Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 52

Mounting a challsnns; Today's television highlights; Sunday, Oct 7, 1S34 'Ml fl If (1 11 A Sturgis, Mich, man is heading the New York noon Grand Prix of Europe LIONS PREVIEW 3 1 VjCJ Yacht Club's $12 million effort t0 re9ain the 1 pm Football: New Orleans at Chicago INSIDE OF SPORTS 5 LJdetroit free press America's Cup. See the roundup, Page 2F. 4 p.m. Football: Seattle at LA Raiders OUTDOORS 8 sports Phone, 1-976-1313 4 p.m. Baseball: Chicago at San Diego can with ports nw: 222-6660 LJ MSU springs an upset, 1 97 PuGcas Wolverines lose QB9 too By TOMMY GEORGE Free Press Sports Writer ANN ARBOR It was bound to happen.

Michigan State grabbed an early 13-0 lead and put the burden on Michigan's slow-motor offense, which had scored only two touchdowns in its last six quarters. Then U-M quarterback Jim Harbaugh went down and out for the season midway through the third quarter. The Spartans had not beaten the Wolverines since 1978. They were getting little respect after a 1-3 start. But it was bound to happen.

And the Spartans did it. They upset rival U-M, 19-7, to capture one of their sweetest victories in years. This 77th meeting of these rivals found State sky-high, and yet, sure-footed in execution. Especially after Harbaugh was injured. It was midway through the third quarter, MSU leading, 13-7, when he dived for a loose ball and collided with linebacker Thomas Tyree, who recovered.

Harbaugh was carried off the field on a stretcher, his upper left arm badly broken. With him went seven-of-14 passing for 101 yards and what proved to be U-M's last prayer. Backups Russ Rein and Chris Zurbrugg were ineffective in playing for the first time this season. THE OVERFLOW crowd of 105,612 at Michigan Stadium the second largest to witness a Michigan State-Michigan game since the series began in 1898 were treated to one of the biggest upsets of the college football season. Michigan State had beaten only Colorado.

Michigan was 3-1 and ranked 13th nationally going into the game. But a rousing effort by State and something that happens, say, about every 13 years should have indicated to all that this was, indeed, the Spartans' day. Bobby Morse dashed 87 yards for a touchdown on a punt return early in the second quarter, and MSU never looked back (Ohio State's Tom Campana in 1971 was the last to return a punt for a TD against Michigan). State led, 13-7, at halftime, and Ralf Mojsiejenko booted two field goals in the second half. The Spartans didn't need it.

They helped Michigan's offense destruct, forcing a fumble and three interceptions in the second half. Afterward, the Michigan Stadium turf was a sea of green and white. Michigan State had made reality of a dream, a mission. "Last year the score was very embarrassing to us 42 to zip at home," said tailback Aaron Roberts. He didn't carry the ball until the fourth quarter but rushed for 46 big yards that helped Michigan State wind down the clock.

"This makes the season. We found out that we can play against the good teams. I think we can beat anybody else we play." See MICHIGAN, Page 7F State's big win exposes U-M's 'off year' decline ANN ARBOR- If it's really true that the measure of any team's worth is how well it performs against Michigan, Michigan State finally has emerged from the pit of collegiate football. The Spartans' smashing 19-7 victory over the Wolverines here Saturday was the greatest blessing they have received in their struggle to regain national attention. Their long-suffering followers were whooping it up in the jammed Michigan Stadium and out on the streets, hailing a rare (only the third in 16 years) victory over the Wolverines and Bo Schembechler.

In his locker room, George Perles, the Spartans' coach, was remarkably restrained. He didn't want to brag, and he didn't. Not much to beat The fact is, except that any win over Michigan is a prize for MSU, he had no reason to boast. The Spartans didn't really beat much. It has become clear in recent weeks that this is not a vintage Michigan football team.

It had been overblown and overrated, and now it is in more trouble than Schembechler possibly could have envisioned. In the midst of its battle with the Spartans, Michigan lost quarterback Jim Harbaugh for the rest of the season. The loss took the Wolverines out of the game and maybe out of the 1984 season. All the Wolverines have left to carry them through the remaining weeks are two young quarterbacks, Chris Zurbrugg and Russ Rein, neither of whom had been in a game before- "I've never been in this position before," Schembechler said. "If we lose those two well, we don't have another quarterback." Schembechler was convinced the injury to Harbaugh, midway in the third period as MSU led 13-7, cost Michigan the game.

"I felt at halftime that we would come out and score a couple of times," he said. "I didn't see how they could beat is." He must not have seen what many others saw. Michigan State had the Wolverines under control from the opening kickoff, and the scoreboard belonged to the Spartans from the moment they ot their hands on the ball. Harbaugh's injury merely wiped out any vague chance Michigan had to overtake Michigan State. The Spartans played a superb defensive game, repeatedly slapping down the Michigan attackers, and they had their offense threatening to break out.

It's not often they can enjoy such a day against Michigan, or anybody. That it happened here says much about the 1984 Wolverines. Even with Harbaugh at quarterback, the Wolverines cannot run, not in the Michigan tradition, largely because they can't overpower anyone with their offensive line. They have not run in their usual style, and their passing has been suspect from the beginning of the season, and the suspicion is it simply isn't in them. The dread 'oii-year" Nobody has mentioned it, but it appears clear now that Michigan is in the midst of one of those cyclical "off-years." We simply needed Michigan State, beaten in three of four previous games, to expose it.

A week ago, Schembechler protested that critics fail to recognize the parity that has come to college football, suggesting that on any given Saturday It's nonsense, of course, and a bit self-serving. Big Ten teams generally have been improving for several years. But Michigan's decline this year has been sharper than the others' rise, and it was so before Harbaugh's misfortune. "We'll be all right," Schembechler insisted. "You hate to lose a quarterback.

But we'll get something together." It might be too late already. Free Press Photos bv WARY SCHROEDER Flyin' high MSU halfback Aaron Roberts (20) is flyin' high over U-M linebacker Mike Mallory in the fourth quarter of the Spartans' 1 9-7 upset of rival Michigan on Saturday. The MSU win was its first over Michigan since 1978 and only its third over the Wolverines since 1969. Miami's 'Hurricane Bernie' sinks Irish first quarter, the strong-armed sophomore quarterback got his act started in the second period. Overcoming a stupid roughness call on one of his teammates after a completion to the Irish 31, Kosar rifled a 17-yarder to Eddie Brown in a third-and-15 situation for a first down at the Notre Dame 20.

That set up Kosar's three-yard TD toss to Alonzo Highsmith for a 7-0 Hurricane lead. But the spirited 'Canes proved overzealous and penalty prone and ruined several chances with unnecessary and intimely penalties. The big turnaround of the first half occurred after the Irish killed one of their punts at the Miami 5-yard line. THE HURRICANES disdained playing it safe, and Kosar unleashed a 65-yard shot down the sidelines to Brown, who had beaten Irish cornerback Troy Wilson at the Notre Dame 31. But the dramatic play was wiped out as Brown caught the ball with one foot barely over the sideline marker, out of bounds.

By JACK SAYLOR Free Press Sports Writer SOUTH BEND, Ind. The rain came early Saturday, as advertised, then Notre Dame got hit by Hurricane Bernie. Miami's Bernie Kosar threw for two touchdowns, and set up two others plus a field goal, as the Hurricane blew past the Irish, 31-13, on a blustery night in Notre Dame Stadium. Soiphomore Alonzo Highsmith scored all four Miami touchdowns as the Hurricanes swept by the Irish in the second half. The victory was the fifth in seven starts for Miami and raised the eyebrows of scouts from six postseason bowls.

Notre Dame had its three-game winning streak snapped and fell to 3-2. And as the mist turned into showers, you could play "Misty" for Gerry Faust's major bowl ambitions. Kosar, the 6-foot-5 sophomore with a whippet arm, hit 19 of his 27 passes for 165 yards. KOSAR, WHO had feasted on Rice a week ago for 368 yards, found the going tougher against the inspired Irish. But after six rather inconsequential passes in a scoreless Notre Dame turned that bit of Irish luck into 10 pointe in quick order.

With Miami in punt formation at its own 10, kicker Rick Tuten got a bad snap from center and was trapped by Notre Dame rusher Joe Johnson. The quick-thinking sophomore ran into the end zone for a safety rather than give Notre Dame position for an easy touchdown, and Miami retained a 7-2 lead. But after the Hurricanes put the ball in play with a free kick, Notre Dame marched 57 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown as Irish quarterback Beuerlein stole some of Kosar's thunder. A third-down pass to Milt Jackson kept the drive alive at the Miami 18, then after being sacked at the 26, he came right back with a sideline shot to Tom Brown at the 8-yard line with 25 seconds left in the half. Here the penalty-prone Hurricanes killed themselves.

A yard short of a first down, the Irish needed to use a time-killing running play to get the first down. Miami obliged by jumping offside and providing the Irish with a time-free first down, plus five yards. See IRISH, Page 2F Purdue shocks No. 2 Ohio State WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) Purdue football coach Leon Burtnett tried to tell everyone the Boilermakers would be a lot better this season.

No one's doubting him anymore. "Our kids believe in themselves," said Burtnett, whose Boilermakers shocked No. 2-ranked Ohio State, 28-23, on Saturday, their first victory over the Buckeyes since 1978. "They stay in there, they fight and struggle. We've paid the price for two years." Burtnett, whose teams compiled a 6-1 5-1 record his first two seasons, said Purdue "did everything according to the book" against the Buckeyes.

Quarterback Jim Everett hit 17 of 23 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns, and safety Rod Woodson sealed the triumph with a 55-yard interception return for the clinching score in the fourth quarter. "I'm so, so happy for our players," Burtnett said. "This team is not going to quit. We might get beat a couple of times, but they're never going to quit." Se PURDUE, 14 Lions looking at bright side The only similarity to 1983 is that they keep losing by three points to San Francisco, by four to Tampa Bay, by one to Minnesota and by three to San Diego. Now, with the season less than half over, they're in a win-or-else situation.

And, as far as anyone knows, Ford hasn't scheduled a team breakfast to pep up the guys for the Broncos, as he did before the Green Bay game that brought them out of their slump last season. Coach Monte Clark isn't calling this a must-win game. He just says, "They all are (big) now. And we're going to do it." That is the approach he has taken: positive thinking, mind over matter. He decided against a list of "don'ts" as in don't get beat deep, don't fumble, don't lose.

Instead, Clark put together a list of "do's" as in do play hard, do challenge the man across from you, do get the ball in a crowd. See LIONS, Page if By CURT SYLVESTER Free Press Sports Writer Just about everyone from owner Bill Ford on down agrees: This year's 1-4 Lions record isn't as bad as last year's 1-4. Which is a little like saying food poisoning isn't as bad as botulism. And it's about as comforting as knowing a leg broken in two places isn't as bad as an ankle broken in three. In these hard times, the Lions are taking their comfort anywhere they can find it.

They are tied with Green Bay for last place in the division they won last year the NFC Central. And unless they can beat the Denver Broncos in their game at 1 p.m. today at the Silverdome, they can probably forget about a division title and the playoffs this season. THEY KEEP TELLING themselves, however, that it's not as bad this year. They haven't had as many players out with injuries, they haven't been blown out of any games and they're stronger than last season in at least four (Offensive positions.

IllCh Ten c3'- Purdue 28, Ohio State 23 Michigan State 19, Michigan 7 Iowa 31, Northwestern 3 Ronnie Harmon scored throe touchdowns and rushed tor 121 yards in 24 carries in the Hawkeyes' victory. Story and standings, Pag 7F. Brigham Young 52, Colorado State 9 Penn State 25, Maryland 24 North Carolina State 27, Georgia Tech 22 Auburn 17, Mississippi 13 The Brigham Young Cougars extended the nation's longest winning streak to 16 Top 20 report, Page i Northern Illinois 20, Western Michigan 15 Saginaw Valley State 27, Ferris State 19..