Woodson anchors spectacular secondary; if only he could kick

FILE PHOTO/Daily Charles Woodson gets all the headlines, but hard-hitting senior Marcus Ray (29) might be the best safety in the Big Ten.

Secondary

Expect to hear the name a lot. That is, unless, opposing quarterbacks continue the advisable strategy of throwing away from him. Still, one gets the feeling you'll hear the name quite a bit anyway.

The junior Heisman Trophy hopeful and Jim Thorpe Award finalist is, as everybody knows, Michigan's most dynamic player. And while his athleticism allows him to dabble in receiving, kick returning and even rushing, defense is still Woodson's top duty.

Opponents fear him, the magazines adore him and his teammates absolutely love him. Nobody doubts his abilities.

"It's great having Charles back there," Michigan safety Marcus Ray said. "He can take one side of the field, and the other 10 of us can take the other."

That's hardly an exaggeration. Michigan's coaches have so much faith in Woodson, they let him take the opponent's best receiver one-on-one virtually every play. Rarely are balls thrown his way - the primary reason Woodson didn't have more than the five interceptions he snagged last season.

Woodson's Heisman bid is stronger than most defensive players' because he plays offense and returns punts as well. And while Woodson said he probably won't be striking the Heisman pose on the field anytime soon, he admits that thoughts of winning the award have crossed his mind.

"That would be something that is very nice for me," Woodson said. "But it's not the first thing I think about in the morning."

Even without Woodson, the Wolverines have one of the best secondaries in the Big Ten. Ray and free safety Daydrion Taylor may be the Big Ten's best pair of safeties. Both are vicious hitters and have All-Big Ten potential.

Taylor has had some injury problems in fall practice, but sophomore Tommy Hendricks is a capable backup at either free or strong safety.

The only question mark is at the corner opposite Woodson. Junior Andre Weathers will probably get the nod in Michigan's first game, but the coaches are also high on true freshman James Whitley, who Woodson said "has better skills than I did when I was a freshman."

- John Leroi

Special teams

Last year, Brian Griese temporarily silenced his critics when he was able to display an effective use of another limb when Carr installed him as a pooch-punter. Griese performed quite effectively in that role, placing half of his kicks inside the opposition's 20-yard line.

As for the regular punting duties, that job is up in the air, and probably will remain that way for much of the season. Projected starter Cory Sargent hurt his back during the summer and has been slow to recover. Whether he will is anyone's guess. In the interim, junior walk-on Jason Vinson and senior Kraig Baker, who is also competing for the placekicking job, will fight it out. Baker hasn't seen game action since 1994 and Vinson hasn't ever.

On the contrary, Michigan would love to show off Charles Woodson in his role as punt returner. Although he didn't take over the role until the 10th game last season, Woodson performed up to his exceptional standards, averaging almost 10 yards per return. Undoubtedly, he will bring excitement to the position and could be the most effective player in the role since Derrick Alexander.

Clarence Williams enters the season as the only kickoff returner with any game experience. Maybe more disturbing for Carr is that Williams isn't terribly experienced in this area - returning only three kickoffs last year, all against Ohio State. Woodson did see some action here, but Carr doesn't intend to overuse him. Thus, he will complement Williams with one of two true freshmen, James Whitley or William Peterson.

For three years, Remy Hamilton, the most prolific field-goal kicker in school history, was a staple in the Wolverines' offense. Now that he's graduated, the battle for the job is between Baker and kickoff specialist Jay Feely, neither of whom has ever attempted a field goal in a game.

- Alan Goldenbach

09-11-97