Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 90

DETROIT FREE PRESSSUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1988 1 1 The Showdown Messner, Mandarich call battle a draw V-k" -t1'lllj i WMIIt i Ail! I ftKill 7r 1 fvM II Ut It A Is- i I i' I -1 BY STEVE KORNACKI Free Press Sports Writer ANN ARBOR Neither Tony Mandarich nor Mark Messner wanted to claim a personal victory in their showdown. "It was two All-Americas going against each other," said Mandarich, a Michigan State offensive tackle. "I'm sure I got the best of him some, and he got the best of me some." Said Messner: "We both had some success. Nobody beat anybody." Messner, a Michigan defensive tackle, made seven tackles, including two sacks. The Spartans were limited to 151 yards in total offense.

A 24-yard pass was their longest play. "I met Tony after the game and said, 'I can't believe you haven't Messner said. "I said, 'Tony, keep it together. You've played the toughest part of the schedule. You not lose Messner knocked the wind out of Mandarich early in the third quarter by driving his helmet into Mandarich's rib cage.

"I apologized and told Tony I didn't do it on purpose," Messner said. "Tony said, 'I'll see it on film and if it was intentional, I'm going to come down here Brent White, U-M's other starting Andre Rison made one catch for 24 yards. "We did a pretty good job on Rison," said U-M coach Bo Schembechler. "I'll tell you, he scares me to death. I know how fast he is.

I don't think they went to him that often." Spartans quarterback Bobby McAllister said Rison was double-covered "three-fourths" of the time. Spartan Thoughts: "it was 17-3 and you tell me Michigan State hasn't won a game?" asked Schembechler. "I'm telling you Michigan State is a tough football team. Any team that can play defense like they do can be dangerous. That's as good a defense as we'll see.

You can criticize their offense; that's up to you. I would like to think our defense played its best game." BIG TEN CHASE: Indiana, Illinois and U-M are the only teams unbeaten and untied in Big Ten games. "We're in the race," Schembechler said. "We've got to get better and better. Now we go to Iowa and let's face it, that won't be an easy task.

Then we come back here for Indiana. Two weeks from now, if we've won those two games, I'll talk to you about the possibility of us winning this thing." TV Time Changes: u-m games Oct. 15 at Iowa and Oct. 22 against Indiana at defensive tackle, caught some abuse from Mandarich. "What he was saying wasn't printable," said White, who estimated he lined up against Mandarich 60 percent of the time.

"MSU is a good team, but they like to talk. I decided not to say anything. But Tony came up to me after and apologized. He's a good guy." Paul Bunyan Missing: u-m equipment manager Jon Falk went to the MSU locker room to retrieve the Paul Bunyan Governor of Michigan trophy. "They forgot it again," Falk said.

"That's the second time in a row they forgot to bring it. Now we've got to go up there and pick it up." UFOUNTAINE UPDATE: Wolverines defensive back Sean LaFountaine, who suffered a broken vertebra in his neck in pre-season practice, was part of the post-game celebration. He was wearing a protective halo. "I am getting this off Tuesday and will have just a neck brace," said LaFountaine, from Dearborn Divine Child. "This is a pain, but I'm coming along fine." Rison A Lonely Guy: msu split end (left) greets MSU offensive tackle MANNY CRISOSTOMODetrott Free Press Tony Mandarich after Saturday's game.

U-M defensive tackle Mark Messner Ann Arbor have been moved to 3:30 p.m. to accommodate ABC-TV. football's 25 greatest teams. The book also has a chapter on the 1952 Michi-Ali-TlME TOP 25: The Sporting News gan State team which ranked No. 19.

has ranked the 1965-66 Michigan The 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers State teams No. 13 and the 1947 were No. 1. Michigan squad No. 14 among college i-" at Ann Arbor.

Ezor was held to 68 1 Michigan's Tripp Welborne stops Michigan State tailback Blake Ezor in MSU special teams are special problem SHORT TAKES: Schembechler was sur- prised MSU primarily used a pro formation with split backs instead of the one-back offense it had been favoring. U-M's 10 penalties for 94 yards were season highs. MANNY CRISOSTOMODetroit Free frees yards Saturday. Haller and Miller, expecting inside help, surrendered MSU's right flank, the same spot Gillette ran for his touchdown. "That play broke our back, a fake punt for a touchdown," said MSU coach George Perles.

"That was the ideal spot to run it. Usually we play for a safe punt. An inside contain man was supposed to cover the outside. We had two people rushing. That's why it looked like it was wide open." The offside penalty kept Michigan's drive alive; Gillette's touchdown put the game out of reach.

"One big breakdown," Perles said. Of Haller's penalty, Perles said, "Haller didn't make the mistake because he was a freshman. A fifth-year senior could have made that mistake." Other special teams problems: Butland continued to struggle. He averaged 40.7 yards on seven punts, including a 60-yarder. Not bad, but that doesn't tell the story.

He kicked a 30-yarder before Gillette scored on his fake punt. Butland also punted for 22 and 27 yards when the Spartans needed something better to pin Michigan back. Langeloh hit the left goalpost with his 34-yard field goal attempt with 1:11 left in the first quarter. Langeloh is 5-for-10 this season. Hawkins returned one punt return for zero yards.

Blake Ezor returned two kickoff for a 16.5-yard average. The big plays just haven't come from MSU's special teams. "You can't point the finger at anybody," Miller said. "The next time they did a good job. Gillette's a good athlete and he did what he had to do.

It's a 10-man block, and you've got everyone coming like crazy for the ball." GiiifTTFS Edge Mike Gillette became Michigan's all-time leading scorer with 11 points Saturday. U-M'8 top five: Player, Years Mike Gillette, 1985-88 247 Anthony Carter, 1979-82 244 Tom Harmon, 1938-40 237 All Haji-Sheikh, 1979-82 210 Rick teach, 1975-78 204 U-M trims MSU with Gillette, defense Michigan, from Page 1H evident than on the Spartans' ultimate denial. John Miller's 48-yard interception return put them at U-M's 5 with barely two minutes gone in the third quarter. Trailing, 10-0, they were in prime position to score. But middle guard Mike Teeter dropped Blake Ezor for a one-yard loss on first down, then Messner stopped Ezor (68 yards rushing on 21 attempts) for no gain.

Quarterback Bobby McAllister scrambled up the middle on third down, and outside linebacker Alex Marshall brought him down one yard short of the end zone. John Langeloh came on to kick an 18-yard field goal. It turned out to be the Spartans' white flag. "Hey, we needed the points," said MSU coach George Perles. "I'm not second-guessing myself." Conversely, U-M took command on a gamble, the fake punt.

"We work on that play a lot," said Gillette, an all-state quarterback at St. Joseph High. When Gillette got the signal to run out of punt formation, he attempted to tip referee Tom Quinn. "I said, 'Move out of the way, he said. Gillette was gone once he made it around the official.

"Did he get some blocking on that play, or what?" asked Schembechler, who opted for the call when MSU put 10 players on the line for an attempted block. The Spartans had successfully blocked one earlier, only to have it nullified by an offside call on Alan Haller. "There are several ways you can take care of a 10-man rush," Schembechler said. "You can't block 10 men. You can block nine, but not 10.

So you better have an assortment of plays. I saw it in the first half, so I drew it up at halftime again. When we saw it again, we were going. That's got to be a great thrill for a kicker." After fielding a slightly low snap from center Dave Weil, Gillette took off around the left corner on fourth- and-four. He received key blocks down the left sideline and scored his first collegiate touchdown.

Gillette became Michigan's all-time leading scorer with the stunning play. He also kicked a field goal and two extra points, giving him 11 points for the game, 247 for his career. He passed Tom Harmon (237) and Anthony Carter (244). Harmon was in attendance for a reunion of U-M's 1938-39-40 teams. the first quarter of U-M's 17-3 victory with 81 yards on 23 carries.

Taylor was intercepted on back-to-back plays after going 79 straight without an interception. He passed for 115 yards and ran for 56 more. McAllister was picked off once by Tripp Welborne and completed six of 12 for 71 yards. He lost one yard on 1 1 carries and was sacked four times. Messner dropped him twice.

"Michigan played a great defensive game," McAllister said. Thafsaid it all. By Perry a. Farrell Free Press Sports Writer ANN ARBOR Corey Pryor thought his first Big Ten touchdown put Michigan State back into the game. After strong safety John Miller blocked a Michigan punt in the third quarter, Pryor scooped up the ball around the Wolverines' 25 and ran it into the end zone.

"I was so excited," Pryor said. "I thought, 'My first Big Ten Joy. Then despair. A yellow flag was dropped on the green artificial surface at Michigan Stadium. Freshman Alan Haller and MSU were penalized five yards for being offside.

Faked out by a head fake. Special teams have become a special problem for Michigan State. Last week, the Spartans missed three of four field goal attempts against Iowa. Saturday, John Langeloh missed a 34-yard attempt, Josh Butland kicked three short punts, Haller jumped offside and, worst of all, MSU allowed Michigan's Mike Gillette to run 40 yards for a touchdown on a fake punt. Haller and Courtney Hawkins are the only first-year freshmen playing for MSU.

Haller's eagerness got him in trouble. "When I saw his head jerk I went," Haller said of snapper David Weil, who induced him into jumping offside. "I did see him move. Earlier, when his head jerked, he snapped the ball. I made a mistake." Haller's penalty gave Michigan a first down at its 42.

When it appeared the drive had stalled, Gillette went back into punt formation, took the ball and raced to his left. He ran down the sideline untouched, giving the Wolverines a 17-3 lead. fa WILLIAM DeKAYDetrolt Free Press Photo McAllister is upended by U-M linebacker Bobby Abrams Michigan State quarterback Bobby Michigan State didn't mount a long drive all afternoon. Or a short one, for that matter. Michigan held MSU to 91 yards in total offense in the first half and took a 10-0 lead.

Both scores came on drives beginning in Spartans territory. Ezor fumbled MSU's second play from scrimmage, and linebacker John Milligan recovered at the Spartans' 21. Gillette kicked a 30-yard field goal after U-M didn't make a first down. Michigan State didn't make a first down until fewer than four minutes remained in the first quarter, and the Wolverines ended up controlling the ball for 38:52. Taylor accounted for all but 11 yards on a 49-yard touchdown drive and set up the score with a 16-yard run on third-and-eight.

Taylor sucked the defense inside and pitched outside to tailback Tony Boles, who ran five yards for a touchdown late in the half. Boles, the nation's third-leading rusher at 151 yards a game, finished.