6A — Thursday, January 14, 2016
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Season in review: linebackers

By JAKE LOURIM

Managing Sports Editor

Editor’s Note: With the Michigan 

football team’s 2015 regular season 
in the books, the Daily looks back at 
the performance of each unit this 
year and looks ahead to the future 
in 2016. In this edition: linebackers.

Of the players Jim Harbaugh 

inherited for his first season 
as Michigan football coach, no 
group was more seasoned than 
the linebackers.

The Wolverines returned two 

experienced players, seniors Joe 
Bolden and James Ross, from a 
unit that was already one of the 
team’s strengths in 2014. Despite 
losing their third starter, Jake 
Ryan, to graduation, they found a 
worthy replacement in fifth-year 
senior Desmond Morgan, who 
had been a starter before missing 
the 2014 season with an injury.

Few 
questions 
remained 

unanswered. Bolden, Ross and 
Morgan carried the load for 
the entire season, proving their 
consistency. As a strong force 
in the middle of one of the best 
defenses in the country, the 
linebacker corps allowed the 
defense to flourish.

The 
one 
change 
for 
the 

linebackers in 2015 was their 
coach. D.J. Durkin came in for one 
year as defensive coordinator and 
linebackers coach, and the group 
didn’t miss a beat.

In the season opener, Utah 

rushed for 127 yards and two 
touchdowns against Michigan 
— not disastrous numbers by any 
means. But they proved to be out 
of the ordinary for the Wolverines’ 
defense. Over the next six weeks, 
Michigan gave up just 54.3 yards 
per game on the ground and didn’t 
allow a rushing touchdown again 
until Week 7.

The linebackers’ consistency 

showed in their numbers: Bolden 
finished with 83 tackles, Morgan 
with 71 and Ross with 35. Each 
of them recorded a stop in every 
game, and they combined for 14 
tackles for loss.

They leave Michigan the same 

way they started the season — as 
the most experienced group on 
the team. With 86 career starts 
between them, they used their 
experience to their advantage, 
ending with a Citrus Bowl victory 
against Florida.

HIGH POINT: The linebackers 

don’t garner as many individual 
statistics as the defensive linemen 
and defensive backs do with sacks 
and interceptions, respectively. 
Their success generally coincided 
with the overall defense’s success, 
which reached its peak in the first 
half of the season during a stretch 
in which the Wolverines allowed 
14 points in five games, three of 
them shutouts.

In that span, there were 

individual highlights as well. 
Morgan intercepted a pass at 
Maryland on Oct. 3, and Bolden 
recovered 
a 
fumble 
forced 

by junior defensive end Taco 
Charlton and returned it 18 yards 
against Oregon State on Sept. 12. 

Outside of those, the linebackers’ 
success showed through their 
consistency, 
rather 
than 
any 

highlight-reel plays.

LOW 
POINT: 
In 
the 

second half of the season, as 
Michigan’s run defense faded, the 
Wolverines’ flaws were exposed. 
They gave up 307 rushing yards 
against 
Indiana’s 
up-tempo 

spread offense and 369 more in 
a blowout defeat against Ohio 
State to end the regular season. 
A defense that appeared deep, 
powerful and disciplined earlier 
in the season looked worn down 
when November came.

THE 
FUTURE: 
The 

linebacker corps will go into next 
season as unproven as it went into 
this season experienced. Bolden, 
Morgan and Ross will all depart, 
leaving holes in the defense — 
perhaps some of the only ones on 
the field for the Wolverines. The 
three seniors ate up most of the 
reps for Michigan this season, 
meaning the rest of the depth 

chart is uncertain. Just four 
other linebackers played snaps 
this season: junior Ben Gedeon 
(34 tackles in 12 games), redshirt 
freshman Noah Furbush (four 
tackles in nine games) and redshirt 
freshman Chase Winovich and 
redshirt junior Allen Gant (two 
tackles in six games each). Gedeon 
could lead the unit, and junior 
Mike McCray will return from 
injury, but the Wolverines still 
have major ground to make up.

Michigan has more options 

in terms of personnel coming in. 
Four-star recruit Devin Bush, an 
early enrollee from Hollywood, 
Fla., could help immediately. 
The Wolverines have also given 
redshirt defensive end Reuben 
Jones reps at linebacker and could 
do the same with one of their 
many other linemen. And it’s also 
possible that another young player 
such as redshirt freshman Jared 
Wangler could step up. Michigan 
has plenty of time to find answers, 
but it will need a few of them.

RUBY WALLAU/Daily

Linebacker Joe Bolden finished his senior season with 83 total tackles, most of any Wolverine this season.

Quick Hits with 
‘M’ defenseman 
Zach Werenski

By KEVIN SANTO

Daily Sports Writer

It’s been roughly a month since 

the inaugural edition of Quick 
Hits, but now it’s time for round 
two.

The Daily caught up with 

sophomore 
defenseman 
Zach 

Werenski to discuss reindeer, 
the dab and the time he spent in 
Finland for the International Ice 
Hockey Federation World Junior 
Championships.

The Michigan Daily: We 

haven’t had a chance to talk to 
you much about World Juniors. 
What was the experience of going 
overseas like?

Zach 
Werenski: 
It 
was 

unbelievable. You hear so much 
about it, and for me, at 17, I 
only went overseas once — to 
Sweden. It was only my second 
time overseas and I was there 
for almost a month. It’s just 
unbelievable to be there. You 
get so comfortable staying in a 
different country.

TMD: Did you have a lot of 

down time to go sightseeing?

Werenski: Yeah, every off 

day we had a day to do whatever 
we wanted. We went down to 
Helsinki, go walk around, go 
shopping, stuff like that. It was 
awesome.

TMD: Any favorite moments 

or a favorite part of the city?

Werenski: Just being there 

with all your friends, just walking 
around and seeing (Finland’s) 
culture.

TMD: How was the food?
Werenski: (Pause) Different. 

I’m not going to say it’s not good, 
but it took us a while to get used to 
it — a lot of pasta.

TMD: You’ve been picking it 

up defensively — which you have 
always said is one of the strengths 
of your game — since you’ve come 
back from World Juniors. Did 
you learn anything over there, or 
is it just a matter-of-time sort of 
thing?

Werenski: I think I just came 

back with a lot of confidence. I 
thought I went over there and 
played well, against the supposedly 
best players in the world. It was 
definitely a confidence booster. 
For me, just learning from Chelios, 
who was the D coach, the little 
things he points out helped me a 
ton. I’m coming back with a lot of 
confidence.

TMD: You’re getting a lot of 

love for the celebrations. What 
inspires them?

Werenski: I don’t really know. 

Well, the violin was Carl Hagelin. 
He did that in The Big Chill. I 
thought that playing Michigan 
State here at home, it’s the closest 
thing I’ll get to The Big Chill this 
year. That’s why I did it. I don’t 
know if coach liked it too much, 
he made a comment about it.

TMD: You have any other ones 

(coming up)?

Werenski: I’ve been thinking. 

(Michigan 
spokesman 
Jeff) 

Weinstein put me on the spot 
with a tweet saying, “What’s 
next?” I’m thinking of something 
to do next.

TMD: Are the guys giving 

you any hate for it? They seem to 
prefer the fist pump.

Werenski: No, I think none 

of the guys have a problem with 
it. I think I’m the only one that’s 
really gone overboard and done 
something different than just a 
fist pump, but I think the guys 
like it.

TMD: Hey, a goal is a goal 

right?

Werenski: Yeah. Enjoy it.
TMD: What about the dab? 

Did you take it from Cam or was 
it spur of the moment?

Werenski: I learned that from 

Cam Newton, and then when I 
went to World Juniors, I wanted 
to take it overseas. I told the guys 
that as a joke. I never thought 
I’d actually score in the Canada 
game. When I did, I said, “I’ve got 
to do it now.”

TMD: Just to go back to 

Finland — you talked about the 
food. What’s the weirdest thing 
you tried over there?

Werenski: Reindeer probably.
TMD: That’s gamey. Was it 

gamey?

Werenski: I don’t even know. 

It just said reindeer on (the menu). 
Maybe the name threw me off 
and I didn’t want to eat it, but it 
was all right.

TMD: Talk about Christmas 

spirit, huh?

Werenski: 
(Laughs) 
Yeah, 

seriously.

TMD: Any guys there give you 

crap for your American accent?

Werenski: No, I don’t think 

so. Most people over there speak 
broken English, but I didn’t really 
hear anyone say I had an accent.

TMD: Did you hear any weird 

phrases typical to Finland?

Werenski: I only learned one 

phrase in Finland. It was thank 
you — “kiitos.” It’s all I learned. 
It’s the most common thing there, 
to say thank you to everything.

The Daily caught sophomore 

forward Dexter Dancs coming off 
the ice to find out if it’s actually 
true that the team is enjoying 
Werenski’s 
latest 
celebration 

tactics.

TMD: How does everyone feel 

about 
Werenski’s 
celebrations 

lately?

Dexter Dancs: About his 

Hagelin (impression)? (Laughs) 
We were having a lot of fun with 
that. He did the dab a couple 
weeks ago, and we were kind of 
giving it to him, like, “What are 
you going to come up with next?” 
And he came up with (the violin). 
I wish I had the skill to do that.

TMD: I saw you called him 

“Captain Dab” on Twitter. Is that 
sarcasm or giving him some love?

Dancs: I was just kind of giving 

it to him. He’s such a good player, 
he can do things like that. We’re 
really excited he’s back.

TMD: 
Do 
you 
have 
any 

suggestions 
for 
the 
next 

celebration?

Dancs: I have no suggestions. 

I’m sure he’s going to come up 
with something.

TMD: You have anything 

planned? You’ve been scoring.

Dancs: No, no, no. I’m just 

going to stick to hands up in the 
air. 

ALLISON FARRAND/Daily

Freshman center Hallie Thome will be tasked with another tough post matchup when Malina Howard and Maryland visit Crisler Center on Thursday.
Wolverines seek to keep streak alive

By TED JANES

Daily Sports Writer

The 
Michigan 
women’s 

basketball team needs a big win.

Plain and simple as that. The 

Wolverines (2-2 
Big Ten, 10-5 
overall) 
have 

that 
chance 

Thursday night, 
hosting 
No. 

8 
Maryland. 

Realistically, 
Michigan’s 
chance is slim 
— 
it 
hasn’t 

beaten a ranked 
opponent 
this 
season. 

Nonetheless, 
the Wolverines 
need the win to boost their 
postseason hopes.

As difficult as a victory over 

the Terrapins (3-1, 14-2) could be 
for the Wolverines, the matchup 
couldn’t come at a more perfect 
time.

Michigan rides a thrilling 

two-game 
win 
streak 
that 

includes a 17-point comeback and 

a road victory. The Wolverines 
bounced back to shock Iowa 
after falling to 0-2 in conference 
play. Confidence is high, and the 
chance to play a top-10 team adds 
to the excitement.

“Maryland is a tremendous 

team, and they have a tremendous 
program,” said Michigan coach 
Kim Barnes Arico in an interview 
with WTKA on Tuesday. “They 
went to the Final Four last year. 
Year in and year out, they are one 
of the best teams in the country. … 
I know our kids will be excited for 
that one. Should be a fun game.”

The 
Terrapins 
have 
the 

advantage in nearly every aspect, 
but the Wolverines’ best chance 
lies in getting Maryland’s post 
players in foul trouble early. 
Center Malina Howard is only 
one of the Terrapins’ options 
in the post, where she and her 
teammates will match up with 
Michigan 
freshman 
center 

Hallie Thome.

“(Maryland) has great size, a 

dominating post presence inside, 
a 6-5 kid (Howard) that’s probably 
got about 50 or 60 pounds on 
Hallie,” Barnes Arico said. “So 

that’s going to be a tough matchup 
for us inside.”

Thome’s height — also 6-foot-

5 — has become less impactful as 
the season has progressed. The 
Wolverines have faced bigger and 
more physical opponents so far in 
conference play, and Howard is a 
continuation of that.

If Michigan can get Howard 

off the court, Thome will have the 
chance to dominate in the paint.

Outside on the wings, Maryland 

guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough 
is even more dangerous. Walker-
Kimbrough, a 2015 All-Big Ten 
First Team recipient, is averaging 
11 points and 5.3 rebounds. She 
can do a little bit of everything, 
Barnes Arico noted, whether 
that’s filling the rim from outside 
or driving to the basket.

The guard duel pits Walker-

Kimbrough 
with 
Michigan 

sophomore 
guard 
Katelynn 

Flaherty. Flaherty is putting up 
22 points per game, good for the 
11th highest in the country, and 
the Wolverines should expect the 
Terrapins to key in on her.

Flaherty continues to score 

more than 20 points per game, 

no matter the matchup, and she 
is in the top 10 in the nation for 
four different categories: points 
per 
game 
(11th), 
free-throw 

percentage (7th), final points 
(15th) and field goals made (9th).

She is leading of a team with 

aspirations to make the NCAA 
Tournament. To do that, they 
need big wins, and they need to 
avoid big losses.

Michigan already has had 

a bad loss, a one-point loss to 
Eastern Michigan, but it has 
yet to overcome a highly-touted 
opponent. It has had its chances, 
too.

Against then-No. 20 UCLA, the 

Wolverines hung around until the 
very end, eventually falling, 86-77.

Michigan’s best win of the 

season so far came against Iowa. 
The Hawkeyes hung in and out 
of the top 25 during the opening 
weeks of the season, but aren’t as 
strong as many of the other Big 
Ten opponents that Michigan will 
face.

A bid to the Big Dance requires 

more than a win over Iowa. A win 
over Maryland, as tough as it will 
be, could be huge.

JAMES COLLER/Daily

Zach Werenski was inspired by Cam Newton to “Dab” after scoring a goal.

Maryland at 
Michigan

Matchup: 
Maryland 14-2; 
Michigan 10-5

When: 
Thursday 
6 P.M.

Where: Crisler 
Center

TV/Radio: 
BTN

