4B — September 14, 2015
SportsMonday
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Early turnover
changes game
Down 7-0 early,
Michigan regains
possession, scores
35 unanswered
By JAKE LOURIM
Managing Sports Editor
The first turning point in
the Michigan football team’s
home opener Saturday against
Oregon State came after just
two minutes and 33 seconds.
After the Beavers rolled down
the field for a touchdown in
1:51 on their first drive, Oregon
State’s Rommel Mageo sacked
Michigan
fifth-year
senior
quarterback
Jake
Rudock,
forced a fumble and recovered
it. That gave the Beavers,
already ahead 7-0, a first down
at the Michigan 24-yard line.
Most of the fans who came
to Michigan Stadium arrived
optimistic, and it was still
early, but it didn’t take long to
connect the dots. If the Beavers
could score again in the first
few
minutes,
they would be
up 14-0 early.
If they were
up 14-0 early,
they could run
away with it.
And
if
they
ran away with
it…
So
the
Wolverines
relied on their
defense for a stop. And the
defense delivered.
“I think we were ready,”
Wilson said. “As soon as they
scored on us, I mean, we’re not
perfect. They scored, everybody
was relaxed and when they got
the fumble, we weren’t down on
ourselves, like, ‘Man, I gotta go
out there again.’ Everybody’s
ready to play football and cause
turnovers.”
After an incomplete pass on
first down, junior defensive
end Taco Charlton stripped
the ball from Oregon State’s
Victor Bolden. The ball fell into
the hands of Joe Bolden, who
returned it 17 yards, giving the
Wolverines plenty of room to
settle in from there.
The defense caught a break,
but it was the only one they
needed all afternoon. They
settled in after that turnover,
never giving up another point.
“It’s
really
that
simple,”
Wilson said. “When you’re
playing football, you kind of
have adrenaline, you’re ready
to play and you go out there
and you forget what your actual
key assignment is. I think that
happened the first drive for a lot
of guys. After that, we got those
bugs out, and guys just settled
in and played good football the
rest of the game.”
Added Bolden: “I would say,
as a defense, it’s awesome. It
gets your blood pumping. It’s
what you do. The reason you
play defense is to get the ball
back. When it comes down to
it, when you get the ball back, it
totally flips the momentum.”
The
Wolverines
stopped
a
third-down
quarterback
scramble just short on the
next series, and a fourth-down
screen pass just short on the one
after that.
In the second half, they
asserted
their
dominance,
allowing zero passing yards
and only one first down. Oregon
State quarterback Seth Collins,
after going 8-for-13 for 79 yards
and a touchdown in the first
half, was 1-for-3 in the second.
The
Wolverines
eventually
forced him out for backup
Marcus McMaryion.
“He’s a freshman. I can tell
that because if he feels any type
of pressure or anything, he’s
just going to automatically take
off running,” Wilson said. “He’s
not really going to go through
his reads or anything.”
Michigan
took
away
the
running option too, though.
After Collins’ 152 rushing yards
in the season opener exposed
him as a threat to scramble, the
Wolverines
clamped
down on him,
sacking
him
once
and
limiting
him
to 28 yards on
11 carries.
“I thought
that was the
difference
between
the
first
quarter
— the long drive they made
— and some other drives that
they had,” Harbaugh said. “We
started getting some pressure
on the quarterback.”
Though an Oregon State
punt-team mistake gave the
Wolverines a 10-point halftime
lead, the game was still up
for grabs. Michigan’s defense
served as the dominating force,
never allowing the Beavers to
close the gap while the offense
expanded the lead.
The Wolverines kicked a field
goal on the first series of the
second half. The defense forced
a three-and-out, and when
the offense gave the ball back,
Oregon State was deep in its
own territory. Then the defense
forced another three-and-out —
culminating in fifth-year senior
linebacker Desmond Morgan’s
third-down sack — and when
the offense gave the ball back, it
was 28-7.
Michigan led comfortably
for the duration of the fourth
quarter in a game when it
was on its heels at the very
beginning.
“I screwed up,” said senior
linebacker Joe Bolden of the
first drive. “I’ll be the first to
admit I screwed up some big
plays on the first drive. A lot
of people probably noticed. It
happens.”
The mistakes mostly came
to an end after the first series.
The ensuing three quarters of
dominance erased them.
Five Things We Learned
Wormley makes
impact on defense,
Smith breaks out at
running back
By ZACH SHAW
Daily Sports Editor
Michigan
fans
got
all
they could ask for Saturday.
They
saw
Michigan
coach
Jim Harbaugh patrolling the
sidelines in his first game
coaching
in
Ann
Arbor,
squealed with delight when the
coach threw a temper tantrum
and witnessed a dominant 35-7
win.
The Wolverines improved on
all of their problem areas from
the season opener, and showed
glimpses of improvements to
come.
Here are five things we
learned from Michigan’s first
win under Harbaugh.
1. Chris Wormley should be
a household name.
When the senior led the
team in tackles in Michigan’s
Spring Game, there was plenty
of buzz about Wormley having
a breakout season in the fall.
Through
two
games,
the
defensive end has surpassed
those lofty expectations almost
as easily as he’s breezed past
offensive linemen.
Wormley
recorded
three
tackles for loss and a sack
against Oregon State en route to
setting a career-high in tackles
for loss in a season with six — a
total that leads the Big Ten. On
a defensive front that looked to
be one of the Wolverines’ top
units before the season began,
Wormley’s breakout start sends
an added chill down opposing
quarterbacks’ spines.
2. De’Veon Smith can be the
go-to guy.
Every
time
the
junior
running back showed glimpses
of being a go-to back in the past,
Smith seemed to either take
a step back, or another back
would surge ahead of him on
the depth chart. That changed
Saturday, when Smith racked up
three touchdowns and a career-
high 150 yards of offense.
Beyond the numbers, Smith
looked ready in his second
outing as the No. 1 back. After
missing holes and failing to
substantially
contribute
in
the team’s loss to Utah, Smith
bounced off defenders, broke
tackles and improved his way
down
the
field.
Michigan’s
running back concerns can be
put to rest for now.
3. But he doesn’t have to be.
Though Smith looked poised
to take control of the run game,
his
teammates
weren’t
far
behind. The Wolverines ran the
ball 48 times for 225 yards, and
two backups — juniors Derrick
Green and Ty Isaac — combined
for 70 yards on 14 carries.
Some of that has to do with
the development of the backs,
but a large amount of credit
is owed to the offensive line.
With all five starters back from
last season, the line showed its
veteran poise, shaking early
struggles before dominating the
Beavers nearly every snap in the
second half. Smith showed top-
back talent, but if he struggles
next week, he has plenty of help
behind and in front of him.
4. Special teams won’t lose
games for Michigan anymore.
With a reignited program,
droves of Michigan fans are
coming out of hiding. They
are welcomed back by the
Wolverines with open arms
and clean special teams. After
sending 10 players out on punts,
shanking easy field goals and
doing practically nothing in
the return game last season,
Michigan
showed
signs
of
aptitude Saturday.
Freshman
wide
receiver
Brian Cole came within inches
of blocking Oregon State punts
several times, and the added
pressure kept the Beavers on
their heels all game. Senior
Kenny
Allen
has
looked
competent as a kicker, giving
Michigan a failsafe if the
offense stalls.
5. Bold Prediction: This
will be Jake Rudock’s least
productive
game
of
the
season.
The
fifth-year
senior
quarterback’s
second
start
managed to be both better and
worse than his first. His yardage
dropped from 279 to 180, he
didn’t throw for a touchdown,
but he also improved from the
mistake-filled performance that
doomed Michigan in Salt Lake
City. His production took a hit,
but his poise rebounded.
The Michigan coaching staff
made it clear before the season
that if the running game is
working, the passing game will
come second. However, Michigan
likely won’t be as effective on the
ground every week. Expect the
passing game to improve, and
expect Rudock’s production to
matter a lot more down the road.
LUNA ANNA ARCHEY/Daily
Redshirt junior Chris Wormley made three tackles for loss, including this sack, in Saturday’s 35-7 win over Oregon State.
THE MICHIGAN
DAILY TOP-10 POLL
2. TCU: The Horned Frogs
won a pretty unfair matchup
against Stephen F. Austin. They
defeated one person. Come on.
1. OHIO STATE: Bad enough
that Hawaii lost by 38 to the
Buckeyes. They also had to get
introduced to the state of Ohio.
9. OREGON: Oregon got what it
deserved. Wearing white after
Labor Day? That’s disrespectful
to the Spartans AND to fashion.
3. ALABAMA: There might
have been doubters before
Alabama convincingly took
care of business against Middle
Tennessee State this weekend.
But now? Roll Tide.
6. USC: Fifty-nine points
against Idaho? Fifty-nine
postgame shots for Steve
Sarkisian in the Trojans’ locker
room.
5. BAYLOR: The Bears defeated
Lamar this weekend. Not
Kendrick, just Lamar.
7. CLEMSON: The Tigers beat
some Appalachian State team.
Never heard of them.
4. MICHIGAN STATE: How
dare Harbaugh get his first win
on the same day the Spartans
beat Oregon? Disrespectful.
8. LSU: Recent transfer Reid
Simkovitz watched the Tigers
beat Mississippi State at a bar on
campus.
10. FLORIDA STATE: If the
Seminoles can stay out of
jail, they should be in a great
position this weekend against
Boston College. Yeah, they’re
screwed.
Each week, Daily sports staffers fill out
ballots, with first place votes receiving 10
points, second-place votes receiving nine
and so on.
Good, bad and ugly:
‘M’ 35, Oregon St. 7
By MAX COHEN
Managing Sports Editor
After
eight
months
of
waiting, hype and expectations,
Jim Harbaugh took the field as
Michigan’s head football coach
for the first time Saturday. And
it was a game to remember.
Michigan struggled initially,
but
eventually
trounced
Oregon State, 35-7. The manner
in which the team won was the
biggest surprise of it all — with
a power running game.
Here is a look at the good,
the bad and the ugly from
Harbaugh’s
first
win
as
Michigan’s coach:
The good
The Wolverines’ running
game looked as it rarely has in
recent years. Michigan rushed
for 225 yards, led by junior
running back De’Veon Smith,
who scampered for 126 yards
and three touchdowns.
The Wolverines rode Smith
hard late in the game, and
the offensive line improved
as the game went on. The
Beavers had little answer for
Michigan’s run game. The
offense resembled what fans
expected
from
Harbaugh:
run-heavy with contributions
from multiple tight ends and
fullbacks.
While the offense ran wild,
the
defense
stood
strong.
Oregon State rushed for minus-
28 yards after the first quarter.
After the Beavers started the
game with a long touchdown
drive, they did not muster a
single score.
The defense’s play even
necessitated an Oregon State
quarterback change, but it
was to no avail. Harbaugh was
able to coast to his first career
victory at Michigan.
The bad
By the end of the game,
Michigan’s
first-quarter
misfortune had been rendered
irrelevant. But for a moment,
things looked bad for the
Wolverines. Michigan allowed
that
opening-possession
touchdown drive, and then
followed it up by turning the
ball over when fifth-year senior
quarterback
Jake
Rudock
was sacked and fumbled the
football.
The
game
momentarily
appeared to be in jeopardy
as Oregon State took over
possession on the Wolverines’
24-yard line with the chance
to take a 14-0 lead. But then
junior defensive end Taco
Charlton
stripped
Beavers
running back Victor Bolden,
and senior linebacker Joe
Bolden snatched it out of the
air for Michigan.
In terms of football action,
that was the end of the bad for
the Wolverines. But Michigan
junior
cornerback
Jourdan
Lewis suffered a concussion
in the second quarter and
missed the rest of the game. His
status is currently unknown.
If he misses time, it could be
troubling for the Wolverines’
secondary.
The ugly
Late in the second quarter,
Oregon
State
punter
Nick
Porebski lined up behind the
long snapper to punt. The play
went smoothly, and he booted
the ball inside Michigan’s five-
yard line.
But then a penalty on the
Beavers nullified the play. The
second attempt at the punt did
not go as well. The snap sailed
well over Porebski’s head, and
the Wolverines took over on
Oregon State’s three-yard line.
Harbaugh got into the action
himself, arguing a roughing
the punter call in the second
quarter. He tossed his play
sheet and kicked the air while
he chirped at the referees.
It may have been ugly for the
officials who had to listen to his
complaining, but for Michigan
fans, it was a beautiful sight.
FOOTBALL
“When they got
the fumble, we
weren’t down
on ourselves.”
FOOTBALL