2B — Monday, November 27, 2017
SportsMonday
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTSMONDAY COLUMN
A stacked deck
T
he play was routine.
With just over six
minutes remaining in
the third quarter, J.T. Barrett
scrambled for 10 yards on
2nd-and-11. Fifth-year senior
linebacker
Mike
McCray
brought
Barrett
down by his
legs. Barrett
stood
up, then
grabbed at
his right
knee and
went back
to the turf. The trainers came
out. Barrett’s day ended with a
hobbled walk to the tunnel.
At that point, the Wolverines
led by six, despite surrendering
a 14-point, first-quarter lead.
Maybe you thought then that
Michigan was finally going to
change history, that a backup
quarterback was incapable of
leading his team on a comeback
trail.
I wouldn’t have blamed you if
you did. That’s all this fan base
has known for the better part
of three months. The Michigan
faithful have learned time and
time again this year that there’s
no replacing the starting man
under center.
But if you thought Barrett’s
premature exit was enough, you
were wrong.
Because the Buckeyes did
what Michigan has failed to
do for much of its season. They
coped with the loss of their
starting quarterback, and
found success in the largest of
moments anyway.
For Ohio State, its spot in
the Big Ten championship
game was already a lock. But
a continuation of nearly two
decades of dominance — and
a possibility to sneak into the
College Football Playoff that
now has legitimate weight —
were on the line in Ann Arbor.
The Wolverines have found
themselves in similar situations
for the better part of 10 years,
albeit with far less encouraging
results.
And in the latest iteration,
Urban Meyer handed Dwayne
Haskins the keys. The redshirt
freshman pushed the accelerator
to the floor.
He handled the ball off twice
to open the series, then rushed
for two yards. Two plays later,
he completed a pass for a four-
yard gain.
Ohio State left tackle Jamarco
Jones had to leave the game
with an injury. Then came
two false starts. Faced with
3rd-and-13 near midfield,
Haskins dropped back and
delivered a 27-yard dime to
Austin Mack on the sideline.
Two plays later, he escaped a
collapsing pocket and took off
for a gain of 22, coming only one
yard shy of reaching the pylon.
J.K. Dobbins punched it in on
the next play. The Wolverines
surrendered their lead and
wouldn’t get it back.
It was a performance that
encapsulated all that Michigan
has tried to do. Ohio State put
the ball in Haskins’ hands
with confidence and the fans
embraced it — some even called
for it after the Buckeyes lost to
Iowa. And Haskins delivered,
exuding a swagger that loomed
large over Michigan Stadium.
After the game, sophomore
defensive end Rashan Gary said
Michigan knew what Haskins
liked to do. McCray said he was
“about the same as J.T.”
He looked better.
The Wolverines may have
known what Haskins liked
to do, but he did it anyway —
completing six of his seven
attempts for 94 yards, all while
rushing three times for 24
yards.
“We knew that the guy
behind (Barrett) was pretty
good,” McCray said. “We
wanted to play our game, keep
playing our game — didn’t want
to change anything. He came in
and did a great job.”
Just like that, for the second
time in four years, J.T. Barrett
left the second half injured
against Michigan and the
Buckeyes’ backup again did
what he needed to. This time it
was Haskins. Last time it was
Cardale Jones.
Of course, Jones’ experience
was different. Ohio State was up
by seven, and with Ezekiel Elliot
in the backfield, he was asked to
throw the ball just three times.
But we all know where Jones
eventually took the Buckeyes.
Perhaps that says more
than we think about the state
of these two programs. Ohio
State’s roster can be supported
by backups, seemingly without
a dropoff. The Buckeyes went
to the College Football Playoff
as the youngest team in the
country, according to Phil Steele
of ESPN.
The Wolverines entered this
season in a similar situation.
They finished fourth in the Big
Ten East.
As for the on-the-field
rivalry, Michigan hasn’t been
very fortunate. Since 2007,
only two of Michigan’s starting
quarterbacks have entered the
Ohio State game healthy and
left the same way. One of those
instances came in 2011, when
Denard Robinson amassed 337
all-purpose yards and five total
touchdowns to lead Michigan
past Ohio State for the only time
in this decade.
There was no superhero
performance this Saturday,
though. With Brandon Peters
and Wilton Speight sidelined,
Michigan’s hand was forced.
Jim Harbaugh put the keys
in his backup’s hands too, but it
looked like the emergency brake
was on.
O’Korn struggled early,
missing open receivers for
what should have been routine
completions. He missed a wide-
open Chris Evans on 4th-and-4.
And with a final chance to
change the rivalry — at least for
a year — he misread coverage
and sailed a pass into the arms
of Ohio State’s Jordan Fuller.
For what it’s worth, O’Korn
personified a leader after the
game. He sat at a podium, and
he fielded questions. He took
responsibility for the loss. He
choked up in front of a room
of crowded people, trying to
come to grips with the reality
that another senior class — one
he himself is a part of — was
leaving Ann Arbor without a
win over the Buckeyes.
But maturity simply wasn’t
enough. Another year came, and
another year went.
The dust has now settled.
Michigan has been dealt a
tough hand for the better part of
10 years.
Ohio State, on the other hand,
has triumphed regardless of the
hand it was dealt.
And therein lies the point:
when you’re sitting at the table
with the sharks, you still need to
find a way to win.
Santo can be reached at
kmsanto@umich.edu or on
Twitter @Kevin_M_Santo.
Four Things We Learned: No. 8 Ohio State
The
curtains
closed
on
Michigan’s regular season this
weekend, and the finale went
just as planned — for Ohio State.
The eighth-ranked Buckeyes’
31-20 win over the Wolverines
(5-4
Big
Ten,
8-4
overall)
came after a shaky start, but
everything
changed
in
the
second quarter as quarterback
J.T. Barrett, and later his backup
Dwayne
Haskins,
led
the
comeback.
Here are four things the Daily
learned about the Michigan
football team from Saturday’s
loss:
1. Maybe it’s time to ditch
the pocket passer
If the offensive line can’t
protect the quarterback, does it
matter how good his arm is?
The Wolverines’ run game has
carried the team all season long,
and Saturday was the same story.
Sophomore
running
back
Chris Evans rushed for 67
yards and junior Karan Higdon
ran for 55. The two have been
Michigan’s
most
dynamic
players throughout the season.
The run game has been so strong
because of Evans and Higdon,
and it has been the Wolverines’
only option.
Just
look
at
what
other
successful college football teams
are doing.
No. 5 Alabama runs a spread
offense with its dual-threat
quarterback Jalen Hurts. No.
8
Ohio
State’s
quarterbacks
have always been quick on the
ground, too, and No. 2 Oklahoma
and Heisman favorite Baker
Mayfield favor the spread-style
offense as well.
A spread system would give
Michigan more options on the
ground, and play to the team’s
strengths.
Until Michigan finds a top
passer who can thread the needle
and hit the deep ball, it might be
a worthwhile investment to look
for a mobile quarterback.
2. Michigan’s getting closer
to beating Ohio State, but not
there yet
While the Buckeyes ended up
with a convincing 11-point win,
the game was closer than the
final score indicated.
The
Wolverines
would’ve
been able to play for a game-tying
field goal on their penultimate
drive, but a blocked extra point
after
Higdon’s
third-quarter
touchdown forced Michigan to
rely on O’Korn to move the ball
downfield with his arm.
Little plays like that blocked
extra
point
or
sophomore
safety Josh Metellus’s dropped
interception added up and put
the team in a difficult position.
Ohio State didn’t make nearly as
many mistakes, and that proved
to be the difference.
In hindsight, though, the
Wolverines have done better than
they did in the past. This year’s
game and last year’s overtime
finish were significantly closer
than the 42-13 blowout Michigan
faced in 2015.
3. The Harbaugh critics will
be loud and clear
Michigan
coach
Jim
Harbaugh is now 0-3 versus Ohio
State. He’s 1-2 against Michigan
State.
And in three seasons, the
Wolverines haven’t beaten a
single ranked team on the road.
While the records don’t favor
Harbaugh, any critics claiming
he should be on the hot seat are
starting rumors that are unlikely
to merit any truth.
It’s hard to imagine Harbaugh
going anywhere else in the near
future, because he hasn’t even
had a chance to see his own
recruits flesh out completely.
In
2018,
players
like
sophomore
linebacker
Devin
Bush and sophomore defensive
end Rashan Gary — two of
Michigan’s best — will be the
faces of the team. On offense,
redshirt
freshman
Brandon
Peters have several more games
under his belt and likely be the
one leading the charge.
As the seniors and fifth-years
that stuck around from the
Brady Hoke era fade out of the
program, Harbaugh’s guys will
take over.
If the team can’t perform
better next year, though, then
the Harbaugh haters might have
a point worth listening to.
4.
Bold
prediction:
It’ll
happen next year.
Give Peters, or maybe even
Dylan
McCaffrey,
the
ball
against
the
Buckeyes,
and
the Wolverines should have
a
chance.
The
quarterback
situation cost Michigan the
game this weekend, but if Peters
has another year to develop and
grow, he could be the difference-
maker the Wolverines needs.
Elsewhere on the field, not
much is going to change.
The run game will stay strong
with Evans and Higdon, and
young wide receivers like Tarik
Black and Donovan Peoples-
Jones should improve as well.
The biggest two offensive
losses
are
fifth-year
senior
fullback
Khalid
Hill
and
senior left tackle Mason Cole.
Michigan’s offensive line will
have to improve without Cole,
its best and most consistent
player for the last few years, but
if it can, a lot will open up for the
Wolverines’ offense.
The defense should continue
to excel. Michigan’s top-ranked
pass defense likely won’t lose
anybody, and the linebacker
situation should be fine as well
— even without fifth-year senior
Mike McCray.
Losing
fifth-year
senior
defensive
tackle
Maurice
Hurst
will
hurt,
but
if
defensive
coordinator
Don
Brown continues to develop
his aggressive unit, Michigan
should be fine there as well.
So, is a road win in Columbus
possible? It’s certainly going to
be difficult, but it’s absolutely
possible.
EVAN AARON/Daily
Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins completed seven of his eight passes for 94 yards, becoming the second backup to beat Michigan in four years.
EVAN AARON/Daily
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has faced more criticism than ever this year, but that may not be warranted just yet.
TED JANES
Daily Sports Writer
FOOTBALL
Speight announces he
will transfer for 2018
Wilton Speight announced
Sunday afternoon that he will
be transferring from Michigan.
Speight, currently a redshirt
junior, will have one year of
eligibility remaining. He will
also be able to play immediately
at whichever school he chooses
as a graduate transfer.
The move will leave the
Wolverines
with
three
scholarship
quarterbacks
on
next year’s roster: redshirt
freshman
Brandon
Peters,
freshman
Dylan
McCaffrey
and
redshirt
sophomore
Alex
Malzone.
Michigan
currently has two quarterbacks
committed
in
the
2018
recruiting class in four-star
Joe
Milton
and
three-star
Kevin Doyle. Both would be
true freshmen next year if
they follow through with their
verbal commitments.
As for Speight, he’s currently
unaware of where he’ll finish
his career.
“I don’t know where next
will be, and I’ll use these next
four weeks to figure that out,”
Speight wrote on Instagram.
“I’m excited to keep pursuing
my dreams in a new jersey, but
will forever root for the boys
wearing the winged helmet.”
In 16 starts over his four-year
career at Michigan, Speight
tallied a 13-3 record, 3,119
passing yards, 21 touchdowns
and nine interceptions.
It was a career that began
rather inconspicuously. Speight,
recruited by former head coach
Brady Hoke, redshirted his first
year. After a year of anonymity,
he featured in an HBO special
covering a newly-hired Jim
Harbaugh.
And in that moment, it didn’t
seem like Speight had earned
Harbaugh’s favor.
“I’m just telling you the right
way to do it,” Harbaugh said in
that episode. “If you want to
look at me with that look, go
(expletive) look it somewhere
else.”
But
Speight
would
stick
things out and find his way
back into his head coach’s good
graces.
First he beat out John O’Korn
and Shane Morris in a heated
competition for the starting job.
Then he led last year’s team to
a 9-0 start, at one point during
which Harbaugh said Speight
deserved consideration for the
Heisman Trophy.
“It’s time to throw his hat
into the ring,” Harbaugh said
after Speight threw for a career-
high 362 yards in a 59-3 win
over Maryland on Nov. 5, 2016.
Things fell apart late for
Michigan — and Speight — that
year, though. In a 14-13 loss
to Iowa, Speight was dealt a
heavy blow. He missed the next
week’s game with an injury.
He returned for the final two
games of the year, both of which
the Wolverines lost late.
It was a rough ending to a
season that began with so much
promise.
Despite
challenges
from
Brandon Peters and O’Korn,
Speight held onto his job this
offseason with relative ease.
And as one of the lone holdovers
from last year’s veteran-laden
team, Speight was looked upon
to help Michigan transition to
this year’s more youthful squad.
But that transition would
prove difficult.
In 2017, Speight struggled to
replicate the success he had his
first year as a starter. Through
four games, he completed just
54.3 percent of his passes for 7.17
yards per attempt with a 121.9
quarterback rating — numbers
that were all down from his first
season as a starter.
Then,
against
Purdue,
Speight took a big hit that broke
three of his vertebrae. That
injury would knock him out for
the rest of the regular season.
And with Sunday’s news, that
will the last time Speight puts
on a Michigan jersey.
ORION SANG
Daily Sports Editor
KEVIN
SANTO