Detroit Free Press du lieu suivant : Detroit, Michigan • Page 34

OUTDOORS: Deer will disappear in 'second Page 3C WOJNOWSKI The Detroit News Section det Today in Sports High Schools Michael Tennessee, left, stars for Sterling Heights Stevenson in victory over Rochester Adams. Page 5C The Detroit News Online All day. every day. http:detnews.com 1998 nwiiiifiiiiinf- j-tn Rotten reran for MSU Purdue comeback shocks Spartans for second year in a row Sunday, November 15, 1. rrj? ti 11 i I JM.

..1. k'l I 4S T. it 1 I 1 ,4 1 'A it bewildering. They upset the No. 1 team in the nation, Ohio State, a week ago.

They also handed Notre Dame its only loss. But they also blew leads in losses to Minnesota and Colorado State. The Spartans (5-5) have to win their final two games home against Illinois and at Penn State to qualify for a bowl bid. "We came off a historical win," MSU center Jason Strayhorn. "This is just a sickening feeling." "We show up for the big games, but we play down to the level of other teams," said defensive back Aric Morris.

"We have to find our level and play at it all the time." David GurulnicfcTheDclroit News Purdue grounded MSU's Sedrick Irvin and the Michigan State offense when it counted in the game's final minutes. Outright Big Ten title is one victory away blocked punt deep in MSU territory, and quarterback Drew Brees threw two touchdown passes in the final 5:07 to rally the Boilermakers for the second straight season against MSU. Remember last year? The Spartans were leading 21-10 with two minutes left when a blocked field-goal attempt was returned for a touchdown and Purdue came back for a 22-21 victory. "In the words of Yogi Berra, it's deja vu all over again," said Purdue Coach Joe Tiller. "To do this two years in a row is nothing short of amazing." For the Spartans, it's more like Todd Mdnturf The Detroit Sews Barry Sanders (rib); Larry Tharpe (shoulder).

Bears Out: RB Curtis Enis(knee). Questionable: QB Erik Kramer (shoulder); TE Ryan Wetnight (calf). Probable: RB Ty Hallock (shoulder). Williams helps Michigan expose Badgers as frauds in red ANN ARBOR As they kept looking, he kept looking. The Wolverines kept searching for ways to revive their running game and recapture their confidence, and Clarence Williams kept waiting, and hoping.

As Michigan continues its remarkable turnaround, it's unearthing a simple truth: The best way to gain ground is to keep running. It taught the lesson explicitly to the red-clad frauds from Wisconsin Saturday, delivering a 27-10 beating that was sparked by Williams, whose final game in Michigan Stadium was perhaps his finest. A senior from Detroit Cass Tech, he rushed for 121 yards against what had been the nation's top-rated run defense. He hit holes and bounced off tackles. With most eyes following the other No.

33, Wisconsin's gargantuan Ron Dayne, Williams ended up where he always figured he'd be. "I knew I'd come back," he said, and his smile was 100 watts, at least. "I didn't know when, I didn't know how. But I always knew." If you wonder how an 0-2 U-M can become an 8-2 team with a share of another Big Ten title, Williams is the symbol. If you marvel at how U-M suddenly is a force rumbling toward the annual ink-blot test that is Ohio State, understand how Williams went from a demoralized afterthought to a 5-foot-o model of persistence rewarded.

He fumbled in the opener against Notre Dame, then played sparingly in the loss to Syracuse. He fumbled in the rain at Northwestern, and didn't carry the ball the next two weeks. While the Wolverines were rushing for minus-23 yards at Minnesota, Williams sat and waited, and hoped. Lloyd Carr, who loves to lean on seniors, gave him another chance, and he responded with 83 yards in a pummeling of Penn State. Against the Badgers, Williams and Anthony Thomas (102 yards) formed a punishing tandem as U-M rushed for 257 yards against a defense that had allowed an average of 62.7.

Dayne, a 253-pound myth, was held to 53. The Badgers (9-1) still might go to the Rose Bowl if U-M falls to OSU, but the point has been made. You can't gain ground on U-M's program if you can't gain ground on the ground. Give credit to an offensive line, anchored by senior Jon Jansen, that never caved in. Give credit to coordinator Mike DeBord, who nurtured improving quarterback Tom Brady.

And don't forget Williams, a fun-loving, energetic guy who refused to be dismissed. "lie's typical of a lot of seniors who set their goals so high, sometimes they try too hard," Carr said. "But there was never a question of his attitude or effort." For four seasons, Williams has been U-M's fall-back tailback, there if you need him. This was only the third 100-yard game of his career. Seldom has someone covered so much ground, and experienced so many twists, along the way.

"I'll always remember this game," he said. "The lesson I learned is, no matter how bad things look, there's something positive buried beneath. Maybe the average person would mope or give up. We didn't. I didn't." It's not enough to play great defense, which U-M does.

It's not enough to promise improvement without deliv ering. The. Wolverines sometimes lose their way, but this time of year, they generally deliver. They have that look again, exhibited by tough blocking, reflected in the wide eyes of Williams. The Buckeyes know it well.

The Badgers have just been introduced. leave a message for Bob Wojnowski at 313-223-4648. Col. basketball 2C NHL 4C NFL 6-7C LocalState- 11C Trailing 24-19, the Boilermakers (7-4) started the winning drive at their 30 with 2:54 left. Brees scrambled for 19 yards on the first play and then completed 6 of 7 passes, including a 6-yard touchdown to Issac Jones with 1:21 left.

MSU quarterback Bill Burke, who passed for a career-best 345 yards and three touchdowns, suffered a concussion on the Spartans' second-to-last drive. Freshman Ryan VanDyke replaced him and completed a fourth-and-2 pass to the Boilermakers' 43 to keep MSU's final chance alive. But consecutive sacks killed the Spartans' chances. Tickets to victory Film study Watching tape of '97 game vs. Wisconsin a reminder for Wolverines.

Page 9C Wildcat turnaround Kansas State beat Nebraska, 40-30, to clinch the Big 12 North championship their first football title since 1934. Page 8C Volunteer comeback Tennessee rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Arkansas, 28-24. Page 8C held to 58, including 53 by Ron Dayne, who had been averaging 141 yards. The Badgers gained only 43 yards of offense in the second half. "Our defense was outstanding," Carr said.

Wisconsin was first nationally against the run (63 yards) and fourth in total defense (249), but the only significant defense came from the Wolverines. Michigan senior Clarence Williams rushed for 121 yards and sophomore Anthony Thomas had 102 and two touchdowns, including a 59-yard run. Brady spread the ball around for the second straight game, hitting seven different receivers. He and Jerame Tuman connected on a 6-yard touchdown. The Wolverines had 476 yards of total offense 289 in the first half.

Jay Feely had two field goals for Michigan. "We knew going in that they were a good football team, and they did nothing to tell me anything Wisconsin Coach Barry Alvarez said. "They beat us in all phases of the game." The Lions have used the bright lights of national TV and big crowds at the Silverdome as springboards for victory before. Their only two wins this year were against Tampa Bay on Monday Night Football and Green Bay on a Thursday-night telecast on ESPN. Unfortunately for the Lions, they are 0-7 in the rest of their games all on Sunday afternoons for a 2-7 record that has them in last place in the NFC Central.

Chicago is fourth at 3-6. "Whatever the case, whether we play Sunday morning, afternoon or night, we need to win and get ourselves back on track," Lions Coach Bobby Ross said. Please see LIONS, Page 6C f'w- A if- Associated Press C. fX Indiana's Antwaan I i -v Randle El passed and 1 7 ran for a touchdown. I Ii I 5J 5r- I College i y-7j) Scoreboard 'i 1 36 (l WASHINGTON .24 jJ 33 I SOUTH CAROLINA 14 I TEXAS 17 'Jr tt I 5 MISSOURI .......14 s.

I NOTRE DAME ...30 4 0 FLORIDA STATE 24 WAKE FOREST 7 ARIZONA. 27 33 'V PENN STATE. 41 10 INDIANA 0 pw MINNESOTA 19 I By Dave Dye The Detroit News EAST LANSING Michigan State breaks the hearts of its fans every time, doesn't it? It not safe to be a Spartan. Just when they think their team can't possibly let them down again, it all quickly changes in bizarre fashion, as it did in Saturday's 25-24 loss to Purdue at Spartan Stadium. The Spartans appeared to be in control, leading 24-13 with less than seven minutes remaining.

But the momentum turned on a Lions vs. Bears When: Tonight, 8:20 Where: Silverdome. TV: ESPN (blacked out locally). Radio: WXYT 1270, WKRK-FM 97.1. Records: Lions 2-7, Bears 3-6.

Line: Lions by 6. Last meeting: Bears ral lied to' defeat Lions, 31-27, on Oct. 4 at Chicago. Injury report: Lions Doubtful: DE Tracy Scroggins (calf). Questionable: Jeff Hart-ings (knee).

Probable: WR Herman Moore (quadriceps); WR Johnnie Morton (quadriceps); DE Robert Porcher (neck); RB Detroit's Barry Sanders Daniel Mears The Detroit News By Angelique S. Chengelis The Detroit News ANN ARBOR The Michigan Wolverines tempered their celebration after defeating unbeaten Wisconsin Saturday. Yes, just one victory separates them from a return trip to the Rose Bowl. And to get to this the I5th-ranked Wolverines had to beat eighth-ranked Wisconsin, which they did in dominating fashion, 27-10, before 111,217 at Michigan Stadium. But, the Wolverines are aware of what lies ahead.

Michigan, which started the season 0-2, has won eight' straight, is the only Big Ten team with a perfect conference record, and has earned a share of their 39th conference title. A victory at Ohio State next week would send the Wolverines to the Rose Bowl for the second straight season. "We're in a great position," said junior quarterback Tom Brady, who was i5-of-24 for 202 yards, one touchdown and one interception. "Everyone knows what's on the line. You celebrate for beating a great team like Wisconsin, but everybody knows what lies ahead of us." Left in the Wolverines' wake are two top-10 teams, Penn State and Wisconsin.

Michigan outscored them 54-10 and boosted Coach Lloyd Carr's record against top-10 teams to 9-0. The Badgers (9-1, 6-1) came here with national-title hopes and impressive offensive and defensive numbers. But against Michigan, they produced little of either. Wisconsin had averaged 219 yards rushing but were mm fc I 17 CENTRAL MICH 14 MIAMI OF OHIO. GRAND VALLEY.

56 FERRIS STATE .....53 (OT) WESTERN MICH 56 BOWLING GREEN 27 24 EASTERN MICH 21 0 i j. Juaquin Feazell and the, Michigan defense stuffed Wisconsin running back Ron Dayne, holding him to 53 yards on 16 carries. He averaged 3.3 yards per carry and did not score. Lions in search of win, confidence Tigers interested in Japanese closer Despite sore ribs, Sanders expected to play against Bears. By Mike O'Hara The Detroit News PONTIAC The Lions' plight ought' to be as plain as day or night.

Sunday afternoon, Sunday night, Monday night, Thursday night it shouldn't matter when they play the Chicago Bears. They are desperate for a victory, and the venue for tonight's game against the Chicago Bears should be incidental. A crowd of about 65,000 is expected at the Silverdome, along with a national audience for ESPN's telecast. trjis year, after a 1.99 ERA and seven saves in a variety of relief roles last year. Other clubs interested in him are the Dodgers, Angels, Diamondbacks Braves, but Smith is the first general manager who's flown over to speak with him.

"The pitcher in question $mld definitely help us," Smith said. "He's been both a starter and closer in his career." But his numbers as a closer are much better. So ineffective was Kida as a starter that he ended up with an overall 4-7 record and a 4.62 ERA this year. But if the Tigers sign him as a closer, they might turn around and package Jones in a deal for a starter. By Tom Gage The Detroit News DETROIT Could the potential signing of a Japanese pitcher result in the Tigers trading their closer Todd Jones? General Manager Randy Smith flew to Japan on Saturday with his assistant Randy Johnson to meet with right-hander Misao Kida, 30, who's put up some outstanding numbers in recent years.

Kida was a nine-year mainstay on the staff of the Yomiuri Giants before being traded to the Orix Blue Wave this year. At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, he is said to have a 95 mile-an-hour fastball and dominant forkball. Kida had a 1.29 earned-run average and 16 saves as a closer.