2B - Noveniber 3, 2014
The Michigan Daily- michigandaily.com
2B - November 3, 2014The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
Ditching the .'Michigan Man' myth
good friend of mine
used to wear a T-shirt
that read, "Maize: A
bold, arrogant shade of yellow."
I loved
that shirt,
because
loved the
message.
Michigan
is bold,
arrogant,
better. ALEJANDRO
Wolverines ZJ1RIGA
aren't afraid
to brag about
their superiority, and they can
back it on the football field
with 42 conference titles, the
most wins in college football
and winning records against
every major rival.
Off the gridiron, Michigan
Men supposedly get better
jobs, lead better lives and are
better people because they're
better-educated than alumni of
most other public universities.
The idea of Wolverine
superiority can be traced back
a century or further. Even
Fielding H. Yost, the West
Virginian who coached at five
other places before coming Former University Athletlc Director w
to Ann Arbor, boasted of.
Michigan's supremacy, The Wolverines have the
"Do let me reiterate the tradition and the arrogance,
spirit of Michigan," he said and that's cute when it's on
during his retirement speech a T-shirt. But it's the wrong
in 1942. "It is based upon a attitude to have in a leader.
deathless loyalty to Michigan That's why it would be
and all her best if the
ways; an next Athletic
enthusiasm Michigan will Director
that makes doesn't have
it second be fine without any previous
nature for ties to the
Michigan Brandon. In fact, University.
men to After all,
spread it should be better. Dave Brandon
the gospel is a Michigan
of their Man. He played
university to football under
the world's distant outposts; Bo Schembechler, where he
a conviction that nowhere is won three Big Ten titles. He
there a better university, in was CEO of Domino's Pizza
any way, than this Michigan of and on the Board of Regents,
ours." and when he was named
give smaller sports significant
improvements in resources and
facilities. A few e-mails and
bad business decisions aren't
enough to judge someone's
character.
But you also can't have an
athletic director who thinks
he can take advantage of fans
loyalty by charging them a
yearly fee for seat cushions or
who tries to save a few bucks
by saying there's no room in
the budget to send the band
to the football team's season
opener.
A non-Michigan Man
wouldn't assume-be could
challenge alumni devotion
with such brazen disrespect.
Just look at Schlissel, who
hadn't even been on campus
until he interviewed for the
job as president but has made
proactive efforts to learn
about Michigan - athletics
and otherwise. And though it's
early in his term, he's doinga
commendable job.
Schlissel handled Brandon's
resignation with accouniability
and leadership, and he doesn't
need to have graduated from
Michigan or played football
here to have those virtues.
It's time to cut the
arrogance. There are plenty
of fine things about Michigan,
but using "the Michigan Man"
as a hiring criterion isn't one
of them. Michigan Men aren't
better in every way than
Brown Men or Michigan State
Men or Ohio State Men.
And the next Athletic
Director needs to realize that.
Zdtiga can be reached
at azs@umich.edu and on
Twitter @ByAZuniga.
TERESA MATHEW,
as a "Michigan Man." That's exactly what University President Mark Schlissel should avoid ina successor, Zdtiga writes.
Athletic Director, most figured
he would understand the spirit
of Michigan.
Instead, he raised ticket
prices, paid'for skywriters
over East Lansing, decreased
the presence of the band at
football games and tried to get
fireworks at the Big House.
All of those, along with
several other decisions, were
met largely with disapproval.
But maybe those ties to the
University and Schembechler
and the football program made
Brandon assume his way was
the right way.
"I suggest you find a new
team to support. We will be
fine without you. Have a nice
life," he reportedly e-mailed a
disgruntled fan, according to
MGoBlog.com.
Michigan wil
without Brando
should be better
- unless the ne'
Director also ca
handle a concus
next Athletic
Director
needs to be
someone who
is willing to
admit faults,
whether they
be personal or
of Michigan
as a whole.
He or
she must
be someone wha
raised embedde
that this school
better than else
And Universi
1 be fine Mark Schlissel knows it.
n. In fact, it "Certainly, people that have
in some areas a connection to Michigan
w Athletic know manythings about the
n't properly University," he said Friday. "I
sed player. The can tell you, though, despite
the fact that
I've been
Michigan Men here for only
110 days, I
aren't better in feel like a
Michigan
every way than ... Man already
So you can
Buckeye Men. learn."
I don't
really know
Dave Brandon;
a hasn't been I've met him just twice. Most
d in an aura athletes have expressed
is innately nothing but positive things
where. about the former Athletic
ty President Director, and he has helped
FOOTBALL
In brief: 'D' stops Indiana
By ALEJANDRO ZUNIGA
ManagingSports Editor
Before the ball was even
snapped, Jake Ryan knew
Indiana's play. He knew Tevin
Coleman, the Hoosiers' talented
running back, would get the ball.
And he knew exactly where to be
in order to stop him.
Ryan fought off a block to
knock the ball from Coleman's
arm, and the Michigan football
team recovered the fumble. The
Wolverines scored a touchdown
on the ensuing possession on
their way to a 34-10 win.
Despite Michigan's best
offensive showing of the year
against a Power 5 team, the
team's defense impressed most,
delivering its most complete
performance of the season. And
it all began with Ryan, the middle
linebacker, recognizing Indiana's
formation.
"It was a play that we had
designed for that specific thing
that they were doing," he said. "It
worked out perfectly.
"I think it was just preparing
for him and preparing for their
offensive scheme. Knowing what
play is goingto happen beforethe
play even starts is huge for us."
The Hoosiers finished
with just 191 offensive yards,
averaging 3.6 yards per play.
They were shut out for the first
36:29 of the game and didn't
score a touchdown until just
three minutes remained. Their
10 points marked the program's
lowest scoring output since Nov.
16, 2013.
The fumble recovery - one
of two on the day - wasn't
the Michigan defense's only
momentum-changing moment.
The unit also held Indiana
scoreless on a drive that began
in the red zone following Devin
Gardner's 10th interception of
the year.
That stand helped the
Wolverines reach halftime
with a 17-0 lead. And given that
Zander Diamont - a freshman
quarterback who started the year
third on the depth chart - was
under center, the Hoosiers never
threatened with a comeback.
"The guys up front, defensively
... you could feel those guys," said
Michigan * coach Brady Hoke.
"That helps our linebackers. That
helps the whole defense when
you getthat.
"It was really team defense....
Really, really think the kids went
out there and played hard."
The unit's only lapse came
late in the fourth quarter, when
Indiana engineered a nine-
play, 75-yard touchdown drive
consisting only of runs.
But by then, the stadium was
mostly empty, the game was
all but won and the Michigan
defense had established itself as
the game's most dominant unit.
1989
IS SO TSWI FT
1890
IS SO DAILY
JOHNSON
From Page1B
a dream of playing football.
He competed in the hurdles for
the Pioneersawith opportunities
to go nearly anywhere to continue
running.
But he came tothe same
place where he once roamed the
sideline from time to time, telling
the players then, "I'm goingto be
better than all of you."
His mom, Pam St. John,
the cheerleading coach atthe
University, hadbeen working
here before he was born. He
adored running backs like Mike
Hart, one of the reasons he chose
to wear Hart's number 20..
"Coming from being eight to
20 now and playing here, it'sjust,
like, insane," Johnson said. "It's
just insanethinkingnow I'm the
one playing."
So he worked through his ACL
injury in search of that moment.
He rehabbed for a year in which
his participation was limited in
spring practice and through the
summer. It wasn't until midway
through camp this year thathe
even felt comfortable taking hits.
"We've always thought he
was talented," said Michigan
coach Brady Hoke. "The thing
about Drake is that he's always
been very motivated and ahard
worker."
And before we see his reward
for workingthrough his injury
to leaping ontothe ledge by the
student section, we have totalk
about how he gothis chance.
We need to go back to Oct. 4 of.
this year, when starting running
backDerrickGreenwentoff with
an injury of his own, one that
would put him out for the rest
of the season. His injury gave
more time to De'Veon Smith and
Justice Hayes, and it meant Drak
Johnson might have a chance to
make an impact.
So he got his opportunity
Saturday, bursting for 18 yards on
his first carry. He was given the
ball four more times before he got
the ball at the 10-yard line in the
third quarter.
He received the ball and the.
hole on the line opened up as
if a gate to a driveway had just
swung open. He went through
untouched with the student
section directly in front of him,
until he caught someone "out of
the corner of (his) eye."
So he used that speed that he
had on the track to run through
the end zone, and he leapt -
with the same ability he used
while hurdling in high school -
in the direction of the student
section.
But he didn'tgettothe ledge,
not quite. We'll get to that later.
Instead, he stopped himself short
and came back down to celebrate
with his teammates.
"I was like, 'Youknow, this is
just another touchdown in high
school,' "Johnson said. "But this
wasn't just another touchdown
in high school. This really just
happened - in the Big House.
"As I was coming back down,
everyone was like 'Good job,
Drake.' But they only do that
when people score, so I just
scored."
He'd go on to score once
more, steppingover adefender
on his way to the end zone,
as he rushed for 123 yards
on 16 attempts. Johnson had
previously rushed for 41 total
e yards all season.
For 4running game thatlooked
stagnant and struggled, his
emergence brought a spark when
it was needed. He had worked his
way to this moment, ever since
thatday he was helped offcthe
field.
"It was good to see it, butI
wasn't surprised to see it," said
redshirt sophomore wide receiver
Amara Darboh.
Only after the clock wound
down and the fans that remained
broke out in the fight song did
Johnson sit in the student section.
He sprinted to the section, with
that same speed, and he jumped
Sonce more.
But he stayed this time to soak
up the moment, his armsaround
his teammates. He sat on that
ledge with a smile across his face
that carried over to the press
conference.
The fans patted him on the
back, the TV cameras focused on
him at the end, theInternet sang
his praises.
"I can'tthink of any other
word but'magical experience,'"
he said.
If only for one dayinhis career,
as he had prophesied, he had been
better than everybody else.
Garno can be reached
at ggarno@umich.edu or
on Twitter: @GGarno
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