The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, October 9, 1995 - 7B
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Despite the r-, Beabufta
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GAME STATISTICS
By Antoine Pitts
Daily Sports Editor
When Michigan tailback
Tshimanga Biakabutuka darted
through the line for seven yards on
the game's first play, it was a sign of
things to come.
Biakabutuka carried the ball 33 more
times and amassed a career-high 205
yards in Michigan's 19-13 loss to North-
western. The Wolverines needed
Biakabutuka's rushing yardage because
nothing happened in the air for Michi-
gan.
In previous games this year it has
been the opposite --Michigan was able
to gain yardage by passing and had
trouble moving the ball on the ground.
Quarterback Brian Griese com-
pleted just' 14 of 34 passes for 96
yards against the Wildcats. With the
rainy weather conditions contribut-
ing to Griese's inability to connect
with receivers, the ground game was
the only way to move the ball.
On their first drive, the Wolverines
drove 52 yards to the Northwestern
24-yard line. The possession stalled
when Griese threw two incomplete
passes from the 24. A drive that lasted
5:27 ended with a Remy Hamilton 41-
yard field goal.
The Wolverines did not threaten to
score again until early in the second
quarter. That score was set up by
Biakabutuka's longest run of the game.
Biakabutuka took the handoff and
dashed through the middle of the line.
He cut right to get outside, then cut
back to the middle. Northwestern's
Rodney Ray caught him from behind
at the Wildcats' 14-yard line, but not
before Biakabutuka racked up 47
yards on the play.
Two more Biakabutuka runs of five
and eight yards gave Michigan the ball,
first-and-goal, on the one. The North-
western defense held the Wolverines,
though, out of the end zone as
Biakabutuka failed to get through twice
and a Griese pass fell incomplete.
Michigan settled for another field
goal by Hamilton. Two lengthy drives
deep into Northwestern territory net-
ted the Wolverines just six points.
"I'mnotacoach, I'mjustaplayer,"
Biakabutuka said. "My job is to carry
the ball and that's all I know. I don't
know what's going on up front. My
job is to score regardless of what's
happening up front."
Biakabutuka finally reached the end
zone in the third quarter only to have
the score nullified by a penalty.
Michigan took over following a
fumbled kickoff at the Northwestern
23-yard line. Two plays later,
Biakabutuka scampered around the
left end all the way to the end zone.
However, a holding call upfield on
tight end Jay Riemersma brought the
play back to the 26.
The touchdown and extra point
would have made it a 20-6 game mid-
way through the third quarter. Instead,
Hamilton missed a 37-yard field goal
three plays later, leaving the score at
13-6.
Biakabutuka's career-best mark was
attributed to the blocking he received
from the offensive line. He averaged
six yards a carry and had the best rush-
ing total by a Michigan back since
Tyrone Wheatley ran for 235 yards in
the 1993 Rose Bowl. Biakabutuka's
effort ranks as the 15th-best single-
game total in Wolverine history.
"The line was blocking great,"
Biakabutuka said. "I decided that I
was just going to hit the hole as quick
as I could.
"I told the line that and they did
their job blocking. The hole was open-
ing really big. All I had to do was hit
the hole and I was in the secondary
with the (defensive backs)."
The 205 yards gave Biakabutuka
his third game with at least 100 yards
his season. His previous high was 143
yards four weeks ago against Mem-
phis. Biakabutuka couldn't give
enough credit to the line as he sur-
passed the 1,500-yard mark in career
yardage.
"The guys did a great job today,"
Biakabutuka said. "I don't think I
would have gained as many yards as I
gained without them."
PASSING
Player
Griese
Totals
C-A Yds TD Int
14-34 96 0 2
14-34 96 0 2
RUSHING
Player
Att Yds,
Avg LgTD
6.0 47 0
B'butuka34 205
C. W'iams8
Griese 4
37 4.6 29
0
8 2.0 9 1
Totals 46 250 5.4 47 1
RECEIVING
Player No.
R 'mersma5
Hayes 4
Toomer 2
C.W'iams 1
Tuman 1
B'butuka 1
Totals 14
Yds
33
Avg
6.6
LgTD
10 0
43 10.8 13
0
8 4.0 7 0
6 6.0 6 0
4 4.0 4 0
2 2.0 2 0
ELIZABETH LIPPMAN/Daily
Tshimanga Blakabutuka's 205 yards rushing was a career high.
96
6.813 0
PUNTING
Player
DeLong
Totals
No. Yds Avg Lg
416441.046
416441.046
PUNT RETURNS
Player No.
Toomer 2
Yds Avg
9 4.5
LgTD
9 0
Totals 2 9 4.5 9 0
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player No.
Toomer 3
Hayes 1
Floyd 1
Yds Avg
5719.0
LgTD
24 0
4040.0 40
6 6.0 6
0
0
0
Totals 5103 20.6 40
AP PHOTO
Ohio State exacted revenge against Penn State Saturday for last season's 63-14 loss to the Nittany Lions.
Ohio State gets revenge on Penn
State, drops Nittay Lions to 3-2
Associated Press
DEFENSE
Player
King
Thompson
Irons
Swett
Ray
Woodson
Steele
Winters
Elston
Horn
Solo
6
6
.5
4
4
4
3
1
1
Ast
1
1
2
2
1
1
0
2
2
Tot
7
7
7
6
5
5
3
3
3
2 0 2
Chii-val Miai (M )
Stung by a49-point loss to their Big
Ten rival last year, fifth-ranked Ohio
State rallied to beat No. 12 Penn State
Saturday, 28-25, on Eddie George's 6-
yard touchdown run with 1:42 left.
Penn State took a 25-21 lead on Jon
Witman's 1-yard TD run early in the
fourth quarter and stayed in front un-
til Ohio State's 58-yard, six-play scor-
ing drive late in the game. The key
plays in the drive were a 13-yard,
third-down catch by Buster Tillman
and a 32-yard catch in heavy traffic
by Rickey Dudley.
Penn State had a final chance, but
Wally Richardson's long fourth-down
pass for Bobby Engram was broken up
with less
than a --------------
minute left r
and Ohio
State then
ran out the 8
clock.
It was the
second
straight
home loss Roundup
for Penn
State (0-2
Big Ten, 3- '
2 overall), Games played
which had OCt. 7
its 20-game
winning
s t r'e a k
nannpn I Wisconsin it week.
Team
Northwestern
Ohio State
Iowa
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Ilicoisa
Michigan State
Purdue
Penn State
Indiana
2
I'
1
1
0(
0
0
Conference
L
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
'1
1
2
2
T
0
0
0
0
0
1.
0
0
Overall
W L
4 1
5 0
4 0
3 1
2 1
2 -2
3 2
2 2
T
0
0
0
0
1
1>
0
0
Big Ton football standings
Z enkew icz
Sword
M ayes
Campbell
Anderson
Sanders
B. W'ms
Feazel l
W. Carr
2
2
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
1
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
scrimmage and finding room after
holes had closed.
Michigan State (0-1-1,2-2-1) showed
no consistent momentum on offense
but still had two excellent opportunities
to narrow the score.
With the Hawkeyes up 14-7 in the
fourth quarter, Spartan tailback Marc
Renaud carried the ball to the Iowa 9-
yard line, then fumbled. Todd Schultz
later threw an interception in the end
zone with 2:41 remaining.
Iowa, playing its first Big Ten game
of the season, took the lead in the third
quarter when Matt Sherman hit Tim
Dwight with an I11-yard touchdown
pass. The two-point conversion put the
Hawkeyes ahead 14-7.
Shaw's touchdown with 12:48 in the
fourth quarter capped a 57-yard drive.
Iowa rolled up 524 yards and held
Michigan State to only 31 vards rush-
But in a virtual replay of the teams'
last two high-scoring games, the
Golden Gophers (1-0, 3-1) still needed
Cory Sauter's 1-yard sneak and his 2-
point conversion pass to Ryan
Thelwell with 1:38 left for the deci-
sive points.
Purdue (0-1-1,2-2-1) then got a 45-
yard kickoff return from Lee Johnson,
but Brad Bobich missed a 42-yard
field goal attempt with 21 seconds to
play, giving Minnesota a victory criti-
cal to its aspirations of playing in a
bowl. game for the first time in nine
years.
Illinois 17, Indiana 10
The Illinois defense forced four turn-
overs, two of which led to touchdowns
passes by Scott Weaver, as the Illini
beat Indiana, 17-10.
Weaver, making his first start of the
season. assed 25 yards to George
MICHIGAN SCHEDULE
A26
S2
S9
S16
S30
07
021
028
N4
N11
N18
VIRGINIA 18-17
Illinois 38-14
MEMPHIS 24-7
Boston Coll. 23-13
MIAMI (OHIO) 38-19
N'WESTERN 13-19
Indiana 2 p.m.
MINNESOTA 3:30 p.m.
Michigan St. 1 p,m.
PURDUE TBA
Penn St.
N25 OHIO ST.
Noon
TBA