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.”