4B — September 18, 2017
SportsMonday
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Peoples-Jones marks his arrival
One
foot
made
all
the
difference.
It wasn’t that of redshirt
freshman kicker Quinn Nordin,
who nailed a career-best five field
goals to tie a school record. And it
wasn’t that of fifth-year senior Ty
Isaac, who broke through the line
of scrimmage and made it all the
way into the end zone before the
officials called him back, stating
that he had stepped out of bounds.
Though there will certainly
be arguments to the contrary,
Nordin’s 17 points and Isaac’s near-
touchdown paled in comparison
to the left foot of freshman
receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones.
For the No. 7 Michigan football
team, which led Air Force by just
three halfway through the game,
Peoples-Jones made the play of
the game Saturday. And to think,
it almost never happened.
Peoples-Jones, lined up to
receive the punt, watched eagerly
as the ball soared through the air.
While backpedaling nearly 10
yards, he never took his eye off it.
As it corralled into his grasp, he
immediately turned on the jets.
He ran 30 yards to his left,
sliced across the painted ‘M’ in
the middle of the field and headed
toward the right sideline. There
was only one Falcon left in his
path with 20 yards to go.
Peoples-Jones faked to his left,
and while he gained just enough
separation to run around Air
Force punter Charlie Scott, Scott
followed his cut and managed to
put both hands on Peoples-Jones
at the very edge of the sideline.
The freshman’s right foot hung
just shy of the sideline, but he
came down with his left. He had
shaken off Scott, and the contact
kept him balanced just long
enough to bring his left foot down
inside the sideline. The final 15
yards was easy.
With a 79-yard touchdown —
Michigan’s first of the game and
its first via punt return by a true
freshman since 2008 — Peoples-
Jones gave the Wolverines a
double-digit lead only one minute
into the second half.
“I mean, it just opened up like
the Red Sea,” Peoples-Jones said.
“... (The punt return team) did a
great job of blocking, not holding,
and made my job pretty easy.”
There
had
been
much
anticipation ahead of People-
Jones’ first punt return of the day
after the freshman receiver had
been benched halfway through
the Wolverines’ previous game
against Cincinnati.
He only made one true error.
But at his position, one mistake can
lead to disastrous consequences.
In the case of Peoples-Jones,
he kept making that same mistake
over and over again. And against
the Bearcats, it cost him dearly.
Just eight minutes into the
first quarter, Michigan held a
comfortable 14-0 lead. With the
Wolverines riding high after
junior safety Tyree Kinnel’s pick-
six, all Peoples-Jones had to do
was call for a fair catch.
Instead, he watched as the
Cincinnati punt soared through
the air, heading straight toward
him. If he had signaled for a
fair catch, maybe his main
blocker, freshman defensive back
Benjamin St-Juste, would have
stopped running. While it’s no
guarantee, Peoples-Jones might
have been able to prevent what
happened next.
St-Juste wasn’t even looking
at the ball when it bounced off
him and right into the path of an
oncoming
Bearcat.
Cincinnati
took over possession at the
Wolverines’ 38-yard line and
scored
its
first
touchdown
minutes later to cut Michigan’s
lead in half.
Thinking
Peoples-Jones
had learned from his mistake,
coach Jim Harbaugh gave him
another chance. But when he
was hammered by a Bearcat
immediately
after
controlling
another punt, Harbaugh had
enough. Peoples-Jones didn’t see
the field again that day.
Saturday, Peoples-Jones was
all over the field. He called for
fair catches when they were
necessary,
returned
another
punt for 25 yards, and caught two
passes — the first two receptions
of his career — for 52 yards,
including a 37-yard connection
with redshirt junior quarterback
Wilton Speight.
“I think you saw Donovan
settle in a little bit today and
realize what he’s truly capable of,”
Speight said.
Though Peoples-Jones — the
No. 1 receiver in the 2017 class
— has taken a backseat to fellow
freshman Tarik Black so far, he
took center stage on Saturday.
And there could be much more of
him in store.
“We’re giving a lot of thought
to using Donovan in a lot of ways,”
Harbaugh said. “... I think you’re
gonna see him grow, grow, grow.
He’s been plus, plus, plus, so (it’s)
great to see.
“I feel like great things will
happen for Donovan Peoples-
Jones.”
After reaching the end zone,
Peoples-Jones motioned toward
the
student
section,
raising
his arms high above his head.
With more students still in
attendance than what may have
been expected after halftime in
a game where neither team had
scored a touchdown, the section
responded in kind, bouncing with
more energy than it had shown all
game.
The scene on both sides made
one thing abundantly clear.
Peoples-Jones had arrived.
EVAN AARON/Daily
Freshman receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones celebrated his first touchdown.
BETELHEM ASHAME
Managing Sports Editor
‘M’ defense passes another test
Nate Romine let the pass
loose from Michigan’s 48-yard
line.
The
Air
Force
reserve
quarterback
was
facing
pressure, and with the Falcons
trailing by 16 with under a
minute left, he took a shot
downfield.
It
was
an
ill-advised
decision.
The pass turned into a jump
ball, and Michigan linebacker
Khaleke
Hudson
won
that
battle — rising up to snatch the
ball out of the air and seal the
seventh-ranked
Wolverines’
third win of the season.
Redshirt junior quarterback
Wilton
Speight
took
over,
taking a knee to milk the final
19 seconds off the clock.
But for the third time in as
many games, it was Michigan’s
defense
that
provided
the
exclamation point on a victory.
Against
Florida,
redshirt
junior defensive end Chase
Winovich sacked Malik Zaire
in the end zone before senior
linebacker
Noah
Furbush
corralled the loose ball for a
touchdown.
Against
Cincinnati,
sophomore cornerback Lavert
Hill’s pick-six put the game to
bed in the final five minutes.
And against Air Force, there
was Hudson’s interception.
It’s
no
secret
that
the
Wolverines’ defensive unit has
been the highlight of what has
been an oddly unconvincing
three weeks of undefeated
football. The alarming fact
is that Winovich thinks the
performances up to this point
are just the “tip of the iceberg.”
And
against
the
Falcons,
Winovich and the defensive
unit took another step forward.
Michigan faced the triple
option
—
an
offense
that
sophomore linebacker Devin
Bush Jr. described as a “whole
other world” — with a unit
composed primarily of players
making their third college
start.
“It’s harder because you
gotta stay in your gap,” Bush
said after the game. “You can’t
get washed out, you can’t get
washed down. You can’t fall,
miss a block or miss attacking
your gap. It’s way harder when
you have to do a certain job
and not make
the play, but
do
your
job
to
help
your
teammates be
great.”
They
did
their job well.
While
the
Falcons
amassed
232
yards,
those
were primarily
the result of a
high
volume
of carries: Air
Force ran the
ball 49 times, but averaged just
3.4 yards per carry.
The passing game didn’t fare
much better. Earlier this week,
Bush had warned of such.
“They’re not going to pass
the ball too many times,”
he said. “If they do, we got
something for ‘em.”
He was right. The Falcons
threw the ball just nine times.
One pass was picked off. Seven
of the attempts fell incomplete.
The one that didn’t, however,
was the singular blemish on
the
defensive
unit’s resume.
On first and
10
with
just
under 12 minutes
remaining
in
the
third
quarter,
Arion
Worthman — Air
Force’s
starter
under
center
—
made
the
Wolverines
pay
for complacency.
He
found
his
receiver, Ronald
Cleveland,
who busted the play open for
a
64-yard
touchdown
that
brought the Falcons within
three. Bush admitted that, for
the play, they were “lulled to
sleep” by Air Force’s run-heavy
scheme.
Still, Michigan didn’t allow
a single point for the rest of the
game. They notched three sacks
and nine tackles for loss. The
Falcons converted on just three
of their 13 third-down attempts.
With the way the Wolverines’
offense was sputtering, the
singular mistake could have
been costly. In the end, though,
a unit that surrendered just 13
points against a triple-option
system notoriously hard to
prepare for deserves its credit.
Michigan’s defense checked
off another box Saturday. And
if you ask Bush or Winovich,
they’re just getting started.
“You haven’t seen us at our
best yet,” Bush said. “You
haven’t seen us lights out yet.
We get three and outs, but we
want it much cleaner. We want
first down, second down, third
down — out.”
Added Winovich: “It’s the
little details. We’re so close to
being such a great team. And
Coach Harbaugh talked about
this, how our defense could be
special. And I believe we’re on
our way.”
EVAN AARON/Daily
Redshirt junior defensive end Chase Winovich tallied nine tackles against the Falcons on Saturday afternoon.
KEVIN SANTO
Managing Sports Editor
Coach Harbaugh
talked about
this, how our
defense could be
special.
Kieffer-Wright, Crocker
key to Wolverine victory
With
the
Michigan
volleyball team clinging to
a one point lead, Cincinnati
defensive
specialist
Abby
Williams readied her serve.
She
fired
the
ball
over
the
net,
deflecting
it
off
the
outstretched
arms
of
Michigan’s
senior
outside
hitter Adeja Lambert for a
service ace. Suddenly, a 2-9
Bearcats team was tied with
the 21st - ranked Wolverines.
They
appeared
to
have
Michigan on the ropes.
Apparently, they didn’t.
Senior
middle
blocker
Claire Kieffer-Wright quickly
pounded a kill down the
center of the court, junior
middle blocker Cori Crocker
redirected
a
Cincinnati
hit down to the floor for
a Michigan point and the
Wolverines never looked back.
Michigan ended up winning
the match in straight sets
(25-16, 25-21, 25-18), adding
yet another win to its perfect
home record at Cliff Keen
Arena on Saturday night.
This victory came in large
part due to the efforts of the
Wolverines’ two star middle
blockers. Their defense was
truly
spectacular;
Kieffer-
Wright tied her season high
with
seven
blocks
while
Crocker had six. Several times
throughout the match, the
duo’s defense was so stifling
that the Bearcats were barely
able to get the ball over the net
for several possessions.
Michigan coach Mark Rosen
praised
Kieffer-Wright
for
“just making great moves,”
and commended Crocker for
her athleticism.
“Cori is the most physical
player we’ve ever had,” Rosen
said. “At times she’s getting hit
off her head because she’s so
far above the net. Today, she
got her hands way across the
net, and almost got on the ball
before the hitters got on the
ball, and I think therefore she
blocked a lot of balls.”
In a season where the
Wolverines
have
struggled
to generate a high volume
of
blocks,
a
defensive
performance like this was
refreshing for Rosen, who
called the game, “the best
defensive, and especially the
best blocking match we’ve had
this season.”
“Our defense across the
board hasn’t been where we
want it to be,” Rosen said, “and
that’s been a big focus for us
the whole week at practice.”
Both of the middle blockers’
defense was excellent, but
they had solid offensive games
as well — especially Kieffer-
Wright. Through the first
two sets, she collected nine
kills, including a service ace
and several spikes that she
blasted from the center of the
court. Although she began
to struggle offensively in the
final set, she never appeared
to be flustered and continued
to trust in herself.
Crocker,
meanwhile,
contributed just four kills,
but they all came at important
times,
including
two
that
came right after the Bearcats
appeared to have the second
set within their grasp.
And that was the story of
the game — whenever the
Bearcats appeared to be poised
for a comeback, Crocker and
Kieffer-Wright
deftly
shut
the door. Whether it was
with their suffocating blocks
or timely kills, they kept
themselves off the ropes. They
kept their team from faltering.
They
kept
the
Wolverines
perfect at home.
VOLLEYBALL
DYLAN CHUNG
For the Daily
MEN’S SOCCER
‘M’ loses heartbreaker
against Michigan State
Sunday’s game between the
No. 18 Michigan men’s soccer
team and
No.
6
Michigan
State was
perhaps the most significant
match in the rivalry’s history.
For the first time ever, both
teams were ranked in the top
25, and the Wolverines were
coming off a draw against
No. 1 Indiana in Bloomington.
While it looked like Michigan
might be able to pull off the
upset, the Wolverines fell
short with a 1-0 overtime loss
to the Spartans.
Michigan State controlled
possession for most of the
game, but Michigan’s defense
stood its ground. Ultimately,
the
Wolverines’
lackluster
attack allowed the Spartans
to
control
momentum
for
much of the game.
Throughout the first half,
Michigan defense was able
to keep the Michigan State
strikers out of position and
make them fight for every
shot. The match was locked in
a scoreless draw at halftime,
yet Michigan State had the
upper hand due to its ability
to control the ball.
Michigan started to show
some
signs
of
aggression
13 minutes into the first
half, but it was unable to
capitalize around the Spartan
net. To counter Michigan
State’s
forceful
attack,
the Wolverines we able to
effectively slow the tempo
and gain momentum using
their style of play.
The second half of play was
much more evenly matched, as
both Michigan and Michigan
State went back and forth
between shots and possession.
Both teams had multiple open
looks on goal, trading blows
like two great boxers.
The Wolverines came out
of halftime with a different
mentality, as they moved the
ball with purpose and added
grit to their play. Michigan
was able to gain momentum
with more time on the ball,
forcing the Michigan State
defenders to retreat back into
coverage.
Increased
aggression
from both sides caused both
team
to
amass
penalties.
Senior defender Billy Stevens
received a red card in the 74th
minute, which brought out
a huge altercation between
the two teams. A few minutes
later, Michigan State defender
Brad Centala drew a yellow
card.
After a full 90 minutes, the
match was still scoreless, and
the two in-state rivals went
head-to-head in an overtime
period.
The
10-minute
overtime
period
was
controlled by the Spartans, as
they pushed the ball forward
deep into Wolverine territory.
With just 31 seconds left
on the clock in overtime,
Michigan
State
forward
DeJuan Jones nailed a shot
into the lower right part of the
goal to give the Spartans the
victory.
“It’s college soccer,” said
Michigan coach Chaka Daley.
“We’ll get healthy and learn
from our mistakes.”
Daley
believes
that
his
team learned a lot from being
down three key players and
that his team will mature
and grow from this tough
battle. In addition to Stevens’
absence,
Marcello
Borges
(Junior defender) and Daniel
Mukuna
(Junior
defender)
also suffered injuries in the
game. According to Daley,
it was an opportunity for
his team to adapt to adverse
circumstances.
“They say weak teams will
be broken, mediocre teams
will survive it, and great
teams will get better as a
result of it,” Daley said.
PATRICK REED
For the Daily
OHIO STATE
MICHIGAN
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