The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
October 21, 2013 -3B
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GAME
STATISTICS
M' nabs overtime win in Columbus
Tam Stats
FistEDwns
Rush/Yards
Pasng a9rdsR
OffesePays
Tta Ofene
PKik ern/yds
® Pun eturns/yds.
Comp/Att/Int
PuntsE/Avg
Fmbles/lost
Penaltis/Yads
Time of Posssion
Michigan
35
54/248
503
83
751
6/121
0/0
21/29/0
2/36.5
2-2
4-15
3834
M I C H I G A N
PASSING
Pas 2C-A Yd s T
Indiana
28
33/162
410
76
572
5/101
/A
21/43/2
4/36.5
A-A
3-20
21:26
TD
4
3
7
TD
2
0
RUSHING
Player
Toussaint
Gardner
Greem
Gallon
Totals
Att Yds
32 151
54 295
Avg
4.7
54
35
4.6
Avg
24
240
L9
27
18
27
lg
38
12
RECEIVING
Player
Gallon
Funchess
Jackson
Toussaint
Totals
No.
14
4
2
Yds
369
84
503
By CHLOE AUBOCHON
For theDaily
Rachael Mack setthe Michigan
record for most career goals. As
the over-
time game OHIO STATE 1
winner. MICHIGAN 2
Against
Ohio State.
As a Michigan field hockey player,
you can't ask for much more.
In a hard-fought overtime
game, the 19th-ranked Wolver-
ines field hockey team (2-2 Big
Ten, 9-6 overall) pulled off a 2-1
victory over Ohio State in Colum-
bus.
In addition to adding a confer-
ence win to their record Sunday
afternoon, the Wolverines cel-
ebrated the enormous success of
senior forward Rachael Mack,
who netted both goals for Michi-
gan and secured her place as the
Wolverines' all-time leading goal
scorer.
The offensive star recorded
her 69th career goal in the sixth
minute of sudden-death overtime
play. Mack hit the right side of
the net after receiving a long pass
from redshirt junior midfielder
Lauren Hauge, dodging a defend-
er and ripping a shotfrom an open
area at the top of the circle.
Michigan came out strong in
overtime, starting off the scor-
ing opportunities with an early
penalty corner followed by a high
shot by redshirtjunior back Leslie
Smith. The Wolverines secured
the win with Mack's record-
breaking goal.
"It feels phenomenal," Mack
said. "It's something I've been
working towards since my fresh-
man year, so to actually achieve
Defenders succeeded in mark-
ing their opponents and staying
in front of the Buckeyes near the
net.
Despite its control of the sec-
ond half, Michigan couldn't capi-
talize on any of its shots or corner
opportunities and the game went
into overtime.
The Wolverines came into the
game aware that a win would
not come easily against this par-
ticular Ohio State team. Although
Michigan led the all-time series,
which now stands at 33-26-2,
coming into Sunday's game, it has
dropped four out of its last five
meetings in Columbus.
Coaches and players alike also
knew that both teams would
bring their best play even before
the game began-a product of the
rivalry between the two schools.
Green and yellow cards against
both teams as well as a tiring back
and forth battle that left the Wol-
verines relying on fresh legs off
the bench highlighted the inten-
sity of the game.
"It was a big team win where
a lot of players got to contrib-
ute," Pankratz said. "We're very
well conditioned and to be able
to rotate like that kept our tempo
really high."
When a game enters overtime,
the team mentality must change.
Each player must be more aggres-
sive, more urgent, in every fight
for possession. In the end, it was
passion and the desire to win that
put Michigan on top of Ohio State.
"It's a battle of heart, essen-
tially," said redshirt senior goal-
keeper Haley Jones. "That's what
really comes in, who's more pas-
sionate about the win, who really
wants it."
Payer NC.
Norflee 56
Totals
PUT ETURNS
NR. 0ds Avg 1,
No2 72 A36.5 37
2 72 36.5 37
Yds'
121
121
Yds
0
Solo
7
5
5
3
4
3
2
2
2
1
1
2
2
1
1
1
1
0
0
43
Avg
20.2
20.2
Avg
0
Asst
2
3
0
2
0
0
1
1
1
2
2
0
0
t
t
0
0
t
1
18
44 0
44 0
Lg TD
0 0
Tt
5
5
4
3
3
3
3
2
2
1
61
'D Int
4 2
Lg TD
20 1
15 1
0 0
20 2
ERIN KIRKLAND/Daily
Senior forward Rachel Mack scored her 69th career goal to set the new Michigan career scoring record.
it today is the best feeling in the
world."
The Wolverines got off to a
rocky start when they gave up the
first goal of the game less than
13 minutes in. Ohio State main-
tained its one-goal lead for most
of the first half, seeing little pres-
sure from the Michigan offense in
that time. A deflection into the net
by Mack off a pass from redshirt
junior midfielder Sammy Gray
with just 32 seconds remaining in
the half finally gave the Wolver-
ines the momentum they needed.
"It was great timing because
we got it right at the end of the
first half," Mack said. "Being able
to tie it up was very motivating,
and it helped with the confidence
of the team going into the second
half."
In the second half, Michi-
gan came out with a newfound
intensity and sense of urgency.
The offense awakened, record-
ing 14 shots in the second half as
opposed to just three in the first.
"We refocused on what the
game plan was and the players
really executed that in the second
half," said Michigan coach Mar-
cia Pankratz. "They came out on
fire and really motivated to play at
their best."
The Wolverines also played a
solid game on defense, allowing
just five shots through both the.
regulation and overtime periods.
SPREAD
From Page 1B
had the best game of his career,
finishing with 151 yards rushing
and four touchdowns.
Those numbers are hard to put
up in a video game, much less in
real life.
"Obviously our defense has
played way more consistent than
our offense has all year," said All-
American fifth-year senior left
tackle Taylor Lewan. "It was nice
to have their back on this one."
The first drive of the game was
one of the few drives that wasn't
finished by Michigan for a touch-
down, but it showed that Borges
had a creative game plan from the
start. The offensive coordinator
had been criticized in the media
for his propensity to run the ball
on first down. On Saturday, the
first play of the game was a deep
pass to Gallon that fell incom-
plete. The next play, Gallon got a
handoff on an end-around, and
after a delay-of-game penalty,
Gardner had an 11-yard scramble
on third down. Michigan had to
punt, but the point was made.
All game long, Borges seemed
determined to break the offensive
mold put into place after Penn
State. More than two-thirds of
the Wolverines' plays came out
of the shotgun. Gardner executed
multiple rollout passes, and Borg-
es called plenty of read-option
runs.
It wasn't what Michigan ini-
tially envisioned before the sea-
son, which was a power running
game, but it worked.'
"I'm more of a fan of the down-
hill run game, but whatever gets
Fitz yards gets Fitz yards," Lewan
said.
Added Gardner: "I could have
never dreamed about playing a
game like this after such a tough
loss. I feel like it's all about the
offensive line. They gave me plen-
ty of time."
That offensive line saw two
new starters at guard on Saturday,
redshirt junior Joey Burzynski
and redshirt freshman Erik Mag-
nuson. Burzynski was injured in
the first half, so in stepped true
freshman Kyle Bosch,
The regular starter, redshirt
freshman Kyle Kalis, still got
some playing time, but for all
intents and purposes, the new
guys played well, even if it was the
first game of Bosch's career.
"Bosch played well," Lewan
said. "My first Big Ten game as a
freshman, I just remember look-
ing around and saying, 'Oh my
God, this is the Big Ten.' I think
Bosch did a great job. The first
couple plays he was a little star-
ry eyed, but he knows what his
strengths and weaknesses are
and so do I so I tried to help him
out as much as I could."
To be fair, some of Michigan's
offensive explosion needs to
be credited to Indiana's porous
defense, which often left Gallon
open even after he had eclipsed
the 200-yard receiving mark.
Declarative statements can't be
made against defenses that bad.
But if Borges and the Wol-
verines stick to the offensive
look they didn't originally want
to employ, whatever offense
struggles that occurred earlier
in the season might head to the
backburner. It's different, but it's
working, and that's what should
matter.
"We;kind of put (the spread) in
for Indiana," Lewan said. "We'll
see what we do in the future. I
know we'll still do stuff like run-
ning downhill because that's the
type of team we want to be and
we have the guys up there to do it,
it's just doing it consistently. But
if (the spread) works, we aren't
just going to throw it to the side.
Coach Borges is a smart guy and
our coaches know what they are
doing."
PASSING
Player C-A Yds
Totas 24-43 410
RSHING At Ys
Coleman 11 78
Roberson 11 50
Sudfeld - 1 -12
Totas 33 162
TC
RECEIVING
Player
Hughes
Boser
Stoner
WY T
Totals
PUNTING
Player
Totals
No.
4
3
2
24
Yds
138
52
41
47
410
Avg
71
4.5
5.6
0.5
_12
4.9
Avg
.11
19.2
13
13.7
23.5
11.5
6.5
170
L9
67
59
20
42
67
TD
1
'2
4
No 54s Ag 4
4 146 36.5 40
KICKOFF RETURNS
,Player No. Yds Avg Lg
Oliver 2 20 10 12
Toas 0 20. 40
TACKLES
Heban 16 2 12
Allen 7 2 9
Hardin 7 2 9
Cooper 3 2 5
Laihnhinen 3 0 3
Murphy 0 3 3
Funderburk 2 0 2
Zupancic 1 1 2
Shaw 1 1 2
Davis 1 1 1
Stone 1 0 1
Olier 0 1 1
Mangieri 0 1 1
Total 60 22 82
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FIVE
From Page 1B
son, that's not a fluke - that's the
opponents looking to take advan-
tage of a vulnerability.
2. Tempo can burn the Michigan
defense.
During the week, Hoke said he
wouldn't plan anything different
in practice to adjust for Indiana's
up-tempo offense. Michigan's
practices, he said, are naturally
speedy. That would be prepara-
tion enough.
The Hoosiers, though, caused
confusion by hurrying to the
line. On multiple occasions, they
scored touchdowns as the defense
struggled to communicate.
On Indiana's second posses-
sion, it took just 10 seconds from
a first-down play to the next
snap. Taylor, Hoke said, was try-
ing to get the call from fifth-year
senior safety Thomas Gordon.
Meanwhile, wide receiver Cody
Latimer streaked past Taylor. The
safety help Taylor believed would
be there never came. The play
went for 59 yards and a touch-
down.
Later, after Taylor dropped the
interception, Indiana hurried to
the line. Again, an Indiana receiv-
er was able to get over the top of
the secondary for a touchdown.
Up-tempo offenses also caused
issues on the defensive line. Mat-
tison likes to rotate linemen con-
stantly. That's difficult when the
offense runs the hurry-up.
If there is one other team in the
Big Ten capable of cycling plays
as fast as Indiana, it'sOhio State.
Michigan will have to be more
prepared for it in The Game.
3. Borges has shown a willingness
to commit to the spread.
In an ideal world for Michigan
coach Brady Hoke and offensive
coordinator Al Borges, the Wol-
verines' offense would likely look
much different from the one that
put up 63 points on Indiana Sat-
urday. Not that anyone is arguing
with the results.
Hoke and Borges came to Ann
Arbor with the promise of a tradi-
tional power running game. Some
pictured the three-yards-and-a-
cloud-of-dust offenses of the Big
Ten's past, but Borges has always
shown more nuance than that.
Still, big, road-grading linemen
would abound. The inside run-
ning game would flourish.
Well, the inside running game
hasn't flourished. The road-grad-
ing linemen, at least on the inte-
rior, haven't flattened much of
anything. So against on Indiana,
Borges committed to the spread,
and the offense exploded for 751
yards of total offense. Finally, the
running game broke out. Fifth-
year senior running back Fitzger-
ald Toussaint ran for151yards, his
highest total in his last 20 games.
Now, Michigan must decide
what kind of team it wants to be.
Hoke said the opposing defense
dictates how much spread Borges
will use. Indiana, they felt, was
more vulnerable to the spread.
Michigan has had more suc-
cess in those formations. But
the vision for the program is the
downhill, under-center running
game.
"That's what we want to do,"
said fifth-year senior left tackle
Taylor Lewan. "That's the kind of
team we want to be."
But in year three under Hoke,
Michigan isstillin limbo, a down-
hill running team without all the
parts necessary to run downhill.
As it becomes increasingly clear
that's not the best option, will
they fully commit? And then
what, exactly, is the identity of
Team 134?
"That's a great question," Hoke
said. "And so good that I don't
know if I can answer that."
4. Defenses can contain Jeremy
Gallon or Devin Funchess. But not
both.
By the second half, when fifth-
year senior receiver Jeremy Gal-
lon already had 170 yards, it was
inconceivable that he had not
drawn a double team. He explod-
ed for 50 more yards, to move
his total to 220. Then another 70
yards made it 290. Then 53 yards
on the next drive for 343.
Still, Gallon remained in single
coverage.
His 369 total yards was an
unprecedented individual accom-
plishment in Big Ten play. But
Gallon also has sophomore tight
end Devin Funchess to thank.
By now, Funchess is a tight end
in name only. Most of the game,
he was split out wide on the same
side as Gallon. The formation cre-
ates a dilemma for defenses.
Leave Funchess in single cov-
erage, and he can beat smaller
cornerbacks with his size. Yet
leavingGallon one-on-one proved
worse for Indiana.
In Funchess's first two games
split out wide, defenses still
keyed on Gallon, and they most-
ly kept him in check. In two
games against Minnesota and
Penn State, Gallon totaled nine
receptions for 134 yards and one
touchdown. Comparatively, that's
pedestrian. Funchess, mean-
while, had 11 receptions for 263
yards and 3 scores.
Indiana decided to give more
attention to Funchess. It did limit
his production, and he finished
with four receptions for 84 yards.
But Gallon made the Hoosiers pay
over and over again.
Remember, also, that redshirt
junior quarterback Devin Gard-
ner's rebound after a bad string of
turnovers coincided with Funch-
ess's move to receiver. Gardner
has taken better care of the ball.
But having another weapon didn't
hurt.
"It's hard to combination two
of them," Hoke said. "And if you
do, then the other guy on the
other side is by himself. I think
there's no doubt that having
Devin Funchess out there in the
open space helps."
5. Bold Prediction: The Legends
Division winner will have two
losses, but there will be no out-
right division champion.
Northwestern looked most
promising to start conference
play, but the Wildcats lost their
first three Big Ten games. Write
them off, but don't be surprised
if they play spoiler in the Legends
Division.
Michigan also has a confer-
ence loss, and winning out is atall
task. Nebraska is unblemished
in the conference but still must
play Northwestern, Michigan
State and Iowa and at Michigan
and Penn State. Winning three of
those five games isn't too shabby.
Michigan State looks to be in
the driver's seat, with the best
shot to finish with less than two
losses. But the Spartans still have
issues on offense, plus games
against Michigan, Nebraska and
Northwestern. Can they win two
of those three? Maybe. But in the
weak Big Ten this year, don't bank
on it.
MICHIGAN
From Page 1B
criticizes anything too harshly
- perhaps summed it up best,
when asked about his reaction to
the defensive performance and
such a high-scoring game.
"A lot of frustration," he said.
"Sick feeling."
Fifth-year senior safety
Thomas Gordon said that the
Hoosiers' fast tempo caught the
Wolverines off guard, though it
certainly came as no surprise -
they'd been preparing for it all
week.
But if the Michigan defense
struggled this much on Saturday
against a team that hasn't beaten
the Wolverines since 1987, then
what are they goingto look like
when November rolls around
and it faces the meaty part of its
schedule?
That's not to take away from
Gardner and Gallon's accom-
plishments. But that kind of
performance is not realistically
sustainable - they aren't still
going to be smashing the same
kind of records when Ohio State
rolls into town.
And then, what will the
Wolverines have to cover up its
miscues?
Hoke will dream about it,
though.
"I'd like to see the same
offense show up," Hoke said
about the Wolverines' next con-
test, in East Lansing after the
bye.
Then he paused.
"Maybe a different defense."
- Vukelich can be reached
at elizavuk@umich or on
Twitter @LizVukelich