-'2B - Janurary 13, 2014
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
SportsMonday: When recruiting isn't enough
Itasecruiting. in the national championship
It's the buzzword that game before declaring early for
a kept Michigan coach the NFL Draft.
--Brady Hoke further awav from 'a* -- ;w
1i1 cuy 1111G lil 1101 aw y 1 l
.the hot seat than he probably
'should be and the word that's
getting people excited about the
next season of a football team
that just finished 7-6.
The word
was one
of the big
focuses in
'Friday's
press con-
ference, held
to introduce
former
Alabama EVERETT
.offensive COOK
coordinator
Doug Nuss-
meier into the same position
at Michigan. It shouldn't have
been, but it was.
Obviously, we are in the
heart of recruiting season,"
Nussmeier said. "It's important.
As they say, it's about Jimmy's
and Joe's - not Xs and Os. The
- first thing is on the recruiting
front. The football will take
care of itself."
Nussmeier seems like a good
guy, a family man. Used the
word "special" six times in his
press conference. Said this is
a "darn good" football team,
which anyone with even the
most basic football knowledge
knows isn't true. (He gets a pass
Jin hopes that his duties with
the Crimson Tide prevented
him from actually watching the
Wolverines this year.)
But his statement was a per-
- ; -
ADAM GLANZM/
Offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier (left) and coach Brady Hoke (right) are known for their recruiting success, but it takes coaching to develop players.
That's the reason why Michi-
gan's secondary - full of highly
recruited players - was torched
by a junior college transfer at
quarterback and a two-star
recruit at wide receiver in the
loss to Kansas State in Tempe.
That's the reason why the
top-three players in Michigan's
2012 recruiting class have done
a whole lot of nothing in two
seasons in Ann Arbor, while
three-star recruit Willie Henry
became one of the best Wol-
verine defensive tackles down
the stretch. He's done better
than defensive back Terry Rich-
ardson, who didn't see game
action this year, and Royce
Jenkins-Stone, who played in
one game this year asa reserve
linebacker, and offensive guard
Kyle Kalis, who only regained
his starting job after walk-on
Joey Burzynski tore his ACL.
Rankings and stars only mat-
ter so much. They can only get
your program so far.
Maybe Nussmeier will be
the magic touch. Maybe he'll
be the one missing component
in the current talent divide on
this football team, at least on
offense. Or, maybe he won't.
But as we saw in 2013, the
Jimmy's and Joe's - as highly
ranked as they might be - can
only do so much without the X's
and O's.
Cook can be reached at
evcook@umich.edu and on
Twitter @everettcook
fect viewpoint of the divide of
this program, where recruiting
rankings seem to keep every-
thing afloat amidst the sinking
product on the field.
Hoke is known for his prow-
ess asa recruiter. He's pulled
the 12th-best class in the nation
for 2014 after the sixth-best
class in 2013 and the seventh-
best in 2012.
And yet, right now, that
doesn't matter.
7-6 matters. Getting blown
out in a bowl known more for
chicken than football matters.
Watching Michigan State win
the Rose Bowl from a couch at
home matters.
It matters that after the loss
in the Buffalo Wild Wings
Bowl, linebacker James Ross
III said, "We weren't totally
into it."
Getting the highest-ranked
recruits and more stars to fill
up an elementary school bulle-
tin board doesn't mean a damn
thing if those recruits don't
get developed properly. That is
where Hoke and company have gan redshirt sophomore run-
failed so far, and why the focus ning back Justice Hayes was
on five-star ranked higher
recruits is out of high
irrelevant if school than
those recruits "The football Auburn run-
don't actually ning back Tre
end up doing w ill take care Mason, but
anything. the former had
The best of itself" two carries
talent in the this season
world still while the lat-
needs to be ter was a Heis-
refined. man Trophy finalist and ran
That's the reason why Michi- for 195 yards and a touchdown
Wolverines down Purdue
By BEN FIDELMAN
Daily Sports Writer
The No. 18 Michigan wres-
tling team overcame a slow
start Friday evening to win its
Big Ten opener, 22-12, against
No. 20 Purdue at Cliff Keen
Arena.
The Wolverines (1-0 Big Ten,
5-2 overall) started off with a
win in the 125-pound weight
class by redshirt freshman
Conor Youtsey. That opening
match was a fine representation
of the first quarter of the duel,
where Michigan had trouble
putting themselves in a posi-
tion to wrestle with a lead.
Michigan then took the
matches in the 165-, 174-, 184-
and heavyweight classes in
an impressive domination of
the final three-quarters of the
meet.
Youtsey dominated the third
period and ended up walking
away with an opening 7-4 deci-
sion at 125 pounds.
A quick start has been a
focus preached by the coaching
staff all year, and it looked as if
Michigan had gotten just that.
"Purdue has a lot of scrappy
guys," said Michigan coach Joe
McFarland. "We got a nice win
from Youtsey at 125. He start-
ed off a little sluggish in that
match but was able to finish."
But the next two Wolverines
weren't able to push through
adversity quite as well as Yout-
sey.
Michigan sent sophomore
Rossi Bruno to the mat for the
133-pound weight class match.
Failing to get out to an early
lead has been a problem for
Bruno, and that issue flared up
again against the Boilermakers
(0-3, 3-3).
Bruno gave up a takedown
with just 25 seconds left in
the first period and fought
from behind for the rest of the
match. The match eventually
came down to double overtime,
where Bruno gave up an escape
to go down by a point in the first
of two 30-second extra periods.
In the second half of the sec-
ond overtime, Bruno had just
30 seconds to take back the
point he had given up, but was
unable to do so, and Purdue
took the duel to a 3-3 tie.
Next up was redshirt fresh-
man Angelo Larota at 141
pounds. After a back-and-forth
first two periods, the third was
dominated by the Boilermak-
ers, earning them a 6-3 lead in
the duel.
At the 149-pound weight
class, fifth-year senior Eric
Grajales provided a solid out-
ing, bringing home a 6-3 deci-
sion to push the duel to an early
6-6 tie.
It's a position Grajales has
been in multiple times this sea-
son; when the team flounders
early and then looks for a vet-
eran in the middle of the lineup
to set the tone for the Wolver-
ines in the remaining matches,
Grajales has answered that call
nearly every time.
Freshman Brian Murphy
came through next at 157
pounds and pushed Michigan
into the lead at 9-6.
The meet was the first step
for the Wolverines as they head
into a Big Ten schedule that
features six of the top 11 teams
in the country.
"(A strong start) is very
important," Grajales said.
"Sometimes it's hard to get
going if you get your head
down, so you have to start
strong and continue through.
It's motivation through the
whole season."
AL LISON FARRAND/
The Michigan women's gymnastics team cruised past Iowa State and Illinois State, bolstered by a pair of freshmen.
Inexperienced air helps
M " e e
Michi gan win tn-meet
Youissn duo
Vet
Nic'
arelli;
to the
gymna
Thoug
en anc
proved
-start a
son.
On
the W
team b
-Hilton
,over I
Illinoi
Unf
not on
collegi
formin
-on bea
,execut
erans.
In I
senior
9.825t
ance 1
immed
senior
overal
As
ment,
l ug UU floor rotation and scored a 9.850.
performs like With an upgraded tumbling
pass she plans on implementing
erans in victory in the near future, her already
impressive routine can only get
By CINDY YU better.
DailySports Writer Artz nailed her 9.900 floor
set, highlighted by a stuck dou-
ole Artz and Talia Chi- ble pike, to finish runner-up to
are the newest additions Sampson, the reigning national
No. 7 Michigan women's champion, who scored a 9.925.
astics team this season. "They really showed me the
h they entered unprov- kind of competitors they are,"
d inexperienced, the duo said Michigan coach Bev Plocki.
I that they belonged to "It gives me a lot of optimism for
t the beginning of the sea- what they're going to be able to
show the rest of the season."
Friday, the pair helped Both freshmen earned
olverines score a 196.525 impressive accolades in their
otal to win the tri-meet at club gymnastics careers prior
Coliseum in Ames, Iowa to entering college. Artz won
owa State (194.600) and floor at the 2012 Junior Olympic
s State (187.400). National Championships in the
azed by the pressure of Jr. D Division and traveled to
ly competing in their first Brazil as a member of the Region
ate meets, but also per- 5 All-Star Team. Chiarelli con-
tg in the lead-off positions tributed to Canada's silver medal
m and floor, the freshmen at the Olympic Qualifier and was
:ed their routines like vet- slated as one of 12 gymnasts to
compete at the 2012 Canadian
her debut, Artz matched Olympic Trials prior to injury.
Joanna Sampson with a Because club gymnastics is
to place first on the bal- much more individualized than
beam. Chiarelli followed college gymnastics, the two best
liately with a 9.775 to tie friends impressed Plocki with
Shelby Gies for second their quick, smooth transition.
. Living across from one another
a last-minute replace- in Alice Lloyd Residence Hall,
Chiarelli kicked off the the inseparable teammates have
fun and motivate each other.
"(College gymnastics) really
is indescribable," Artz said.
"You never really know what it's
like until you experience it."
In addition to the added fresh-
men, the Wolverines return
10 and add Alabama transfer
Brooke Parker.
On the uneven bars, fifth-
year senior Natalie Beilstein
anchored with a 9.900 routine
capped by a stuck full-twisting
double layout dismount. Senior
captain Shelby Gies finished a
close second, scoring a 9.875 in
the event.
While junior Annette Miele
led off on bars with a 9.675 rou-
tine, Plocki opted out of using
her on vault and beam to let her
recover from back issues.
"Having the depth to be able
to pull somebody else from the
lineup and have them do such
a great job is the beauty of this
team," Plocki said.
Michigan finished the meet
on vault, where sophomore
Austin Sheppard and Sampson
nearly stuck Yurchenko fulls to
go 1-2 with scores of 9.900 and
9.875, respectively.
Still early in the season and
with room for improvement, the
Wolverines are on track to their
quest to return to the Super Six
- the equivalent to the Final
Four.
JAMES COLLER/Daily
The Michigan wrestling team is beginning a grueling Big Ten schedule that boasts six of the top 11 teams in the nation.
,o FOLLOW US ON TWITTER!
@theblockm