Michigan's Woodson can do it all - and then some

Sporting News, The, Nov 3, 1997 by Tom Dienhart, Mike Huguenin

You can count on it happening about as consistently as 100,000-plus fans jamming Michigan Stadium. At his weekly news conference, Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr almost always pledges to play cornerback Charles Woodson more on offense.

And why not? Woodson is a wonderfully talented athlete. Anytime he touches the ball, good things are bound to happen. But after Michigan's authoritative 23-7 victory over Michigan State--the first for the Wolverines in East Lansing since 1991--it's apparent why Carr is reluctant to have Woodson work overtime:

* There was Woodson, jabbing his right arm high in the air to spear an interception along the sideline in what may have been the best play in college football this season.

* There was Woodson, lunging forward to scoop an interception off the Spartan Stadium turf.

* There was Woodson, blitzing from the corner with arms extended to hurry a pass that resulted in an interception.

And this all happened in the second half when Michigan State threw five of its six interceptions and managed just 83 yards of offense. Two of the interceptions were made by Woodson, who ranks second in school history with 15 picks. Woodson, a junior, also ranks first in excitement.

"I don't think there is a more talented player in the nation," Carr says. "The greatest players have their greatest plays in big games."

This game was billed as a big one, perhaps the biggest in 30 years at Spartan Stadium, so we should have figured Woodson would shine. He was further motivated by history. As a freshman against Michigan State, he endured one of the worst performances of his career in a 28-25 loss. If that wasn't motivation enough for Woodson, reported pregame trash talk by the Spartans surely sparked his fire.

"One of them (the Spartans) said Michigan was dead," Woodson says. "Anyone who tells you you're dead, you're going to come out fighting."

Indeed, Woodson still was feeling frisky after the game. He had his gloves on and was ready to continue picking off passes. No one was going to argue with him about anything, except maybe his chances to win the Heisman. So, Charles, what are your chances?

"The Heisman?" he said, smiling and shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know."

Would you like to play more on offense? "Most definitely. But as long as we win, I'm happy."

For Woodson to remain jubilant, the 7-0 Wolverines need to get out from under the shadow of Bo Schembechler. Michigan's offense must take more risks. Yes, the defense is great, but it's being asked to do too much. The Wolverines are allowing 8.1 points per game and have allowed nine total points in the third quarter and none in the fourth. No foe has scratched out a second-half touch down. The only way the Spartans, who had no first downs in the third quarter, were able to score was on a fake field-goal attempt in the first quarter.

But how long can the defense hold out while the offense continues to play it safe? On two occasions in the second half against Michigan State, the Wolverines played for the field goal instead of going for a touchdown. The time will come when quarterback Brian Griese and his receivers will be forced to make a play to win a game. That time may be November 8, when Michigan visits Penn State. On second thought, maybe not, given the way Charles and Co. are in charge.

"I don't know of anyone else who can influence a game the way he can," Carr says.

On the other sideline, Spartans coach Nick Saban has to be hoping his team can regroup in time for a solid bowl bid. The Spartans have lost two in a row, and Ohio State and surprising Purdue are next. There also is the season finale against Penn State on November 29.

Saban's "offense" is too one-dimensional: When tailback Sedrick Irvin doesn't have the ball, the Spartans don't move the ball. Against teams such as Western Michigan and Indiana, that's enough. But it's not enough when the Spartans play a good Big Ten team.

Good times in the MAC

Toledo coach Gary Pinkel is a convincing man, so it's easy to believe him when he says the brand of ball in the MAC is better than ever.

"The league has changed a lot," says Pinkel, who took over the Rockets' program in 1991 after working at Washington for 12 seasons. "We have better players than we've ever had; we have more speed than we've ever had. I think the scholarship limits from 95 to 85 is significant"

The Midwestern big boys aren't ready to give MAC schools the key to the executive washroom, but Toledo's victory over Purdue and Miami of Ohio's over Virginia Tech have made people pay attention.

"I've always told people the way to get respect is to beat people from outside our league," Pinkel says. "Playing them close is insignificant We've had some real big wins this year. Two years ago, when we were nationally ranked, we were undefeated and that hopefully helped our league a little bit, too."

The Rockets finished at 11-0-1 in 1995, capping the season with an overtime victory over Nevada in the Las Vegas Bowl and finishing 24th in the final AP and CNN/USA Today polls. It was the first time a MAC school had been ranked since 11-1 Miami finished 12th in the AP poll in 1975. Toledo could break new ground this season, as the Rockets have raced to a 7-0 start and earned mention in the polls. If Toledo can win a showdown with Miami this Saturday, it should cruise to the MAC West title and league championship game.