Five things we learned: 
Wolverines 51, UCF 14

By MAX BULTMAN

Managing Sports Editor

The Michigan football team 

rolled to another blowout victory 
Saturday, 
trouncing 
Central 

Florida, 51-14.

And after our first week of 

classes, we at the Daily were in the 
mood to do some more learning in 
the press box.

So that’s what we did. Here are 

five things we learned from this 
weekend.

1. Beware the big play.
Of the 275 rushing yards 

Michigan allowed Saturday, 212 
of those yards came on five plays. 
That doesn’t make the number 
any less significant — Michigan 
has much better teams to play this 
season that would happily take 
five big plays — but it does give it a 
different meaning.

Had the Wolverines given 

up 275 rushing yards by getting 
consistently pounded for 8-10 
yards, that would be a sign of 
systemic problems on the defense. 
Instead, the stat can be chalked 
up to either a handful of great 
offensive 
plays, 
or 
defensive 

lapses.

UCF 
broke 
the 
Michigan 

contain more than defensive 
coordinator Don Brown probably 
would have liked, and against 
quarterbacks like Ohio State’s JT 
Barrett, that could be an issue. 
But there’s a lot of football to be 
played between now and then, 
and there’s no reason to believe 
Michigan can’t shore up some of 
its big-play faults.

Still, 
it’s 
a 
dent 
in 
the 

Wolverines’ armor, and one they 
would be wise to close up quickly.

2. The linebackers may be 

better than we thought.

When 
Michigan’s 
entire 

starting 
linebacker 
corps 

graduated after last season, many 

were 
(justifiably) 
concerned 

with their replacements. But 
through two games, the group has 
answered its doubters.

Redshirt 
junior 
linebacker 

Mike McCray was the Big Ten 
Defensive Player of the Week in 
Week 1, and he had another strong 
game against the Knights with six 
tackles, one and a half for loss, and 
a forced fumble.

Senior Ben Gedeon combined 

with freshman defensive end 
Rashan Gary for a 12-yard sack, 
and Jabrill Peppers continues to 
be Jabrill Peppers. Against Hawaii 
and UCF, that bunch was solid.

Soon, though, they will go up 

against 
stronger 
competition 

— possibly as soon as this week 
but certainly by the start of the 
October. McCray, Gedeon and 
Peppers will be judged by how 
they play in those games, not the 
ones Michigan wins by 37.

But for now, there’s not much 

to complain about. That’s a good 
start.

3. Special teams will be OK 

without John Baxter.

Four altered kicks alone make 

a good special teams day. Add 
in the fact that Jabrill Peppers 
nearly returned another punt 
for a touchdown and that the 
Wolverines started five drives in 
UCF territory, and it becomes a 
great one.

After special teams coordinator 

John 
Baxter 
departed 
for 

Southern 
California 
this 

offseason, it was fair to wonder 
whether Michigan’s special teams 
— much improved last season — 
would regress. Saturday should 
quell some of those concerns.

Tyree Kinnel tipped two punts, 

and Chris Wormley got his hands 
on a pair of field goals, in what 
was the best attacking day the 
Wolverines’ special teams have 
had in some time.

Only one of the kicks went down 

as an official block — Wormley’s 
first, in the first quarter — but 
they all contributed to Michigan’s 
dominance in the third phase. The 
Wolverines won’t be able to do it 
each week, but the more fear they 
can put in kickers and punters, the 
better off they’ll be.

4. Deep passes are a go.
It took Jake Rudock more 

than half of last season to figure 
out the deep passing game with 
his receivers. Once he found his 
touch, Rudock turned in one of the 
best quarterback seasons in recent 
school history, due in large part to 
his success throwing downfield.

Two weeks into 2016, redshirt 

junior quarterback Wilton Speight 
seems to have already found that 
stroke.

Speight linked up for big gains 

with each of his top three targets 
— senior tight end Jake Butt and 
fifth-year senior receivers Amara 
Darboh and Jehu Chesson — 
including a 45-yard touchdown to 
Darboh in the first quarter.

Getting the deep ball to work 

consistently would be huge for the 
Wolverines, who have arguably 
the most receiving depth of 
anyone in the Big Ten.

5. Bold Prediction: Khalid 

Hill gets two more touchdowns 
next week.

A year ago, predicting Hill to 

get any rushing touchdown would 
be bold. Now, he has more on the 
season than any other Wolverine.

Since his conversion from tight 

end, Hill has shown high value 
in short-yardage situations. That 
value will be highlighted against 
a Colorado team that should be 
significantly better than either 
team Michigan has faced thus far.

The Wolverines will score, but 

they’ll have to work for it, and 
that’s when fullbacks make their 
name.

FOOTBALL

‘M’ routs UC Riverside

By BRAD WHIPPLE

Daily Sports Editor

At halftime of Friday’s match 

against UC Riverside, Michigan 
women’s soccer coach Greg Ryan 
recognized 
his 
team’s 

offensive 
system 
wasn’t matching up with the 
Highlanders. He felt his team 
wasn’t 
playing 
aggressively 

enough, and made the proper 
adjustment heading into the final 
half.

For the last 45 minutes, the 

adjustment paid off.

In the 59th minute, Abby 

Kastroll cradled the ball on 
the flank, and the sophomore 
midfielder used her unmatched 
speed to take the ball along the 
right side. With enough space 
to create a scoring opportunity, 
she crossed the ball in front of 
the mouth of the goal — past 
three defenders — to sophomore 
forward 
Reilly 
Martin, 
who 

kicked the ball through the legs of 
goalkeeper Alanna Guzman.

There were plenty more goals 

to come for the Wolverines (4-1-
1) in their 4-0 shutout of UC 
Riverside at U-M Soccer Stadium. 
In Michigan’s second straight 
shutout, the game boiled down 
to amplified offensive pressure, 

playing the ball forward and 
keeping the Highlanders on their 
heels in the second half.

“(In the) first half, UC Riverside 

came out really strong,” Kastroll 
said. “We came in the second half, 
changed our tactics and just went 
at them and it ended up working 
out for us. We realized that goal-
scoring opportunities weren’t just 
going to come, we had to work for 
them.”

With 
one 
goal 
on 
the 

scoreboard, it took until the 81st 
minute for the second — the first 
of a three-goal flurry that came in 
the final 10 minutes of regulation. 
After the ball flew over her head 
and began rolling toward the goal, 
Kastroll sprinted onto it, put one 
touch on the ball and rocketed it 
into the net from 18 yards out.

Whether she was weaving in 

and out of defenders, winning 
loose balls or challenging the 
goalkeeper on every potential 
goal-scoring opportunity, Kastroll 
made her presence felt all over the 
field, all night. It was only a matter 
of time until one of her shots fell.

“I like just to go hard because 

it’s just pretty motivating for 
the team,” Kastroll said. “Some 
people react to someone yelling at 
them (to) do better or encouraging 
them, I just like to go into a tackle 
to get the team going.”

Four 
minutes 
later, 
senior 

midfielder Jessica Heifetz scored 
her first goal of the season off a 
corner kick, when she launched 
the ball through the legs of 
Guzman off a short bounce. Soon 
after, junior midfielder Rubina 
Veerakone served the ball into the 
box, and freshman forward Grace 
Salvino got a piece of it before it 
went in for her first career goal.

In the second half, UC Riverside 

rarely made it past midfield, and 
Michigan’s defense limited the 
Highlanders to only one shot — 
three for the game. With a five-
woman back line captained by 
redshirt sophomore goalkeeper 
Sarah Jackson, the Wolverines 
outmatched and outnumbered 
their opponent.

“I think we just put them 

on their back foot with all the 
pressure,” Ryan said. “No goals 
against Ole Miss, no goals against 
Notre Dame, no goals again 
tonight. Defensively they’re doing 
a great job. ”

Friday’s match marked the end 

of 
Michigan’s 
non-conference 

slate, which means the Wolverines 
are inching even closer to their 
primary goal of winning a Big Ten 
championship. But Michigan is 
not letting its guard down.

“We’re definitely not content 

going into the Big Ten play,” 
Kastroll said. “We’re hungry for 
more.”

UC RIVERSIDE
MICHIGAN 

0
4

ALLISON FARRAND/Daily

Greg Ryan used an adjustment to spark the Michigan women’s soccer team in its 4-0 win over UC Riverside.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
September 12, 2016 — 3B

