100%

Scanned image of the page. Keyboard directions: use + to zoom in, - to zoom out, arrow keys to pan inside the viewer.

Page Options

Download this Issue

Share

Something wrong?

Something wrong with this page? Report problem.

Rights / Permissions

This collection, digitized in collaboration with the Michigan Daily and the Board for Student Publications, contains materials that are protected by copyright law. Access to these materials is provided for non-profit educational and research purposes. If you use an item from this collection, it is your responsibility to consider the work's copyright status and obtain any required permission.

September 05, 2017 - Image 11

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Michigan Daily

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

Sports

FOOTBALL
MEN’S SOCCER

Patience paying off for Marshall
Mukuna proving value for Michigan

The
last
four
years
of

Lawrence
Marshall’s
life

have been all about trusting a
process he never knew would
take so long.

It’s a process that required

nearly 50 pounds of weight
gain, two position switches
and three years of patiently
waiting.

That
process
isn’t
over

yet. But, at least for one play,
the redshirt junior caught a
glimpse at what could lie in
his future when he recovered
a fumble in the third quarter
of Michigan’s 33-17 victory
over Florida on Saturday.

“That’s what we preached

all spring ball, all fall camp
— just running to the ball,”
Marshall said. “That’s the
Michigan
thing.
Coaches

always preach that; you never
know what you’re going to
find when you’re running to
the ball.”

Marshall has yet to break

into the starting lineup, or
develop into the fearsome
defensive lineman that many
predicted he would. But given
how long he’s waited to make
an impact on the field, that
fumble recovery meant all the
more to both him and his mom,
who Marshall said texted and
called him “five or six times”
after the game ended.

Marshall, now a defensive

tackle,
has
certainly
had

a
humbling
experience
at

Michigan despite a recruiting
pedigree that would suggest
otherwise.

He arrived in Ann Arbor

as a highly-touted four-star
defensive end — one of the
best in the nation — who had
previously committed to Ohio
State. Yet Marshall was not
prepared for one of big-time
college
football’s
harshest

realities: chances are, the
roster already has players who

were just as highly-ranked as
you were — and they have an
advantage in experience.

It
didn’t
matter
that

Marshall
was
a
blue-chip

recruit, or that Michigan had
won a hard-fought recruiting
battle for his services. Once he
enrolled on campus, he was at
the bottom.

“We
just
had
some

incredible players that were
ahead of me, and I just had
to wait my time,” Marshall
said. “It was difficult, being a
highly-recruited guy coming
in and you’ve got to start

from the bottom of the barrel
and build your way up, but
perseverance is everything
and that’s what I stand by.”

It didn’t help that Marshall

was quickly converted into a
strongside end — a position
that,
compared
to
the

weakside, typically requires
more weight in an emphasis
to hold up better against the
run. Then, he was eventually

moved again, this time to
defensive tackle.

For Marshall, that meant

retooling
his
entire
pass-

rushing technique. And that
didn’t come easy.

“A lot of work went into it,”

Marshall said. “Rushing from
the inside versus outside are
two different games.”

He gained an edge during

the offseason, though, after
working with fifth-year senior
defensive tackle Mo Hurst.
Hurst, commonly regarded
as one of the nation’s premier
interior pass-rushers, taught
Marshall “everything.”

Those
sessions,
coupled

with more time spent at the
position, saw Marshall enjoy
what he thinks is one of — if
not the — best fall camps he’s
ever had.

“I’m more aggressive, I

feel like — more knock ‘em
back, playing low, my pad
level has gotten way better,
my technique has improved
a lot,” Marshall said. “I was
just watching film of myself
my sophomore year where I
was stepping inside some or
stepping outside, and now it’s
straight steps and punching
somebody in the mouth first,
so that’s what I felt like I
improved the most on.”

Saturday, he saw regular

snaps as part of the interior
rotation. While that may not
seem like much, Michigan
spent much of the game in a
three-man front, which meant
there were fewer snaps for its
interior linemen.

Perhaps
that’s
the
best

indicator of how far Marshall
has come — while he was once
the
highly-touted
recruit

biding his time, he’s now the
veteran seeing the field ahead
of younger and even more
highly-ranked freshmen.

“You have to be patient to a

certain extent,” Marshall said.
“I was patient all the way up to
this point.”

Before Friday night, Daniel

Mukuna doesn’t think he had
ever scored two goals in a
soccer match — no matter the
playing level.

The junior defender found

the back of the net just three
times last season at Campbell
University, as offensive chances
were simply scarce for the
England native.

But in just his third game

as part of the Michigan men’s
soccer team, Mukuna scored
twice — including the eventual
game-winner — to lead the
Wolverines to a 3-1 victory over
Cleveland State.

“It means a lot to get those

goals,” Mukuna said. “It’s a
privilege for me to play here,
and whenever there’s a chance

to get a goal, I definitely want
to be who comes up and gets
one.

“I believed that these were

the coaches that would take me
to the next level – that’s why
I transferred here. It’s great
to see things come together
tonight.”

Michigan
coach
Chaka

Daley pushed Mukuna up the
pitch, noting his ability in the
air off set pieces. Despite a
1-0 Michigan lead that forced
the Vikings to increase their
tempo in the attacking third,

Daley returned fire with an
aggressive approach that led to
Mukuna’s first goal in the 55th
minute — a buried header off
a cross from senior midfielder
Tristan Jacob.

Just
four
minutes
later,

Mukuna completed his brace
with a powerful finish from the
right flank as the Wolverines
continued to pressure on the
offensive end.

“Going in, we talked about

getting goals from the back and
how beneficial that would be,”
Mukuna said. “There definitely
was an emphasis on it, and it’s
great to see it come to fruition.”

On
the
defensive
half,

Mukuna and his fellow starting
backs – junior Marcello Borges
and sophomore Abduo Samake
— held the Vikings to just four
shots. Though one of those
found the back of the net, the
trio
consistently
frustrated

Cleveland State’s attackers with
solid positioning and speed to
cut off potential chances.

“(Our defenders) have been

a great partnership so far,”
Mukuna
said.
“Everybody

has been working thoroughly
in practice on keeping our
discipline
and
shape
and

making sure out tactics are
right.
I’m
happy
that
it’s

showing up on the field.”

Mukuna even found himself

saving goals, too

When the Vikings opened

the
field
in
pursuit
of

equalizing goals in the 75th
minute, Cleveland State forced
sophomore goalkeeper Andrew
Verdi out of position from an
initial
chance,
creating
an

open net opportunity off the
rebound. But Mukuna — almost
100 meters from where he
scored his two goals — blocked
the Viking attempt to preserve
Michigan’s two-goal lead.

Despite the return of junior

Peter Brown, Mukuna has now
started over the incumbent
defender in all three matches.

“Certainly, he’s a physical

presence and has kept himself
super fit,” Daley said. “He’s very
much a team guy, is technically
sound and very dangerous on
dead ball situations. He’s been
solid to this point.”

ORION SANG

Daily Sports Editor
MARK CALCAGNO

Daily Sports Writer

“That’s what

we preached all
spring ball, all
fall camp — just
running to the
ball. That’s the
Michigan thing.
Coaches always
preach that; you
never know what

you’re going to
find when you’re

running the

ball.”

“I believed that
these were the
coaches that
would take me
to the next level

— that’s why I

transferred here. ”

FILE PHOTO/Daily

Michigan coach Chaka Daley has been impressed with Daniel Mukuna.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Tuesday, September 5, 2017 — 11A

Back to Top

© 2024 Regents of the University of Michigan