8 — Friday, March 11, 2016
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Isaac hopes to make up for lost time

By JAKE LOURIM

Managing Sports Editor

On his bedroom door, Ty Isaac

keeps a list of goals for himself
as his redshirt junior season
on the Michigan football team
nears. Every day as the running
back leaves for class, he looks
at everything — personally,
physically, football-related — he
needs to improve this season.
Or, put another way, to avoid
where he ended up last season.

The
Southern
California

transfer
began
last
season

as arguably the most highly
touted player in the Wolverines’
backfield. He came in prepared
to revive Michigan’s struggling
ground
game.
Instead,
he

finished fifth on the team in
carries in 2015, behind three
other running backs, fifth-year
senior quarterback Jake Rudock
and even senior fullback Sione
Houma. Rising senior running

back De’Veon Smith ended the
season with 180 carries, six
times Isaac’s total.

“I obviously got humbled a

little bit last season, but you
still gotta work the same, just
as hard,” Isaac said Tuesday.
“It’s De’Veon’s job to lose, which
gives you a little bit of extra
motivation, but my mindset
hasn’t changed. I’m still going
out every day trying to compete
to get that starting spot and be
ready to carry the load when the
season comes.”

At his lowest point, Isaac

was left off the depth chart for
two consecutive games last
November. Michigan coach Jim
Harbaugh called the issue an
“internal matter,” adding that it
was “none of your business.”

Isaac said that at one point

last season, the disappointment
got to him, and while he
declined to say exactly when,
he acknowledged that it was

around the time of the depth
chart snub.

Then, he turned to people

close to him in his life who
would tell him what he needed
to do to turn it around. He found
his way back onto the depth
chart later that month, and after
the season, he met with running
backs coach Tyrone Wheatley to
iron out more of the issues.

“Just being more intense,

more
focused,”
Isaac
said.

“Paying attention to the little
details — stuff that I knew I
needed to work on, but we kind
of went over it together just to
be clear about everything that I
needed to do for myself.”

Isaac came back, dropped

some weight and turned up
his
intensity
in
practice.

He’s further down the depth
chart than where he started
last season, but to him, that
only means he’ll have to work
harder to make up the deficit.

Stribling readies
for senior season

By MAX BULTMAN

Managing Sports Editor

Channing Stribling was as

surprised as anyone on Monday
when
Michigan
defensive

coordinator Don Brown fired off
his first tweet since Oct. 2015. It
was a picture of Stribling with
a graphic reading “Michigan
football Dude of the Day.”

Stribling was initially unsure

whether it was the work of
an online photo editor or his
coaches, but when he realized
Brown had sent the tweet, it
started to make sense. The
senior cornerback had three
interceptions in practice last
Friday, a performance Brown
apparently deemed worthy of
receiving the first award.

“I saw it on Twitter and I was

like, ‘What is this?’ ” Stribling said
Thursday. “I didn’t know nothing
about the Dude of the Day.”

In fact, the coaches hadn’t

even communicated anything
about the honor to the players. At
first, Stribling thought the award
might be given once a week, but
then Ben Gedeon earned the
honor after Tuesday’s practice,
a sign that there could be many
Dudes to come.

With
his
title
standing

currently as a Dude, the senior
cornerback was understandably
excited to be recognized. But
his Dude-dom didn’t come out of
nowhere.

Ahead of his fourth season

as a Wolverine, the cornerback
has spent the offseason striving
to improve his consistency and
is battling for a starting spot
opposite All-American senior
cornerback Jourdan Lewis.

“I
know
that’s
been
my

problem for the last three years,”
Stribling said. “I mean, people
say it, but I mean, I guess it’s
true. So consistency is the main
thing I’ve gotta try to step up on.”

In three seasons at Michigan,

Stribling has appeared in 34
games, starting four times at
cornerback. He intercepted two
passes last year while battling a
hamstring injury for part of the
season and splitting time with
Jeremy Clark.

Now, going into the 2016

campaign, he appears poised to
compete for a full-time job as a
starter. But in battling for that
spot, he’ll have to beat out Clark,
a fifth-year senior and Stribling’s
friend.

“That’s my boy,” Stribling

said of Clark. “We try to push
each other every day. (Former
defensive
coordinator
D.J.)

Durkin always told us, in order to
play in the league, you’ve gotta be
able to take a grown man’s job. So
we tell each other that every day,
like, ‘You’ve gotta take my job,’
or, ‘I’ve gotta take yours.’ That’s
only going to make us better.”

As a senior, though, Stribling

knows
that
his
on-field

production
is
now
more

important than ever. In his final
season at Michigan, and his
last year to try to impress NFL
scouts, he’ll need to earn, and
then maximize, his playing time.

And in talking to Lewis, who

could have declared for the
NFL Draft after last season but
instead elected to return for his
senior year, Stribling said the
All-American had simple advice
for him.

“Just
play
your
game,”

Stribling said Lewis has told
him. “You’ve been doing this for
four years. I know you’ve had
some bad plays or whatever, but
we know you. Everybody else
doesn’t see you as Strib, but we
see you as Strib.”

If he wins the job opposite

Lewis, perhaps everybody else
will get to see the “Strib” Lewis
referenced this fall. But until
then, Dude will have to do.

FOOTBALL
Michigan preps for final home series

By JUSTIN MEYER

Daily Sports Writer

When the No. 9 Michigan

hockey team hosts No. 14 Penn
State this weekend, it will the be
the last tune-
up
before

the
Big
Ten

Tournament,
the last home
stand for a small
core of seniors
and,
quite

possibly, the last
time Wolverines
coach
Red

Berenson
will

ever
stand

behind
the

bench
for
a

game at Yost Ice
Arena.

The
long-

tenured coach is in the final year
of his contract and is undecided on
his plans for next season.

“I don’t know if this will be

my last weekend at Yost or not, so
I’m not going to worry about it,”
Berenson said. “My last game in
the NHL, I couldn’t have told you, I
don’t even remember when it was.
It didn’t matter.

“I just want us to have a good

weekend at Yost.”

The series features two of the

top three teams in the Big Ten,
and two of the highest-scoring
offenses in the country. In a
previous matchup this season,
which took place at Penn State’s
Pegula Ice Arena and at Madison
Square Garden, Michigan (10-5-3
Big Ten, 20-7-5 overall) outscored
Penn State, 13-7. Both games were
closely contested, but the two-win
weekend jumpstarted the hottest
stretch of the Wolverines’ season.

When the puck drops Friday

night, each team will be in a very
different place than it was a two
months ago. The Nittany Lions
(10-7-1, 20-10-4) have faltered after
a hot start and has not swept a Big
Ten series since mid-January.

Michigan tore through the

middle of the regular season

before dropping three of its last
four contests against Minnesota
and Ohio State, respectively.

For
the
Wolverines,
the

timing
seems
abysmal.
They

all but cemented an at-large
bid for the NCAA Tournament
two weeks ago, but the sense of
excitement surrounding the team
has collapsed into something
resembling trepidation as the
losses mount.

It’s not that the offensive

production has slowed down —
Michigan has 17 goals in the last
four games — but a combination
of poor timing and defensive
meltdowns have hobbled the team.

Penn State is led by senior

David Goodwin with 33 points.
Also creating a strong impact is
freshman Chase Berger, who has
netted 13 goals on the season.
The
Nittany
Lions
generally

rotate
netminders
throughout

the weekend, though freshman
Eamon McAdam has a far superior
save percentage at .924.

On the other side of the ice,

three Wolverines’ — forwards
Justin Selman and Boo Nieves,
and goaltender Steve Racine — will

play at home for the last time in
their careers.

Selman
and
Nieves
took

somewhat divergent paths in their
hockey career when they arrived
at Michigan, but both have grown
into major roles on the team,
becoming close friends in the
process.

Selman struggled in his first

two seasons before recommitting
himself and becoming a jack of all
trades for the Wolverines.

“I don’t know if it’s always been

the best thing for him, but it’s
definitely been a good thing for
the team,” Berenson said. “When
(freshman
forward)
Cooper

(Marody) was out and we needed
(Selman) at center, he came out
in New York and had a dynamite
game.”

Nieves is an obvious natural

talent with tremendous speed at
6-foot-3. He had a phenomenal
freshman season, but struggled
to elevate his game in the two
following years.

“He got off to a good start, and

then he’s been pretty good and
very good at times,” Berenson said.
“I think this is his best, consistent

season.”

Racine, one of the Wolverines’

most discussed players of late,
has caught the brunt of the blame
for struggling defensive units,
while his own play has fluctuated
between
phenomenal
and

somewhat disappointing.

“Racine’s always been a goalie

that can win a game, but he’s also
a goalie that might lose his focus
or not be as ready,” Berenson said.
“But I think he’s matured to the
point where he can play back to
back games and play well.”

Berenson’s
quite
adept
at

capturing the heart and soul of his
players when he talks about their
time about Michigan, but he’s not
ready just yet to contemplate what
it might mean to coach his final
weekend behind the bench at Yost.

Thursday,
he
immediately

dismissed the thought that Senior
Day affects the way the team
approaches the game.

“If our team lays an egg, then

the seniors are going to feel terrible
no matter what,” Berenson said. “If
we win, they’re going to feel good.”

It’s not hard to imagine that

Berenson feels the exact same way.

Penn State
at Michigan

Matchup:
Penn State
20-10-4;

Michigan
20-7-5

When: Friday
7:35 P.M.

Where: Yost
Ice Arena

TV/Radio:
BTN2GO

FOOTBALL

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Michigan coach Red Berenson does not yet know whether Saturday will be his last game coaching at Yost Ice Arena.

Romero, ‘M’ look
to maintain pace

By AVI SHOLKOFF

Daily Sports Writer

Sierra Romero is no stranger

to receiving accolades. Since her
freshman year, the senior infielder
has racked up award after award,
and this year is no different.

Romero recently garnered the

Big Ten Player of the Week and
two prominent national awards
from the National Softball Coaches
Association and USA Softball.

Romero earned those honors

after going on a tear last week,
hitting .500 with two home runs
and 13 RBI. Adding to her résumé,
she is currently in the midst of a 12
game hitting streak — the highest
of her collegiate career. But
despite her many awards, Romero
continues to push herself.

“She’s the most locked in

player that I have,” said Michigan
coach Carol Hutchins. “She’s
never satisfied. She hits .500 and
says, ‘I should’ve hit .600.’ That’s
why she’s the best player in the
country.”

Romero and the second-ranked

Wolverines will look to maintain
their highly powered offense
in their final non-conference
tournament:
the
Louisville

Softball Classic this upcoming
weekend.

While Michigan’s offense is

scoring 8.95 runs per game —
fourth best in the NCAA — its
pitchers need to improve their
control before Big Ten play begins.

Working behind such prolific

hitting definitely aids junior right-
hander Megan Betsa and her
fellow pitchers in times of trouble.
Against UCLA last Wednesday,
for example, the offense came
through
after
some
erratic

pitching by Betsa. In just two
innings of work, she walked four
and struck out only one batter and
allowed the Bruins to tie the game.

“A lot of (the walks) are on me,

that’s my biggest part,” Betsa said.
“(To) get ahead of the hitters, spin
the ball to the zone and stay within
in myself.”

While she continues to rack

up strikeouts, Betsa looks to

develop better control in games,
something difficult to simulate in
a workout atmosphere. In practice
this week, Betsa and the other
members of the staff participated
in drills designed on pitching in
the strike zone.

“We have these strings that we

set up for our workouts, and they
can work for any different pitch,”
Betsa said. “But (Wednesday),
we just set up the strike zone. My
objective was to start the ball in
the zone, and it had to break out
of the (zone) by the time (pitching
coach Jennifer Brundage) caught
us to make sure my ball was
moving enough.”

At Louisville, Michigan will

once again play Illinois State, who
it defeated 12-0 in five innings on
Feb. 12.

Additionally, the Wolverines

will face off against the Cardinals,
who are led both on the mound
and at bat by freshman Megan
Hensley, who leads the team in
both home runs and earned run
average.

Michigan’s
other
two

opponents include a struggling
Dayton team and an Eastern
Kentucky
team
that
has
a

dynamic duo of pitchers in nine-
game winner Hayley Flynn and
Alex Salberg, who has a 1.62
earned run average.

As Betsa mentioned, Hutchins

believes
that
Michigan
must

better its accuracy on the mound.

“I’d like Betsa to throw it

through the zone, for (sophomore
right-hander) Tera Blanco to hit
the black of the plate,” Hutchins
said. Let’s hope guys can get ahead,
they can have their way with the
hitters, but we’re throwing around
with way too many hitters.”

With
stellar
offensive

performances from every spot
in the lineup, highlighted by
continued greatness from Romero,
the Wolverines’ hitting attack will
look to maintain its torrid pace.

Michigan’s pitching, however,

must put extra emphasis this
weekend on throwing strikes and
not giving up too many free runs.

SOFTBALL

He believes in his own skill
set, and if one thing is certain
on Harbaugh’s team, it’s that
everyone will have a chance to
compete.

Isaac admits, though, that it

won’t be easy.

“De’Veon’s been doing really

well, so it’ll be tough, but as long
as you can play within yourself
and do that on a consistent basis,
I think you got a shot,” he said.

Wheatley insisted Tuesday

that Isaac’s decreased workload
last season wasn’t a result of
anything the running back did
wrong. He worked hard; Smith
and others worked harder.

And for a player who was

in serious contention for the
starting job at the beginning of
the season, that wasn’t easy to
handle.

“It’s something in life you

have to deal with,” Isaac said.
“You just kind of sit back and say,
‘OK, this isn’t where I thought I
was going to be, but how can I
start moving forward? What do
I need to do?’ ”

For Isaac, the answer to that

came in the form of his list.
Isaac had one of the Wolverines’
early highlights last season
with a 76-yard touchdown run
against UNLV, but he almost
disappeared after that. After
fumbling twice at Maryland on
Oct. 3, he carried the ball just
four times in the following two
weeks and not again for the rest
of the season.

The list of goals is his way

of putting those struggles in
the past. Smith, redshirt junior
Drake Johnson and even others
may be ahead of Isaac in the
competition this season, but
Isaac is ready to give them his
best shot.

“I wouldn’t say reset, but I

had to gather myself,” Isaac said.
“It’s one of those things where
it’s never as good as you think
it is, and it’s never as bad as you
think it is. I just had to calm
down, relax and understand
that there were things I needed
to work on.

“It’s not like it was going to

be the end of the world for me. I
still have opportunities.”