4B — September 5, 2017
SportsTuesday
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Notebook: Harbaugh praises offensive line

Long third downs can be

an offense’s worst nightmare.
The defense often sells out
against the pass, making it all
the more difficult to convert
long completions. In Michigan’s
33-17 victory over Florida, the
Wolverines faced one of those
situations during their opening
drive when a sack forced a third-
and-13 from Michigan’s 48-yard
line.

The Wolverines, though, went

against convention, calling a
draw play that sprung loose fifth-
year senior running back Ty
Isaac for 36 yards.

The
draw
play
worked

perfectly as what Jim Harbaugh
calls an ‘off-schedule’ run —
where Michigan runs the ball
in a passing scenario to try to
catch the opponent off guard.
And Isaac, who rushed 11 times
for 114 yards, was the beneficiary
twice, converting another long
third down on a similar play in
the third quarter.

“It’s in the scheme,” Isaac

said Monday. “We look at a lot
of film, obviously the coaches
know what they’re doing when
they’re drawing up plays. There
were a couple situations where
we got the looks that we were
expecting to get, which made it a
little easier.

“They know what they’re

doing. I’ll never doubt my own
abilities, so it could be third-
and-30 and if they call my
number, I feel like I’m going to go
get it. We practice certain things,
we do a lot of situational work
in practice, so it goes back to
knowing the type of looks we’re
going to get for the most part.”

While Isaac led the team

in rushing yards, sophomore
Chris Evans — the starter — still
received double the amount of
carries with 22. But Isaac is okay
with however many touches he
gets. He said he simply wants
to have an impact on the game,

whether that’s with three or 11
or 20 carries. And his continued
improvement
with
limited

carries certainly caught his head
coach’s eye.

“Ty has been a very elusive

runner,” Harbaugh said. “He’s
been outstanding. I think his pass
protection has improved greatly,
he’s always been a great catcher
of the ball and his instincts are
good and improving.”

Harbaugh
pleased
with

offensive line

While an outside glance at the

stats — five sacks and 11 tackles-
for-loss given up — might indicate
Michigan’s young offensive line
had a rough afternoon against
Florida’s front seven, Harbaugh
was pleased with what he saw
from his starters.

He’s mentioned before that he

thinks the line is more athletic
than previous units. On Monday,
he compared the new group to
last year’s line, which featured
three senior starters.

“There were times consistently

during the season last year
where we were getting beat and
there were free runners on the
quarterback, and there was a
lot less of that in this ball game

against a very good defensive
line and linebacker corps where
they’re fast,” Harbaugh said. “We
were getting them blocked. We
were moving our feet. It wasn’t
perfect, but it’s a good place to
be, and glad we’re at that level.
You don’t know where you’re
going to be exactly until you play
your first game, and we’re at a
good level. We can improve from
here.”

All three of the new starters —

fifth-year senior center Patrick
Kugler, sophomore right guard
Mike
Onwenu
and
redshirt

sophomore right tackle Nolan
Ulizio — earned praise from
Harbaugh for their efforts. He
was especially pleased with
Onwenu, who won the starting
job this offseason after losing
weight at the request of the
coaching staff.

“Very
happy
with
Mike

Onwenu,” Harbaugh said. “You
go into it and you think, ‘Okay,
Mason Cole is our best offensive
lineman, and then Ben Bredeson
right there close. Mike Onwenu
or Ben Bredeson, who’s better?’
They’re both ascending, and
Mike’s ascending real fast.”

Nordin earns award after

first start

Redshirt
freshman
kicker

Quinn Nordin arrived on the
college football scene in a big
way Saturday. He hit his first four
field goals, setting a program
record by converting two field
goals of 50 yards or more in one
game, and even went viral for his
haircut imitating Ricky “Wild
Thing” Vaughn from the popular
1989 film Major League.

His breakout performance saw

him named co-Big Ten Special
Teams Player of the Week on
Monday, sharing the award with
Maryland’s Antoine Brooks.

“He’s
got
a
great
leg,”

Harbaugh
said.
“There’s
no

question about it. We worked
very hard. You’ve got to give
Cameron Cheeseman a lot of
credit, you’ve got to give Garrett
Moores a lot of credit, I mean,
that whole battery. It’s a battery.
Two out of the three gotta go
really well to make a kick. One
of the three go wrong, you’re not
going to make the kick. So that
team effort was good.

“I think (Nordin) responds to

the moment and the pressure.
I think he’s got that wonderful
quality about him.”

Michigan cruises by
Cleveland State, 3-1

Last season, the term “routine

win” didn’t seem to exist in the
vocabulary of the Michigan men’s
soccer team.

But perhaps, as a new team

starts to find its form, it may just
shed that reputation as well.

Though the Wolverines were

missing two key playmakers due
to injury — junior forward Francis
Atuahene and freshman forward
Mohammad Zakyi — they made
a routine game look, well, routine,
taking care of non-conference foe
Cleveland State, 3-1, to improve to
2-0-1 on the season.

Neither injury is considered

to be long term, according to
Michigan coach Chaka Daley,
who was hopeful both Atuahene
and Zakyi would be ready to
return
for
Monday’s
match

against Dartmouth.

In their absence, however, the

Wolverines found offense from
other sources.

In the 50th minute, junior

forward Jack Hallahan ended
the stalemate with a goal worthy
of SportsCenter highlight reels.
With the ball at his feet just
in front of the midfield line,
Hallahan looked up to see the
goalkeeper off his line. With
several defenders surrounding
him, Hallahan calmly chipped
the ball over the backtracking
keeper’s outstretched arm.

“I saw (the goalkeeper) off his

line, I looked around and didn’t
see a pass,” Hallahan said. “And I
go for it. See what happens.”

Hallahan admitted that such an

audacious attempt isn’t something
the forward would ever practice,
but compared the shot to a long
pass towards the net.

From there, the floodgates

opened, as the Vikings’ defense
started to open up.

In the span of the next 10

minutes, junior defender Daniel

Makuna — a typically unlikely
source for goals — netted two in
quick succession, all but sealing
the result.

The first came in the 55th

minute, when senior midfielder
Tristan Jacob found the ball at his
feet on the left wing and swung a
quick ball into the box. Mukuna
lunged forward, heading the ball
past the diving goalkeeper.

Mukuna scored his second

just four minutes later, when
Hallahan’s cross found Mukuna
once again, who made no
mistake in powering the ball
into the net.

Cleveland State pulled a goal

back in the 70th minute, but the
effort was too little too late for the
Vikings, as the Wolverines calmly
saw the game out from there.

Though Michigan dominated

possession early, it struggled
to find that elusive first goal.
Heading into halftime, though,
Daley never doubted his offense
would ultimately break through.

“I wouldn’t say we struggled

to generate chances (in the first
half), we just struggled to hit the
target,” Daley said. “At halftime
we just told the guys to keep doing
what we’re doing, don’t lose focus
defensively. Continue to keep
things locked down, and give the
team a chance.”

Last season, dominant shot

totals and controlling possession
was hardly out of the norm.
What this team showed a glimpse
of
Friday,
was
a
newfound

propensity to convert those into
goals.

“I thought it was a good team

performance, from start to finish,”
Daley said. “I thought defensively
we were sound, and attacking
wise it took us a little while, but
certainly we broke it open when
we broke it open.

“Certainly pleased for tonight,

and back to work tomorrow.”

It was a different tone from

Daley, almost routine.

MEN’S SOCCER

Atuahene’s late goal pushes
Wolverines past Dartmouth

For a while, it looked like last

season all over again for the
Michigan men’s soccer team.

Huge advantages in shots and

possession weren’t enough to
carry the Wolverines in 2016, and
for 80 minutes Monday it was the
same case against Dartmouth.

But then, Michigan did what

it was unable to do on so many
occasions a year ago. With
eight
minutes

to play, junior
forward Francis
Atuahene
took

a
pass
from

sophomore
forward
Jack

Hallahan,
created
space

in the box and
slotted the ball
into the bottom-
right corner of
the net, giving the Wolverines
(3-0-1) a 1-0 victory over the Big
Green (0-2).

Monday’s contest at U-M

Soccer
Stadium
showcased

a number of trends — both
positive and negative — that
have followed Michigan, some of
them dating back to last season.

For a third straight contest,

the
Wolverines
were
held

scoreless in the first half, and
were less aggressive in attack
before
intermission
than

after. In Michigan’s last three
games, it has taken 17 first-half
shots compared to 35 second-
half attempts, including five
and 13, respectively, against
Dartmouth.

The lack of first-half success

included
the
Wolverines

squandering a golden opportunity
just after kickoff. In the eighth
minute, freshman forward Umar
Farouk Osman drew a penalty
after a run into the box, but junior
midfielder Ivo Cerda’s attempt
was blocked by Big Green keeper
Christopher Palacios.

Fortunately,
Michigan’s

defense,
while
not
perfect,

was effective in denying a

Dartmouth
squad
replete

with size, especially up front.
Redshirt freshman goalkeeper
Andrew Verdi made a number
of
acrobatic
saves,
junior

centerback Daniel Mukuna was
a physical presence in the air
and junior left back Marcello
Borges won several tackles at
key moments.

Wolverines’
coach
Chaka

Daley attributed the slow start
and
subsequent
near-misses

in the second half to fatigue

from
Friday’s

3-1 win against
Cleveland
State,
injuries

— Atuahene did
not start because
of
an
injury,

and
freshman

forward
Mohammed
Zakyi sat out for
a second straight
game — and plain

bad luck, of the same variety
from last season.

“We just worry about the

process, doing our job,” Daley
said. “As we continue to get
healthy that stat could turn on
its head, but at the moment we
are what we are and we just try
to find a way.”

The Wolverines found a way

just in time. Hallahan fired

off five shots in a span of 10
minutes midway through the
second half, sparking a run of
aggression
that
culminated

when he assisted on Atuahene’s
game-winner.

“The opposition is worn out,”

Hallahan said. “They’re coming
out with their game plan to slow
us down in the first half and
when that’s worn out we’re just
picking them apart.”

Added
Atuahene:
“It’s

soccer,
sometimes
you
get

lucky and score a lot of goals,
and sometimes it’s the 90th
minute. For us this year it’s more
composure, keeping our shape.
We keep doing the same thing
over and over and eventually it
breaks teams down.”

On Monday, Michigan did

plenty of the same things it did
last season. But it did one thing
differently: It came out on top.

As the Wolverines prepare to

take on Wisconsin in their Big
Ten opener Friday, they have a
chance to equal their win total
from 2016, just two weeks into
the season.

And for them, after last year,

that’s all that matters.

“Everyone
is
just
really

excited to erase everything
that happened last season,”
Atuahene said. “Just start fresh
and keep playing.”

‘M’ remains hungry during
successful opening stretch

There
were
just
eight

minutes left on the game clock
at U-M Soccer Stadium. The
Wolverines and the Big Green
were locked in a scoreless
draw, and time was winding
down for both teams.

Channeling
his
inner

Johan
Cruyff,
Michigan

men’s soccer junior Francis
Atuahene slipped the ball
behind his left leg to push
past Dartmouth’s final line
of defense. Exploiting the
gap, Atuahene finished the
ball with his right laces, low
and hard to the bottom right
corner of the net.

The Big Green (0-2) didn’t

have much of a chance to
respond, and the Wolverines
(3-0-1) emerged with a 1-0
victory.

Last
season,
it
took

Michigan 10 outings to earn
its first win. Four games into
this year, the Wolverines have
already earned three.

Michigan
coach
Chaka

Daley, though, doesn’t like to
compare.

“We don’t talk about last

season. That’s number one,”
Daley said. “Two, we have a
great character group. They’ve

gone through some adversity,
but the new guys only know
what we’ve been building on
since the spring. We take one
game at a time and keep going
from there.”

Daley specifies that he puts

an emphasis on said character,
and this team — more than
most — has just that. The
Wolverines
appeared
both

prepared and composed on the
pitch against Dartmouth.

“Everyone

is trying to be
responsible
on

the
field
and

everyone
is

trying to look out
for each other
on
the
field,”

Atuahene
said.

“It’s not about
me, it’s not about
any
individual,

it’s
about
the

team.”

And
though

Atuahene
and
his
fellow

upperclassmen lead Michigan
on and off the field, Daley
doesn’t shy away from playing
the younger players in the
slightest. When he recruits,
he looks for character, and
expects them to be ready and
eager from day one.

Six newcomers have seen

significant playing time all
over the field so far this season.
Redshirt freshman goalkeeper
Andrew Verdi has yet to miss
a minute, conceding just two
nearly unpreventable goals in
his first four games. He tallied
three impressive saves on the
day.

Freshman
Umar
Farouk

Osman comes to Ann Arbor
as the 2017 Gatorade National
Player of the Year and has

already begun
to stand out in
the
midfield.

His
nifty

foot
skills

garnered
the

fans’
cheers

throughout
the
entirety

of the match
as he weaved
in and around
the Big Green.

Along

with
the

fresh faces, opening up the
season with five consecutive
home games is new for the
Wolverines.
It
has
never

occurred in Michigan men’s
soccer
history,
and
Daley

thinks it may have played a
role in the Wolverines’ early
success.

“The second game of a

double header on a weekend
is very difficult for energy,”
Daley said. “We were a little
lackluster in the first half, but
certainly the crowd and the
Michigan Ultras pushed us
through to the end there.”

And while the hype from the

fans and the talent from the
team’s new faces certainly add
elements of both excitement
and depth, Daley believes the
core of the team’s success has
come down to their attitude.

“In the end, it’s really comes

down to character. (The team
is) really grinding through and
listening. They’re disciplined
and they’re working hard at
it. And they’re hungry,” Daley
said with a smile. “I make sure
they are.”

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Sophomore right guard Michael Onwenu impressed Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh with his level of play against Florida.

ORION SANG

Daily Sports Editor

MAX MARCOVITCH

Daily Sports Editor

JACOB SHAMES
Daily Sports Writer

ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily

Michigan coach Chaka Daley’s team is off to a much better start this season.

FILE PHOTO/Daily

Junior forward Francis Atuahene scored a late game-winner to beat Dartmouth.

KATIE CONKLIN
Daily Sports Writer

“We just worry

about the

process, doing

our job.”

“We don’t

talk about last
season. That’s
number one.”