The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Friday, April 14, 2017 — 7

What to Watch For: Michigan football spring game

While 
the 
quarterback 

controversies of years’ past 
will get a break this go around, 
Michigan football coach Jim 
Harbaugh and his staff are 
tasked with the 
job of refilling 
nearly 
the 

entire 
offense 

and 
defense. 

Over the last 
few 
weeks, 

a 
handful 

of 
names 

have 
begun 

to 
separate 

themselves 
from the pack.

Those standout players will 

be revealed this Saturday, as the 
Michigan football team takes 
the field for its annual spring 
football game.

Harbaugh’s third spring game 

means his recruits are finally 
taking over the majority of the 
roster, and underclassmen will 
be called upon to fill many of the 
available voids this upcoming 
season. Players like sophomore 
defensive end Rashan Gary 
and freshman wide receiver 
Donovan Peoples-Jones are the 
spotlight names for a team that 
lost its “face of the program” 
player Jabrill Peppers.

The Maize and Blue teams 

go head to head on Saturday 
afternoon. Here’s what to watch 
for during the spring football game.

1. Try and keep up with 

Chris Evans

The 
days 
when 
former 

running back De’Veon Smith 
beasted, clawed and powered 
his ways through opponents’ 
front 
lines 
are 
long 
gone. 

Smith’s brusing style — and his 
superior pass blocking — will be 
sorely missed, but a new slate of 
tailbacks have emerged.

Leading 
the 
group 
is 

sophomore 
Chris 
Evans, 

who 
recently 
discussed 
his 

offseason 
progress 
after 
a 

strong freshman campaign. His 
speed became evident in the 
opening game of 2016, when he 
scored on two long touchdown 
runs against Hawaii. Evans 
has also mentioned his growth 
physically as he aims to boost 
his blocking abilities and also 
overpower opponents like his 
predecessor, Smith.

Evans 
shapes 
up 
to 
be 

Michigan’s go-to running back, 
after leading his position group 
in all but one category of testing 
at the team’s spring combine.

Other 
running 
back 

candidates to keep an eye on 
are redshirt freshman Kareem 
Walker, fifth year senior Ty 
Isaac and junior Karan Higdon.

2. Early enrollees getting in 

the mix

Another handful of open 

spots on Michigan’s offense are 
out wide. With the departure 
of Jehu Chesson and Amara 
Darboh — Michigan’s core wide 
receiving pair for the last two 
years — more starting spots 
have opened up. According to 
redshirt 
junior 
quarterback 

Wilton 
Speight, 
a 
pair 
of 

early-enrollees 
— 
Donovan 

Peoples-Jones and Tarik Black 
— have been making remarkable 
catches in practice and are in a 
position to earn serious playing 
time this fall.

People-Jones and Black will 

dress up in the maize and blue 
for the first time Saturday, 
and expect to see Speight and 
possible 
backup 
quarterback 

freshman Brandon Peters (more 
on that below) sending the ball 
in their direction.

Other receivers to note are 

sophomore 
Kekoa 
Crawford, 

senior Maurice Ways, senior 
Drake Harris and sophomore 
Eddie McDoom.

3. Meet and greet the new 

defense

Defensive coordinator Don 

Brown is a mean, angry dude. 
No wonder 10 of the 11 starters 
decided to leave.

Only 
fifth-year 
senior 

linebacker 
Mike 
McCray 

returns, and right in front of 
him will be four new starters 
on the defensive line. Expect 
to see sophomore Rashan Gary 
and senior Chase Winovich earn 
lots of playing time as defensive 
ends. In the middle at the 
defensive tackle positions, look 
for fifth-year senior Maurice 
Hurst and senior Bryan Mone.

Gary played in all 13 games as a 

freshman but did not start. With 
one sack and five tackles for loss 
last year, Gary is expected to 
pick up where former defensive 
ends Chris Wormley and Ryan 
Glasgow left off.

The back of the defense will 

feature a lot of new names, as 
well. The Wolverines have to 
replace their entire secondary. 
Thus far, sophomore cornerbacks 

Lavert Hill and David Long have 
gotten praise, while junior Tyree 
Kinnel and sophomore Josh 
Metellus appear to have locked 
up the safety spots. Meanwhile, 
at 
the 
hybrid 
VIPER 
spot, 

sophomores 
Khaleke 
Hudson 

and Jordan Glasgow will have 
the unenviable job of filling in for 
the now-departed Peppers.

4. Speight’s backup is…
Freshman 
quarterback 

Brandon 
Peters? 
Fifth-year 

senior John O’Korn? While 
former 
Wolverine 
Shane 

Morris announced his transfer 
earlier this year, O’Korn made 
his intentions clear — he was 
staying. Regardless, the starting 
quarterback spot is locked up. 
Speight led the Wolverines’ 
offensive unit last year, and 
plays an even more important 

role in 2017 as one of the few 
returning starters.

Unlike in the previous two 

years, there is no debate about 
who will start. The Morris-
or-Rudock 
and 
Speight-or-

O’Korn battles won’t repeat 
for a third time, but if Speight 
suffers another injury, as he 
did late in the regular season 
last year, someone may have 
to take over. Peters seems the 
likely candidate. The redshirt 
freshman will start for the 
Maize team this year — Speight 
is starting for the Blue team 
— and has clearly impressed 
the coaching staff in recent 
practices.

Bonus: Versatility
And just for fun, keep an eye 

out for Michigan’s potentially 
most 
versatile 
player 
since 

Jabrill Peppers.

Fifth-year 
senior 
holder 

Garrett Moores announced via 
Twitter that he will be playing 
for both the Maize and Blue 
teams at the spring game this 
year. Moores was the recipient 
of the Mortell Holder of the Year 
Award in 2016, and even ran for 
a two-point conversion against 
Rutgers last season.

The 2017 Michigan football 

spring game will feature new 
faces on all sides of the ball, 
but perhaps no position is more 
secure. Moores has his spot 
locked up better than anyone 
else does.

Editor’s note: Janes wrote 

this story from Hong Kong. 

The Daily felt that was worthy 

of acknowledgement. 

TED JANES

Daily Sports Writer

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Sophomore running back Chris Evans flashed breakaway speed last season and will be among a group of running backs tasked with replacing De’Veon Smith.

Michigan 
Spring 
Game 

When: 
Saturday 1 
P.M. ET

Where: 
Michigan 
Stadium

‘M’ downs Oklahoma
for first ranked win

If only looking at the hit 

column, it would seem that No. 
18 Oklahoma had done its job 
against the No. 13 Michigan 
baseball team. The Sooners held 
the Wolverines to just four hits, 
well below Michigan’s season 
average of 9.96 hits per game. 

However, the Wolverines (6-3 

Big Ten, 27-7 overall) found other 
ways to manufacture runs in 
their 5-2 win against Oklahoma 
(5-4 Big Twelve, 27-10 overall).

“Well you got to look at the 

number of guys on base,” said 
Michigan coach Erik Bakich. 
“Holding the zone and taking 
advantage of some mishaps by 
their starter – and their starter is 
a good pitcher. If we chased and 
did him some favors, he could 
have had a quality start today. We 
did a nice job of swinging at the 
right pitches or not swinging at 
the wrong ones.”

Headed into the matchup, the 

Wolverines knew they had their 
hands full, as Oklahoma ranks 
fourth in the country with 10.1 
strikeouts per game, sixth with 
6.95 hits allowed per nine innings 
and ninth with a 2.73 earned-run 
average.

“We like to say we treat every 

opponent the same, and we do,” 
said junior left-hander Oliver 
Jaskie. “When we play a good 
team we don’t do anything 
different, 
but 
everyone 
was 

definitely excited for this one, this 
was marked on our schedule.”

It’s easy to see why. The 

victory marked the first win 
against a ranked opponent for the 
Wolverines of the season.

After Jaskie pitched a one-

two-three top of the first inning, 
Michigan tallied zero hits in the 
bottom half of the inning.

Yet 
the 
Wolverines 
still 

managed to score three runs, on 
five walks and a hit batter.

Sophomore second baseman 

Ako Thomas started the inning 
off with a walk and proceeded to 
steal second. Lugbauer walked 
two at-bats later. Then, redshirt 

sophomore Miles Lewis walked 
and so did Jake Bivens – scoring 
Thomas. Senior designated hitter 
Nick Poirier was then hit by a 
pitch, scoring Lugbauer. And in 
the next at-bat, sophomore right 
fielder 
Jonathan 
Engelmann 

walked to drive home the third 
and final run of the inning.

The very next inning, the 

Sooners responded with two hits 
to produce a run of their own, 
making it 3-1.

Through the first four innings, 

Michigan 
could 
manufacture 

only one hit. Following a leadoff 
walk in the fifth by senior 
centerfielder Johnny Slater, the 
Wolverines earned their second 
hit on a home run to dead center 
by Lugbauer, pushing the lead 
to four. The homer marked 
Lugbauer’s tenth of the season.

Oklahoma showed some fight 

though. The next inning, first 
baseman Austin O’Brien hit a solo 
shot that cleared the elevated 
wall in left field, cutting the score 
to 5-2. But, that would be the last 
run of the game for the Sooners.

While Michigan finished the 

game with just four hits, they 
managed eight walks and a hit by 
pitch for 13 total base runners.

Jaskie also returned to his 

typical form following a subpar 
start last Friday against Illinois. 
In seven innings pitched, Jaskie 
allowed just two runs on five hits 
and struck out six, his fifth win of 
the season.

“His outing couldn’t have 

gone worse last Friday,” Bakich 
said. “And to be able to pitch 
seven (innings) and only give 
up two (runs) was exactly what 
we needed and a good bounce 
back for him as well. It speaks 
to his character. He’s a kid who 
is extremely well trained, very 
mentally tough.”

Getting the first win of the 

series may prove the difference 
for the remainder of the series.

“It’s 
like 
a 
postseason 

atmosphere,” 
Lugbauer 
said. 

“To get a big win like that on a 
(Thursday) night is just good for 
our confidence going into our 
next two games.”

BASEBALL

HUNTER SHARF
Daily Sports Writer

Competition emerging in the backfield

Jay Harbaugh was almost 

1,300 miles away from Ann 
Arbor when he found out about 
his new job. 

At about 11 p.m. in Houston 

in January, Harbaugh was 
sitting in his hotel room when 
he received a phone call from 
his father, Jim. The elder 
Harbaugh delivered the news — 
Jay would be the new running 
backs coach next season.

While some might have been 

surprised by the decision given 
that the younger Harbaugh 
had never played or coached 
the position, Jay went to bed 
excited to take on a new role in 
his father’s program.

Between his time spent with 

the tight ends for the Michigan 
football team last year and 
with the quarterbacks for the 
NFL’s Baltimore Ravens a few 
years back — where his uncle, 
John, is the head coach — Jay 
seems equipped to handle the 
challenge.

“The 
way 
that 
coaching 

works is — if you’re doing it 
right — you’re kind of absorbing 
everything,” Harbaugh said. “… 
There’s a totality in coaching, 
whether it’s offense or defense, 
of seeing the big picture.”

In 
his 
experience, 

quarterbacks focus on pass 
protections and tight ends 
focus on route running and 
run game blocking, so the main 
difference with running backs 
is carrying the ball — a skill 
Michigan’s talented backfield 
crop 
already 
possesses 
in 

spades.

Though they must recover 

from the loss of senior De’Veon 
Smith, the Wolverines still 
return key contributors from 
last season’s squad, namely 
rising sophomore Chris Evans, 
junior Karan Higdon and fifth-
year senior Ty Isaac.

The trio combined for 1,495 

yards on 234 carries with 15 
touchdowns 
while 
splitting 

time behind Smith. Clearly the 
feature back, Smith gained 901 
yards on 181 carries and scored 
10 touchdowns on his own. 

Without a clear number one 

this season, Evans, Higdon and 
Isaac all have an opportunity 
to emerge as major facets of 
Michigan’s run game.

“You’d like to be able to trust 

your whole group,” Harbaugh 
said 
after 
spring 
practice 

Thursday. “I’ve never liked 
thinking about running backs 
like that, assuming that two 
or three guys aren’t going to 
be good. I want everyone to be 
good.”

Added Higdon: “I definitely 

think 
we’ll 
have 
multiple 

guys 
in 
there, 
considering 

everybody brings something 
different and every guy is 
different and can attack the 
game in different ways. We’ve 
got a lot of weapons, so it’ll be 
fun.”

While all three will likely 

earn their fair share of playing 
time, that doesn’t mean they 
aren’t fighting for carries.

Just 
like 
at 
seemingly 

every other position for the 
Wolverines this year, Evans, 
Higdon and Isaac have been 
locked in a tight battle over the 
course of spring camp. That 

spirit of competition has been 
exemplified by the posting of 
depth charts in the meeting 
room 
of 
each 
respective 

position group.

These depth charts shed 

light on both the good and 
bad areas of each player’s 
performance 
in 
comparison 

to 
his 
teammates. 
Listing 

dropped 
balls 
and 
missed 

assignments as much as yards 
and carries, these depth charts 
serve the purpose of keeping 
Michigan on its toes.

“It’s a meritocracy around 

here, so it just makes sense 
for everyone to understand 
and to have it out in the open,” 
Harbaugh said.

More than just a simple 

motivational tool, the depth 
charts 
amp 
up 
the 
level 

of 
intensity 
between 
the 

Wolverines, who understand 
how much effort they have to 
put in to bypass the players 
ahead of them or maintain 
their edge over the players 
behind them. 

“It’s 
definitely 
a 
stiff 

competition,” 
Higdon 
said. 

“Each and every day, you gotta 

bring it. Each and every day, 
you see someone do something 
that makes you go, ‘Wow.’ ”

Added Isaac: “I’m going into 

practice every day trying to 
be the starter. If you’re ahead 
of me, I’m trying to beat you 
out. If you’re behind me, I’m 
trying to put some distance in 
between us.”

The way Harbaugh sees it, the 

spring game will be a turning 
point 
in 
the 
competition 

between his trio of backs. 
Besides quarterback, running 
back is the one position where 
the tempo of live competition 
can make a sizable difference 
in the relative performance of 
a player.

Isaac, part of the Maize team, 

and Evans and Higdon, members 
of the Blue team, will face off 
head-to-head with the chance 
to separate themselves in the 
competition. Saturday, any one 
of them could take the first step 
toward earning more playing 
time on Saturdays in the fall.

“It starts now,” Higdon said. 

“Spring is what sets you up for 
the fall. Spring is where you 
make your statement.”

BETELHEM ASHAME

Managing Sports Editor

FILE PHOTO/Daily

Michigan running backs coach Jay Harbaugh is hoping to use every running back at his disposal through 2017.

