Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wednesday, September 23, 2015 — 7A
Extra reps and yoga paying
off for ‘M’ offensive linemen
By ZACH SHAW
Daily Sports Editor
With all five starters returning
from last season, it was expected
that the Michigan football team’s
offensive line would improve in
2015. But after only marginally
improving last season in a similar
situation, the question was how
much improvement would show
up on the field.
The quintet of sophomore
Mason Cole, senior Graham
Glasgow, juniors Ben Braden,
Kyle Kalis and Erik Magnuson
wanted
to
make
sure
they
answered that question quickly,
and for the most part they’ve
done so.
Thanks to extra reps, strong
camaraderie and even some yoga,
the offensive line is in the top 10
in protecting its quarterback.
“They’re playing more physical
and
they’re
finishing,”
said
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh.
“They’re really making an effort
to finish right now. So, all five
of those guys. What’s helping
our running game right now is
them and the contribution by the
backs, but also the receivers.”
After finishing at the bottom of
the Big Ten and the nation with
63 sacks and 184 tackles for loss
allowed the past two seasons, the
Wolverines have shown night-
and-day improvement.
Just five teams have given
up fewer than Michigan’s eight
tackles for loss. Meanwhile, the
Wolverines have allowed just
one sack against opponents that
averaged a combined 2.92 sacks
per game in 2014, a stat that
stands as tall as the linemen do.
“They’ve gotten a lot better,”
said
redshirt
sophomore
defensive
tackle
Mo
Hurst.
“We see it every day, how much
better they’ve gotten — we’ve
all talked about it. It’s good for
us too, because if you’re going
against a good O-line every week
it improves your game because
everything you do is tougher.”
Added
fifth-year
senior
quarterback Jake Rudock: “It’s
been really good, it’s as simple as
that. Our guys are doing a really
good job of keeping people off me
… that’s all you
can ask for.”
Some
of
that can be
attributed
to
experience,
and
some
of it can be
attributed
to
offensive
line
coach
Tim
Drevno
—
fresh
off
successful stints with the San
Francisco 49ers and USC —
coming in to help. But for Braden,
the key has come outside of
practice.
“All the work we’ve done
outside of practice on our own, I
really think that’s starting to pay
off now,” Braden said Monday.
“After practice we’ll get together,
take a space with the O-line and
practice technique. Talk about
any questions we had during
practice, or talk about a look we
were confused
with.”
In
addition
to the reflection
and technique
work, the line
has
become
tighter-knit
than in recent
years.
Eating,
studying
and
even
doing
yoga
together
to improve flexibility, the five are
nearly inseparable.
“The camaraderie between
them, they’re such a close group,”
Hurst said. “They’re always
hanging
out,
they’re
always
together,
doing
everything
together.
“That’s how our team has been
lately. Everyone has such a close
group, and that’s huge.”
Though Braden noted that
the group has yet to try hot yoga
together, he’s pleased with the
results on the field. The line will
face a tougher test against No.
22 BYU, but after improved run
blocking resulted in 479 rushing
yards and seven touchdowns in
the last two games, Michigan
seems to once again have an
offensive line with teeth to it.
“All of us sticking together
and making that goal, I think
that was something we really
took to heart,” Braden said. “I
think the aspect of us coming
together, even since fall camp
started, I think was huge for us in
improvement in pass pro and the
run game.”
FOOTBALL
Lyons adjusting
to new position
By MAX BULTMAN
Daily Sports Editor
When he first joined the
Michigan football team this
summer, fifth-year senior safety
Wayne Lyons was practically
speaking a different language.
Lyons, who transferred to
Michigan from Stanford this
offseason, had no trouble playing
football. But when it came to
Michigan’s
terminology,
he
found himself behind the curve.
“I would see (plays) happening
so fast, and the concept would be
the same, (but) I would say the
Stanford terminology just out
of natural instinct, rather than
saying the correct term for it,”
Lyons said.
With about two weeks left
in camp, the Michigan coaches
asked Lyons to try switching to
safety, which he had played in
high school, but not since then.
And combined with the new
vocabulary, the position switch
has caused Lyons’ transition to
be a little slower than he might
have hoped.
Still, with help from his
teammates, he has been able
to adjust to the change. The
Wolverines’
secondary
is
a
relatively experienced core, and
with many players oscillating
between corner and safety, there
are plenty of resources available.
“(Senior safety Jarrod Wilson),
he’s great with that,” Lyons said.
“He knows what everyone’s doing
back there. He’s like the general
who’s like getting everybody lined
up, and that’s what coach wants
me to able to do as well. ... When
the bullets are flying, when it’s
high-tempo,
when
everyone’s
running
no-huddle,
knowing
what checks to make, what calls to
make and making sure everyone’s
on the same page. That’s why
communication is key.”
So far, Lyons hasn’t seen much
game action. He was scarcely on
the field against Utah or Oregon
State, but he did get more playing
time against UNLV.
He has two total tackles in
three games this season, a far cry
from the 69 tackles he had as a
junior, or even the 30 he tallied
last season. But for Lyons, the
most important category doesn’t
show up in the box score.
Part of the reason he decided
to forego trying out for an NFL
team and come to Michigan
instead was to become a more
versatile player. And though it
hasn’t translated to statistical
production, or even much playing
time, Lyons is satisfied with his
decision.
“It
has
given
me
this
opportunity
to
get
this
experience at safety before I
actually get to the next level,”
Lyons said. “If I get to the NFL
and they want to try me at safety,
by me having this experience, I
have more of a background to fall
back on, more experience (and) a
better grasp of what’s going on.”
With two standouts — Wilson
and redshirt freshman Jabrill
Peppers — in front of him on the
depth chart, Lyons is fighting just
to get on the field.
And
the
more
he
gets
acclimated to the position and
the terminology, the closer that
comes to being a reality.
“I can see myself stepping in,”
Lyons said. “Jabrill (may) go to
nickel a few snaps, I’ll come in
in the dime package. Sometimes
Jabrill will go to corner, it all
depends on what personnel we’re
in. I’m just working hard every
day to try to get more reps and
make an impact on this team.”
Michigan finishes
third of 15 teams
Mueller runner-
up at one over
par, three strokes
behind champion
By RILEY NELSON
Daily Sports Writer
On his final tee shot of the day,
Kyle Mueller reached the green,
giving
the
sophomore
a chance to
eagle
the
par-four 18th
hole
at
the
prestigious
Inverness
Club
in
Toledo, Ohio.
Like
the
rest
of
the
Michigan
men’s
golf
team,
though, he came up short and
settled for a birdie.
Tuesday,
the
Wolverines
took third place at Toledo’s
Inverness
Intercollegiate
behind California and East
Tennessee State. It was the first
time Michigan finished in the
top five at the Inverness Club.
Despite the team’s successes,
Michigan coach Chris Whitten
saw room for improvement.
“We wished
we could have
been a little
bit
closer
to
win
the
tournament,”
Whitten said.
“We just made
too
many
mistakes
spread
out
over the three
rounds, but I think overall, we’re
going in the right direction.”
Mueller’s consistent play was
a major part of the Wolverines’
third-place finish.
The
Athens,
Ga.,
native
was the medalist runner-up,
finishing one over par and
just
three
strokes
behind
Michigan
State’s
champion
Mitch
Rutledge.
Michigan
senior Chris O’Neill finished in
a three-way tie for sixth.
Mueller was a dominant
force for the Wolverines as a
freshman last season, and he
added to his resumé Tuesday
with the third top-five finish in
his 14-event career.
“(Kyle)
keeps
doing
his
thing,”
Whitten
said.
“He
strikes the ball well, and he
really plays smart golf. I don’t
think anyone’s surprised that
he played well.”
Michigan sent three other
golfers to Toledo, including
freshman Nick Carlson. Though
Carlson didn’t finish in the top
20, Whitten is excited about the
growth he’s seeing in his only
first-year player.
“(Nick’s)
played
in
both
tournaments, which is a big deal
for him,” Whitten said. “He’s
getting acclimated to college
golf and the type of courses we
play, so he struggled in the first
round this week but got a lot
better in rounds two and three.
Nick is all you can ask for as a
coach.”
This was just the second
event for the team this season,
so a third-place finish is a
positive starting point for the
rest of the fall.
“I would say
it was a solid
tournament,”
Whitten said.
“It’s
one
of
the best golf
courses we’ve
played all year,
so we learned
a
lot
about
how
we’re
playing and what we need to get
better at when we’re there.”
MEN’S GOLF
Lim shines, ‘M’ takes fourth
By BILLY STAMPFL
For the Daily
After enduring a record of
0-5-1
last
year,
sophomore
Kathy Lim rid herself of any
leftover demons Monday by
winning the individual match-
play bracket with a victory over
Jessica Reinecke of Wisconsin
at the East and West Match Play
Challenge.
“(I’m) glad you got that
monkey
off
your
back,”
Michigan women’s golf coach
Jan Dowling told Kathy Lim
after her first victory for the
Wolverines
on
Monday
in
Madison.
Lim,
a
Canadian
citizen
of Korean descent, traveled
to Seoul, South Korea this
past
summer
to
hone
her
swing
while
working
with
top coaches. Changes made
during the offseason presented
themselves early and often over
the weekend, as Lim used her
experience to gain an edge.
“I think traveling to all 10
events
(last
season)
really
matured me as a person and as
a golfer,” Lim said. “So this year
I’m ready to tackle anything
that’s ahead of me.”
Though Lim found success
over
the
weekend,
the
Wolverines slowed down after a
blazing start in qualifying play.
Michigan earned the No. 2 seed
thanks in part to performances
from sophomore Megan Kim
(66, six-under par) and junior
Grace
Choi
(67,
five-
under),
with
Kim
recording
the
second-
best
single-
round
mark
in
Michigan
history.
Overall,
the
Wolverines
posted a four-under 284 in
preliminary
stroke
play,
a
school record.
“We made a lot of birdies as a
team on Sunday,” Dowling said.
“The rest of the team (came)
through too … It was a lot of
fun.”
Michigan could not carry its
momentum through to Monday,
however, falling to Oregon,
4-1, in the semifinal of match
play. The 21st-ranked Ducks
took down the Wolverines in
five close matches, with Kim
notching
Michigan’s
lone
victory.
Kim’s
win
was significant,
though,
as
she
defeated
All-American
senior Caroline
Inglis
in
a
back-and-forth
battle.
“(Kim) hung
in
there
the
whole
day,”
Dowling said. “She should take
a lot of confidence away from it.
She’s a fighter and a competitor,
and I don’t know many people
that hate to lose more than her.”
Dowling
also
noted
her
squad’s
resilience,
as
the
Wolverines fought hard on
Tuesday in a third-place match
with Indiana. Michigan went
back and forth with the Hoosiers
in nearly identical fashion to its
battle with Oregon, with three
of the final matches coming
down to the wire.
“Unfortunately
we
didn’t
come out on top again (against
Indiana),” Dowling said. “But
just to go up against a Big
Ten team that I have a feeling
we’re going to see a lot of (was
beneficial).”
Michigan hopes to rebound
on Oct. 9 at the Yale Women’s
Intercollegiate in New Haven,
Connecticut.
Dowling voiced pleasure in
the Wolverines’ grit but also
noted areas of improvement,
notably their short game and
unforced errors.
“We’ve got about a three-
week break coming up, so we
have time to get to work,”
Dowling said. “Keep breaking
school records, (and) we’ll be
good.”
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Redshirt junior guard Ben Braden has made some of the biggest improvement on a much better Michigan offensive line.
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Sophomore Kathy Lim won the individual match-play bracket after finishing 0-5-1 in match play last season.
BY THE NUMBERS
Michigan Women’s Golf
284
Michigan’s score in preliminary stroke
play, a school record
139
Total score for Michigan’s Grace Choi,
who shot five under par
66
Megan Kim’s career-best score on one
round, second-lowest in school history
4-1
Score of Michigan’s loss to Indiana in
the third-place match
2-0
Kathy Lim’s match-play record after
finishing 0-5-1 last season
“Keep breaking
school records,
(and) we’ll be
good.”
“The camaraderie
between them,
they’re such a
close group.”
“It’s one of the
best golf courses
we’ve played
all year.”
Big Five
Michigan Scores
1. Mueller, 214
2. O’Neill, 218
3. Swanson, 226
4. Carlson, 229
5. McIntosh, 231
For exclusive Michigan
sports coverage
Check MichiganDaily.com
throughout the week