The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, November 14, 1995 - 13
Although unfamiliar with success,
Wildcats have little trouble adjusting
The Daily Northwestern
EVANSTON - Open any newspa-
per, flip through any magazine or turn
on the television and you're bound to
see something about Northwestern's
football team.
The phenomenal success of this year's
fifth-ranked squad (9-1 overall, 7-0 in
Big Ten) has not only earned respect for
the Wildcats throughout the sports world
but also has made Nortwestern a house-
hold name nationwide.
The Cats have become media dar-
lings, appearing everywhere from USA
Today to the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Obviously, the success on the football
field has been the focus of the media
blitz, but behind that lies adeepertheme.
"Everybody likes to see the under-
dog be a winner," said Paul
Fichtenbaum, college football editor for
Sports Illustrated. "It's not often a team
comes out of the blue like this."
Sports Illustrated, which last had the
Cats on the cover Nov. 4, 1963, features
Darnell Autry and Northwestern as "The
Real Deal" in last week's NBA preview
issue. It is the third time SI has run a
story on the Cats this season.
SI reporter Teddy Greenstein said
Autry knocked Michael Jordan off the
cover of the issue.
"To bump Michael Jordan off the
cover, I think that's something Darnell
Autry can be happy to tell his kids
someday," said Greenstein, who gradu-
ated from Northwestern in 1994.
USA Today college sports' editor Joe
Harris said the Cats' climb to the top of
the Big Ten is worthy of the exposure
they have gained.
"It's one of the biggest stories in col-
lege football in a long time," Harris said.
"I mean, when was the lasttime they were
.500 or near a winning season?"
1971 - and with the Cats smelling
roses, even the network news is ready to
throw Northwestern into the limelight.
"We've got a story ready to go, but
we're holding it to see if they make the
Rose Bowl," NBC Nightly News produc-
tion assistant Kelly Doherty said. "People
definitely like to see the underdog win."
That's certainly been the case this sea-
son, as hordes of famous Northwestern
alums have come out of the closet to
support their alma mater. The TV show
Extra ran a segment Monday featuring
alums Cindy Crawford, Charlton Heston
and Ann Margaret basking in the glory of
the Cats' success.
Northwestern even has a fan in Larry
King, who in his Monday column called
the Cts "the big surprise sports story of
1995."
"They just came out of nowhere,"
Harris explained. "They weren't even
expected (to be) in the top four in the
conference, and now only one team is in
their way."
ESPN, which has broadcast fourCats'
games this year, also has caught "purple
passion." The network brought its col-
lege pregame show, "College
Gameday," to Evanston Saturday.
However, the network didn't broad-
cast the Northwestern-Iowa matchup.
"Northwestern is a huge story this
year, and we go on the road to be at the
big games and important places," said
Rob Tobrias, manager of communica-
tions at ESPN. "It's a huge story right
now whether it's SI or newspapejs
around the country, and we try to bea
part of the big stories."
But fame can be fleeting, especially
in the dog-eat-dog world of college
football, where one loss can send a team
reeling back into obscurity. .
"I think that (publicity) has probabjy
reached its peak," Harris said. "The
only way I can see it getting any bigger
is if they make the Rose Bowl."
JONATHAN LURIE/Daily
Bill Muckalt, who has one of the CCHA's best slapshots, is the one of the point
men on the power play who key successful special teams.
Special teams key
domination of Miami
I I
SBy John Leroi
Daily Sports Writer
OXFORD - Nobody likes penal-
ties, but the Wolverines are dealing
with them pretty well.
Michigan and Miami (Ohio) com-
bined for 47 penalties in their weekend
series. The two teams rarely played
five-on-five - especially Saturday
night when referee John Edwards blew
the whistle 34 times and players spent
109 minutes in the penalty box.
While 11 different Wolverines saw
time in the penalty box, Michigan won
the special teams battle and earned them-
selves a series sweep.
"The penalties came, and I don't like
to see all those penalties in a game,"
Michigan coach Red Berenson said.
"We're not promoting that, but it turned
out in our favor."
The Wolverines' power play pulled
them through Friday night. After fall-
ingdown, 4-2, in the third period, Michi-
gan scored three goals in 6:22, the last
being Jason Botterill's game-winner
with a man advantage.
Six of the nine goals scored Friday
night came on the power play, includ-
ing the first five of the contest.
Two five-minute major penalties
were called in the game, and the Wol-
verines' penalty-killing unit allowed
three Redskin goals in just five power
play opportunities.
But their power play made up the
difference, connecting on three of seven
chances to raise their season percentage
to 23.9 percent. Michigan's first unit
benefited from the return of All-Ameri-
can Brendan Morrison, who played in
his first game of the season Friday.
With Morrison back to quarterback
the power play, after leading the nation
with 53 assists last year, Berenson lined
up four snipers - Botterill, Warren
Luhning, Kevin Hilton and Bill Muckalt
- for Morrison to dish off to.
The strategy payed off as Morrison
tallied four assists Friday, three of them
coming on the power play.
"Brendan makes a big difference out
there," Berenson said. "He's our quar-
terback. We're a lot more organized
with him out there."
Saturday, after Michigan jumped out
to a 3-0 lead in the first period, a frus-
trated Miami squad began to come after
the Wolverines. Twenty-eight penal-
ties were called in the last two periods,
and three players - Botterill, Luhning
and Miami's Marc Topper-were given
game disqualifications for fighting,
while Redskin Dan Boyle earned him-
self a 10-minute misconduct for un-
sportsmanlike conduct.
"They gave us some penalties that we
thought were unfair-particularly (the
five-minute major) to Botterill,"
Berenson said. "We thought they were
the instigators on that one."
But the Wolverine special teams
turned the game around again. Michi-
gan killed off 10 Miami powerplays -
including a 5-on-3 advantage in the
third period. The Wolverines' defense
played so well Saturday, goalie Marty
Turco only faced eight shots in two
periods. Michigan took nine penalties
in the second period, but the defense
held the Redskins to just two shots on
goal.
"Special teams were huge," said
Hilton, who assisted on six Wolverine
goals for the weekend. "(Friday) our
power play was clicking when our pen-
alty killing wasn't and then (Saturday)
our penalty killing was unbelievable -
it played a big part in the weekend."
Berenson even let backup netminder
Gregg Malicke play the third period -
and he only faced four shots. The Wol-
verines' defensive effort marked the
third time this season they have limited
opponents to 12 shots or less in a game.
Michigan even went on the attack
when the Redskins had a man advan-
tage. Both John Madden and Matt Herr
scored shorthanded goals for the Wol-
verines, turning a strong defensive game
into an offensive showcase.
"They're apretty good hockey team,"
Miami coach Mark Mazzoleni said.
"They picked us apart on every mistake
we made - every time. And we made
some very fatal mistakes. They capital-
ized. They just jumped on us and stuffed
it down our throat."
Goldman, Sachs & Co.
invites University of Michigan undergraduates
to explore the many
for professional growth
opportunities
within the firm.
Monday, October 16, 1995
Opportunities in the
Investment Banking Division
5:30 p.m., The Michigan Union, The Pendelton Room
Casual dress.
I
CCHA Power Play Standings
Through games of November 12.
Team Att.
Miami (Ohio) 46
Western Michigan 74
Bowling Green 79
Alaska-Fairbanks 56
Michigan 54
Ferris State 95
llinois-Chicago 54
Michigan State 83
Ohio State 40
Lake Superior State 55
Notre Dame 75
PPG
14
20
19
13
12
20
11
15
7.
9
12
Pct.
30.4%
27.0%
24.1%
23.2%
22.2%
21.1%
20.4%
18.1%
17.5%
16.4%
16.0%
I - __ - -- I