The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
October 23, 2017 — 3B

Five Things We Learned: It’s officially a rebuilding year

Just last fall, it was Michigan 

celebrating 
a 
lopsided 

victory over Penn State. The 
Wolverines 
were 
the 
toast 

of 
college 
football, 
poised 

to 
contend 
for 
a 
national 

championship. 

What a difference one year 

makes.

The 
two 
teams 
have 

seemingly switched places. The 
Nittany Lions recovered from 
that loss and went on to win 
the conference title. Michigan 
ended the year with three 
losses in four games — and has 
now dropped two of its last 
three.

“We’ll find out a lot about 

this team, about this program 
over the next few weeks,” said 
fifth-year senior quarterback 
John O’Korn.

That’s certainly true. But 

we discovered a lot about the 
Wolverines in their 42-13 loss 
to Penn State, as well.

Here are five things we 

learned from Saturday night’s 
game.

1. Wolverines are rebuilding, 

not reloading

Urban Meyer won a national 

championship 
in 
his 
third 

year at Ohio State. So did Nick 
Saban.

It’s safe to say now that Jim 

Harbaugh won’t do the same. 
And, given everything we knew 
about this team, perhaps that 
shouldn’t have been a surprise.

After all, Michigan brought 

back 
just 
two 
starters 
on 

offense 
in 
redshirt 
junior 

quarterback 
Wilton 
Speight 

and senior offensive tackle 
Mason Cole. On defense, fifth-
year senior linebacker Mike 
McCray and fifth-year senior 
defensive 
tackle 
Maurice 

Hurst were the only returning 
starters.

It’s 
exceedingly 
difficult 

for 
teams 
to 
replace 
that 

many departures — and even 
more difficult to replace them 
with players who are in their 
first and second years, like 
Michigan has been forced to 
do. The depth from players who 
are now upperclassmen — those 
who joined the team in the 
2013, 2014 and 2015 recruiting 
classes — is severely lacking.

No 
matter 
what 
the 

Wolverines 
said 
in 
the 

offseason, it was always going 
to be tough to keep things 
running as smoothly as they 
had last year (at least through 
November). And now, with two 
losses in conference play and 
the Big Ten Title and College 
Football Playoff both out of 
sight, one thing has become 
very clear: this is a rebuilding 
year 
for 
Harbaugh 
and 

Michigan.

2. Matchups won the game 

for Penn State

In 
the 
third 
quarter, 

Michigan’s 
6-foot-4, 
248-

pound middle linebacker found 
himself in pass coverage on 
Saquon Barkley.

Predictably, 
things 
didn’t 

end well for Mike McCray on 
that play. But that isn’t his 
fault — that’s just better work 
by Joe Moorhead, Penn State’s 
offensive coordinator.

Moorhead put his players 

in positions to make plays 
all night, whether that was 
feeding Barkley the ball, giving 
receiver 
DaeSean 
Hamilton 

favorable matchups out of the 
slot against Michigan’s safeties 
or allowing McSorley to make 
easy decisions with run-pass 
options.

Michigan, 
meanwhile, 

was unable to do the same on 
offense. The Wolverines’ last-
ditch attempt on fourth-and-
eleven ended with O’Korn on 
the ground, only one of the 
seven times he was sacked on 
the night. Because O’Korn had 

to sell the play action, he had 
his back turned for most of the 
play, and Michigan didn’t leave 
any extra blockers in to help 
with pass protection.

He never even had a chance.

3. Quarterback play wasn’t 

the problem

O’Korn’s 
performance 
as 

the starter this year has come 
under criticism, and rightfully 
so. Before Saturday, he was 
averaging under five yards 
per 
attempt 
as 
Michigan’s 

pass offense scuffled along. 
On Saturday night, though, he 
played much better than he 
had against Michigan State or 
Indiana.

O’Korn 
completed 
16-of-

28 
passes 
for 
166 
yards, 

approaching 
six 
yards 
per 

attempt — and that number 

should’ve 
been 
higher, 
as 

several of his passes were 
dropped. O’Korn consistently 
made plays with his feet, 
as well, ripping off several 
scrambles and picking up first 
downs when things broke down 
in the pocket.

It 
wasn’t 
a 
perfect 

performance. 
But 
it 
was 

still a step forward — and if 
O’Korn remains the starter 
going forward over redshirt 
freshman Brandon Peters, it’s 
the type of performance he’ll 
need to replicate for Michigan 
to win games.

4. 
Michigan’s 
defensive 

line needed to play better

The Wolverines needed to 

make big defensive plays to have 
any chance at pulling off the 
upset. And while David Long 

did make a big interception and 
Lavert Hill recorded a crucial 
pass breakup on fourth-and-
seven, the defensive line was 
uncharacteristically 
silent. 

None of the starting defensive 
linemen — Hurst, sophomore 
defensive end Rashan Gary, 
redshirt junior defensive end 
Chase Winovich or redshirt 
junior defensive tackle Bryan 
Mone — recorded a sack.

The Nittany Lions managed 

to stay away from Hurst and 
Gary most of the game, while 
Winovich’s effectiveness was 
limited — perhaps due to an 
injury he suffered that took him 
into the locker room. Either 
way, 
Michigan 
desperately 

needed a big game from its 
fearsome defensive front to 
slow down the Penn State 
attack, and that didn’t happen.

5. 
BOLD 
PREDICTION: 

Brandon Peters starts seeing 
time next week

Asking 
the 
redshirt 

freshman to brave the hostile 
road environment at Happy 
Valley might’ve been too tall of 
a task. But now, Michigan may 
have no choice but to roll the 
dice with Peters. The Big Ten 
title is out of reach. So are the 
playoffs. O’Korn won’t be back 
next year, and Speight’s future 
remains unknown.

The Wolverines have nothing 

to lose by giving Peters time in the 
upcoming weeks in preparation 
for a larger role next year. After 
all, Rutgers, Minnesota and 
Maryland are hardly Murderers’ 
Row, and Michigan can still give 
O’Korn a majority of the snaps 
while still integrating Peters into 
the offense.

ORION SANG

Daily Sports Editor

AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is facing the prospect of a third consecutive season in which his Wolverines finished third or worse in conference competition.

Third period key for ‘M’ in sweep

As the horn sounded at the 

end of the first period Friday 
night, freshman forward Josh 
Norris was down on the ice and 
unable to stand. He had been 
blindsided by a Vermont player 
between the circles and was 
writhing in pain. Norris couldn’t 
walk off under his own strength. 
With his arms wrapped around 
two teammates’ shoulders, he 
skated off to the dressing room, 
having only a missed penalty 
shot to show for it. 

Fast forward to under five 

minutes into the third period, 
and the Michigan hockey team 
was up 2-0. Having shrugged 
off the pain, Norris received a 
leading pass in the middle of 
the ice from sophomore forward 
Jake Slaker and found himself 
one-on-one 
against 
Vermont 

goaltender 
Stefanos 
Lekkas. 

The left-hander wouldn’t make 
the same mistake twice, deking 
the netminder and driving the 
puck into the net, glove side. 
Less than three minutes later, 
Norris scored his second goal, 
a backhander in front of the net 
off a pass from fellow freshman 
Quinn Hughes.

Bouncing 
back 
from 

an 
underwhelming 
first 

two periods in a game the 
Wolverines eventually won 4-1 
on Friday, Norris became the 
first Michigan player to score 
twice in his home debut since 
Kyle Connor in 2015.

Saturday 
night 
was 
a 

different story for Norris and 
the Wolverines, entering the 
final period trailing 2-1. With 
limited shots on goal through 
two periods, Michigan was 20 
minutes away from splitting 
its second series in as many 
weekends. 
Skating 
off 
the 

ice after the second period, 
the Wolverines were visibly 
frustrated 
about 
failing 
to 

capitalize on scoring chances.

But with under five minutes 

to go in the third, Slaker stepped 
up when his team needed it the 
most, scoring the equalizer from 
the right faceoff circle to tie the 
game at two. Then, with just 54 
seconds left, Slaker delivered 
another wrist shot that sailed 
into the back of the net to clinch 
Michigan’s third win and first 
weekend sweep on the season.

“It’s good they get rewarded 

for staying with the game plan 
and hanging in there,” said 
Michigan coach Mel Pearson 
after Saturday’s victory. “Our 
third periods have been pretty 
good this year so far, so it’s good 

to see that we’re a third-period 
team.”

Norris and Slaker followed 

eerily 
parallel 
paths 
in 

consecutive games. After four 
straight 
periods 
without 
a 

goal, the 18-year-old Norris 
had to mentally put aside his 
disappointing start and refocus 
before he finally broke through. 
Less than 24 hours later, Slaker 
also had to discard from his 
mind the uninspiring hockey 
played through the first two 
periods to get the offense back 
on track.

“I think you just have to keep 

pressing,” Norris said Friday. “I 
was frustrated with myself, had 
some really good opportunities 
in the first and second. My 
teammates made some great 

plays and I wasn’t converting, so 
I knew I had to bear down and 
eventually I knew something 
was going to go in, so I was 
happy that happened in the 
third.”

Added Slaker on Saturday: 

“We just try to stay focused and 
it doesn’t matter if they score 
within the first five minutes or 
in the first 20, we still have 40 
minutes left to play after that. … 
We just keep playing our game.”

Pearson’s praise of the two 

was oddly parallel, too.

“(Norris) stepped his game 

up even from two weeks ago,” 
Pearson said. “He looks like a 
different player than he was. 
… He’s a character kid, he’s got 
a lot of character. I thought he 
had a strong game. He plays 
both ends of the rink and he got 
rewarded.”

One night later, the same 

could be said about Slaker.

“You see what Jake’s all 

about, he can play any way you 
want,” Pearson said. “He can 
play a skill game, he can play 
a physical game, he can play a 
skating game, he’s got it all. He’s 
one of our hardest workers in 
practice and in games, so it was 
nice for him to get rewarded.”

Pearson 
emphasized 
the 

word 
“rewarded” 
countless 

times following both Friday 
and Saturday’s contests against 
Vermont. For Norris, Slaker 
and the entire team, Pearson 
chalked the victories up to being 
rewarded for hard work on both 
sides of the ice, playing through 
adversity and for sticking to the 
game plan.

Pearson admits that some 

nights the puck simply doesn’t 
bounce in his team’s favor. But he 
also knows that if the Wolverines 
can continue to dig deep and 
fight past early setbacks, it’s the 
later moments of the game when 
they will capitalize and squeeze 
out important wins. And if they 
can do that, they will certainly 
be rewarded.

BENJAMIN KATZ

Daily Sports Writer

Behind Josh Norris and Jake Slaker, the Wolverines used 
the third-period to help lead them to a sweep over Vermont

It’s good they 
get rewarded 

for staying with 
the game plan 
and hanging in 

there.

McSorley, Hamilton dominate
Michigan’s safeties in blowout

STATE COLLEGE — Trace 

McSorley knew he was going to face 
man coverage. His receiving core 
did too. And every passing offense 
that has faced Michigan since Don 
Brown’s arrival in 2016 has known 
the same thing.

The difference, though, is that 

McSorley — along with wide 
receiver DaeSean Hamilton — were 
the ones to beat it. And they beat it 
badly.

For all the shine that this unit 

has received, for one night in State 
College, the Wolverines’ defense got 
punched in the mouth. It conceded 
42 points — the highest total since 
Ohio State hit the same mark in 
2015. And it gave up 506 yards, 282 
of which came in the air.

“I think we just did a really good 

job of manipulating our matchups 
and taking advantage of them,” 
McSorley said. “Our guys did a great 
job winning versus man. We knew 
we were gonna get that. And we 
really kind of took to heart — the 
receiver group — if someone wants 
to try to man you up, say ‘Our guys 
are better than your guys.’

“That’s not a disrespect thing, but 

it’s a challenge. It’s a challenge that 
you’ve got to step up to and be ready 
for. And I think that’s something 

that our receivers really took to 
heart, like, ‘Alright we’re gonna get 
man coverage, let’s go.’”

That’s exactly what the second-

ranked Nittany Lions did, none 
more so than Hamilton. The senior 
receiver finished with six receptions 
for 115 yards, and made a Michigan 
secondary that was ranked second 
in the nation before Saturday night’s 
contest look lost. And in large part, 
the result came from Penn State’s 
clinical assault on the Wolverines’ 
safeties.

That attack started on Penn 

State’s fifth drive of the game. 
Hamilton beat junior safety Tyree 
Kinnel badly before catching a pass 
for 27 yards. It was just a glimpse of 
what was to come.

On 
the 
Wolverines’ 
next 

defensive 
possession, 
McSorley 

went to Hamilton again. The ball 
was underthrown by an inch, but 
Hamilton left no doubt as to who 
would be coming down with the 
ball — adjusting his body to nab a 
36-yard reception over Kinnel’s 
head and jumpstarting Penn State’s 
touchdown drive at the end of the 
half.

“I thought the play that he made 

on their sideline where he went up 
and, the ball was a little short, and 
he went up and caught it in traffic — 
they’re the plays you have to make 
in these types of games, especially 

against this style of defense,” said 
Penn State coach James Franklin. 
“You’ve gotta be able to make them 
pay for playing so aggressive.”

The Nittany Lions did so for the 

rest of the game. Kinnel got beat 
once more. Sophomore safety Josh 
Metellus was beat twice for 49 yards. 
And it all came from the first-half 
ripple effect.

As Franklin explained, he saw 

a Wolverine squad on film that 
emphasized outside leverage and 
tried to funnel everything toward 
the safety. He’s not wrong. But with 
Hamilton’s early success on the deep 
ball, Michigan’s coverage made the 
field even wider.

From there, Penn State had the 

Wolverines right where it wanted 
them — implementing designed 
slants at halftime that were never 
meant to factor into its game plan.

“After I had a few inside fades 

on them, they started pressing me 
more,” Hamilton said. “They were 
just trying to slow down at least the 
timing. … Once we saw that, I was 
able to fake as if I was gonna go run 
an inside fade, and that would open 
the inside a lot more. That’s why we 
were able to connect on some slants.”

Those slants proved to be the 

body blows. The deep balls were 
the haymakers. And in the end, 
Michigan’s defense had a long fall to 
the mat.

ICE HOCKEY

KEVIN SANTO

Managing Sports Editor

ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily

Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley scored four touchdowns Saturday night, all while throwing for 282 yards.

