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Show Page C6 - THE HERALD, Provo, Utah, Wednesday, November 4, 1992 M Wheatley leads Michigan's hi strike capability ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -Michigan is not only a team on a mission. It's a team in a hurry. In eight games, the fourth-ranke- d Wolverines Big Ten I have scored 44 touchdowns, w ith half of those coming on plays covering 23 yards or more. At times, it almost seems like the quick strike is a part of Michigan's game plan. Yet coach Gary Moeller says it isn't. Not exactly, anyway. "I never count on hitting home runs." Moeller said Monday. "You can't do that. But at the same time you want to have some every week. If you don't, you could be in some trouble." In the 24-1- 7 victory at Purdue iast week, Michigan scored on a 43-yar- pass play from Elvis d Urbac to Walter Smith. It marked the second straight game in which Smith scored on a play covering more than 40 yards. But that's almost small change for the Wolvcrimes. They have had six scoring plays that covered more than 50 yards and three times have scored on gains of more than SOvards. the longest score of the season d was Tyrone Wheatley's kick oil return against Houston. Whcatley. in fact, figures in seven ot the quick strikes. "You have to make teams afraid of the big plays in order to make people defend the whole field," Moeller said. "If you line up and nobody is on a wide receiver split way out. you should be able to use 99-yar- t,hat guy." Michigan's touchdowns break down this way: 23 rushing. 18 passing, two on punt returns and Wheatley's kickoff return. "Everybody talks about our backs, and we've got some," Moeller said. "But I'll tell you one thing, buddy: If your line doesn't block, those guys don't go very far. Those two have to be built in. " Despite being able to score in a By KEN RODRIGUEZ Knight-Ridde- r ANN ARSOR, Mich. (AP) ot Newspapers CORAL GABLES, FLA. -Tweeks after passing for 80 yards against Penn State and three days after ESPN likened him to Ross Perot, University of Miami quarterback Gino Torretta has a new national identity. He is one of the three Heisman Trophy Take the word from key Heisman voters in three regions of the country. And you have the word from the same network that once had Torretta a distant third. "The Heisman is Torretta's to win," ESPN analyst and Heisman voter Beano Cook said. But the race is far from over. Second-ranke- d still Miami (8-has big games against No. 10 Syracuse (7-and San Diego State senIf Torretta, a fifth-yeior, plays poorly against either team, his Heisman hopes could vanish. hree front-runner- Here it a breakdown ol Michigan's 22 quick strike touchdowns: 99 yards Tyrone Wheatley kickoff return vs. Houston. 82 yards Wheatley run vs. Iowa. 0 yards Derrick Alexander punt return va. Michigan St. 70 yards Alexander punt return vs. Indiana. 53 yards Alexander pass from Elvis Grbac va. Minnesota. 50 yards Che' Foster run vs. Iowa. 46 yards Wheatley run vs. Indiana. 46 yards Walter Smith run vs. Minnesots. 44 yards Alexander pass from Todd Collins vs. Oklahoma St. 43 yards Smith pass from Grbac vs. Purdue. 43 yards Mercury Hayes pass from Collins vs. Houston. 32 yards Alexander pass from Grbac va. Minnesota. 30 yards Alexander pass from Grbac vs. Notre Dame. 29 yards Wheatley run vs. Iowa. 27 yards Wheatley pass from Grbac vs. Notre Dame. 26 yards Wheatley pass from Grbac vs. Indiana. 26 yards Ed Davis run vs. Houston. 24 yards Davis run vs. Minnesota. 23 yards Ricky Powers run vs. Oklahoma St. 23 yards Alexander run vs. Houston. 23 yards Tony McGee pass from Collins vs. Houston. 23 yarda Wheatley run vs. Michigan St. hurry, the Wolverines still manage to put on a display of ball control when they have to. Through eight games, Michigan's time of possession is 271 minutes, 11 seconds. Their opponents have had the ball 208:49. That means Michigan has controlled the football more than an hour longer than their opponents. This week, the Wolverines travel io Northwestern (2-where they will be seekhig their 19th straight Big Ten victory. Moeller said he is hoping the strugll gle at Purdue will serve as a for his team. 2-- 3) 6, A long-shcandidate only two weeks ago, Torretta joined Heisman hopefuls Marshall Faulk of San Diego State and Garrison Hearst of Georgia with a 363-yarpassing performance against West Virginia Saturday night on ESPN. s. 0) 1) (4-2-- ar d, three-touchdo- With Torretta completing 28 of 40 passes in a 35-2- 3 victory, ESPN pumped Torretta for the Heisman like a favorite son, flashing statistical comparisons with Faulk (60 yards rushing Saturday) and Hearst (41 yards rushing) throughout its telecast. Analyst Lee Corso: "Don't waste your vote. Vote for Gino Torretta. He's the only candidate who can Cook: win." "Put a gun to my head. Torretta is going to win it." This after ESPN's Craig James had said the week before, "Torretta is the Ross Perot of the Heisman Trophy race." The perception of Torretta's Kg is full an ra g status is not exclusive to ESPN. Jimmie McDowell, a Heisman voter and sectional repfront-runnin- resentative of the South region, will vote for Florida quarterback Shane Matthews but thinks Torretta will win. shifting to "Everybody's Tor- retta based on that last game," McDowell said. "If the voting were held today, I think Torretta might win." NBC's Don Criqui, the Northeast sectional representative. "He leads the country in the most important stat: wins." Torretta is 22-- 1 in career starts, 20-- 0 over the past two seasons. He has completed 165 of 301 passes for 2,186 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. He ranks fourth among Division quarterbacks in total offense, averaging 27 .75 yards per game, but 24th in passing efficiency (130.7). "If I were to vote today, Torretta would get my vote," said Pat Livingston, retired sports editor of The Pittsburgh Press and sectional representative. "I think the Heisman should go to a guy who has had a tremendous career, not just one good season. " Dave Campbell of The Waco (Texas) Tribune-Heral- d and Southwest sectional representative: "I do not have any idea who I'm going to vote for. I'm waiting for a charger to emerge . ' ' A 1 The Downtown Athletic Club will mail Heisman ballots to 870 voters in six regions, plus 48 former winners, Nov. 12. Ballots must be returned by Dec. 10 and the winner will be announced Dec. 12. Sectional representatives from three of the six regions Northeast, Far West, Southwest, Midwest, and South either said they would vote for Torretta or predicted a Torretta victory if ballots were mailed today. Two said the race is too close to call. "The leader is Torretta," said Mid-Atlant- ic Mid-Atlant- ic Auburn's Dye acknowledges NCAA rules were broken - Coach AUBURN, Ala. (AP) Pat Dye acknowledged that Auburn broke NCAA regulations in the case involving former defensive back Eric Ramsey, and said he will have to answer for it. Dye said, however, he has no plans to resign as coach. He was forced out as athletic director when Ramsey told of receiving improper aid as a player. Dye's comments came in an interview published Tuesday in The Huntsvillc Times. Ramsey, when he played for Auburn, secretly recorded conversations in which he talked with coaches and a booster about receiving payments and gifts in violation of NCAA rules. Ramsey's claims became public months ago, and the NCAA is still investigating. Sports information director David Housel said Monday the school has not heard of any kind of decision from the sanctioning body. Dye told The Times he did not know what was going on at the 13 time Ramsey was being paid. "It bothers me that I didn't know about any violations . . . and there were some violations, and we're going to have to answer for them," Dye said. "I didn't know about them, but I should have. It all comes back to me. I hired the people. I should have known." Contrary to rampant speculation, Dye said he would not quit. "Of course, somebody could fire me," Dye said, referring to Auburn president William Muse. "Nobody is above getting fired. If they can impeach the president, they can sure fire me. " Dye said the only way he would quit "is if I thought it was in the best interest of Auburn University, in the best interest of me and my family, and if I could get a fair and equitable (financial) settlement and also if I could make sure it could be done in such a way that my name wouldn't be smeared in newspapers all over the country . ' ' Dye said Auburn could find another coach to replace him, but added: "Ask yourself a question. Who could Auburn hire as head football coach who'd be better than me? Dennis Erickson? Steve Spurrier? You don't think they'd leave what they ' ve got , do you? ' ' Dye, in his 12th year at Auburn, led the school to four Southeastern Conference championships in the 1980s, but the Tigers have slumped in the past three years. Auburn is following last Saturday's 4 tie with Arkansas and it will be the underdog in its remaining games against Georgia -1 24-2- and Alabama. Dye said the Auburn football program could survive NCAA probation. "We can be a pretty good football team next year," he said. wak-eupca- "I think the wakeup calls do you some good if you really listen to the call," Moeller said. "Quite honestly, I thought we had a good week of practice last week. It wasn't like there was any great dropoff. Sometimes these things D JJ itfini L LZL i r i ft f i i uooo happen. listening to siren of green stuff Pac-1- 0 By BLAINE NEWNHAM Seattle Times For months, the SEATTLE Conference quietly has talked about expansion. A league official termed it "table talk," but don't be surprised if a school or two is added as early as the December meeting of Pac-1presidents. "It might be in the best interest of the conference to expand," Barbara Hedges, University of Washington athletic director, said. Dutch Baughman, athletic director at Oregon State, said, "It would be beneficial for our conference to expand." Unbelievable. Arkansas jumps to the Southeast Conference. Penn State joins the Big Ten and the race is on. In will go after Colname, the Pac-1In reality, it is and Texas. orado after television markets in Denver and Dallas, as well as Houston and Pacific-1- 0 0 0 San Antonio. This isn't a conference, it's a consortium. "Unfortunately." said Rich Brooks, who is both football coach and athletic director at Oregon, "if we are not going to get left out of the restructuring of television contracts and the revamping of television markets, then we need to come to the table with viable alternatives as a conference. " It is called keeping up with the Joneses. Penn State has added more TV sets to the Big Ten. The Southeastern Conference now has 12 teams. With the expected collapse of the College Football Association as a bargaining agent with TV. conferences of the 1990s will be on their own to negotiate deals. The Big Eight and the Southwest Conference are so terrified by that they don't have as prospect that TV as the others sets many both Colorado and Texas seem poised to ditch traditional and geographical foes for a better TV deal. Whatever happened to schools playing each other because they always have, because they arc close in miles and minds, because they come from some kind of common stock? Whatever happened to the idea that the schools play not only football and basketball against each other, but volleyball, golf and track as well? Whatever happened to ethics? The Pac-1playing a part in the breakup of the Big Eight and the Southwest Conference is deplorable. It's poaching. It takes only one vote among the 0 ; Pac-1- 0 rn; m r LTLrUUUVI LW presidents to kill the notion of expansion. Washington's William Gerbcrding, who is on the Pac-1- 0 expansion committee, ought to cast it. If not for the Huskies, then for the Oregons, Oregon States and Washington States, schools so hungry in the short term for additional dollars that they'll vote for expansion, when in the long term, they'll be buried farther down the football ladder. Ir-T- M OO OO EYEGLASSES PADRS $ If they are having trouble getting to the Rose Bowl now, indeed having trouble putting people in their stadiums for football, do they think adding Colorado and Texas will help them win games or recruit better players? Unlike the SEC, which after adding Arkansas went to two divisions and added a playoff game, is on record saying it the Pac-1- 0 doesn't want divisional play, or an extra game. Washington, for one, is opposed h to any kind of alignment, anything that would alienate the Huskies from their recruiting motherlode in California. were to add So if the Pac-1- 0 Colorado and Texas, it would be forced into an awkward conference schedule that would mean each team would not play three other conference teams each year. There is a certain appeal to playing Texas and Colorado, two schools in attractive locations, two schools that are of the academic ilk. But at the expense of playing USC or Oregon or Califor- O.S.I. DAILY WEAR SOFT CONTACTS 9 COMPLETE COMPLETE HIGH FASHION CQ4 Intro Offer Limit 1 Pair FRAMES SPECIAL SELECTION New Patients Only INCLUDES SINGLE VISION PLASTIC LENSES... AND EVEN THE EYE EXAM!!! 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