The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 8, 1995 - 21 Memphis should pose little threat to Wolverines cM{f Bftom iy Sports Writer To the Michigan football team,. e difference between Miami and emphis may very well be the dif- rence between a 2-1 record and a 3- record. In the Hurricanes, who were the olverine's original opponent forthis :ekenduntil backing out of the con- ict, you have a perpetual power- use. Although they appear to have pped this season, Miami's mere esence would have made this foot-. IIweekend a most memorable one. In the Tigers, who were the late placement, you have a school better own for its basketball team and for od reason - Memphis finished e game over .500 against an un- ectacular schedule last season. Although the former independents e ajumptothe hyped Conference Athis season, many ofthe Tigers' nference mates (Cincinnati, Louis- e) are also better known for their d-court skills than their gridiron quarters Michigan has played? The running game has appeared stagnant for a variety of reasons. Therefor Memphis' rushing defense should be a decent litmus test for Michigan's running game. It returns defensive tackle Bryan Barnett and linebacker Jesse Allen to a unit that finished third last year in total defense. Advantage: Michigan offense vs. Memphis passing defense: It was obvious in Michigan's vic- tory over Illinois last weekend that coach Lloyd Carr didn't want a repeat performance of Scott Dreisbach's team-record 372-yard passing game against Virginia. Not that Dreisbach's opening- weekend performance was counter- productive, of course. It's just that Carr may have wanted to deemphasize the dependence on the mistake-prone freshman in favor of a more experi- enced running game. Nonetheless, Michigan's passing game is capable ofproducing big yards fast - Dreisbach is an immensely talented, pro-style quarterback and his receivers may be the best around. Good luck to Memphis in trying to keep with the likes of Am anitToomer, Mercury Hayes and Jay Riemersma. Memphis cornerbackJerome Woods is a decent talent. Beyond that, the Tigers best bet in trying to stop the passing game is to convince Carr that he is the second coming of Bo Schembechler. Advantage: Memphis rushing offense vs. Michigan rushing defense: The Tigers' offense didn't have the most esteemed reputation last year, but expect new coach Rip Scherer to bring a spunkier offense to Ann Ar- bor. To that end, talented running back Quitman Spalding and full- back Darius Blevins will play key roles inMemphis' I-formationattack. Also expect to see a number of option plays, which means the Wol- verines front line will have to keep its eye on quarterback Bernard Oden. However, the Wolverines' front- seven have proven to be a lot more adept in containing quick, multi-fac- eted offenses than in the past. If you have your doubts, ask Illinois quar- terback Johnny Johnson whether Michigan has gotten quicker and faster this season. Advantage: Memphis passing offense vs. Michigan passing defense: Scherer expects the option play to open up the passing game for Oden. If Oden's offensive line can give him any kind of protection in the pocket, he has a couple of quality receivers to throw the ball to: tight end Joel Peschke and wideout Ryan Roskelly. Michigan's secondary may be the team's one lone weakness. Interest- ingly enough, however, the second- ary has yet to be significantly tested - mainly because Michigan's front- line has prevented the opposing quar- terback from having any time to find his receivers. Advantage: Special Teams: The news is much better for Michigan's special teams than it was a year ago. Remy Hamilton, an All- American type performer in 1994, kicked a career-high 48-yard field goal against Illinois. More impor- tantly, punter Nate DeLong is solidi- fying a position that was a certifiable disaster last year. Memphis has an untested placekicker in Drew Pairamore, a converted punter who kicked a 26- yard chippy against Mississippi State last weekend. Punter Mike Coughlin has a solid leg and a 44.7 yard punting average. Advantage: Scott Darren Antone Ryan RTON IVERSON ITTS V HITE Picks are made against the spread Memphis (+20 1/2) at Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan lebraska (48 1/2) at Mich. St. Mich. St. Nebraska Nebraska Western Mich. (+19) at Indiana Indiana Western Mich. Western Mich. Western Mich. ;,Notre ~a - 12,a( &urk Ntr Drne NoteDre NteDmPurdue Illinois (+3 1/2) at Oregon Illinois Illinois Oregon Oregon Te eh 1 tFen t, TexasTech Penn State PennSte Texas~ TechV UCLA (-101/2) at BYU UCLA UCLA BYU UCLA :Vrgnia (-6) At N cOarlin St. Virginia N.C. St. VrinaN..Stt Georgia (+12 1/2) at Tennessee Tennessee Georgia Georg ia Georgia Coradr*a 5t. a±174'.; 2.at olc.. Colorado _ ..Colorado St. , Colorado _. C~iorado S1 t. Best bet Illinois Notre Dame Penn State Michigan .,Look for staff piceks evey Friday'in the Oly. Men's Basketball Ticket Policy for the 1995-96 Sea Students will receive , eseating on a season basis Priority wil be by consecutive years purchase. No more missed classes or study dne waiting in Line! Mn mnre linr checks or emnure to sub-zero remoeratures! Student season ticketwill notincludegamesvs. Washington(Dec.16),Cleveland Statee(Dec. 1)5),Nrtwestern (Jan.0) and Wisconsin(Mar.9) due toUniversity break pdads. Sutdents may order one ticket far each ofthese games m Blue seating reas fcr$15each dhring heapplication peaid Makchecksp MichigamT D ne Credit