UfIE £kIdI U NTyson-Mathis back on
Pending the approval of boxing promoter Don King, the Mike Tyson-
Buster Mathis Jr. bout, previously scheduled for Nov. 4, will take place
December 16 in Atlantic City. King was banned from doing business in
New Jersey after implications of wire fraud by New Jersey gambling
authorities. Page 8
Wednesday,
November 22, 1995
dolt
X{ X
Rankings: Ohio State is No. 2, Michigan is No.
18.
The coaches: John cooper, 65-26.4 in eighth year
at Ohlo State, 147-66-6 in 19th season overall,
2-5-1 against Michigan (1-0 at Arizona State). -
Uoyd Carr, 8-3 in first season. y e
Series: Michigan leads 51-34-6, including wins in
seven of the last 10 matchups, in Ann Arbor, the
Wolverines have a 26-16-4 edge. :
The lst 10 meetings, g
1994 Ohio State 22, Michigan 6
1993 Michigan 28, Ohio State 0
1992 Ohio State 13, Michigan 13
.1991 Michigan 31, Oho State 3
1990 Michigan 16, Ohio State 13
1989 Michigan 28, Ohio State 18 r
1988 Michigan 34, Ohio State 31
1987 Ohio State 23, Michigan 20
1986 Michigan 26, Ohio State 24-
1985 Michigan 27, Ohio State 17 x
A statistical comparison:
First downs 225 263
Rushing per game 191.9 230.6
Passing per game 203.1 268.9
Total offense 395 499.5
Total defense 216.7 315
Points for 26.1 39.8 $
Points against 16.2 15.2
3rd down efficiency 61-170 .359 70-144 .486
4th down efficiency 7-12 .583 11-22 .550
Time of possesion per game 31:25 32:05
Quick facts.
--As it will this year, the Michigan-Ohio State game l
has decided the Big Ten championship 32 times
since the game was moved to the last weekend of
the season ..The Wolverines will bethe Buckeyes'-
seventh top 25 opponent this season ... This will be
the 11th time since 1944 that Ohio State has l'
taken anundefeated mark into the Michigan game.
The Buckeyes are 7-2-1 in those games last losing
in 1993, 28-0 .., Ohio State last defeated the
Wolverines two years in a row in 1981 and 1982 -:
The only Michigan coach to Ipse his first game
against the Buckeyes was Harry Kipke in 1929 .. d
The teams played 15 games from 1897 to 1918
with Michigan winning 13 and tying two ... During s r
the 1970's the game decided the Big Ten
championship eight times.
JOE WESTRATE/Dai
THE MATCHUPS: Jason Horn and the rest of the Wolverines are hoping to get pressure on Ohio State quarterback Bobby Hoying Saturday when the Wolverines face the No. 2 Buckeyes.
Buck S frower too much for Mic to handle
Don'tput
anyth og
past tese
Wolvernes
here was one thing Amani
Toomer wanted to accomplish
more than anything else this
season.
More than hauling in dozens of
touchdowns or piling up thousands of
yards in receiving, Toomer wanted to
return to the Rose Bowl.
That was one
of the biggest
reasons he
came back to
Ann Arbor for
his senior year
instead of
heading for
professional
riches.
Toomer
made the trip
to Pasadena his
freshman year.
He hasn't
vlaved a name
RYAN
WHITE
White on
Target
By Antoine Pitts
Daily, Sports Editor
It's that time of the year again. The
annual Michigan-Ohio State match-up
to conclude the conference schedule takes
place Saturday at Michigan Stadium.
Forthe 33rd time, this match-up will
decide the Big Ten's representative in
the: Rose Bowl. A Michigan win will
send Northwestern to Pasadena while
an Ohio State victory will seal the trip
for the Buckeyes.
Ann Arbor florists better order an
extra supply of roses for this weekend.
Ohio State will give the Wolverines
all they can handle with the conference's
leading passer, receiver, running back
and quarterback sacker. This year'steam
has made Ohio State coach John Coo-
per look like a genius.
Michigan captain ofayearago, Walter
Smith, was quoted as saying, "We want
to get coach Cooper fired (rather than
lose to Ohio State)." The Wolverines
caine up a bit short, 22-6, in Columbus.
LeAding up to the game, Michigan
State, Police troopers will be licking
their chops out on U.S. 23.
It was last year that their Ohio coun-
terparts nabbed everyone from fans,
joumalists and even the band for speed-
ing on the trail to Ohio State.
Michigan's only hope this weekend is
that someone will detain the Ohio State
team buses on their way to the stadium.
Here are the matchups:
Michigan rushing offense vs. Ohio
State rushing defense:
This is the one place the Wolverines
may have an advantage. Tshimanga
Biakabutuka recorded his seventh 100-
plus rushing game of the season against
Penn State with 139 yards. With 1,411
yards on the year, Biakabutuka already
has the fourth-best single season mark
in Michigan history.
Defense may be the one area of Ohio
State's game that is suspect. Even so,
the Buckeyes have the second-best rush-
ing defense in the conference behind
Michigan at 114.7 yards per game.
For the running game to be effective
for the Wolverines, though, they have
also got to be able to throw the ball.
Advantage: Michigan
Michigan passing offense vs. Ohio
State passing defense:
Quarterback Brian Griese posted a
near-record passing performance
against Penn State last week with 323
yards on 24-of -46 passes. Most of that
effort came in the second half.
Griese's passing has been nearly nonex-
istent in the first half for most of the year.
H is main targets, Amani Toomer and
Mercury Hayes, continue to move up
the Michigan career receiving lists.
Toomer is now second and Hayes sixth
in all-time receptions.
Ohio State has the conference's lead-
ing quarterback sacker in Mike Vrabel.
He has gotten to opposing quarterbacks
10 times this season.
As a team, the Buckeyes have given
up 268.9 yards passing, but the inexpe-
rienced Griese shouldn't come anywhere
near that in his first Ohio State game.
Advantage: Ohio.State
Ohio State rushing offense vs.
Michigan rushing defense:
The Wolverines have the top-rated
defense against the rush but it won't be
enough to stop Heisman-hopeful Eddie
George. With just 43 more yards,
George will become the single-season
leading rusher in Ohio State history.
George blitzed Illinois two weeks
ago for a Buckeye-record 314 yards. He
had 130 last week against Indiana to
make it 10 consecutive games over 100
yards. George averages 6.1 yards a carry
and has had runs which have reached
the end zone 23 times this season. He is
aided by a strong offensive line that
includes Lombardi Award candidate
Orlando Pace.
Michigan will rely on its defensive
front, which includes William Carr, the
conference's leader in tackles for loss
with 16, to try to slow George up.
Not many teams have had any suc-
cess containing George this year, and
Penn State's 245 yards on the ground
last week shows how susceptible the
Michigan defense can be.
The one question that remains is
whether or not George will show off his
Heisman Trophy pose all four times he
reaches end zone.
Advantage: Ohio State.
Ohio State passing offense vs.
Michigan passing defense:.
Buckeye quarterback Bobby Hoying
is also having a career season. Hoying
has already topped the Ohio State single-
season passing mark with 2,737 yards.
Hoying has thrown a Buckeye single-
season record 27 touchdown passes -
17 of those going to wide receiver Terry
Glenn. For the season, Glenn has 1,244
yards, good enough for third in the
nation and a school record as well.
Hoying has the best quarterback rat-
ing in the nation at 182.6.
The Wolverines have been unable to
mount a successful pass rush, and letting
Hoying have all day to throw the ball
isn't going to help the Michigan cause.
Advantage: Ohio State
Special teams:
Both teams possess excellent spe-
cialists. Toomer and Hayes are the main
returners on kicks for the Wolverines
while Glenn and Shawn Springs handle
the chores for Ohio State. Dimitrious
Stanley averages 9.5 yards on punt re-
turns for the Buckeyes. -
The potent Buckeye offense hasn't
required the services ofplacekicker Josh
Jackson that often. Nevertheless, he has
hit seven of 12 attempts.
Remy Hamilton has hit 16 of 23 at-
tempts for the Wolverines.
Ohio State punter Brent Bartholemew
averages 35.4 per chance and Paul
Peristeris 35.1 for Michigan.
Advantage: Even
Overall:
This is Ohio State's year. If it were
not for the fact that Nebraska has not
lost since the 1994 Orange Bowl, the
Buckeyes would be No. 1 in the nation.
They have earned their high ranking by
playing a tough schedule - one in
which Ohio State will go undefeated.
Michigan struggled in the portion of
the schedule in which it needed to come
up big. Saturday will certainly be no
different than what the team has already
shown in the month of November.
Things could get ugly if you're a
Wolverine fan. Michigan won't be get-
ting coach Cooper fired this year, ei-
ther.
Prediction: Ohio State 41, Michigan 10.
in his home state of California since.
And the drought will continue this
season. The Wolverines' loss to
Michigan State Nov. 4 guaranteed that.
If Toomer and his teammates are-
lucky, they'll return to Tampa, where
they played two bowls ago, for the
Outback Bowl. Most likely, though,
Michigan will be in San Antonio for
the Alamo Bowl.
For the Wolverines, neither
compares to Pasadena.
So Toomer has putaa new spin 6n'"
his preseason goal.
"(Who goes to the Rose Bowl)
doesn't matter to me - I just don't
want Ohio State to go," Toomer said
Monday. "It's a big rivalry and I'.
figure if we can't go then Ohio State
shouldn't go either."
A Wolverine win Saturday would
send Ohio State to the Citrus Bowl
and Northwestern would be Rose
Bowl-bound.
It wouldn't be the first time
Michigan has forced the Buckeye s tc
make a last minute change in travel
plans..
In 1993 Ohio State came to
Michigan Stadium with a 9-0-1
record in tow. The Buckeyes left with
a 28-0 loss that knocked them out of
the Rose Bowl
Unfortunately for Toomer,
however, Saturday's game is going to
be out of his control.
No matter how big a day he, or'aiy
other member of the Wolverines
offense has, Saturday's continuation
of one of college football's greatest
rivalries is going to come down to
defense.
In particular Michigan's defense-
the defense that was mauled by Penn
State last weekend. Against the
Spread the news: Blue heads to New
York for NIT matchup with Arizona
See WHITE, Page 10
By Paul Barger
Daily SportsWriter
Early-season college basketball just
doesn't get any better than this.
It may only be November, but
tonight's matchup between the Michi-
gan men's basketball team and Arizona
in the semifinals of the Preseason NIT
has a great deal riding on it.
Madison Square Garden is soldout
for the doubleheader, which includes a
clash between Georgia Tech and
Georgetown. The winners meet for the
NIT title Friday. There will be a conso-
lation game Friday as well.
The young Wolverines are under-
standably excited about the opportu-
streak against the Wolverines.
Arizona, No. 19 in the latest Associ-
ated Press poll, is coming off an impres-
sive 10-point victory at Arkansas Friday.
That effort, combined with their past suc-
cess against Michigan, has made the Wild-
cats a four-and-1/2 point favorite.
The Wolverines are trying to play
down any notion of revenge.
"We can't be too anxious thinking
about last year," sophomore Willie
Mitchell said. "But we're looking for-
ward to the chance to play them again."
Arizona is led by seniors Joseph Blair,
Ben Davis and Reggie Geary. Geary
has the rather difficult task of replacing
All-American Damon Stoudamire. The
6-foot-2 Geary averaged 6.2 points per
game last year.
Davis is playing in his second season
for coach Lute Olson since transferring
from the junior college ranks. In his
initial campaign, the six-foot-eight for-
wardtallied 9.9 points and 5.9 rebounds
per game.
This is an extremely important game
for two teams because both are trying to
gain respect nationwide.
"WP havenPt howt , wrl
NIT SOMIfnals
Who: Michigan, Arizona, Georgetown
and Georgia Tech
Where: Madison Square Garden, New
York, N.Y.
When: Tonight. Michigan plays
Arizona at 6 p.m. Georgetown and
Georgia Tech face off at 8:30 p.m.
What's next: The winners move on
to the championship game at 9:30
p.m. Friday. The losers will play the
consolation game at 6:30 p.m.
Friday.
I ,-m e
! WOW !