Wisconsin tries to exact revenge

When Michigan plays Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium tomorrow at 3:30, the playbill should say in big letters: Immovable Object meets Irresistible Force.

The Object, of course, is Michigan's rush defense, a fast, hard-hitting bunch that deserves most of the credit for Michigan's 3-0 record and its No. 4 ranking. The Michigan front seven dominated Notre Dame, Rice and Syracuse, holding them to a combined 287 rushing yards (that's just 95.7 per game, or 2.3 per rush, or 1.7 per Troy Nunes bonehead play.)

The Force, of course, is Ron Dayne, the 252-pound running machine in cardinal red. Dayne dominated Murray State, Ball State and Cincinnati, amassing a combined 524 yards (that's 174.7 per game, or 6.6 per rush, or 3.1 per cheese factory in the state of Wisconsin).

And the asterisk, of course, is the Big Game-itis Indicator, a warning sign to anyone reading the playbill that Dayne isn't playing Podunk State School of the Blind anymore. Dayne, who may well break Ricky Williams' all-time college football rushing record by the time the season's out, has a peculiar habit: when it comes to a big game, he comes up little.

Against Michigan last year, with the Badgers rolling and Michigan still reeling from two early-season losses, Dayne came into the Big House and amassed a whopping 53 yards. Apparently, his ear hurt.

This time, don't expect to see Dayne roll over so easily. The big man lost some weight during the offseason and is in the best playing shape of his life. And after sleeping with a football for the past week (after a fumble on the five-yard line cost the Badgers a game against Cincinnati last week), his grip on the ball should be tighter than ever.

Speaking of last week, the Badgers were embarrassed by the Bearcats. This is their chance to prove that they really are a good football team.

"They're going to be a formidable opponent," Michigan linebacker Ian Gold said. "They're going to be looking at this game, like, 'This is Michigan.' Regardless of who Wisconsin played in the past, they're going to be ready for us."

If they are ready, Dayne will have to be ready. The Heisman hopeful is the centerpiece of a relatively predictable offense: run, run, run. On third-and-long, maybe throw, but maybe run.

"Once he gets his legs going, he's tough to bring down," Michigan linebacker James Hall said. "We have to try to get him before he gets started or get him to run to the sidelines."

"If I see a guy, I don't care who he is or how big he is," Gold said. "If he's in my way, I'm either going to go through him or find a way around him."

After three games in which the opposing offense centered around a quick quarterback (well, Rice's offense didn't center around anything), Michigan opens the Big Ten season by finally seeing a Big Ten-style team. Which means physical, smash-mouth football.

"This is probably going to be the most physical game to date, and that's scary," Hall said.

What might be more scary is the Wolverines inability to put the ball in the end zone.

"We're not scoring enough touchdowns," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "We've had some execution problems. We've had some success throwing the football, but we haven't hit the deep passes."

To come out of Camp Randall with a win, Michigan will have to accomplish two things: Stop Dayne and get in the end zone.

09-24-99