8 — Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
‘M’ defense a threat
in opening contest
The Michigan hockey team’s
10
goals
against
Western
Ontario
on
Saturday
night
was a spectacle of an offensive
performance.
What
many
overlooked, though, was how
pivotal the defense was in
securing those goals.
Senior defenseman Cutler
Martin’s
snipe
past
the
opposing goaltender for the
Wolverines’ eighth goal against
the Mustangs was evidence of
such.
“We have to understand and
get in the habit of moving the
puck up quick,”
said Michigan
coach
Mel
Pearson.
“We want to
be
a
quick
transition
team and try
to go from our
defensive zone
to the offensive
zone as quick
as we can.”
Pearson’s
sentiment
is
consistent
with
the
way
the
Wolverines’
blueliners
performed
in
their
first
exhibition match.
“I think that coming back
— this is going to be my fourth
year — the defense has a good
footing on what we need to
do,” Martin said prior to the
exhibition Saturday. “We need
to play defense first, have that
mindset, be aggressive, be mean
on the ice.”
And mean they were.
Immediately at the onset
of the matchup, sophomore
defenseman Luke Martin fired
off a shot from the blue line that
found its way into the net off a
deflection from senior forward
Dexter Dancs.
Throughout
the
night,
the
defense
simultaneously
protected the Michigan net
while forcing a plethora of
scoring opportunities for the
offense, giving the whole squad
a weapon behind the blue line.
In the second period, Martin
assisted fifth-year senior forward
Alex Roos, and junior defenseman
Joseph Cecconi assisted senior
forward Tony Calderone.
Then, in the third period,
Luke Martin assisted junior
forward
Cooper
Marody,
junior
defenseman
Nicholas
Boka assisted Martin, Cecconi
assisted
sophomore
forward
Jake Slaker and Boka again
assisted
sophomore
forward
James Sanchez.
In total, the Wolverines’
defense racked up nine points,
proving just how
multi-faceted the
team may be this
year.
From
the
crisp passing to
the
multitude
of
scoring
opportunities
from every point
around the ice,
the
Michigan
offensive
effort
— which includes the defense
in this scenario — seemed cool,
composed and deadly.
“I think it’s guys just buying
into the system,” Calderone
said. “I think a lot of guys are
starting to hold onto the puck
more, getting more confident.”
In a game that most regard
as
an
easy
matchup,
the
Wolverines certainly showed
that their aggressive mentality
works.
And while some might argue
Saturday’s outburst came in a
meaningless exhibition game,
one would only need to look
back at last year’s exhibition
for a sign of growth. Against
Windsor, last season’s Michigan
defense recorded zero points.
This much of an improvement
in a year’s time shows that
Pearson’s
master
plan
may
result in a higher-powered
attack from both ends of the ice.
ICE HOCKEY
ROBERT HEFTER
Daily Sports Writer
I think it’s guys
just buying into
the system.
Harbaugh names O’Korn as starter
Opportunities like this don’t
come around very often.
And yet, here it is: after
transferring
and
patiently
sitting out a year, after losing
the starting competition twice,
John O’Korn is now the starting
quarterback for No. 7 Michigan
as it heads into the biggest
matchup of the season thus far,
a night game at home against
in-state rival Michigan State.
“(Wilton’s) going to be out,”
said Jim Harbaugh on Monday
afternoon. “John O’Korn will
be the starter.”
It won’t be known until later
in the season whether the job
is permanently in O’Korn’s
grasp. For all we know, he may
have earned the job outright
by
leading
the
Wolverines
to a comeback victory over
Purdue two weekends ago. But
Harbaugh announced redshirt
junior Wilton Speight “won’t
be able to compete this week,
or for multiple weeks,” which
means this case won’t be
reopened for quite some time.
Until then — and maybe even
for the rest of the season — this
is the John O’Korn Show.
“John’s
done
a
fantastic
job ever since he got here,”
Harbaugh said. “Every role
that he’s been in, he’s acquitted
himself very well, including
coming off the bench and
leading our team to a victory
against Purdue. I think that
speaks volumes.”
Added
fifth-year
senior
fullback Khalid Hill: “Being a
quarterback, you’ve got to be
ready. I think John did a great
job (against) Purdue, coming
in and performing the way he
did, but that is expected from
everybody. Coach Harbaugh
always says, ‘Next man up,’ so
always got to be on your Ps and
Qs because you never know
when your time is called.”
O’Korn,
who
completed
17-of-26 passes for 270 yards
with
one
touchdown
and
an interception against the
Boilermakers, appears to have
earned the full confidence of
his teammates.
“... (O’Korn) just came in
composed, he came and he was
ready,” Hill said. “I applaud
him for coming in and playing
the way that he did, because
you
don’t
expect
that
to
happen.”
For Hill, the difference in
O’Korn’s demeanor has been
noticeable. According to him,
O’Korn spoke the other day
about taking his time after
feeling like he was always
facing
pressure.
Now,
Hill
says, O’Korn is taking a more
relaxed approach by letting
things come to him.
And while senior offensive
tackle Mason Cole couldn’t
speak to that — he grinned as
he said he has no idea what
O’Korn does as he blocks for
him — he still agreed with Hill
on O’Korn’s readiness.
“When he came into the
game, the transition was just
really effortless,” Cole said.
“He came in like he’s been
there all year, and I think that’s
the biggest thing — we knew
he’d be ready to play if he had
to, and he was.
“... We knew the talent John
had and we knew he would get
the job done if he had to go in,
and he has.”
In the offseason, O’Korn
spoke candidly about dealing
with the loss of his confidence
after
transferring
from
Houston and struggling early
on at Michigan. The hiring of
passing game coordinator Pep
Hamilton, he said, reignited
his game and brought him to a
level he had never seen before.
Now, Michigan will get a full
chance to see what that level is.
“That gives you confidence
— your quarterback comes and
performs ... the way he did,
it gives you confidence and
John’s going to hopefully do
the same thing this week,” Hill
said. “I know he’s preparing to
have the best game of his life.”
ORION SANG
Daily Sports Editor
KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Fifth-year senior quarterback John O’Korn was named Michigan’s starting quarterback, as Wilton Speight remains sidelined with an injury sustained at Purdue.
Michigan football player
Nate Johnson was arrested
over the weekend for an
alleged assault that took
place Sept. 30.
Diane
Brown,
spokeswoman
for
the
University’s
Division
of
Public Safety and Security,
said
a
housing
security
officer
found
a
female
student outside South Quad
Residence Hall shortly after
2 a.m. Saturday morning.
The woman reported she had
been assaulted by Johnson,
who
was
subsequently
located nearby.
Johnson was arrested on
charges of domestic violence
and taken to jail, where he was
arraigned on Oct. 1 for one
count of domestic violence.
He was released on a $5,000
personal recognizance bond
and a pre-trial hearing is
scheduled for Oct. 11.
The
Michigan
football
team released a statement
on the afternoon of Sept.
30 stating that Johnson, a
sophomore cornerback, had
been suspended indefinitely
from all team activities.
A spokesperson for the
athletic department declined
to comment on Johnson’s
arrest, instead referring to
the original statement of
Johnson’s suspension.
This is a developing story.
Check back at michigandaily.
com for more details.
Nate Johnson
arrested for
domestic
violence, pre-
trial hearing
scheduled for
Oct. 11
FOOTBALL
ORION SANG
Daily Sports Editor
For Hill, Michigan State rivalry is ‘personal’
Two
years
ago,
when
cornerback Lavert Hill was
still a high schooler, he sat
in the stands at Michigan
Stadium, watching one of the
most unbelievable finishes to a
college football game the world
had ever seen.
Hill
stood
in
shock
as
Michigan State’s Jalen Watt-
Jackson carried a mishandled
punt all the way into the end
zone for a last-second, game-
winning touchdown.
Then a senior at Martin
Luther King High School in
Detroit, Hill was one of the
nation’s
most
sought-after
recruits.
Besides
Michigan,
his top choices included Penn
State,
Southern
California,
Tennessee, Clemson and — most
importantly — Michigan State.
The decision came down to
the two in-state schools, and
he ultimately decided on Ann
Arbor and joined coach Jim
Harbaugh’s first full recruiting
class. Academic, athletic and
personal reasons — his older
brother Delano played for the
Wolverines — swayed Hill to
Michigan.
Two years later, Hill is now
a starting defensive back for
the seventh-ranked Wolverines
(1-0 Big Ten, 4-0 overall), and
this weekend he will finally
have the opportunity to make
his mark on the Michigan-
Michigan State rivalry.
“It was pretty devastating,”
Hill said of Michigan’s 2015 loss
to the Spartans. “This game is
pretty personal to me.”
He prepared over the bye
week by tuning in as Michigan
State (1-0 Big Ten, 3-1 overall)
defeated Iowa, 17-10.
Hill paid close attention to
Michigan State wide receiver
Felton Davis III, who caught
two touchdowns and recorded
a career-high 114 receiving
yards. As the Spartans’ top
target,
Davis
averages
64
receiving yards per game, and
he was named the co-Big Ten
Offensive Player of the Week
for his performance against the
Hawkeyes.
Hill and the rest of the
Wolverines’
secondary
understand how important it
will be to shut Davis down.
“(Davis) is a pretty good
athlete,” Hill said. “He knows
how to track the ball in the air.
We just got to get our hands on
him, disturb him on the line…
We expect him to do what he
can, but we’ll be ready also.”
Hill also discussed Michigan
State
quarterback
Brian
Lewerke, mentioning his ability
to extend plays with his feet.
Lewerke’s first touchdown
throw to Davis last weekend
came on a rollout to the right.
He gave himself time to find
an open receiver and Iowa’s
secondary
couldn’t
stay
disciplined in coverage.
Hill
said
that
a
cornerback
can
never
lose sight of
its mark if it
wants to guard
the
type
of
passing threat
that
Lewerke
brings to the
game.
“Don’t
look
back at the quarterback until
the ball is in the air and you
know that you can get it,” Hill
said. “Have your eyes on your
man.”
Ultimately,
Michigan’s
secondary
should
be
ready
for Michigan State, especially
having had a week off to prepare.
With three interceptions and
two
pick-sixes
— one of which
belongs to Hill —
the
Wolverines
have allowed just
134 passing yards
per game, ranking
as the fourth-best
passing
defense
in the nation.
Although
young,
the
secondary
and
Hill have proved they can stop
opponents in the air. Lewerke,
Davis and Michigan State will
be their toughest opponent yet,
but Hill believes the Wolverines
will succeed if they continue
communicating and adjusting
well.
And while Hill has been
waiting to participate in the
rivalry, he knows he has to stay
focused on the task at hand. He
can’t get too caught up in the
excitement.
But that’s pretty hard when
you have to play under the
lights, at primetime, against
your rival and against former
high school teammates and
foes.
All that will be the case when
Hill suits up this weekend for
the first Michigan-Michigan
State game in Ann Arbor since
the fateful botched punt in 2015.
“We can’t lose at home,” Hill
said. “We’re going to have to get
after it Saturday.”
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Sophomore cornerback Lavert Hill still remembers sitting in Michigan Stadium as he watched the infamous fumbled punt against Michigan State.
TED JANES
Daily Sports Writer
We’re going
to have to
get after it
Saturday.