Lodish Remembers Wolverines : UCLA Lineman Has Home Bragging Rights in Mind

Growing up in Birmingham, Mich., near Ann Arbor, Mike Lodish was pressured extensively to play for the Michigan Wolverines.

But he never regretted enrolling at UCLA.

“It came down to UCLA and Michigan and I came out West for some reasons I don’t want to discuss,” said Lodish, a 6-foot-3, 260-pound senior defensive tackle. “I enjoyed the (UCLA) coaching staff, the way I was treated and I wanted to get away from home and grow up a little bit and not have the comfort of being only 45 minutes from home.”

Lodish said it wasn’t easy to resist a personality such as Michigan Coach Bo Schembechler.

“I remember him as a gut-tough, hard-nosed coach,” Lodish said. “When I was being recruited, there were five high school All-Americans coming out of Michigan, and Michigan State got four of them. There was always the pressure on me that you’re a Michigan boy and have to play here, that you’re a Michigan-type person.

“When Bo Schembechler came into your house, he demanded your attention. It was almost like it was his house, basically. He’s kind of like a Woody Hayes-type coach. But I felt UCLA was the school for me.”

When Lodish eventually told Schembechler and his offensive coordinator, Gary Moeller, that he was going to UCLA, they asked him to delay his decision.

“When I called Bo and told him I was going to UCLA, he went nuts a little bit,” Lodish said. “He said, ‘I’m coming to your house. You stay home.’ So he and Gary Moeller came to my house. Who knows? Maybe I should have gone to Michigan. They were really on me to go to Michigan.”

In other words, if UCLA Coach Terry Donahue is concerned about his Bruins having enough intensity this weekend against the Wolverines, he need not worry about Lodish, who has an agenda of his own. He has some bragging rights at home to attend to.

And he wouldn’t mind playing Michigan again this season . . . in the Rose Bowl game.

Last season, he could only take some satisfaction in Michigan’s 22-14 Rose Bowl victory over USC.

“I was jumping for joy,” he said. “Whenever anyone plays USC, I want USC to lose. It made me sick losing to USC because I came out here to play in the Rose Bowl game.”

Lodish said that he was mentioned on Schembechler’s television show as a player who slipped away from Michigan.

“I don’t know what he thinks of me as a football player and that doesn’t matter, but I’m sure he knows who I am,” Lodish said, “and their offense is going to know who I am.”

The UCLA lineman recalls past recruiting days when Moeller and Schembechler tried to persuade him that he was going 3,000 miles away from home and wouldn’t play because the California boys would be playing.

“That was a challenge itself,” Lodish said. “They were trying to beat ‘Go Blue’ into my head, but it really wasn’t working.

“I just felt that UCLA would be a better school for me outside of football, getting contacts in business.”

Lodish said he became interested in UCLA when the Bruins beat the Wolverines, 24-14, in the 1983 Rose Bowl game.

“I remember that hit by (defensive back) Don Rogers on (quarterback) Steve Smith in the Rose Bowl game. I thought this program is for real, that defense is for real.”

Although Lodish is emotionally ready for Saturday night’s game, he is aware, of course, that Michigan is a formidable opponent.

“We’re going to have to play our best to beat them,” he said. “They’re an excellent football team. They’ve got a tremendous attack and, being from Michigan, I know how Bo Schembechler is. They lost (last week) and Bo Schembechler doesn’t like to lose, especially at home when he knows he could have won. They’ll be pumped up.”

Obviously, so will Lodish.

UCLA Notes

UCLA Coach Terry Donahue said his team improved some in a 28-25 victory over San Diego State Saturday night, adding: “Obviously, we have a long, long way to go to become a good football team and improve. We have an opportunity to take a big step this week when we play Michigan. But you have to be blind to not realize what kind of football team they have.” . . . Donahue also noted in a Michigan press release that Coach Bo Schembechler wants to improve his team’s running game, which was shut down to some extent by Notre Dame. “I don’t think you can win in football with passing alone,” Schembechler said. “And no matter how well we pass the ball, that’s not going to satisfy me until we will be able to punch holes in the defense and run.” . . . Said Donahue: “I think he meant that for us. I take it personally.”

Bruin injury report: Nose tackle Jon Pryor (broken thumb), tailback Shawn Wills (sprained ankle), wide receiver Laurence Burkley (dislocated knee), defensive back Eric Nelson (torn knee ligaments) and tailback Ricky Davis (broken thumb). They’re reportedly out of the Michigan game. “I don’t think Wills will play, but he thinks he will and, if the player thinks so, he usually does,” Donahue said. As for Pryor, a starter, Donahue says he may be out for a while.

Donahue said that quarterback Bret Johnson had a creditable game against San Diego State. “His greatest asset is that he is extremely competitive,” Donahue said. “If every member of our team was as competitive, we would have a great team. He thrives on games.” . . . UCLA is off to a shaky start, losing to Tennessee, 24-6, and coming from behind to beat San Diego State, a team that wasn’t supposed to be in UCLA’s class. Said Donahue: “Michigan is one of the top teams in the country. It’s an opportunity for our team to step forward and show our colors.”

Schembechler announced in Ann Arbor that freshman Elvis Grbac will be the Wolverines’ starting quarterback this week. Senior starter Michael Taylor bruised his back last Saturday in Michigan’s 24-19 loss to Notre Dame. Grbac replaced him in the third quarter and completed 17 of 21 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns. . . . Fullback Jarrod Bunch also will miss the UCLA game after injuring a knee against Notre Dame. His replacement will be Leroy Hoard, who was the most valuable player last January in Michigan’s 22-14 Rose Bowl victory over USC. Hoard, who ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns against USC, alternated at tailback last week with Tony Boles.

Dean Dingman, a 6-2, 292-pound offensive guard, lost 30 pounds in the week before the Notre Dame game because of strep throat, Schembechler said, and is questionable for this week. . . . Gulam Khan, who had two kickoffs returned for touchdowns by Notre Dame’s Raghib Ismail, broke an arm when hit by a blocker during Ismail’s fourth-quarter runback.