Dayne was the big name coming into the game, the 260-pound running back you just had to see to believe. He was big, they said, bigger than each and every Michigan linebacker. And he was bad, they said, badder than anyone the Wolverines had seen.
Lloyd Carr said the Wolverines didn't have anyone who could simulate Dayne in practice. If they did, Carr said, they wouldn't use him - they didn't want anyone actually getting injured before the real game.
But as it turned out, the Wolverines did find somebody to take on Dayne's role, at least for a while. One defensive starter said that freshman Dave Armstrong, listed as a 6-3, 250-pound linebacker, assumed Dayne's role in the days before the game. A
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Whether Armstrong had anything to do with it or not, the Wolverines absolutely outclassed the Badgers from start to finish, and Dayne's inability to get moving, so to speak, had a lot to do with it.
The "Great" Dayne was averaging more than 140 yards per game, but on Saturday he managed just 53. After the game, reports surfaced that Dayne had played with an ear infection. Amazing how that happens. But, I suppose if I were more than 100 yards under my average, I might just find myself an ear infection, too.
It started with Dayne, but his futility against Michigan's defense was just that - the start. The rest of the game - the start, the middle, the finish - belonged to Michigan as well.
I don't know exactly how it looked from the stands, but from the press box, Saturday's win was Michigan's best performance of the season.
The running game? How's two backs with more than 100 yards each?
The passing game? Try 200-plus yards from Tom Brady, the old tight- end-misdirection play working to perfection and five more catches by Tai Streets.
11-16-98
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