Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 29

Today's tclovislon highlights; 1:00 p.m. NFL: Chicago at Dallas 4:00 p.m. NFL: Pitt, at Houston (taped) 5:00 p.m. CFL: Winnipeg at B.C. Lions ESPN 7:30 p.m.

NHL: Edmonton at New York Sunday, Nov. 17, 1C30 mm LJ DETROIT FREE PRESS Will Cibby lose his bangs! stripss? 'Unless Kirk "Gibson signs soon, when his wedding bells ring, he will no longer be a Tiger. Gene Guidi's baseball column, Page 3C. Sports Phone, 1-976-1313 NBANHL 4 LIONS 13 OUTDOORS 15 Call with sport news: 222-6660 U-M win runaways lft IT 9 hi Hitch Wolverines Gophers ought to know when it's time to hide near-perfect Spartans shut out I Wildcats I MINNEAPOLIS Break out the raccoon coat. Crank up the needle on the old phonograph, and pick out something a marching band can play.

The in 48-7 win salmon are swimming upstream, the swallows are returning to Capistrano. Once again, Michigan will play Ohio State to determine where they will wake up New Year's morning, a familiar finale to a season none thought they would have. They made sure it will be a big game Saturday with a 48-7 drubbing of Minnesota, a game that could only be gazed at with eyes of wonder. As in "I wonder who the fool was who said this would be close?" Yes, the battle of of M's was billed as an actual contest, if you can believe that this morn ing, with sophomore quarterback Rickey Foggie leading his Gophers' offense, and the screams of 64,129 Gophers fans making signal-calling impos sible inside the cavernous Metrodome. So they said.

Biff. Bam. Boom. New script. This one was merciless.

A slaughter. Gopher go home. By game's end Foggie's passing numbers were so bad he wouldn't show them to his fresh man math teacher. And the Michigan offense put on an aerial show. "Awesome," said a Cotton Bowl representa By TOMMY GEORGE Free Press Sports Writer MINNEAPOLIS "We came expecting a dogfight," said quarterback Jim Harbaugh but Michigan barely suffered a scratch Saturday in its 48-7 victory over Minnesota at the Metrodome.

Michigan ambushed Minnesota with 10 first-quarter points, 21 points in the second quarter and 17 more in the third and led, 48-0, without punting. And Minnesota helped. A Golden Gophers' fumble at their own 28 recovered by linebacker Andy Moeller; an Ivan Hicks interception at Minnesota's 39, and David Arnold's block of a Minnesota punt at Minnesota's 33 all in the first 18 minutes opened the gates for a lopsided victory. And Michigan crashed through scoring on eight of its first nine possessions before 64,129. "In my wildest dreams," said Minnesota coach Lou Holtz, "I didn't think the game would go as it did.

It was a near-flawless performance by Michigan." MICHIGAN IMPROVED to 8-1-1 (5-1-1 in the Big Ten). A win over arch-rival Ohio State Saturday in Michigan Stadium coupled with an Iowa loss at home to Minnesota would give U-M the conference title. Minnesota fell to 6-4 overall, 4-3 in the Big Ten. U-M's defense dominated again, clamping Gophers quarterback Rickey Foggie (28 rushing yards) and Minnesota's wishboneoption attack. Minnesota entered as the Big Ten's best rushing team (231.3 yards a game), but managed only 1 155 rushing yards.

Foggie'S 12-yard toss to flanker Andy Hare with See WOLVERINES, Page 11 By JACK SAYLOR Free Press Sports Writer EAST LANSING Beathlg Northwestern hardly rates as a giant step. But for Michigan State, it was a king-sized stride toward a warm-weather bowl game. The Spartans stretched their late-season winning streak to four games by bowling over the Wildcats, 32-0, Saturday before a well-chilled crowd of 55,439 in Spartan Stadium. MSU coach George Perles had avoided talking about bowl bids until the Spartans got past the punchless Wildcats. "I don't think there's anything wrong now with talking to the players about a bowl," Perles said.

"I won't be reluctant this week to mention it for motivation." It was the first shutout by MSU in 92 games, since the Spartans beat Indiana, 23-0, in 1976. The victory increased the Spartans' record to 6-4 (4-3 in the Big Ten), but now the bowl path is blocked by Wisconsin, an upset victor Saturday over Ohio State. "Another nice, nervous week," Perles said. That's routine in the Big Ten which is just how Perles and his staff spent most of Saturday as the Spartans blew repeated chances before blowing the Wildcats away in the fourth quarter. MSU did prove, however, its team is made of more than Lorenzo White.

The Spartans' Wonder Runner got his ninth 100-yard game in 10 outings (150 yards in 30 carries), along with two touchdowns. But except for one 90-yard drive, MSU won on quick strikes. "It's all coming together and See SPARTANS, Page 11C tive, trying not to lick his lips. So brutal were the Wolverines, under the dome that the Minnesota fans wished they were outside. And it was snow ing out there.

Forget the defense, this time We could talk U-M defense it was magnifi cent, as usual. Forced turnovers, as usual. Surren dered yardage like a hound surrenders raw meat from its teeth. As usual. But let's be adventurous.

Let's talk quarter back. Let's talk excellence. Let's talk Jim Harbaugh. Excellence because he played impressive foot ball Saturday, and in games he's started and finished, the Wolverines are 11-2-1 in two years. Adventurous because Bo Schembechler doesn't want to hear any more suggestions about Harbaugh's throwing being tied to the team's success.

His eyes squint and his face bunches up and his voice rises when the question does. Free Press Photo by MARY SCHROEDER Lorenzo White rushes for 13 yards in the first quarter against Northwestern. "Don't ask me about opening up our offense," he said Saturday. "What do you want us to do, throw on every down? Tha titla chssa "What Jim did out there today (13-for-18, 243 OSU falls; Iowa yards, 3 touchdowns) will have absolutely no effect on what we do next week. We are out to win a football game.

Not to please you (reporters) by BIG TEN GB Iowa 6 10 Michigan 5 11 Ohio State 5 2 0 1 throwing the forward pass. controls title race Ouch. But the facts, like alcohol on a wound, can Tha TcplO sometimes sting, and the facts suggest that a Free Press Wire Reports Ohio State and Michigan aren't out varied offense is Michigan's best insurance against defeat. Their defense is yet to play at any level lower than awesome. Only when the offense Penn State routs Irish, stays No.

1 By CHARLIE VINCENT Free Press Sports Writer STATE COLLEGE, Pa. There may be doubt about" which is the best college football team in the nation, but there was no question which was best here Saturday. On a stormy black afternoon, laden with a rain that turned the Beaver Stadium field into a sea of gray-brown mud, Penn State humbled Notre Dame, 36-6. It was Penn State's 1 0th win and only Pitt separates the Lions from a perfect season. After struggling with lightly regarded teams such as Rutgers (17-10), East Carolina (17-10) and Temple (27-25), Penn State turned killer against Notre Dame, forcing five turnovers and scoring on seven straight possessions.

"Today, they deserved to be No. 1," said Notre Dame coach Gerry Faust, whose last hope of keeping his job may Tiave been buried in Saturday's quagmire. "I felt like they See NITTANY LIONS, Page 10C of it, but Iowa appears to have penciled in its name for the Big Ten championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl. sputtered relying perhaps too much on the run did the scoreboard hurt: a 12-10 loss to Iowa The fifth-ranked Hawkeyes beat and a 3-3 tie with Illinois. Purdue, 27-24, at West Lafayette, Saturday while the third-ranked Buck No.

1 Penn St. 36, N. Dame 6 No. 2 Nebraska 56, Kansas 6 Wisconsin 12, No. 3 Ohio St.

7 BYU 28, No. 4 Air Force 21 No. 5 Iowa 27, Purdue 24 No. 6 Miami, idle No. 7 Oklahoma 31, Colorado 0 No.

8 Michigan 48, Minnesota 7 Texas 10, No. 9 Arkansas 6 No. 10 Okla. St. 21, Missouri 19 Details, Pages BC to 13C.

Tha preys Redford CC 21, GP North 0 Troy 17, Stevenson 6 Divine Child 21, Saline 0 Details, Page 5C. "It's been our offense that has let us down," Harbaugh said. "That's why we needed a game eyes were losing, 12-7, to Wisconsin at Bowl picture, Page 7C. bor. The Buckeyes and Wolverines earn a Rose Bowl bid if and only if they win and Iowa loses.

Iowa is 6-1 in the Big Ten, Michigan 5-1-1 and Ohio State 5-2. The Hawkeyes' nationally televised victory over Purdue didn't come easily. With the score tied, 24-24, the Hawk-eyes drove 64 yards and won on Rob Houghtlin's 25-yard field goal with 1:08 to go. The Boilermakers' last chance ended 20 yards from the Iowa goal as time See BIG TEN, Page 7C like today." Columbus, Ohio. That combination put the Hawk- In which Harbaugh sparkled.

It was fun to eyes a half-game ahead of Michigan watch. Too often, Harbaugh has been like a thick wad of bills in Schembechler's pocket. In the most dangerous neighborhoods a.k.a. the toughest opponents Bo keeps it hidden, flashing it only and a game ahead of Ohio State in the Big Ten race, which Iowa can win by beating or tying Minnesota at home Saturday. Ohio State must play the eighth-ranked Wolverines at Ann Ar- when necessary.

But when a sense of security moves him, he takes that wad out and you see just how loaded he really is. Harbaugh has cool, moxie, and an arm that, if not overpowering, is extremely accurate. Saturday he even gave a little Tarkenton impression a third-quarter scramble, during which he could have limed the field, that resulted in a 37-yard; Home run hitters lead Wings, 4-2 By KEITH GAVE Free Press Sports Writer BLOOMINGTON, Minn. Red Wings left wing Warren Young can finally look his bosses in the eye when they hand him his next paycheck. So can Ron Duguay.

And Steve Yzerman. And John Ogrodnick. The home run hitters, as Wings general manager Jimmy Devellano likes to call them, finally started hitting some home runs Saturday night. Each of the four, all millionaires who rank at the top of the club's salary list, scored a goal in leading the Wings to a 4-2 victory over Minnesota before 15,315 at the Met Center. "It's been awhile since myself, Johnny O.

and Doogs have scored in the same game," Yzerman said. "It was nice to see those four guys score goals," coach Harry Neale said "And Warren Young finally looked like he knew what he was doing out Young's long-awaited first goal as a Red Wing tied the score, at 8 55 of the first period. YOUNG SCORED the goal eight Sep RED WINGS, page 3C The house Don built By mixing maize and blue, Canham always gets green jBy GLEN MACNOW Free Press Sports Writer The students were 28 University of Michigan athletes, the subject was sports. But U-M athletic director Don Canham was not in class to speak of wishbones or zones; his topic was turning a college sports career into a professional business career. There were marketing and fund-raising to cover, and the tricks of salesmanship.

As student-athletes such as Mike Mallory and Roy Tarpley scrawled notes, Canham re-; vealed the magic of the three P's "promo-. 'tion, publicity and public relations." "You create an image," he said, "and you market the hell out of it. You might have the best product in the world, but if you don't put on the hard sell, no one will buy it." Canham knows. Now in his 18th year as czar of Ann Arbor sports, Canham, with his hard sell, has built U-M's, athletic program completion to Paul Jokisch. Michigan scored on all but one of their possessions with Harbaugh in, and that one was a missed field goal attempt.

I'd call that effective. Wouldn't you? But who'll show up Saturday? So the question you can ponder with your coffee this morning is which offense will play Ohio State Saturday the footloose version highlighted by Harbaugh's passing, or the handoff, take-no-chances version we've seen at other times. Don't look at me. I have no idea. As fullback Bob Perryman put it: "It's all up to Bo.

He calls a good game and we win. He called a good game today. I just hope we throw on first down." But ok. There are six more days to speculate. For one blissful moment, U-M fans should sit back and savor what Schembechler and his crew have achieved.

It's far too easy to forget that the preseason pollsters regarded the Wolverines like rotten meat avoiding them altogether. Yet look at them now. Wow. But then things rarely turn out like you expect. Just ask the Minnesota fans, who were leaving by the third quarter Saturday.

A gopher knows a hole when he sees one. A Wolverine can smell his next meal. All eyes on Saturday now. It's that timeagain. Free Press Photo bv MARY SCHROEDER Athletic director Don Canham: "I'm not leaving until I have to at age 70.

What else would I do? Where else could I have so much fun?" the 20th Century. Canham wields considerable clout in the NCAA as a member of its television, copyright and licensing committees. In an Arizona newspaper survey of college sports officials earlier this year, Canham was rated the most influential athletic director in the country, receiving more votes than the next three finishers combined. See DON CANHAM, Page 12C into one of the nation's richest, most popular and most respected. His tools: salesmanship, hustle, bluster and a healthy dose of arrogance.

Canham, 67, ranks as a pioneer and a strongman among his peers. All credit him with putting the stamp of big business on intercollegiate athletics sports as you would sell soap," explains Canham), a move that eventually saved some schools' foundering programs and thrust others in.