Michigan
12/18
12/18
12/18
M Basketball at UCLA
W Basketball at Maine
M Gymnastics
Maize and Blue Intrasquad
12/28 W Basketball vs. Oakland
12/29 Ice Hockey vs. Michigan Tech
12/29 M Basketball vs. Delaware State
12/30 Ice Hockey vs. Michigan State or
New Hampshire
12/30 W Basketball vs. Illinois
12/31 M Basketball vs. UNC-Asheville
1/1 Football vs. Texasl
1/1 W Swim/Diving vs. Notre Dame
1/2 Wrestling vs. Central Michigan
1/2 W Basketball vs. Michigan State
Daily's NFL Power Ei01
Location Time
Ann Arbor 7 p.m.
Kalamazoo 7 p.m.
Los Angeles 2 p.m.
Orono, Maine 2 p.m.
Ann Arbor 7 p.m.
Ann Arbor 7 p.m.
Detroit 4:30 p.m.
Ann Arbor 7 p.m.
Detroit TBA
Ann Arbor 7 p.m.
Ann Arbor 1 p.m.
Pasadena, Calif. 2 p.m.
St. Lucia 3 p.m.
Ann Arbor 1 p.m.
Ann Arbor 2 p.m.
A
4
2. rNew Engiand I( -i ). Rtlanfta iU-3)
* Sure, the Pats only beat the * TJ.DuckettscoredfourTDsagainst
Bengals by a touchdao. sBut they the Raidersyesterday. Noke. And in
qualified tar the playoffs agairst his raokie coaching seasan, Jim Moa
New England Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, right, has told friends he may join the Fighting Irish.
Weis was considered a candidate for an NFL Willingham was fired on Nov. 30 with a 21-15
head coaching job this year, just as he had been record over three years. Urban Meyer accepted
last season. The Patriots' long playoff run last year the Florida job after meeting with Notre Dame
hampered Weis' hopes,. though. He interviewed athletic director Kevin White and the Rev. John
with the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills, but Jenkins, the incoming university president.
an NFL rule prohibits assistants from being hired The Irish then focused on Weis, Bills offen-
while their teams are in the playoffs. sive coordinator and former Irish quarterback
He could have faced a similar obstacle this year. Tom Clements and Redskins defensive coordi-
The door at Notre Dame opened, though, after nator Greg Blache, a former Irish assistant.
4
4. Indianapolis (10-3) 8. NI..Jets (9-4)
Ptn Manning eeds just two . "No, they dnt show up against
moreTD passes to be Marino's record. . the Steelers. Yes, they're still in line
TheColtsalsoclinched a playoff berth for a playoff spot in the incredibly
after beatingtheTexans. stacked AFC.
Tiger tops tough
field, wins Target
THOUSANDOAKS,Calif. (AP) - At
this rate, Tiger Woods probably can't wait
for the 2005 season to start.
Woods turned in his most com-
plete round of a difficult year yester-
day, missing only two fairways and
one green in closing with a 5-under
66 for a two-shot victory over Pad-
raig Harrington in the Target World
Challenge.
It was Woods' second straight
stroke-play title after going without
one on the PGA Tour for the first time
in his career.
Woods won the Dunlop Phoenix on
the Japanese tour last month by eight
shots. The Target World Challenge is
the last of the silly-season events and
doesn't count as an official victory.
Still, Woods beat an elite 16-man
field with a game that is tarting so
look vaguely familiar.
"Every shot I wanted to hit, I hit,"
Woods said.
He finished at 16-under 268 and
won $1.25 million, which he donated
to his foundation.
Harrington, who held off Woods
at Sherwood Country Club two years
ago, got into contention with a 31 on
the front nine, then kept pace until a
couple of errant shots cost him on the
final three holes.
The Irishman hit his approach into
a hazard on the par-5 16th, but had a
chance to play out toward the green.
It went into a bush, he had to knock
that out left-handed and wound up
with a bogey. After a clutch birdie
on the 17th to get back within one
shot, Harrington drove into rough
so thick he had no chance to reach
the 18th green.
He closed with a bogey for a 66, his
only consolation a $750,000 check.
Colin Montgomerie, who had a
two-shot lead and was trying to win
his first stroke-play title in the United
States, bogeyed the first hole and never
caught up. He shot 71 and finished at
13-under 271 with Jay Haas (69).
Miguel Angel Jimenez had a 70 to
finish another stroke behind.
Woods was coming off his worst
season on the PGA Tour. His only
victory was the Match Play Champi-
onship in late February, he failed to
seriously contend on the back nine of
any major and he lost his No. I rank-
ing to Vijay Singh in September out-
side Boston.
But the swing changes he began in
March appear to be taking hold, and
the last month has been proof.
So was yesterday.
Woods had full command of every
shot, and there would not have been
much drama if he could have made
a putt. He missed six birdie chances
inside 15 feet, and his longest putt for
par was 8 feet.
That might have been the biggest,
however.
Playing in the group behind Har-
Tiger Woods, heating up of late, won the
Target World Challenge yesterday.
rington, Woods pulled his 2-iron into
a tree next to the 16th green and had
to punch into the thickwrough guard-
ing the green. As he was starting his
downswing on a flop shot, a man on the
bridge yelled out, "C'mon Woods!"
Woods dropped the club in disgust as
sheriff's deputies took the man away. He
backed off the par putt, and he and cad-
die Steve Williams pumped fists when it
dropped to protecta two-shot margin.
He kept his distance by hitting with-
in 20 feet the last two holes. The only
green Woods missed was a 5-iron out
of thick rough on the 485-yard l1th
hole that trickled off the putting sur-
face and sat up in the first cut.
"I felt very comfortable with my
swing," Woods said.
It was a good test under pressure,
thanks to Harrington.
Woods quickly made up ground on
Montgomerie with a 10-foot birdie on
the opening hole, a bunker shot to 6
feet for birdie on the par-5 second and
a 240-yard 6-iron into 30 feet for a
two-putt birdie on the par-5 fifth.
Harrington proved to be the threat
with a 31 on the front.
"I figured Monty or Jay was going to
put something up on the front," Woods
said. "I didn't think Harrington would
shoot 5 under. I had to keep pace, and
I felt like I did that."
Lions blow game at
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - The er, slipping behind center Domi-
Green Bay Packers only led for two nic Raiola and shaking off Kabeer
seconds yesterday, and that was Gbaja-Biamila on his way to scoring
enough to keep their stranglehold the first rushing touchdown Green
over the Detroit Lions, who haven't Bay had allowed in 22 quarters.
won in Wisconsin since 1991. Hanson added a 36-yard field
Ryan Longwell's 23-yard field goal into the wind for a 13-0 half-
goal gave Green Bay a 16-13 win time lead.
over the Lions and lifted the Pack- The Packers committed six pen-
ers (8-5) into first place in the NFC alties for 74 yards in the first half
North by a game over Minnesota, and were flagged at least once on all
which lost at home to Seattle. three of the Lions' scoring drives.
The Lions blew a 13-0 halftime Packers linebacker Paris Lenon,
lead and also wasted a prime chance starting on the weak side for Na'il
to get into the playoff picture in the Diggs (kidney) had a pickoff cradled
muddled NFC, falling to 5-8. in his left arm when his teammate,
Longwell's third game-winning field rookie Ahmad Carroll, swiped it
goal in five weeks capped a 10-play, 37- away and put it on the grass, result-
yard drive after the Packers got the ball ing in an incompletion instead of an
back at the Detroit 42 with 3:27 left and interception in the first half.
the wind at the their backs.
Gusts up to 35 mph wreaked
havoc on passes, punts and long
snaps and caused a slew of drops.
Brett Favre completed just 3 of 15
passes for 28 yards in the first half
but he was an amazing 16-of-21 in
the swirling winds for 160 yards and
a touchdown in the second half.
Detroit quarterback Joey Har-
rington completed just 5 of 22 pass-
es for 47 yards as the Lions relied
on rookie running back Kevin
Jones, who rushed 33 times for 156
yards and a touchdown.
The Packers had a terrible first
half, beginning when Longwell
slipped on the opening kickoff.
Favre entered the game needing
28 yards to tie Dan Marino's NFL
record of 13 consecutive 3,000-yard
seasons, and he had exactly that
amount at halftime.
Jason Hanson's 31-yard field
goal was the only scoring either
team managed in the first quarter,
and Detroit coach Steve Mariucci
appeared to make a big blunder
when he failed to call timeout before
the quarter expired with the Lions
at the Green Bay 30.
Jones reeled off a 6-yard run on
third-and-2. Instead of a long field
goal try, the Lions had the ball at
the 24, and Jones ran it in from
Lambeau
The Lions committed five pen-
alties, including three 15-yarders,
on the Packers' opening possession
of the third quarter, yet Green Bay
couldn't get into the end zone, set-
tling for Longwell's 36-yard field
goal to pull to 13-3.
Running back Ahman Green's
79-yard touchdown catch-and-run
was negated by head linesman Paul
Weidner's debatable holding call on
rookie center Scott Wells.
Pushed back to his own 13, Favre
drove the Packers downfield against
the wind, capping the drive with a
23-yard touchdown toss to Donald
Driver that made it 13-10 late in the
third quarter.
Longwell kicked a 28-yard field
ann +o tip t nt VAw"th 10-6"lef
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5 W
J 0
Located next to The University of Michigan Football
Stadium; beautiful 4-bedroom house built in 1899 (Original
Woodwork) sleeps 5/6 students. Completely furnished , full
kitchen, dining room, living room. Basement with washer
and dryer with 2 large basins. Plenty of storage and 3 FREE
PARKING SPACES. Wooded area surrounded by picnic tables
and comfortable Adirondack choirs for settling down to
read a good book or just plain studying.
4
U-M fans. get in the gym.
4
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Javon Walker (84) hauls in a pass against the Lions
yesterday. The Packers defeated the Lions despite trailing throughout the game.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Baby Killer
The impact that is felt when you
are called Baby Killer after return-
ing from war is one that hits you
hard, stays with you and con-
tinues to grow. For those who
ever called someone Baby Killer,
think of it any time you hear of a
war veteran committing suicide.
Gary Lillie & Assoc., Realtors
www.sarylillie.com
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