Sports: Will 1992 Spartans Restore the Glory

WILL 1992 SPARTANS RESTORE THE GLORY?

The 1992 football team is hungry for success and some observers close to the program are quietly optimistic. Does history repeat?

Consider some similarities between the current mood and the 1987 pre-season:

Then, MSU was coming back from a disappointing, no-bowl season. Ditto this team. Then, MSU welcomed back 17 starters and the punter among 40 lettermen. This season, 15 starters and the placekicker return among 43 lettermen. Then, the media seers picked MSU middle-of-the-pack in the Big Ten, even though it featured eight starters who are still playing in the National Football League. This season, most preseason polls rank MSU between 4th and 7th in the Big Ten, even though it boasts eight players projected as future NFL players.

Then, as now, head coach George Perles exudes confidence and optimism (which he always does). 'We're excited about this team,' says Perles, who has stepped down from his dual role as athletic director and returned to full-time coaching. 'The team is hungry. Everyone seems committed to returning to a contending position in the Big Ten.'

Many Spartan fans seem to be quietly optimistic. On paper, at least, the team has many strengths and a few question marks. On offense, after a year with the NFL's Tampa Bay, Morris Watts returns as assistant head coach to direct MSU's attack. He has installed new wrinkles to keep opposing defenses off balance. 'But no matter what you do,' adds Watts, 'you still have to be able to run the ball.' MSU boasts an embarassment of riches at tailback--Heisman candidate Tico Duckett, surprise spring performer Duane Goulbourne and Craig Thomas will be joined by redshirt freshman Hickey Thompson and freshman Steven 'Batman' Holman--and remains solid as an Abrams Tank at fullback. Handing off the pigskin will be junior quarterback Jim Miller, who can thread passes as well. He is backed by Bret Johnson and Mill Coleman, who will start as flanker. Coleman, with his quick moves and great hands, leads MSU's receiving corps, which includes Mark MacFarland, Brian Howard, Demetrice Martin, Napoleon Outlaw and Muhsin Muhammad. Someone, however, must emerge as a long-bomb threat to help open up the middle.

MSU's offensive line features such behemoths as Shane Hannah (6-5, 327), Brett Lorius (6-4, 300), Brian DeMarco (6-7, 308), Bob Denton (6-5, 300) and Toby Heaton (6-6, 283). Joining Mitch Lyons at tight end will be Bob Organ, a converted fullback. Either Jeff Graham (6-5, 290) or Mark Birchmeier (6-3, 283) will man the center post. Few doubt the offense will move the football.

On defense, however, some questions arise. Can Ty Hallock, a converted fullback, can plug the middle linebacker spot--the mainstay of Perles' Stunt 4-3 defense? Can the defensive line overcome its lack of experience? Bookend linebackers Rob Fredrickson and Matt Christensen combined for 140 tackles last year, but Hallock, a tough hitter, has never played the middle. He needs to learn the system in a hurry to fill the hole left by veteran Chuck Bullough. The defensive line returns Bill Reese and Aaron Jackson. Other contenders include Mike Edwards, who missed 1991 with phlebitis, highly-touted recruits Juan Hammonds and Dale Person, and redshirt freshman Orion Hayes. The defensive backfield is solid and deep. Myron Bell, Stan Callender, Brian Winters, Todd Murray and Howard Triplett cover the corners, while Damian Manson, a potential NFL caliber player, will patrol at safety along with Academic All-America candidate Steve Wasylk and Corey Keyes. Senior Jim DelVerne anchors the special teams as placekicker. Replacing Josh Butland as punter will be either freshmen Chris Salani and Steve Barnhill or junior Bill Stoyanovich, primarily a placekicker. Mill 'The Thrill' Coleman will be the top punt returner, with wide receivers Napoleon Outlaw and Demetrice Martin as back-ups. Coleman will also return kick-offs, with Goulbourne and Martin in reserve.

For a change, MSU's schedule is more benign up front, with an opener against Central Michigan, a home tester against Notre Dame, and a road trip to Boston College (to which the MSU Alumni Association is sponsoring an exciting four-day tour). With Iowa off the schedule, MSU's key games are likely to be Oct. 3 at Ann Arbor and Oct. 24 against Ohio State in Spartan Stadium.

Whatever happens on the gridiron, George Perles will likely win on another front. Last season, for the second year in a row, MSU led the league with Academic All-Big Ten players (12). To the extent that football has become a thinking man's game, that trend boasts well for the program.