Swervin' Irvin won't sneak up again

The ball is pitched to him, standing in the backfield with his hands on his knees. He grabs it and cuts up between right guard and tackle.

A couple yards upfield, he suddenly darts to the left. A linebacker closes in - he swings right, quicker than the earth-bound would-be tackler.

Finally, a quick safety brings him down, behind the primary line of defense after a sizable gain.

That's 'Swervin' Irvin,' Michigan State's elusive tailback Sedrick Irvin. And when he's swervin', it's unnerving for the opposing team.

"He's a great tailback," Michigan linebacker. I played against him last year. He's fast. Sometimes he eludes you in certain fashions. Because he does that he's kind of a hard person to get a hold of."

If you do manage to get a hold of him and get the ball back, your offense better score. Because if you have to punt - bad news - you've got to give it to him, again. And if the punt is bad, look out. Irvin scored a touchdown last year and averaged 13.6 yards per return.

"Irvin is a great back," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said.

Irvin has been a hard person to get a hold of since he stepped on campus at East Lansing.

In his freshman season, Irvin set the Michigan State single-season rushing record, compiling 1,067 yards

The freshman scored 18 touchdowns - another freshman record - and averaged 4.5 yards per carry. He was also the second leading receiver on the team.

After that breakout freshman campaign, the Miami native didn't slow down a bit. In fact, he got even better and finished with 1,270 yards rushing in his sophomore season, good for seventh on Michigan State's all-time list.

He is the only player in the school's history to rush for a 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons.

His accomplishments were worthy of a second-team all-Big Ten selection, finishing fifth in the Big Ten with an average of 105.8 yards per game.

But to Michigan fans, the most notable part of his 1997 season was a fake field goal attempt last season against the Wolverines. Irvin lined up wide left and went unnoticed.

The holder - current quarterback Bill Burke - stood up and passed to ball to the wide-open Irvin who waltzed into the end zone with a 22-yard score.

For Burke, who played sparingly last season, it was one of his few bright spots while backing up incumbent quarterback Todd Schultz. For Irvin, it was one of many touchdowns.

"That was good for them and bad for us that they did have that last year," Michigan nose tackle Rob Renes said. "With the emphasis being up front, sometimes those things are left open. We're well aware that they may try something like that."

All the accolades he has received during his career don't seem to matter to Irvin. He just plays.

"But all the rivalry and all the hype about Michigan and Michigan State - I don't get into that," Irvin said. "It's just a game I want to win. Just like every game I play."

Unfortunately for the Spartans, they have only won one of the games he's played in this season. And in that victory, Irvin was huge. He scampered for 119 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries against Notre Dame.

Needless to say, Michigan State romped in the game, 45-23.

The Spartan is averaging 101.7 yards per game, averaging 4.6 yards a carry. The Spartans have been utilizing play-action passes to keep defenses from cheating and keying on Irvin.

It worked successfully two weeks ago in their victory over the Fighting Irish.

But this week provides another challenge for the shifty junior running back.

"I think it's great playing in the biggest college stadium in the country," Irvin said. "If you can come out with a victory there in front of 111,000 (people), it would be a great win."

- Daily Sports Writer Tracy Sandler

contributed to this report.

09-24-98