BSportsMonday

INDIANA SPLIT
n The Michigan volleyball 
team lost to Purdue on Friday 
and beat Indiana on Saturday. 
Page 3B

THE VICTORS

The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | September 28, 2015

n Michigan’s band 
becomes more prominent. 
SportsMonday Column, 
Page 2B

Michigan 31, BYU 0

Wolverines earn long-awaited 

blank slate with dominant 
performance against BYU

By ZACH SHAW

Daily Sports Editor

Tanner Mangum bounced from teammate to 

teammate in the huddle — shouting and clapping 
along the way.

It was 3rd-and-8 for No. 22 BYU late in the 

second quarter, and the Cougars were already 
down, 28-0, to Michigan. What would normally 
appear 
as 
encouragement 
from 
the 
BYU 

quarterback was instead desperation obvious to all 
108,940 fans in attendance.

But those with the best view were just across 

the line of scrimmage. Like sharks, the Michigan 
defensive players silently waited for their chance 
to attack. They saw in the water, again.

BYU had already attempted 15 pass plays, and 

Mangum — against a pass rush unlike any he had 
seen all season — took two sacks, scrambled three 
times and managed just two completions.

Then, Wolverines brought a steady rush again, 

and forced Mangum into his ninth incompletion of 
the afternoon.

With its third straight three-and-out, BYU 

might as well have given the game to Michigan 
for good with the ensuing punt. But if you ask the 
rapidly ascending Wolverine defense, they’d tell 
you the game was over much sooner.

“We sensed blood in the water from the first 

snap of the game,” said senior defensive end Mario 
Ojemudia. “They looked good on film, they’ve 
played some good teams and had a lot of good 
games, but we came out (in practice) and prepared 
well. Everything we saw in the game, we saw in 
practice.

“We executed very well, we got the goose egg 

and I’m very proud of that.”

Mangum regressed toward the mean in the 

second half, finishing 12-for-28 for 55 yards. 
Nonetheless, the Cougars were shut out for the 

first time in 143 games, mustering a measly 105 
yards of total offense.

After looking otherworldly at times to begin his 

career at BYU, Mangum looked like a freshman 
against the Wolverines.

Whether it was the pass rush swarming the 

backfield, forcing Mangum to roll out early, or the 
suffocating man coverage in the secondary that 
left the sideline as the most appealing receiving 
target, Mangum’s magical start drowned in the 
sea of maize at Michigan Stadium.

Dialing up the pressure up front, and sticking 

to BYU’s highly touted receivers downfield, 
Michigan used a team effort to earn a shutout it 
had wanted since almost getting one last week 
against UNLV.

“It’s great to be a part of a shutout,” said 

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. “Everybody did 
a great job — players, coaches, everybody. When 
you only give up 105 yards, that’s really special. We 
were outstanding in so many areas.”

One-third of the way into the 2015 season, 

defense has been the crown jewel of the 
Wolverines, who rank 10th nationally in tackles 
for loss and were 13th in scoring defense before 
Saturday’s shutout.

Even after the shutout, Ojemudia said he 

had hoped his unit could force more turnovers. 
Because with eight returning starters and three 
current or former defensive coordinators on the 
coaching staff, the expectations are not only high, 
but enforced.

“You have so many great minds out there on our 

coaching staff, and they expect the most out of us,” 
Ojemudia said. “They expect shutouts every game, 
and if we don’t live up to that, we’re not living up to 
our expectations.”

Added senior defensive lineman Ryan Glasgow: 

“You always feel good after a shutout, but we 
have expectations we’ve set for ourselves that we 
haven’t come close to meeting yet.”

The defense tasted blood Saturday, and even 

reached its ultimate goal of preying on the 
playmaking Mangum.

But like sharks in the water, the Wolverines are 

hungry for more.

Bloodthirsty defense 
finishes shutout win

P

oor Michael Davis.

The BYU cornerback did not deserve the 

fate that befell him 

Saturday afternoon. His only 
folly was attempting to stop 
De’Veon Smith.

It was a task that other 

men have completed 199 
times during Smith’s college 
career. But on this carry, 
when Smith crossed Brigham 
Young’s 35-yard line with 
11:45 remaining in the second 
quarter, Davis was not destined 
to be among them.

Smith had started the run on Michigan’s own 

40-yard line. He was stopped briefly at the line of 

scrimmage, forced so low to the ground that he 
believed he was down. But Smith kept going — he 
emerged from the scrum alone.

Davis streaked down the field to his left. The 

cornerback put two arms on Smith when he crossed 
the 35-yard line, grappling with his shoulder pads, 
but it was of no consequence. Smith broke free at the 
30-yard line, but Davis stayed on the trail. He flailed 
at Smith’s upper body for 10 more yards before 
making one last attempt.

Davis grabbed Smith’s body as he crossed BYU’s 

20-yard line, jostling his body in a circle. But as 
Smith completed his turn at the Cougars’ 10-yard 
line, Davis still latched on.

At the same moment, Smith used the force of 

the spin to make one final push with the back of 
his arm, the 

Smith’s run says it all 

about Michigan

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

JAMES COLLER/Daily

Amara Darboh (top, #82) and De’Veon Smith (bottom, #4) sparked the Michigan football team’s offense Saturday.

MAX
COHEN

See COHEN, Page 4B

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