Boles Has Big Day as Michigan Bowls Over the Hoosiers, 38-10

The pregame hype focused on Indiana’s Anthony Thompson, but the real Touchdown Tony played for Michigan Saturday.

Tony Boles scored three touchdowns, including a 91-yard run, overshadowing Thompson’s record-tying 59th regular-season touchdown, as the fifth-ranked Wolverines routed Indiana, 38-10, before 105,989 fans.

“I got kind of fired up playing against Anthony Thompson, because he’s leading the Big Ten,” Boles said.

The Wolverines gained 347 of their 550 yards on the ground. Indiana was held to 229 yards, 89 on the ground.

“I told the team that if they held Thompson to four yards a carry we’d win the game,” Michigan Coach Bo Schembechler said. “Our defense did the job. Thompson’s an exceptionally fine back.”

Thompson’s one-yard dive over the middle with 12:40 left in the game equaled the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. mark of 59 touchdowns set by Army’s Glenn Davis in 1946 and matched 30 years later by Pitt’s Tony Dorsett. Thompson also has three bowl touchdowns that aren’t counted by the NCAA.

“I can look back on (the record) five years from now and enjoy it,” Thompson said. “But what I’m all about right now is just winning.”

“Anthony’s a very fine football player and he tried his hardest today,” Indiana Coach Bill Mallory said. “We wanted to feature him (on national television) and give him something during the end.”

Boles, who carried 14 times for 156 yards, scored on runs of six and 23 yards besides the 91-yarder as the Wolverines, 6-1 overall, remained unbeaten in the Big Ten at 4-0.

Indiana, with only one victory over Michigan in the last 18 meetings, slipped to 4-3 and 2-2.

Michael Taylor, making his second start after recovering from a back injury, threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Greg McMurtry, a 43-yarder to Derrick Alexander, and J.D. Carlson kicked his 11th consecutive field goal, a 38-yarder, equaling a Michigan record set last year by Mike Gillette.

Taylor completed 11 of 18 passes for 165 yards before Elvis Grbac took over with 5:10 left in the game.

Scott Bonnell set an Indiana record with a 55-yard field goal, breaking the mark of 53 yards set in 1988 by Pete Stoyanovich.

The Michigan defense, which logged six sacks and two interceptions against the Hoosiers, hadn’t allowed a rushing touchdown in 23 consecutive quarters until Thompson’s score. The Wolverines have 28 sacks for the season.

Thompson, who entered the game ranked first in the nation in scoring at 18.7 points per game and second in the nation in rushing at 160.8 yards per game, carried 30 times for 90 yards. He has never rushed for 100 yards against the Wolverines.

“Michigan has a good defense every year,” Thompson said. “They just came off the ball and came at us and played a big game.”

Boles, who suffered a pinched nerve with 4:41 remaining in the first quarter, returned to action on the second play of the second quarter and scored on a six-yard run, breaking a tackle by Joe Zeigler at the three.

“Obviously the pinched nerve did not hurt his play,” Schembechler said. “If you give a back with his speed a crease to run through, he is capable of a big play.”

The Hoosiers answered with a 29-yard, 12-play drive for Bonnell’s field goal with 9:55 remaining in the half.

A 37-yard punt by Macky Smith pinned Michigan on its nine. But on the first snap, Boles slipped away from Mike Middleton at the 15 and outran Mike Dumas down the Michigan sideline. The touchdown run was one yard shy of the Wolverine record set by Butch Woolfolk against Wisconsin in 1979.

“I didn’t think it would be like it was today,” Boles said. “I was expecting their defense was going to come around and stop me, but it just didn’t happen.”

CAREER TOUCHDOWNS Anthony Thompson of Indiana tied the NCAA Division-I career touchdown record Saturday. A look at the career leaders.

PLAYER SCHOOL YEARS TDs ANTHONY THOMPSON Indiana 1986-89 59 TONY DORSETT Pittsburgh ‘73-76 59 GLENN DAVIS Army ‘43-46 59 STEVE OWENS Oklahoma ‘67-69 56 BARRY SANDERS Oklahoma St. ‘86-88 54 ALLEN PINKETT Notre Dame ‘82-85 53 PETE JOHNSON Ohio State ‘73-76 53 MIKE ROZIER Nebraska ‘81-83 52 HERSCHEL WALKER Georgia ‘80-82 52 ED MARINARO Cornell ‘69-71 52

Source: Associated Press