Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Friday, December 9, 2016 — 7

Season Review:
Offensive Line

With the Michigan football 

team’s 2016 regular season in the 
books, the Daily looks back at the 
performance of each unit this year 
and looks ahead to the future in 
2017. In this edition: offensive line.

It was the same story in 2016 as 

in 2015 for the Michigan football 
team’s offensive line, and that was 
good news for the Wolverines.

For the offensive line, the days 

of being the most maligned unit 
on the team in the woeful 2013 and 
2014 seasons are still in memory. 
Three of the five starters on the 
line were regulars on those teams. 
But the back half of their careers 
brought major improvements in 
the line play, and those continued 
this season.

For most of the fall, the ground 

game looked like the Michigan 
rushing attacks of old, led by Chris 
Perry and then Mike Hart in the 
early 2000s, though without as 
much of a workhorse at running 
back. Though the defense was still 
the dominant unit, the Wolverines 
controlled games up front and 
used that edge to salt away the 
clock in their victories.

Statistically, Michigan went 

from 102nd in rushing in 2013 to 
62nd in 2014 to 83rd in 2015 to 
finally 15th this year. The pass 
blocking 
improved, 
too. 
The 

Wolverines gave up more than 
two sacks per game in 2013 and 
2014 before ranking in the top 30 
in that category in each of the past 
two seasons.

Michigan’s offense owes much 

of its success to those trends. The 
ability to run the ball has opened 
up the playbook, and the better 
pass blocking has made life easier 
on quarterbacks Jake Rudock and 
Wilton Speight.

And the improvement has been 

in the making for a long time. 
The three mainstays on the line 
— fifth-year seniors Ben Braden, 
Kyle Kalis and Erik Magnuson — 
took their lumps as young players 
and have spoken all season about 
how much better it made them. 
They were more experienced than 
just about every opposing front 
they faced this season after being 
on the other end of that clash 
earlier in their careers.

Long-term stability is a factor 

as well. Michigan replaced the 
only starter it lost, center Graham 
Glasgow, by sliding junior Mason 
Cole from left tackle to center. 
He along with Braden, Kalis, 
Magnuson and true freshman 
remained the go-to group for 
the last five games of the regular 
season, and Michigan didn’t go 
away from them often, adding to 
their consistency.

Only at the end of the year, 

when the Wolverines played their 
toughest games of the season, did 
the offensive line let up in the run 
game. In late road games at Iowa 
and Ohio State, Michigan rushed 
for fewer than 100 yards for the 
first two times all season. Six 
times, however, they eclipsed the 
200-yard mark.

HIGH POINT: One easy choice 

is the Oct. 8 drubbing of Rutgers, 
in which Michigan ran for 478 
yards and nine touchdowns, 
but the more impressive overall 
performance came two weeks 

earlier against Penn State.

That day, Michigan rushed for 

326 yards and six touchdowns — 
both second-most of the season — 
and did not allow a sack. Starting 
Newsome, Braden, Cole, Kalis 
and Magnuson for the third 
straight week, the offensive line 
jelled and dominated Penn State. 
After that game, Speight said 
that at one point, the Wolverines 
ran the same rushing play over 
and over without being stopped. 
Sure enough, one of Michigan’s 
drives ended with seven straight 
run plays for 43 yards and a 
touchdown.

The 
feat 
is 
even 
more 

impressive in hindsight: Penn 
State has not lost since that day 
and beat Wisconsin in the Big 
Ten Championship on Saturday 
night. The Nittany Lions ended 
up finishing a modest 48th and 
giving up just 153.5 rushing yards 
per game.

LOW POINT: Despite the 

late struggles against Iowa and 
Ohio State, the offensive line’s 
worst moment wasn’t a poor 
performance — it was one of the 
few sour memories Michigan will 
carry from this season. On Oct. 
1 against Wisconsin, Newsome 
went down in the second quarter 
with a serious knee injury, one 
that seemed to dampen the morale 
of the entire team.

Newsome had several surgeries 

on his knee in the weeks following 
his injury, and he ended up 
spending more than a month in 
the hospital. On Dec. 1, he tweeted 
a video of him taking his first steps 
since the injury. A devastating 
blow to one of the more well-liked 
players on the team was tough for 
Michigan to handle.

“What I do know is, as far as 

character, human being character, 
football 
character, 
nobody’s 

ever come through here, this 
football team or this university, 
that I know of, with more of it 
than Grant Newsome,” coach 
Jim Harbaugh said two days 
after the injury. “Leon and Kim 
Newsome, they should write a 
book on raising kids. Grant is the 
finest, and just praying for him 
right now. It’s not a good feeling 
today at all. But just being with 
him at the hospital, everybody 
he’s come in contact with, nurses 
and doctors, it’s ‘please’ and 
‘thank you.’ It’s amazing. He is an 
amazing, amazing young man.”

THE FUTURE: As in many 

areas, 
Michigan’s 
decorated 

senior class will leave some holes 
on the offensive line. Braden, Kalis 
and Magnuson have exhausted 
their eligibility, and Cole said he is 
undecided between returning for 
a senior season and entering the 
NFL Draft.

If he returns and Bredeson 

stays at left guard, that leaves 
openings at left tackle, right 
guard and right tackle. Redshirt 
sophomore 
Juwann 
Bushell-

Beatty — who started at left tackle 
Oct. 8 at Rutgers — is one option 
to take over that spot if Cole and 
Bredeson stay at their positions. 
On the right side, the competition 
will be wide-open, but one name 
to watch is promising freshman 
guard Michael Onwenu. Whoever 
takes over the workload, though, 
will have a lot of experience to 
replace.

‘M’ to host Badgers in weekend series

Monday 
afternoon, 
the 

Michigan hockey team held a 
meeting to discuss its performance 
in its most recent series against 
No. 3 Penn State, where the 
Wolverines were swept by a 
combined score of 11-2. Heading 
into the upcoming weekend with 
another high-scoring team on the 
schedule in Wisconsin, Michigan 
coach Red Berenson urged his 
team to move forward.

“At some point we’ve gotta put 

it behind us,” Berenson said. “After 
Monday, it was more about this 
week than last week. You can’t 
drag yourself through the mud for 
a whole week.”

Added sophomore defenseman 

Nicholas Boka: “We need to be 
better. That (performance) is not 
acceptable here at Michigan. We 
know it and our coaches know 
it. (The coaches) just said what 
we put in this week in practice is 
gonna show during the games this 
weekend, so they said, ‘let’s just 
start preparing now.’ ”

Like the Nittany Lions, the 

Badgers rank in the top 20 
nationally in scoring, averaging 
3.36 goals per game, nearly 
a whole goal more than the 
Wolverines. Forward Luke Kunin 
anchors Wisconsin’s offensive 
attack, leading the Badgers with 
17 points. Two years ago, Boka 
and Kunin played with each other 
as members of the USNTDP. As 
the team’s captain, Kunin scored 
27 times, which was fourth best 
on the team.

In their second season apart, the 

two former teammates-turned-
rivals have maintained their close 
relationship. And Boka says he 
uses his knowledge of Kunin’s 
playing style to his advantage.

“He’s my best friend,” Boka 

said. “It’s been different, playing 
against each other. You’re friends 
off the ice, but when it comes time 
to play against each other, you 

don’t think twice on the ice.

I know his tendencies and what 

he likes to do and whether that’s 
on the power play or just simple 
things. But I think when it comes 
down to it, we gotta be worried 
about the whole team, not just one 
player.”

Boka and Kunin aren’t the 

only players from the Wolverines 
and the Badgers who have played 
together on the USNTDP. Last 
season, five Michigan players 
along with Wisconsin defenseman 
James Greenway and center Trent 
Frederic all were teammates on 
the USNTDP as well.

For Boka though, the game 

also represents a chance to face-
off against his former coach on 
the USNTDP, Don Granato, who 
serves as assistant coach under 
his brother Tony in Madison. Like 
with Kunin, Boka still remains in 
touch with Don despite their intra-
conference rivalry.

“He’s a great guy to have if I 

have any questions or ways I can 
improve my game,” Boka said. 
“He’s definitely been a big help to 
my career.”

In 
their 
first 
season 
at 

Wisconsin, the Granato brothers 
have turned a team that won just 
eight games all last year into a 
group that could make a run for 
the conference title. In their non-
conference schedule, the Badgers 
faced four ranked teams and beat 
two, nearly equalling last season’s 
total of three.

The upcoming matchup will 

have a different vibe for the 
Wolverines, too. In their four 
games against Wisconsin last year, 
Michigan scored 20 goals and 
swept the Badgers in both series. 
In fact, Wisconsin hasn’t defeated 
the Wolverines in Ann Arbor since 
November 26, 2005.

This year’s matchup could be 

a bit different, though. Michigan 
isn’t the high-scoring team it 
used to be, and Wisconsin ranks 
fourth in percentage of shots 
taken vs. opponent, with a 57.9 

rate. The Wolverines’ blue-line 
wants to avoid a repeat of last 
weekend, when Michigan allowed 
a combined 106 shots in the two 
games.

“We definitely have to help out 

our goalies,” Boka said. “Friday 
night against Penn State, I think 
we gave up over 40 shots, and 
that’s just not the way to win 
games, and that can’t happen 
moving forward. I think as a 
whole D corps, we gotta step it up 
and start playing for those guys 
and give them the best chance to 
win games for us.

“We definitely want to focus on 

limiting Grade A opportunities, 
the chances they get close to our 
net. You can’t give up 55 shots and 
expect our goalie to make a save on 
every single one.”

Berenson 
recognizes 
the 

Badgers’ marked improvement 
from last season, as well as the 
challenges his Wolverines face, but 
he is eager for the series.

“They’ve got a new coaching 

staff, and they’re as good as it 
gets,” Berenson said. “They’ve 
inherited a pretty darn talented 
team, and some really good young 
players. Their power play is a good 
example. They have one of the best 
power plays in the country, and 
right now, they’re getting it done. 
I’m sure they want to improve, but 
they’re off to a pretty good start. 
They’ve played good teams, and 
they’ve done well.

“We’ve got a lot of respect for 

what they’ve done and where 
they’ve coached. I think it’ll be 
a good matchup this weekend, 
they’ll be excited and we’ll be 
excited.” 

Wolverines to wrap road swing

After spending 14 of its last 

20 days on the road, the end of 
an exhausting seven-game road 
swing is almost in sight for the 
Michigan women’s basketball 
team. The only thing standing 
in the way of the Wolverines and 
Crisler Center are games at San 
Diego State on Friday and No. 9 
UCLA on Sunday. 

The 
Wolverines 
(7-2) 
are 

coming off a 61-58 loss in a 
defensive battle with Xavier, 
and Michigan coach Kim Barnes 
Arico is pointing to the team’s 
hectic schedule as contributing 
to its fall. 

“That was a tough one,” 

Barnes Arico said in an interview 
with WTKA. “A couple days 
later, and we’re still feeling that 
… Our confidence got shook a 
little because we were asking 
people who don’t normally shoot 
the ball for us to score.

“They were an undefeated 

team who hasn’t played away 
from their home court yet. 
So 
they 
were 
well 
rested. 

(Thompson) said to me after the 
game, ‘My legs haven’t felt like 
that in four years.’ So, I think 
the travel is kind of getting to 
us a little bit. But we keep really 
preaching to our team that this 
is going to prepare us for the Big 
Ten Tournament and the NCAA 
Tournament.”

Michigan’s trip to California 

will be its first since the 2013 
NCAA Tournament. The team 
will be jostling for a victory 
against 
the 

Aztecs 
(2-5) 

and 
attempting 

to 
secure 
its 

second 
top-25 

win against the 
Bruins (6-1). 

Notably, it will 

be the first time 
senior 
guard 

Siera Thompson 
will play in her 
home state. 

“This is something we really 

wanted to do, ever since Siera 
committed to us,” Barnes Arico 
said. “To get her back home 

in front of her friends and her 
family. She’s really excited, as 
well as Danielle Williams. Her 
sister plays at UCLA.

“UCLA is a top program in 

the country, year in and year 

out, with some 
really 
good 

players. 
We’ve 

played them the 
last couple years 
and had some 
great 
games. 

It’s going to be 
challenging, but 
our kids are very 
excited for the 
opportunity 
to 

get out there.” 

The last time Michigan and 

San Diego State met was in 
2014 in Puerto Rico, with the 
Wolverines winning the bout, 

70-50. 
The 
game 
featured 

career-high scoring from both 
junior guard Katelynn Flaherty 
and Thompson, who had 23 and 
25 points, respectively. 

The Aztecs just fell to UC 

Davis, 75-55, with only one 
player, guard McKynzie Fort, 
scoring in double digits. San 
Diego State is allowing and 
average of 70.6 points per game 
while scoring just 60.4 points per 
game on average. 

Contrastingly, the Bruins have 

won five straight games and are 
celebrating a 72-49 victory over 
Hawaii. The Wolverines will 
have to matchup against forward 
Monique Billings and guards 
Jordin Canada and Kennedy 
Burke, who are all averaging 
in the double digits points per 
game. 

Even outside of Michigan’s 

double-digit scorers — freshman 
guard 
Kysre 
Gondrezick, 

sophomore center Hallie Thome, 
Thompson and Flaherty — the 
Wolverines’ depth has been 
evident. 

That will be key as the 

Wolverines must grapple with 
staying healthy in these final two 
games of the stretch.

“It’s been a tough balance,” 

Barnes Arico said. “Some players 
really need those rests, and they 
really need practice, to get their 
confidence back… But I think 
what has really helped our 
program, and this is something 
we continue to stress, is we can 
go deep into our bench and give 
people a break. 

“I think that’s what separates 

good teams from great teams.” 

AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily

Senior guard Siera Thompson (right) will play in her home state of California for the first time as a Wolverine on Sunday.

SYLVANNA GROSS

Daily Sports Writer

“UCLA is a top 
program in the 
country, year in 
and year out.”

JAKE LOURIM

Managing Sports Editor

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

The Michigan offensive line turned in another strong season in 2016.

AVI SHOLKOFF
Daily Sports Writer

 
ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily

Sophomore defenseman Nick Boka will face his former coach this weekend.

