X’S AND O’S

The glazed expression in Charles Woodson’s eyes suddenly vanished, replaced by a brief but brilliant spark of animation.

Of the many questions posed to Michigan’s Heisman Trophy winner in the week leading up to Thursday’s Rose Bowl, this was the first that seemed to intrigue him and penetrate his cloak of indifference.

Does Woodson, the first primarily defensive player to win the Heisman, hope Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf goes right at him to test his abilities?

“Why not?� Woodson said, with a sly smile. “That’s what I play for.�

With that answer, Woodson revealed more about himself than he realized.

Go ahead, he was saying. Hit me with your best shot. I dare you. Other quarterbacks have tried and failed. You think you’re any different?

Arrogance? Perhaps. Woodson did, after all, once declare “no one can cover me but me.�

But his response might have been the instinctive reply of a confident, superbly conditioned, self-motivated athlete facing an irresistible challenge, like the many challenges he conquered during the 11-0 season that launched Michigan into contention for its first national championship since 1948.

He called himself the best player in the country before the Wolverines faced Penn State on Nov. 8. He then proved it by limiting Joe Jurevicius to three catches for 20 yards, and Woodson scored on a 37-yard pass play in Michigan’s 34-8 rout.

Ohio State receiver David Boston questioned his talent before the teams’ traditional regular-season finale, and Woodson responded with a 37-yard pass reception to set up a touchdown, a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown and an end-zone interception. He also rattled Boston and kept him from being dominant in a 20-14 victory that clinched the Wolverines’ Rose Bowl berth.

There were skeptics who said a defensive player could never win the Heisman, but Woodson’s versatility and verve every week won those critics to his side. Opponents couldn’t ignore the threat he posed on offense and as part of a defense that ranks first in the nation; how could Heisman voters overlook this junior cornerback-punt returner-wide receiver?

No doubt swayed by his performance against Ohio State, they gave him 433 first-place votes and 1,815 points, well ahead of the 281 first-place votes and 1,543 points earned by Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning and the 70 first-place votes and 861 points earned by Leaf.

“He’s an exceptional athlete, very intelligent, and just wants to be the best. And that’s what he is,� said Michigan strong safety Marcus Ray, one of Woodson’s closest friends. “He speaks things and makes them happen.�

Said Michigan Coach Lloyd Carr: “He has everything you want, physically and mentally. In my mind, you don’t separate the two. There are great athletes that don’t have the emotional makeup to handle things outside the field, but he does.�

Woodson is handling the pre-Rose Bowl fuss calmly. His life hasn’t changed much since he won the Heisman, he said, except “a lot more people ask for autographs and interviews when I go out.�

“I’m never tired of being Charles Woodson,� he said. “I’m just tired of doing all the interviews and everything. I guess it just comes with the territory.�

He has been polite in every interview while scoring high on the cliche meter. He is also dutiful about paying tribute to Leaf.

“He’s a very good quarterback. I’ve been watching him all week [on film], along with the rest of their defense and offense,� Woodson said. “It’ll be hard to stop him. He’s a big quarterback who sees the whole field. He scrambles. He can do it all.�

Takes one to know one.

In Woodson’s case, “all� this season consisted of seven interceptions, 43 tackles, five passes broken up, 32 punt returns for 283 yards and a touchdown, 15 rushing yards with one touchdown, 231 receiving yards with two touchdowns and a 28-yard pass that set up a touchdown against Wisconsin. The new, aggressive defense installed this season by Michigan plays to his strengths and his personality, allowing him to line up as a nickel back in passing situations, roam on pass defense and take chances while making the Wolverine pass rush that much more menacing.

“It’s a lot more fun,� Woodson said of the scheme devised by defensive coordinator Jim Herrmann. “He allowed the corners to play a lot more man on man. The cornerbacks do a lot more blitzing. We use our speed and our abilities. Playing man to man always lets you showcase your talent.�

Which Woodson has in abundance.

“He has the ability to take over the game single-handedly, and there’s not too many people you can say that about, especially from the defensive secondary,� Michigan running back Clarence Williams said.

Of the 15 times he touched the ball on offense, Michigan scored three touchdowns and recorded an additional nine first downs. He was on the field for 613 defensive plays, 69 offensive plays and 83 special-team plays.

“If he worked on offense every day, he’d be even more amazing,� Williams said. “He did have over 2,000 yards in high school.

“He got the Heisman because he deserved it, and now he’s going to help us win the Rose Bowl. His main focus has been just winning the Rose Bowl and the national championship. He never said, ‘I have to get two interceptions to win the Heisman.’ Charles is just the kind of guy who’s going to lay back. He’s not cocky.�

At 6 feet 1 and 198 pounds, Woodson is wiry but strong, and above all fearless, unafraid of getting involved in bump-and-run coverage.

“Everybody talks about how fast he is and how good a cover guy, but nobody talks about how physical he is,� Michigan quarterback Brian Griese said. “That’s what makes him different than other defensive backs.�

For Carr, the differences lie even deeper.

“He has tremendous quickness. He has what coaches call makeup speed,� Carr said. “Charles can make a mistake and recover and the competitive part of him wills him to be the best he can be. These are all things that come from within.�

Carr, better than anyone, knows Woodson’s Heisman victory is a triumph of spirit as well of body.

Consider that Woodson had to wear braces and special shoes to correct club feet until he was 4 years old. That his first football was a stuffed sock he and his older brother, Terry, would dive for in the living room of their Fremont, Ohio, home, while his divorced mother, Georgia, worked at a bottling plant to support her family. Before she came home, they would carefully rearrange the furniture and repair the damage.

Consider how many times he was told no, you can’t play offense and defense and excel. Maybe he could dabble at it in high school, where he rushed for 2,028 yards as a tailback in his senior year, but not in a high-profile college program such as Michigan’s.

Where others might have accepted conventional restrictions, Woodson defied them. He refused to surrender his dream.

“I’ve done it all my life. I didn’t think it would be any different at the college level,� he said. “All it takes is conditioning.�

Consider, then, his elation when--with Georgia in the audience--his name was announced as the Heisman winner. “I was shocked when they opened the envelope and said my name,� said Woodson, who admitted to being weak in the knees but held back the tears in his eyes. “I don’t think she’s come down yet.�

And if folks in Tennessee didn’t like it, if they’re still fussing over favorite son Manning’s runner-up finish, that’s their problem.

“I don’t care about the people in Tennessee and their feelings. I’ll move on and hopefully they’ll move on,� Woodson said.

Woodson has moved on to concentrate on what is virtually certain to be the final game of his college career. One more obstacle to clear, one more naysayer to prove wrong.

“I really don’t know what Ryan is going to do and their team is going to do,� he said. “Whatever happens, I look forward to it. It is a challenge for our whole team. We haven’t faced an offense like that since I’ve been at the University of Michigan. . . .

“[Winning the national championship] would be the greatest thing we could do. To be crowned the best team in the nation is what you play college football for. It would be a great end to a great season we’ve already had.�