Pierson, Dierdorf Get National Recognition

PIERSON, DIERDORF GET NATIONAL RECOGNITION

Pass Defender Prefers Tackling
Interceptions are all right, but good, hard tackles are better, as far as Barry Pierson is concerned.
As far as Ohio State is concerned, Pierson could have made more tackles and fewer interceptions last Saturday.
Because when Pierson was through making his three interceptions—he also returned a punt 60 yards to set up a touchdown—Michigan had a stunning 24-12 victory over the previously top-ranked Buckeyes. He also made four unassisted tackles, helped out on another and batted down a pass.
For that performance, Pierson was named college football’s Back of the Week by The Associated Press and Midwest Back of the Week by United Press International.
Coach Bo Schembechler called Pierson’s play “one of the greatest I’ve ever seen,” but Pierson wasn’t that thrilled.
“I missed a few tackles,” he said. “I could have done better. I’m not All-America material, you know. You have to be outstanding for three years to deserve that. I’m not outstanding. I just do my job.”
The 6-foot, 175-pound senior from St. Ignace on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has been overshadowed playing in the same secondary with Tom Curtis, who holds the national record for career interception return yardage.
But he’s still managed seven steals this season which he ran back 84 yards. He’s also been in on 63 tackles, returned 20 punts for 292 yards and a touchdown and three kickoffs for 65 yards.
“We knew we’d beat Ohio State,” Pierson said. “We knew it last week. In fact, we knew it all season. You could just feel it. You could tell right from the first series of downs. The guys up front could feel it. And Ohio State felt it. They moved on us, but we adjusted and stopped them.
“We made them go to things they hadn’t gone to before. They’re a running team and we made them throw the ball.” That’s when Ohio State’s troubles started.
“Everything considered,” he said, “the interceptions, the punt return and the game and all, it was my best game.”
Pierson, who has averaged 14.6 on punt returns, was, like the rest of the Michigan defensive backs, a star prep quarterback.
“My sophomore year I was behind Curtis—who does everything—and my junior year I was behind George Hoey—and he’s on the Detroit Lions’ taxi squad.
“There was nobody else my senior year so I finally got to start,” Pierson said.
Schembechler would have written enough praise after Pierson’s performance against Ohio State “to fill a whole front sports page if he’d only been given a typewriter.”
Only one of the sharp defensive back’s interceptions halted a Buckeye drive—the other two came before they could get a first down, with the initial theft setting up a field goal attempt which failed.
Pierson’s 60-yard punt return, in which he displayed his sensational tackle-breaking style, put the ball on the Ohio State three and Michigan has had no trouble scoring from anybody’s three all year.

LINEMAN CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S TRUE
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope,” was the reply. “It’s true.”
“Come on, I couldn’t be Lineman of the Week. It just doesn’t happen.”
“Well, it did this time.”
“That’s great! Thank you.
“Everybody’s still a little high from the game. We’re all feeling real good this week.”
And so Dan Dierdorf, Michigan junior from Canton, Ohio, learned he was United Press International’s Lineman of the Week for his part in the Wolverine’s myth-destroying 24-12 upset of Ohio State last Saturday.
“It was really a team effort,” said the beefy tackle on the Wolverines’ offensive line. Then he realized how a cliché would look in print and added: “I don’t mean to say that off the top of my head, but when you see in the films what an outstanding job the defense did and what a great job the offense did….”
The 255-pound Dierdorf is generally the key man on Michigan’s offensive line. He’s the guy who picks the specks off the springy artificial surface of Michigan Stadium so those sprinting steers, sophomore running backs Billy Taylor and Glenn Doughty, and bullish fullback Garvie Craw can do their thing for 15 or 50 yards.
“Our two tackles and tight ends flip-flop a lot,” Dierdorf said. “We like to run to the strong side a lot and I always play next to tight end Jim Mandich.”
It appeared that the Wolverines used the left side of the line a great deal in accomplishing their demolition of the Buckeyes’ 22-game winning streak.
“We ran about normal,” he said.
“We knew that if we had to go to the air, we’d be in trouble and we didn’t want to be. We’d seen what happened to the others who tried to do that.”
Dierdorf thought the win would help Michigan’s recruiting efforts in Ohio, where most of the Wolverine’s starters come from. “Our recruiting has always been good in northern Ohio,” he said.
The two year started agreed with coach Bo Schembechler that the Big Ten’s no-repeat rule would soon be dead as Notre Dame’s no-bowl policy.
“I sort of get that impression myself,” he said. “There’s a lot of sentiment against it all over the country. A lot of rules are slowly choking themselves to death.”