Special Honors Go To M Quarterback

SPECIAL HONORS GO TO M QUARTERBACK

Don Moorhead is one up on Mr. Corrigan. Young Mr. Moorhead went the wrong way and it turned out to be quite correct.

So right, in fact, it produced a touchdown for Michigan and led in part to his being named Midwest Back of the Week by United Press International.

All Moorhead did last Saturday was score three touchdowns, pass nine yards for another and hand off the ball for two more as Michigan shellacked Washington, 45-7.

And that’s like saying all Denny McLain can do is win ball games for the Detroit Tigers.

The product of South Haven guided the Wolverines potent offense to a new Michigan record of 34 first downs and a new club mark of 581 yards total offense. The first standard was a year old, the second, 26.

Coach Bo Schembechler was worried about the dilemma of replacing graduated Dennis Brown—before spring practice. “I’m not worried now,” he said before the spring game.

Moorhead gave a preview of his “wrong way” play in the first Michigan drive. Twice he handed off on third down, sending a man in motion, and both times he followed up on fourth down and short yardage by keeping the ball himself and flowing into the line for a first down. He capped that drive with the pass to tight end Jim Mandich and a 7-0 lead.

Michigan opened the second quarter with the ball and moved steadily toward the Washington goal line. With first-and-goal on the six, the 6-3, 195-pound Moorhead handed off to fullback Garvie Craw for a yard.

Then, he called the same play—but, oops, rolled out right without a blocker in sight while 20 other men scrambled over on the left where they thought the ball was. Touchdown!

“It was fluke,” Moorhead explained. “I was supposed to go around left end. Everything was right; the formation, the defense, the timing…

“When they (the defense) see that back go in motion they know the belly option is coming but they don’t know who’s carrying.

“I can’t see why I went the wrong way,” Moorhead said, looking just like the youngster who has just tipped over the cookies jar—but caught it just before it smashed into a spanking.

“I thought that was a busted play,” said one coach who watched the game on television. “But I wasn’t sure until I saw the replay. He sure reacted quickly.

“He’s the type of quarterback the pros look for. He throws low and he can really fire it.”

You might do well to remember the name, but don’t worry about it if you can’t pick it up right away—you’ve got another whole year after this one to remember Don Moorhead.

PHOTO CAPTION: Moorhead Takes Off: Michigan quarterback Don Moorhead shakes off Washington linebacker Mark Turner (50) and heads into the open and a 33-yard gain against Washington. That’s Michigan tailback Glenn Doughty looking up following a block. No. 97 is defensive end Mark Hannah. (Ann Arbor News photo by Cecil Lockard.)