The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Tuesday, October 10, 2017— 7

Advantage in shots not enough

Senior forward Dexter Dancs 

lined up the puck and let it fly — 
wide past the goaltender. 

Dancs’s first-period misfire 

would prove to be a recurring 
theme in the Michigan hockey 
team’s first loss of the season 
Saturday night.

The Wolverines (1-1-0) faced 

off 
against 
two 
opponents 

this weekend at St. Lawrence 
University 
and 
Clarkson 

University 
on 
Friday 
and 

Saturday, 
respectively. 
They 

outshot 
their 

opponents, 
56-43, 
but 

had just three 
combined goals 
to show for it.

They 
would 

go on to split 
the 
weekend, 

earning a 3-1 win 
before suffering 
a 3-0 loss.

The start of 

Michigan’s outing against the 
Saints went just as expected 
after its 10-1 exhibition opening 
win against Western Ontario 

the week before. The team let 27 
shots fly and amassed three goals 
as a result.

Senior 
forward 
Tony 

Calderone was a part of the 
offensive onslaught, tacking on 
the Wolverines’ first goal in the 
opening period off a power play. 
His five shots led the team on a 
night that had seemed to be a 
trend for the season thus far.

In 
its 
matchup 
Saturday, 

though, the Golden Knights 
proved that even if Michigan 
outshoots its opponents, it still 
has vulnerabilities.

“In some regards, we played 

better 
than 

we played last 
night,” 
said 

Michigan coach 
Mel 
Pearson 

after Saturday’s 
game. “And some 
nights the puck 
just doesn’t go in 
the net for you.

“I 
thought 

we 
created 

some 
good 

opportunities, you know. We got 
behind the 8-ball early and got 
down a couple goals, but from 
that point on, I thought we were 

the better team.”

Going 
into 
the 
Clarkson 

matchup, the Wolverines knew 
they would face a real challenge, 
according to Pearson.

With the Wolverines’ 29-19 

advantage in shots, onlookers 
would have been left puzzled by 
their inability to net a single goal.

“We stayed with the game 

plan, we kept pushing, we kept 
working,” Pearson said. “We just 
didn’t get any puck luck tonight, 
and some nights, it’s going to go 
that way for you.”

While a non-conference, early-

season loss is certainly not the 
end of the world, the offensive 
juggernaut that Michigan had 
seemed to be was stymied due 
to the simple fact that the puck 
didn’t find the back of the net.

Though 
the 
performance 

of the Wolverines so far looks 
promising, to say the least, they 
will have to figure out how to 
overcome situations when they 
struggle to score, even with 
numerous opportunities.

Without another game until 

October 20, Michigan has almost 
two weeks to fix its special teams 
woes and focus on finding the 
net.

Offense looks for improvement 

“Improvement week” came and 

went for Jim Harbaugh and the 
Michigan football team.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the 

Wolverines feel like they need 
another one. 

But there aren’t any more 

bye weeks on the schedule. The 
Wolverines will have to play 
Indiana this weekend, and progress 
will have to be made regardless.

Michigan, quite simply, has some 

soul-searching to do on offense after 
an abysmal performance Saturday 
in a 14-10 loss to Michigan State.

Fifth-year senior center Patrick 

Kugler summed up the state of 
the team pretty well on Monday 
afternoon — it’s go time for the 
Wolverines.

“There can’t be any more errors 

now,” Kugler said. “We’ve got to 
win out now, plain and simple.”

Kugler was a starting member 

of a unit that had easily its worst 
outing of the season against the 
Spartans. Michigan gained just 300 
total yards of offense, converted 
5-of-17 third downs, averaged 2.6 
yards per rush, completed 5.7 yards 
per passing attempt — and most 
glaringly, turned the ball over five 
times.

“We played a sloppy game,” 

Kugler said. “Everyone can see 
that.”

The issues with the offense read 

like a laundry list. Kugler didn’t 
agree that the sloppiness was a 
recurring issue — but through five 
games, it certainly seems like that 
may be the case.

The Wolverines currently rank 

97th in total offense, 83rd in passing 
offense, 75th in rushing offense, 
105th in offensive efficiency and are 
tied for 110th in turnover margin.

“We’ve just got to play better 

as a whole,” Kugler said. “Little 
things we’ve got to improve on. No 
turnovers, we’ve got to eliminate 
turnovers. That’s our main thing. 
But it’s a collective effort and as a 
group, we’ve got to play better.”

As Kugler alluded to, there were 

many different components of 

the offense that struggled against 
Michigan State.

Fifth-year senior John O’Korn 

started in place for an injured 
Wilton Speight and struggled, 
completing just 16-of-35 passes for 
198 yards with three interceptions. 
According 
to 
Harbaugh, 
he’ll 

remain the starter going forward, 
and Kugler reiterated his trust in 
O’Korn.

“He’s 
our 
quarterback,” 

Kugler said. “You’ve got to have 
100 percent (confidence) in your 
quarterback, and I know he’s going 
to play better next game.”

One position the Wolverines did 

change was right tackle. Midway 
through the game, the coaching 
staff replaced redshirt sophomore 
Nolan Ulizio with redshirt junior 
Juwann Bushell-Beatty. Harbaugh 
wouldn’t confirm whether Bushell-
Beatty has taken over the starting 
job going forward.

Meanwhile, 
Michigan’s 
play 

calling — especially in the second 
half, as it rained heavily — came 
under criticism. Just when it 
seemed 
the 
Wolverines 
had 

finally grasped momentum, three 
consecutive 
possessions 
ended 

with interceptions.

Harbaugh was defensive when 

asked about the staff’s calls, which 
he confirmed he has the final 
say over. And like at right tackle, 
it remains unknown whether 
any major changes will occur 
schematically.

“I want to look at the film, I want 

to learn from it,” Harbaugh said. 
“I’m not gonna get into questioning 
the play-calling.

“It’s a very convenient thing, 

right? Play worked and, ‘Hey, it was 
a great play,’ because it worked. 
Play doesn’t work, ‘Would you wish 
you had done something else, had a 
different play call?’ Sure, that’s very 
easy to do. Hindsight is 20/20.”

A complete overhaul of the 

offense may not be realistic at 
this point in the season. And if 
Harbaugh and Kugler’s comments 
on Monday are taken at face value, 
sweeping changes don’t appear to 
be on the way.

Of course, the platitudes and 

curt responses could be hiding 
something else.

Canned answers aside, one 

thing is for sure. Michigan knows 
it has to improve, and improve fast.

“Everyone’s just got to sack up,” 

Kugler said. “It’s time to go.”

Despite strong performance, ‘M’ 
defense tasked with moving on

This defense has no business 

claiming 
responsibility 
for 

Saturday’s outcome. And yet, it 
is anyway. 

Senior 
linebacker 
Mike 

McCray did so in the immediate 
aftermath 
of 
Michigan’s 

14-10 loss to Michigan State. 
Sophomore cornerback David 
Long followed suit Monday 
afternoon.

“We left some plays out there 

on the field that could have 
changed the game,” he said. 
“I’m right there with Mike. I 
think we definitely could have 
helped.”

But then, of course, there 

is 
this 
fact: 
the 
Spartans 

recorded only one first down 
in the second half of Saturday’s 
contest. It’s hard to ask for 
much more, especially given 
who Michigan’s defense was 
facing.

While Long was quick to 

say Michigan State’s Brian 
Lewerke 
was 
no 
different 

than any other quarterback 
the Wolverines have faced 
this year, that isn’t necessarily 
the case. In Lewerke — who 
leads the Spartans with 342 
rushing 
yards 
and 
three 

rushing 
touchdowns 
while 

still boasting an average of 211 
passing yards per game — the 
Wolverines encountered the 
most 
dangerous 
dual-threat 

quarterback they have faced all 
year.

And Michigan’s secondary 

rose to that challenge, finally 
legitimizing its rank as the 
second-best passing defense in 
the nation despite a lineup that 
featured new faces across the 
board entering the year. The 
Wolverines are allowing just 
126 yards per game through the 
air, trailing only Air Force, and 
they held Lewerke below that 
average.

The 
Spartan 
quarterback 

mustered 
just 
94 
passing 

yards and averaged just 4.3 

yards per attempt. Six of his 
11 completions came on the 
Spartans’ touchdown drive in 
the second quarter, and his 
sole passing touchdown was 
a screen pass to running back 
Madre London.

The 
secondary 
notched 

four 
pass 
breakups, 
one 

from sophomore safety Josh 
Metellus and another three 
from sophomore cornerback 
Lavert Hill. Metellus credited 
Hill’s 
dedication 
to 
his 

technique as the main source 
of 
his 
consistent 
success 

this season, calling it “just 
something you’re born with.”

“Lavert, he takes pride in his 

technique,” Metellus said. “He 
doesn’t like being on the short 
end of the stick. Lavert, he just 
plays his heart out every play, 
makes sure that nobody can 
catch a ball on him. And if they 
do, he comes back the next play 
trying even harder.”

On Saturday night, that is 

exactly what the unit as a whole 
did. Michigan State scored two 
touchdowns in the first half. It 
mustered just 66 yards in the 
second.

And yet, the Wolverines lost 

anyway.

Through four games, the 

17th-ranked 
Wolverines 
got 

away with making mistakes. In 
reality, they were just delaying 
the 
inevitable. 
Against 

Michigan State, though, there 
was no more delaying it — their 
five 
turnovers 
had 
drastic 

consequences.

For 
Metellus, 
those 

consequences materialized in 
the immediate aftermath of 
Saturday night.

He 
admitted 
he 
was 

emotional. He confessed it 
“just really hurt to see all my 
brothers 
with 
their 
heads 

held down.” And more than 
anything, the image of the 
Michigan fans that remained 
in the stadium was implanted 
in his mind.

“Everybody in the crowd, 

they looked at us like they was 

kind of disappointed,” he said. 
“So you know, that just hurt. I 
just don’t like having somebody 
else having a better hand (than) 
me, having a one up on me.”

But 
the 
Spartans 
did, 

and 
Saturday’s 
outcome 

left 
Metellus 
admitting 

Monday afternoon that these 
Wolverines 
hadn’t 
faced 

adversity 
before. 
He’s 
not 

wrong.

Now, Michigan has a tally in 

the loss column, staring down 
the road at a season that will 
likely require an undefeated 
run for the Wolverines to have 
any hopes of playing for the 
Big Ten Championship. And it 
remains to be seen what impact 
Saturday night’s loss could 
have.

“I think this is gonna bring 

us more together as a team,” 
Metellus said. “… Everything’s 
been going pretty smooth for us 
so, you know, I feel like this is a 
big test. What we had planned 
for the season, I feel like this 
is gonna bring us all together, 
bring us to our full potential.”

That potential remains to 

be seen. On the offensive side, 
Michigan’s identity remains a 
mystery — even more so now 
that fifth-year senior John 
O’Korn is the quarterback. As 
for the opposite side of the ball, 
there’s almost no doubt about 
where this defense stands.

From Chase Winovich to 

Devin Bush Jr., and everywhere 
in between, this defense speaks 
with an uninhibited confidence 
in its ability.

“We as a defense, you know, 

we’re hungry,” Metellus said. 
“We want to be the ones to win 
the game. We want to be the 
ones that everyone can count 
on.

“We like competing, so we 

just take it upon ourselves to 
give everything we got, no 
matter how hard it is, no matter 
how tough it is, no matter what 
the situation is. The defense, 
we just want to handle things 
our way.”

EMMA RICHTER/Daily

Sophomore defensive back Josh Metellus and the secondary have proven their ability, especially against the Spartans.

AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily

Fifth-year senior center Patrick Kugler didn’t mince words Monday afternoon.

ORION SANG

Daily Sports Editor

KEVIN SANTO

Managing Sports Editor

ICE HOCKEY

ROBERT HEFTER

Daily Sports Writer

Some nights 
the puck just 
doesn’t go in 
the net for you

