8 — Friday, October 23, 2015
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wolverines look to make
most of bye-week timing
By JAKE LOURIM
Managing Sports Editor
Michigan football players have
seen and been through a lot since
they stepped on campus, since
coach Jim Harbaugh was hired
last December, even since the start
of the season seven weeks ago.
But none of them — nor anyone
outside the program — had ever
seen anything like what happened
Saturday night.
By now, the final play that
lifted Michigan State to a 27-23
win over the Wolverines at
Michigan Stadium is famous.
Michigan will have to move on
from that and play five more
games — but it won’t get the
chance this weekend, with a bye
week between now and next
Saturday’s game at Minnesota.
The off week could let the
sour taste from last weekend’s
loss linger for a few more days,
but it could also allow the
Wolverines to heal physically
before heading into the back half
of their schedule.
“It’s a good and a bad thing,
because you get to rest your bodies
for a whole week, and you’re just
focusing on one team for two
weeks,” said junior running back
De’Veon Smith. “Yeah, you want to
get the taste out of your mouth, but
in a way it’s a good thing, because
we can go back and look at all of
our mistakes and correct them all.”
In the past, the effects of bye
weeks have worked both ways.
Last year, Michigan lost coming
out of both — including a 35-11 loss
to Michigan State — but in 2013,
the Wolverines recovered from an
ugly seven-turnover performance
at Notre Dame to cruise past
Purdue, 44-13.
But because of the circumstances
of last Saturday’s game, they have
never had to bounce back in quite
the same way. Minnesota (1-2 Big
Ten, 4-3 overall), also has a bye
Saturday after a loss, albeit a less
dramatic one.
“Our group’s glad that we
got the off week,” said Golden
Gophers coach Jerry Kill on
Tuesday on the Big Ten coaches’
teleconference. “We gotta get
some bodies healed up, and
we’ve been banged up pretty
good, so we’re hoping this week
allows us to heal up and start the
preparation for Michigan.”
The Wolverines will make a
similar effort by taking Thursday,
Friday and Saturday off this
weekend, giving the players a
chance to go home or relax in Ann
Arbor. They did, however, have
practice Tuesday and Wednesday,
perhaps to avoid a hangover after
the devastating loss.
When Michigan goes back to
work next week, it will focus on
fine-tuning the details. Those
details looked as sharp as they
could be when the Wolverines won
five straight games and shut out
three consecutive opponents, but
the team pointed to small issues in
the loss to Michigan State.
“When you’re blowing teams
out, when you’re shutting teams
out, winning by 30 points, I
feel like there’s a little bit more
leniency,” said fifth-year senior
offensive
lineman
Graham
Glasgow. “I feel like it’s like, ‘Hey,
you got the job done, but just step
with the right foot next time.’
“Now it’s really serious. I’m
taking it very seriously. A lot of the
upperclassmen are. You just can’t
make mistakes anymore.”
Yes, a Big Ten title chase is still
within reach. But the Wolverines’
backs are up against the wall.
“Anything
can
happen
to
any other team that we play,”
Smith said. “Our dreams are
still alive of winning the Big
Ten championship, so that’s our
focus.”
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
De’Veon Smith believes the timing of Michigan’s bye week will be beneficial.
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