4B — April 17, 2017
SportsMonday
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

BASEBALL
‘M’ sweeps Oklahoma
with sixth-inning rally

Junior centerfielder Johnny

Slater
started
what
would

become a five-run rally in the
sixth inning with a hard-hit
double to left field.

Behind
that
high-scoring

frame,
the No. 13
Michigan
baseball
team (6-3 Big Ten, 29-7 overall)
earned a 6-2 victory Sunday
to sweep its non-conference
adversary, No. 18 Oklahoma (5-4
Big 12, 27-12 overall).

After a scoreless first inning

for both teams, the Sooners got
on the board first with a duo of
singles off junior
right-hander
Alec Rennard in
the bottom of the
2nd inning.

Michigan

was
quick
to

respond, though,
with a run in
the third. After
sophomore right
fielder Jonathan
Engelmann
singled to left-center field, senior
catcher Harrison Wenson walked
and, with an infield hit from
sophomore second baseman Ako
Thomas, the bases were loaded.
Junior
centerfielder
Johnny

Slater launched a sacrifice fly into
the outfield to bring Engelmann
home from third to tie the game,
1-1.

Neither team produced runs

in the fourth or fifth innings,
highlighted by groundouts and
flyouts.

“The
conditions
played
a

factor,” said Michigan coach
Erik Bakich. “You knew there
weren’t going to be any long balls
today with the wind howling
in. So it was going to be a game
that probably was going to come

down to some two-out hits, some
situational hitting, some bunting,
some
stealing,
pitching
and

defense.”

When Slater doubled off the

left-field wall in the bottom of
the sixth inning, senior shortstop
Michael Brdar followed it up
with a double of his own to give
the Wolverines baserunners on
2nd and 3rd. After intentionally
walking redshirt sophomore left
fielder Miles Lewis, Oklahoma
hit junior first baseman Jake
Bivens by a pitch for the second
time to send Slater home for
Michigan’s first run of the frame.

Sophomore designated hitter

Nick Poirier then forced a walk,
sending Brdar home. With a
two-run lead already in hand,

Engelmann
singled to left
field to send two
more
runs
in.

Wenson finished
up the scoring
with a sac fly
to
left
field,

forcing
Poirier

home to give the
Wolverines a 6-1
lead.

Junior
right

hander Jayce Vancena relieved
Rennard in the top of the seventh
inning, but as Oklahoma tacked
on a run on an RBI double from
catcher Brady Lindsly, Bakich
substituted senior right hander
Mac Lozer in. He would go on to
retire the side on two groundouts.

“I’m glad I could be there for

my guys,” Lozer said. “We took
three games away from a really
competitive and really good
Oklahoma team.”

While
the
Sooners
were

missing some pivotal characters
from their squad, such as Jake
Irvin, who boasts a 1.30 earned-
run average over 34.2 innings
pitched, the Wolverines have to
be pleased with three wins over
a highly-touted opponent.

Five Things We Learned: Spring Game

It was both a good and bad day

for the Michigan football team,
depending on how one would look
at things.

On one hand, the Wolverines

won. On the other hand, the
Wolverines also lost. Such is
the result of Michigan’s annual
spring game. Saturday’s game
was certainly more exciting than
those of past years, featuring a late
comeback from one team before a
well-executed drive by the Maize
team gave it a 31-29 victory.

Here are five things we learned

from Saturday:

1. Wilton Speight’s backups

are pretty talented

The quarterback competition

seems fairly decided in redshirt
junior Wilton Speight’s favor.
After all, Michigan coach Jim
Harbaugh went on the record on
April 10 in saying Speight is the
starter. But on Saturday, it was
Speight’s presumed backups who
dazzled.

Aside from one key mistake —

an ill-advised throw that resulted
in a pick-six — redshirt freshman
Brandon Peters was outstanding.
He displayed poise in the pocket
while also showing off a cannon
for an arm. He even led the Maize
team on the game-winning drive,
which included a deep bomb to
redshirt freshman wide receiver
Nate Schoenle. Peters finished
9-of-17 for 160 yards passing
with one touchdown and one
interception, and even scrambled
for a 12-yard touchdown at the
beginning of the fourth quarter.

Fifth-year senior John O’Korn

was impressive as well, although
much of his success didn’t come
until late. O’Korn, who started
against Indiana last season when
Speight was hurt, ran three times
for 42 yards while completing
three passes for 60 yards and a
touchdown.

2. The Glasgow family name

is in good hands

Graham is already in the

NFL, and Ryan will be soon.
Meanwhile,
Jordan
—
the

youngest of the three Glasgow
brothers — continues to carve out
a role for himself in Ann Arbor.
Glasgow earned a reputation as
being a special teams dynamo
last year, and appears poised for
a breakout season this year. He
has been practicing mostly at the
VIPER position vacated by Jabrill
Peppers. In the spring game,
however, he was exceptional at
safety, flashing excellent ball
skills throughout the day while
coming up with the biggest play of
the game, a 100-yard interception
return for a touchdown after
picking off Speight in the endzone.

3. The kids might be alright
Youth has been a common

theme for Michigan this offseason,
as the Wolverines seek to replace
over a dozen graduated starters
from both sides of the ball.

Key among those are the

receiver and tight end spots.
The trio of Amara Darboh, Jehu
Chesson and Jake Butt graduated
and is off to the NFL, while
sophomore wide receiver Grant
Perry — who would be one of
the most experienced returning
players — remains in limbo while
he faces four criminal charges
and an impending court case.

On Saturday, though, several

key youngsters stood out at
each position. At receiver, early
enrollee Tarik Black impressed
the most, snagging several balls
down the sideline, including an
11-yard touchdown reception from
O’Korn. At tight end, meanwhile,
Zach Gentry and Nick Eubanks
played well. Gentry, converted to
the position from quarterback,
scored the first touchdown of the
game, catching a pass up the seam
before making a safety miss and
taking it to the house for a 55-yard
score. His counterpart Eubanks
looked smooth as well, making
two catches and nearly hauling in
a deep ball down the sideline that
popped loose from his grasp at the
last second.

4. No Kenny, no problem?

Michigan graduated kicker and

punter (there’s a recurring theme
here) Kenny Allen after last year.
Allen was adept at both of his jobs,
knocking in 37 field goals at an
82-percent clip over two seasons
while averaging 43.3 yards on 54
punts last year.

But like at other positions, there

may not be too much of a drop-off
from Allen’s replacements. Quinn
Nordin, formerly the No. 1 rated
kicker out of high school, knocked
in a 48-yard field goal that would
have been good from 50-plus, and
Kyle Seychel kicked the game-
winning field goal (even after
an attempted icing) to give the
Maize team steak for dinner. Will
Hart handled punting duties for
both sides, kicking it eight total
times for an average of 39.5 yards
per punt.

5. The defense still looks

good

The Wolverines have said it

many times over through the
offseason: they expect there to be

little drop-off between last year’s
defense — No. 1 in the nation
— and this year’s unit. Game
action against real opponents
will tell whether that is the case,
but for now, this year’s defense
does indeed look pretty good.
The defensive line and blitzing
linebackers
created
problems

in pass protection, beating the
offensive line for five total sacks.
Meanwhile, there were three total
interceptions — two of which went
the other way for touchdowns
— made on presumed starter
Speight and Peters. Players such
as sophomores Khaleke Hudson
and Devin Bush Jr. laid the wood,
and defensive coordinator Don
Brown was as aggressive as ever
with his play-calling. There will
be some struggles along the way
as this youthful unit continues
to develop and gain experience
— after all, the offense did record
several big plays on the day.
But the ceiling for the defense
remains as high as ever.

Peters leads Maize to victory

At the start of last season, Jim

Harbaugh didn’t know who his
quarterback would be. Redshirt
sophomore Wilton Speight and
redshirt juniors John O’Korn
and Shane Morris all presented
compelling cases for the starting
job.

But on the first Saturday of

September, Speight stepped onto
the field at Michigan Stadium to
take the first snap of the 2016-
17 season and never looked
back. Starting all but one game
— due to a shoulder injury —
Speight threw for 2,538 yards
and 18 touchdowns with a 61.6
completion percentage.

Coming
into
the
2017-18

season, it would be safe to
assume that the now-redshirt
junior would take the field for
the Michigan football team in
its season opener at Cowboys
Stadium in Arlington, TX.

But that’s not the way redshirt

freshman quarterback Brandon
Peters sees it.

After the Wolverines’ annual

spring game Saturday, Peters was
asked if he was trying to be the
starter for this season opener.

“Of course,” Peters said with

a smile. “Why would I not want
to?”

His
performance
Saturday

proved that sentiment.

As the starting quarterback for

the Maize team that topped the
Blue team, 31-29, Peters tackled
the competition against Speight
and O’Korn, both of whom led the
Blue team, head on and came out
on top. He completed 9 of 17 passes
for 160 yards and tallied both a
touchdown and an interception.
Meanwhile, Speight went 9-for-26
for 78 yards with two interceptions
and no touchdowns, and O’Korn
went 3-for-6 for 60 yards and a
touchdown.

Peters struck first halfway

through the first quarter, finding
junior tight end Zach Gentry wide
open in the middle of the field.
Gentry returned the favor, making
junior
defensive
back
Louis

Grodman miss and taking it to the
end zone for a 55-yard touchdown.

It wasn’t until the third quarter

that Peters made his first mistake.
Off balance, he threw the ball to
no one in particular, and senior
cornerback
Brandon
Watson

pounced on it. Peters tried to stop
him, but Watson took the pass
straight to the end zone for a pick-
six, giving the Blue team its first
lead of the game.

“As soon as I let go of it, I just

followed the play,” Peters said.
“... I didn’t really see him when I
threw it.”

Eager to make up for his error,

Peters quickly marched his side
down the field, and then handed
the ball off to sophomore running
back Kareem Walker for what
looked to be an easy score. But an
illegal formation penalty negated
the touchdown right before the
end of the quarter.

Peters didn’t let that drive

go to waste, though. Just eight
seconds into the fourth quarter,
he scrambled into open space and
rushed 12 yards into the end zone
to retake the lead at 21-17.

“I just felt the pressure and

my read wasn’t there, so I made
myself check down and made a
big play,” Peters said.

Though the game looked to be

over when junior safety Jordan
Glasgow intercepted a pass from
Speight in the red zone and took
it 100 yards to the opposite end
zone, O’Korn came into the game
with just under five minutes
remaining and made his presence
felt.
Leading
two
straight

scoring drives, one in which he
threw an 11-yard touchdown to
freshman wide receiver Tarik
Black and another in which he
handed it off to junior running
back Karan Higdon for a two-
yard touchdown, O’Korn carried
the Blue team to a 29-28 lead.
With just 1:38 left on the clock, it
looked like O’Korn had sealed the
comeback victory.

But the day belonged to Peters,

and he made sure of it.

“The first play, I was like, ‘Let’s

call a deep shot,’ ” Peters said.
“And (offensive coordinator Tim
Drevno) was like, ‘OK, let’s do it.’ ”

From his own 40-yard line,

Peters unloaded a rocket pass
toward sophomore wide receiver
Nate Schoenle, who was running
down the right sideline. The

ball came down perfectly into
his grasp for what looked like a
50-yard completion.

“I saw it was man coverage

and that route is perfect for man
coverage, and we just executed,”
Peters said.

Strategically moving the ball

and calling timeout in a four-play
sequence, Peters set junior kicker
Kyle Seychel up for a chance at
the game-winner with just a few
seconds left. Seychel left no doubt
about it, nailing the 31-yard field
goal as time expired.

Peters — ranked as the sixth-

best
pro
style
quarterback

nationally in his class in the
ESPN300 — didn’t take part in
the quarterback competition last
year, eventually redshirting in
his freshman season. Though a
quarterback battle hasn’t been
expected to take place this year,
he acknowledged that Harbaugh
preaches competition above all
else.

And
while
Speight
is

undoubtedly Michigan’s starter,
Peters made it clear that he intends
to turn it into a competition.

Bush shines on defensive side

When Devin Bush Jr. came

to Michigan, waiting wasn’t an
option.

As defensive coordinator Don

Brown recalls, the Wolverines
made Bush the second-string
WILL linebacker “virtually when
he walked in the door.”

And on Saturday afternoon,

almost a year after walking in
that door, it was easy to see why.

Bush
finished
with
three

tackles on the day, serving as
one highlight of a Michigan
defensive unit that put Wilton
Speight under pressure during
the entirety of the spring game.
The redshirt junior quarterback
took three sacks — a number that
could have been inflated if not for
Speight’s own evasiveness — and
threw two interceptions, one of
which resulted in a 100-yard pick-
six in the fourth quarter.

If the Wolverines weren’t

barred from tackling the men
behind center, Speight would
probably be hurting, and Bush

would have been a big reason why
— accounting for two of the three
sacks himself (for a loss of 21
yards) and showcasing his ability
to blow up plays in the backfield if
Brown calls for such.

More
importantly,
though,

Bush’s
performance
Saturday

afternoon was a microcosm of
the accumulation of factors that
contributed to his development
over his first year in Ann Arbor.

And
that
first
year
of

development
was
a
busy

one. Though the sophomore
linebacker was featured at the
WILL linebacker spot during
his freshman year, he lined up
as a starter at the MIKE position
during the spring game.

Contributing early on at the

WILL had benefits in and of
itself, as Bush was given the
opportunity to learn behind
Mike McCray, the early de
facto leader of this Wolverine
defensive unit.

“Mike’s always gonna be there

when I need help,” Bush said.
“He’s always gonna correct me
when I’m wrong. He’s hard on

me too. He wants me to make
the play that no one thinks I can
make.

“We’ll be in meeting rooms, I’ll

probably drop a pick, he’ll turn
back, look at me, and just stare at
me like, ‘Why ain’t you catch the
ball?’ ”

But as Bush explained, being

forced to learn the responsibilities
of both roles slowed the game
down for him and allowed him to
quickly acclimate himself within
Brown’s system — pinpointing the
Orange Bowl as the moment that
things finally clicked into place
and he began feeling comfortable
in meetings for the linebacker
corps.

“I
think
he’s
just
more

comfortable because he’s been
here since last spring, been here
for a whole year now,” McCray
said. “It looks like he’s just more
comfortable out there and just
having fun.”

Outside
of
the
on-field

improvements and the mentorship
he received from McCray, though,
Bush has evolved physically as
well. Despite being only four
pounds lighter than he was at the
beginning of Michigan’s spring
practices — something Bush
joked was a byproduct of eating
more salad and grilled chicken
— he says he has still dropped fat
and added muscle. And Brown
has taken notice of his sophomore
linebacker’s new physique.

“I mean, just look at him,”

Brown
said.
“I
teased
him

yesterday — he walked by me
and he didn’t have a shirt on — I
go, ‘I remember last year, you
were a short, pudgy guy.’ And
he’s chiseled. He’s got a Division
I body now.”

That “Division I” body, coupled

with his newfound comfort on
the defensive side, could make
Bush an enticing marvel come the
fall. After all, Brown is looking
forward to seeing it himself.

“It’s so nice when you have a

young guy like that and he can
play two spots,” Brown said. “You
could ask some guys to do that,
and they’d look at you like, ‘Are
you kidding me?’ But he handled
it really with ease.

“We’re excited to see him when

it’s live and in color, for sure.”

OKLAHOMA
MICHIGAN

2
6

ROBERT HEFTER

Daily Sports Writer

EVAN AARON/Daily

The Michigan football team showcased its youth, particularly at receiver.

ORION SANG

Daily Sports Editor

AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily

The Michigan football team played its spring game Saturday, and the Maize team overtook the Blue team, 31-29.

BETELHEM ASHAME

Managing Sports Editor

KEVIN SANTO

Managing Sports Editor

“You knew
there weren’t
going to be any

long balls”