Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wednesday, September 16, 2015 — 7A

Penn State mistakes fuel 
Stribling even as a starter

By JAKE LOURIM 

Managing Sports Editor

Junior cornerback Channing 

Stribling was speaking to the 
media Tuesday night about his 
past issues with consistency, 
about his lack of focus, about 
getting stronger and faster.

He 
talked 
about 
proving 

himself and keeping his head up. 
It was clear he was avoiding a big 
elephant in the room.

“I’m assuming you’re talking 

about Penn State,” a reporter said.

“Yeah, of course,” Stribling said 

with a wry smile. “Penn State.”

The 
cornerback 
recalls 

immediately 
the 
game 
in 

question. It was the low point of 
his career, a night game in State 
College on Oct. 12, 2013. He still 
watches the film at least once a 
month.

“It’s still with me,” Stribling 

said. “It’s just knowing what 
mistakes I made, knowing that 
if I get the same play, it won’t 
happen again.”

That night, the No. 18 Michigan 

football team rolled into Happy 
Valley at 5-0. The Wolverines led, 
34-27, with 45 seconds left. Penn 
State had the ball on first down 
at its own 34-yard line. Stribling, 
then a true freshman, was in at 
cornerback, matched up on the 
strong side with Penn State’s 
Brandon Felder.

Nittany 
Lions 
quarterback 

Christian 
Hackenberg 
took 

the snap, evaded the pressure, 
stepped up and threw down 
the right sideline to Felder. 
Stribling mistimed his jump at 
the Michigan 40-yard line and 
tipped it to Felder, who fell down 
with the ball at the 37.

Penn State rushed to the 

line and spiked the ball with 35 

seconds to play. On the next play, 
Stribling lined up on the weak 
side opposite the Nittany Lions’ 
top receiver, Allen Robinson.

Again 
Hackenberg 
threw 

downfield to Robinson, and again 
Stribling mistimed his jump. 
Robinson, standing near the goal 
line, jumped and pulled down the 
pass over Stribling at the one-yard 
line — Stribling’s mistake again.

Penn State punched in the 

game-tying touchdown two plays 
later, and four gut-wrenching 
overtimes after that, the Nittany 
Lions won, 43-40. The rest is 
history: Brady Hoke’s Michigan 
team lost five of its next seven 
games to end the season.

Stribling knows what he did 

wrong on each of his mistakes 
that night. On the first, he lost 
the ball in the lights and should 
have reached up higher to bat 
the ball down. On the second, 
he misjudged Hackenberg’s arm 
strength and let the ball sail over 
his head.

“Everybody says (Robinson) 

ripped the ball out, but it really 
was on me the most,” Stribling 
said. “That’s why it hurt the 
most — because it was mostly me 
misjudging the ball instead of 
him just making a great catch. Of 
course it was a great catch, but it 
was mainly on me misjudging the 
ball.”

Whenever Stribling watches 

the film of that night, he recalls 
his mistakes. Defensive backs 
have to have a short memory, and 
Stribling does.

But in this regard, he wants to 

remember. He wants that night to 
stick with him, so that he can be 
better for it.

“It’s 
just 
to 
watch 
and 

remember and make sure that 
next time if it happens, I’m 

focused,” Stribling said. “It’s 
in the back of my head to make 
sure you do this and that. It’s not 
(thinking) I could have done this 
or that.”

His problems since his true 

freshman year have been with 
consistency, or lack thereof. He 
has had good days, then bad ones.

He knew he had to fix that to 

become the cornerback he is this 
year. He has earned the first two 
starts of his career in Michigan’s 
first two games this season, 
emerging from a deep crop of 
defensive backs in competition.

To avoid repeating the mistakes 

he made two years ago, Stribling 
would have to focus better. In 
fact, he used the word “focus” 
nine times in a seven-minute 
interview Tuesday — a sign that it 
has become his greatest emphasis.

“You don’t understand how 

much effort and focus I put into 
this season itself,” Stribling said. 
“It’s so much effort.”

He used to come home from 

practice, watch TV and relax. 
Now it’s all football: He comes 
home, watches film, eats and 
watches more film.

All of it goes into making sure 

2013 doesn’t happen again. He 
was in spot duty that night, but he 
isn’t anymore. Michigan counts 
on him more now as a starter, so 
he knows he has to be stronger.

“You make a mistake, you’re 

good, just make sure it doesn’t 
happen again,” Stribling said. 
“Make sure you make the play.”

It was a long process for 

Stribling to earn that trust 
again, and he didn’t initially 
know how long it would take. He 
admitted sometimes he would 
overestimate his progress.

“Yeah, sometimes, it’s always 

like that,” Stribling said. “You 

always think you’re right, and 
the coaches are like, ‘No, you’re 
not.’ It’s just a matter of just 
growing up, staying focused and 
understanding that the coaches 
are on you the most because they 
believe in you and they know that 
you can do great things. It’s just 
focusing on what they tell you 
you need to focus on.”

From a confidence standpoint, 

the progression was also slow. 
After his first time on the big 
stage was a struggle, it took time 
for him to work his way back up. 
He knew he had to come back and 
keep making plays.

Then he had to do the same as 

competition raged on with the 
new coaching staff. That’s when 
he made his move to the top of the 
depth chart.

“I think with the coaches, 

they’ve (given) great effort and 
take the game more seriously,” 
Stribling said. “Not that the last 
coaches didn’t take it seriously, 
but it’s more of an NFL style. Like, 
if you make the play, you make 
the money. As long as you do your 
job and make sure you give great 
effort, make sure everything 
that you put into football is 100 
percent, it’ll come out great.”

At a stronger 6-foot-2 and 178 

pounds, the jump-balls Stribling 
once lost to Penn State should 
now be a strength. If he falls 
behind, he has the length to make 
it up. But he also can get caught 
sliding his feet, and then he has to 
move quickly to catch up.

Physically, 
Stribling 
has 

established himself. Mentally, he 
now believes in himself. To the 
coaches, he has proven himself.

All 
contributed 
to 
him 

becoming a starter this year, even 
if it took a nightmare in Happy 
Valley to start the process.

‘M’ finishes 12th in Cougar Classic

By NATHANIEL CLARK 

Daily Sports Writer

Legendary entertainer Bob 

Hope once said, “If you watch a 
game, it’s fun. If you play it, it’s 
recreation. If you work at it, it’s 
golf.”

The Michigan women’s golf 

team 
opened 
the 
2015-2016 

season by working its way to a 
12th-place finish out of 20 teams 
at the three-
day Powerade 
Cougar Classic 
in 
Hanahan, 

South 
Carolina. The 
Wolverines 
missed the top-
10 by just three 
strokes and the 
top-seven 
by 

five.

“We had a 

pretty tremendous opportunity 
playing 
some 
of 
the 
top 

teams in the country,” said 
Michigan coach Jan Dowling. 
“Unfortunately, we didn’t finish 

the way we wanted to. But 
(the tournament) gave us the 
confidence that we’re on the 
verge of being in the mix of the 
top teams in the country and 
that’s exciting.”

Junior 
Grace 
Choi 
led 

Michigan by finishing 15th with 
a total score of 219. Her best 
round came Monday with a score 
of 72 — exactly par. She birdied 
four times during the round, 

including 
three times on 
the back nine 
holes.

Choi 
has 

now finished 
in the top-20 
seven times in 
her collegiate 
career.

“It was a 

solid 
finish 

for 
(Grace),” 

Dowling said. “She’s a grinder, 
and that shows a lot of character.”

Sophomore Megan Kim was 

the 
Wolverines’ 
runner-up 

scorer, placing 40th with 225 

strokes. Her strongest round 
came on Sunday, when she shot 
73 and earned birdies on the 
seventh, 10th, 13th and 18th 
holes.

Michigan’s 
lone 
senior, 

Catherine Peters, battled back 
to finish 50th overall after a 
78-stroke round on Sunday left 
her in 78th place.

Freshman 
Elodie 
Van 

Dievoet, one of two freshmen 
on the Wolverines’ roster, made 
her collegiate debut at the 
Cougar Classic. She came out 
of the gate by shooting 73 with 
two birdies and found herself in 
a tie for 24th with Choi and Kim 
after Sunday.

“I think the course gave (Van 

Dievoet) a great taste of what 
American collegiate golf is all 
about,” Dowling said. “She’s got 
plenty of talent and had plenty of 
birdie opportunities.”

Van Dievoet, however, was 

unable to replicate Sunday’s 
performance 
and 
ultimately 

placed 77th with 232 strokes.

Rounding 
out 
Michigan’s 

scoring was sophomore Emily 
White, who finished 97th and 
scored 239. White reduced her 
stroke count in each successive 
round and finished her final 
round Tuesday with birdies on 
the ninth and 11th holes, scoring 
78.

The Wolverines will have 

two more tournaments before 
the fall is over. While Dowling 
said that the Cougar Classic will 
likely be the Michigan’s most 
difficult tournament, she still 
believes the experience will pay 
off.

“Next week at Wisconsin 

will be a wonderful opportunity 
for our team to come together,” 
Dowling said. “We’re playing a 
really fun format.”

“She’s a grinder, 

and that 

shows a lot of 

character.”

ALLISON FARRAND/Daily

Junior Grace Choi (right) led Michigan by finishing 15th with a total score of 219 at the Cougar Classic.

Hoop dreams 
pushed aside

Taco Charlton and 
Drake Harris still 
love the game of 

basketball

By ZACH SHAW 

Daily Sports Editor

With 
at 
least 
three 

scholarships available for next 
season, the Michigan men’s 
basketball coaches are scouring 
the nation in search of top 
basketball recruits.

If the chips fell into place, 

however, 
the 
Wolverines’ 

next star might already be on 
campus. Then again, they might 
be busy.

Sophomore receiver Drake 

Harris and junior defensive end 
Taco Charlton — both standout 
basketball players in high school 
— discussed the possibility of 
rekindling 
the hardwood 
flame 
Tuesday 
after football 
practice.

“We’ve 

joked around 
about 
it 

(with 
the 

coaches), nothing too serious,” 
Charlton said. “I love the game 
of basketball. It’s something 
I’ve played since I was a little 
kid, but nothing too serious 
anymore.”

Charlton, who has been close 

with senior guard Caris Levert 
since 
before 
kindergarten, 

helped 
recruit 
Levert 
to 

Michigan and even teamed up 
with the potential 2016 NBA 
draft pick in beating a team 
featuring 
senior 
defensive 

end Chris Wormley to win the 
Ohio state title in basketball. 
Charlton’s ties with Michigan 
basketball are still strong today.

“We’ll have some discussion 

about it maybe down the road,” 
Charlton said with a grin. 
“We have friendly talks, but 
it’s mostly just, ‘How are you 
doing?’ talking about Caris 

always.”

Harris, who averaged 24.2 

points per game at Grand 
Rapids Christian High School 
and was a Michigan State 
basketball 
recruit 
before 

switching to Michigan football, 
was less open to the concept 
after missing all of last season 
due to injury.

“There’s a lot of 6-foot-3 

guards out there in the country,” 
Harris said. “I just found a 
passion for football after my 
junior season, and from there I 
just wanted to play football and 
this is what I wanted to do.

“I didn’t get to play senior 

year of basketball because I 
enrolled early — it was a tough 
decision.”

Both Harris and Charlton 

continue 
to 
play 
pickup 

basketball in their spare time, 
and have close relationships 
with 
the 
basketball 
team. 

Beilein 
even 

joked 
about 

welcoming 
Charlton 
on 

the 
team 
on 

Michigan’s 
radio broadcast 
Saturday, 
noting 
that 

he 
saw 
the 

defensive end do a ‘360’ dunk 
in flip-flops when he recruited 
Levert.

“Coach Beilein, that’s my 

guy right there,” Charlton said. 
“I love those guys. Ever since 
they recruited Caris, I’ve been 
close with (the team). I helped 
Caris move in, we knew each 
other since preschool, so it’s a 
relationship we’ve always had.

“Growing 
up, 
we 
always 

wanted that dream, it used to be 
NBA dreams for both of us, now 
we have our different sports … 
I’m just happy he’s having the 
success he’s having.”

Harris and Charlton are 

happy with their decision to 
stay on the gridiron, and don’t 
plan on changing yet. But are 
they retired?

“I believe so,” Harris said 

with a smile.

FOOTBALL

“Coach Beilein, 
that’s my guy 
right there.”

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