Sword, Michigan defense slice through Dayne

Despite standing 6-foot-2 and weighing over 225 pounds, Sam Sword matching up with Ron Dayne was sure to be a mismatch.

But Dayne, the Big Ten rushing leader entering the game, was less than his dominating self. In fact, it was Dayne who was dominated.

Consistently this season, Sword has led the Wolverines in tackles. The Wisconsin game was no different - especially with Dayne as a primary focus.

As the signal caller from his linebacker position, Sword serves as a Mike Singletary-type, constantly surveying the defense and audibling if necessary.

The mere threat of trying to tackle a 260-pound tailback is intimidating enough, let alone someone as large as Dayne.

WARREN ZINN/DAILY Michigan safety Marcus Ray and the Michigan defense harassed Wisconsin quarterback Mike Samuel and running back Ron Dayne all game long.

"He is a very strong back," rush linebacker James Hall said. "He starts slow in the backfield and then when he gets going he is tough to bring down. We just tried to get penetration and not allow him to get past the line of scrimmage."

Though Dayne pushed his large frame through a couple holes for moderate gains, his day - 53 yards rushing - was his lowest output of the season and Sword, with his 11 tackles, led the containment.

"Anytime a man's got a ball, you can't fear (any) man," Sword said. "We had no fear of Dayne. No matter who he is, if you've got the ball it's our mission to stop him."

As a defensive leader, Sword had to be pleased with the effort.

For the eighth straight week, the clamps came down in the second half, as Michigan's defense allowed only three points, eliciting a remarkable statistic.

In Michigan's seven conference games, the Wolverines have recorded three safeties - all in the second half.

And as a defense, only two field goals have penetrated the scoring wall after halftime. Thus, the Michigan defense is tied with opposing offenses in the second half of Big Ten games, 6-6.

The difference between the Wolverines and Badgers on Saturday was evident on the stat sheet as well. Wisconsin amassed just nine first downs - compared to Michigan's 21 - while gaining just 190 yards of total offense compared to the 476 rolled up by Lloyd Carr's team.

"We're getting 11 guys to the ball," Sword said. "Our offense did a great job with possession of the ball. That was just a great effort."

As a senior, Sword said the game held special feelings for him and his senior teammates.

"It's a great feeling," he said. "We came out with a big win for our last game in Michigan Stadium. I want to thank the rest of the team for sending us out on such a positive note."

11-16-98