Sports

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 8A 6


Michigan looking elsewhere
after Gallon's big performance

By LIZ VUKELICH
Daily Sports Editor
Defensive coordinator Greg
Mattison says he's not a bet-
ting man, nor an expert on wide
receivers. But if he did gamble,
he'd put all his money on Michi-
gan whenever fifth-year senior
wide reciever Jeremy Gallon is on
the field. And
just because NOTEBOOK
he's mostly con-
cerned with what happens on the
other side of the ball doesn't mean
he can't appreciate the game Gal-
lon had against Notre Dame.
"That guy, he's as tough as
there'is," Mattison said. "He just
comes to work every day, does
everything you ask, has a smile on
his face. He's Michigan. I've got so
much respect for him, it's unbe-
lievable."
But as much as Saturday night
was Gallon'sgame, offensive coor-
dinator Al Borges is more con-
cerned with making sure the rest
of the receiving corps is capable of
having the same kind of big night.
It's undeniable that Gallon and
redshirt junior quarterback Devin
Gardner seemed to share a brain
last weekend. But other receivers
need to have that same chemistry
with Gardner too.
During the early days of their
Michigan careers, Gardner, Gal-
lon and senior Drew Dileo - who
caught a touchdown pass on Sat-
urday - spent hours practicing
with each other as backups. That
dynamic was briefly disrupted last
season when Gardner was used as
receiver, but Dileo said the chem-
istry picked right back up again
when Gardner's position was
cemented atcquarterback.
So, when Gardner starts to
scramble during a game - which
doesn't come as a surprise to Gal-
lon and Dileo anymore - they

ADAM GLANZMAN/Daily
Fifth-year senior wide receiverJeremy Gallon had 184 receiving yards and three touchdowns against Notre Dame.

instinctively know where he's
going to be.
"It's being around Devin,"
Dileo said. "Devin scrambling,
you've seen him in practice for a
couple years. What you see on Sat-
urday is what we see on Tuesday,
Wednesday (and) Thursday. It's
not like he goes in the game and
decides to scramble."
I DREAM OF JAKE RYAN: Mat-
tison lies awake at night, smiling
from the scene that continuously
plays out in his mind.
In the scenario, redshirt junior
linebacker Jake Ryan has com-
pletely recovered from his torn
anterior cruciate ligament, and
Mattison smiles to the media as
he makes the announcement that
Ryan is ready to start the upcom-
ing game in his usual position at
strongside linebacker.
Then, Mattison snaps out of the
fantasy and has to remind him-
self that Ryan is still in recovery.
But that doesn't stop him from

gushing whenever Ryan's name is
brought up.
. "Jake Ryan is beautiful," Mat-
tison said. "Every time I see Jake
Ryan, I smile. We won't play him
early, but he's working extremely
hard. When the doctors say he's
ready, he'll be ready."
Whenever the date of Ryan's
return arrives - his timetable is
mid-October - Mattison still isn't
quite sure how he'll fit into the
position now that junior Brennen
Beyer and fifth-year senior Cam
Gordon have started to make a
name for themselves by rotating
at SAM.
"Brennen and Cam are doing
a nice job," Mattison said. "A lot
of other people would have said,
'How are they going do this?' But
no, those two guys, they're play-
ing really good football. It's their
position. We just have to see what
happens from there."
A YOUTHFUL 'D': So much
of Michigan's matchup with the

Fighting Irish was focused on how
the interior line stood up next to
the likes of Notre Dame's big boys
opposite the ball.
But that's completely ignoring
how the Wolverines' own defense
fared against the Fighting Irish's
veteran offensive line.
Mattison noted that the the big-
gest issue was the technique of the
front four and the performance of
the pass rush, but that inexperi-
ence was the biggest factor. They
had trouble pressuring quarter-
back Tommy Rees and didn't reg-
ister any sacks. Upon reviewing
game tape, the coach noted just
three upperclassmen were on the
field for Michigan, with the rest
being freshmen or sophomores.
"(Youth is) not an excuse,
because you don't need to make
an excuse," he said. "Our game
plan was not to sell the farm a lot.
We didn't want to put our second-
ary in a position where a big play
could get us."

Freshman Bucklin
leads'M'to 5-0 start
By RYAN KRASNOO all the more impressive.
Daily Sports Writer "We've been very organized;
very focused and really playing
For many first-year college the way you'd want a defense to
athletes, old habits die hard. But play in front of a goalkeeper,"
for the Michigan women's soc- said Michigan coach Greg Ryan.
cer team's standout freshman "Taylor has made a couple great
goalkeeper, Taylor Bucklin, the saves inside our box and has
only habit that has followed her shown that she can come up
to Ann Arbor is winning. with a big save when we need
In addition to her 5-0 record her to."
as the Wolverines' starting net- Entering this season, Ryan
minder, the Greenwich, Conn., had anticipated Bucklin would
native was recently named the start, but insisted that she has
conference's Defensive Player of done everything to earn the
the Week after she made three starting job.
saves and earned a shutout in Bucklin has gone above and
Michigan's 2-0 win over No. 22 beyond justifying her role five
Pepperdine on Sept. 6. games into the campaign, and
"(Bucklin's) maturity is Michigan will rely heavily on
impressive," said senior co- the freshman once Big Ten play
captain Shelina Zadorsky, who begins Sept. 22, after a match
plays in front of Bucklin as part against Detroit on Thursday
of a back four that has allowed and the first away contest at
just three goals in five games. Butler on Sunday.
"To have such an important role In a conference riddled with
as a freshman, she has such a talent, the Big Ten schedule
positive atti- will test the
tude. She's young goal-
a good shot keeper in waya
stopper, and " She can come she hasn't yet
she's able ** experienced
to commu- u with a big and will likely
nicate well Ir put her in sce-
to keep the save when we narios where
defense in her play and
check while need her to." decision-mak
also man- ing will swing
aging her the result one
duties." way or the
Commanding a veteran back other. A certain learning curve
line, especially one accustomed is to be expected, but with a top-
to playing in front of 2012 sec- 10 national ranking looming,
ond-team All-American and there's little room for error.
Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year "It's a lot of pressure, but I
Haley Kopmeyer, is no small just envision myself making
task. the saves," Bucklin said. "Our
There should be errors. There seniors really deserve to win the
should be breakdowns in com- Big Ten this year. Penn State has
munication. There should be a won the past 15 championships,
drop off as an 18-year-old takes so it would be awesome to send
the reigns. But so far, there have our seniors out with a win."
only been positive results. Bucklin's lofty expectations
The amount of preparation are hardly uncommon for an
and adjustments that go into incoming freshman, but watch-
organizing a defense is stag- ing her patrol the Michigan
gering. It's an operation that goal, barking orders to her back
despite constant tinkering can four and cutting down angles
still feel at times like an exercise with a deceptive ferocity lends
in futility. credibility to her sentiments,
Kinks could take multiple which seem to be taken less
games or even a full season with a grain of salt and more
to work out, which makes the with an air of confidence and
expedited and seamless transi- belief. Some habits are just
tion from Kopmeyer to Bucklin worth sticking with.
1 I


Redshirt freshman offensive guard Kyle Kalis is one of three inexperienced interior offensive lineman who performed in a big way against Notre Dame last weekend.

Kalis
By MATT SLOVIN
ManagingEditor
Redshirt freshman guar
Kyle Kalis said Tuesday that th
Michigan football team's coach
ing staff has preached that th
Notre Dame game can dictat
how the season will go.
The Fighting Irish presented
quite possibly, the toughest fron
seven the inexperienced inte
rior of the Wolverines' offensiv
line will face all season. If that i
indeed the case, the adjustmen
for Kalis and redshirt sopho
more offensive linemen Jac
Miller and Graham Glasgow wil
only get easier.
So far this season, all thre
have benefited greatly fron
the experience brought by th
outside of the line. Fifth-yea
seniors Michael Schofield an
Taylor Lewan are big reason
why the offense has allowed onl
one sack of redshirt junior quar
terback Devin Gardner throug
the first two weeks.
That's not to say the line i
functioning at its fullest capa
bility, though. Kalis stressed th
importance of creating holes fo
fifth-year senior running bac

learning on the fly
Fitzgerald Toussaint, saying (during practice) and pulled me offensive line legend, but that
they haven't done a good enough aside," Kalis said. "I'm like, 'Oh doesn't mean a magic switch has
job of it yet. my god, this is Steve Hutchinson been flipped that will allow him
d "Taylor and (offensive line talking to me!' and the other two interior line-
e coach Darrell Funk) preach "Getting coached up from men to overcome the learning
- moving guys off the ball," Kalis a guy like that ... it was a great curve.
e said. "Push them from point 'A' experience hearing from a guy That, Kalis said, is a natu-
e to point 'B.' We've got to put it on who might be the greatest guard ral progression that comes only
our backs and on our shoulders of all time." from game experience. It cer-
I, to get (Toussaint) going." Hutchinson dished out mostly tainly doesn't come from just
it But Lewan especially, as the technical advice to a "shaking" two wins in which they worked
group's leader, has had an effect Kalis, encouraging him to keep together, however big one of
e on the younger linemen. During his chin up and his backside them might have been. It might
s the Notre Dame game, he gath- down. But Hutchinson also made not even come from half of a sea-
it ered the other four around him himself available on the sidelines son of building cohesion.
- during a timeout. at the Big House on Saturday for "I slightly improved," Kalis
k "Look around for a second," more motivational chats. He also said of his change from Week i to
11 Kalis remembers Lewan saying. said he became "obsessed" with Week 2. "I didn't make any great
"Take this all in. You're playing Hutchinson after seeing him on gains. But having that first game
e at Michigan." the episode Big Ten Network's under my belt, I went into the
m This weekend, and into Tues- "Big Ten's Greatest Games" that second game feeling a lot more
e day's practice, Kalis got some featured a game against North- comfortable."
r motivation from another source western from the early 2000s.
d - one he admires even more Kalis also downloaded film of COME TO A MASS
s than Lewan. Hutchinson and decided to try MEETING
y Former NFL star Steve and emulate the way he plays.
- Hutchinson, a seven-time Pro "Hearing from a different THURSDAY SEPT.12
h Bowler, was in town, along with voice, especially a guy like that
numerous other program alumni - I listened very intently to what SUNDAY SEPT.15
s for the Under the Lights II game, he said," Kalis said. "It's just dif- TUESDAY SEPT.17
- and Kalis made sure he got the ferent." THURSDAY SEPT.19
e opportunity to pick the brain of Kalis cherished the opportu-
r one of his heroes of the position. nity to receive a bit of one-on- WE LIKE YOU ALREADY
k "Steve actually came up to me one coaching from a Michigan

a

PATRICKBARRON/Daily
Freshman goalie Tavlor Bucklin shut out Pepperdine last week ina win.

Ia

THE SUPREME COURT
ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE,
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION,
AND VOTING RIGHTS
Thursday. September 17
4:00 -5:30 .
University of Michigan law School
Hutchins Hau. Room 250

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