8 — Thursday, September 6, 2018
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Harbaugh “not on the
hot seat,” says Schlissel
Four years ago it would have
been unfathomable to question
Jim Harbaugh’s job security.
Even now, the prospect
seems
far-fetched,
but
after the Michigan football
team’s loss to Notre Dame on
Saturday,
some
Wolverines
fans took to comment sections
and social media to call for
Harbaugh’s job.
It’s not like the entire
fanbase has turned against the
former Michigan quarterback.
Even so, the contingent was
at least large enough that
University
president
Mark
Schlissel was asked about it
at the Detroit Economic Club
forum at the Westin Book
Cadillac on Wednesday.
Schlissel,
for
his
part,
scoffed at the notion.
“He is not on the hot seat,”
Schlissel said. “He is under
contract for four more years.”
Of course, that is easy to say
early in the season. But even
looking at Harbaugh’s time at
Michigan as a whole, he still
is the most successful coach
the Wolverines have had in the
last decade, even if it is by a
small margin over Brady Hoke.
“… I joke with some of our
coaches, who all expect to
win a league every year and
have a perfect record and
the like,” Schlissel said. “It’s
mathematically
impossible
for everyone to have a perfect
record, after the first game
anyway.”
All
week,
Michigan
echoed Schlissel’s sentiment,
downplaying the idea that
there is any sense of urgency
after Week 1. Each player,
when
asked,
said
they’re
trying to block out the noise
from the outside.
However,
there
is
also
an obvious feeling that the
Wolverines
must
improve
in short order. Harbaugh’s
predecessor,
Hoke,
was
fired after his fourth season,
following a 5-7 campaign.
It
would
be
a
seismic
shock if Michigan was that
bad this season, and only a
seemingly vocal minority is
calling for Harbaugh’s job in
the first place. Regardless, it
is a good sign for the coach
that Schlissel, the man who
ultimately holds the power to
fire him, has given a public
endorsement.
KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh gets sign of confidence from Mark Schlissel.
MIKE PERSAK
Managing Sports Editor
MIKE PERSAK
Managing Sports Editor
Ross and Gil positive in whatever role they play
When
Michigan’s
defense
trotted onto the field at Notre
Dame Stadium on Saturday,
junior Devin Gil came out as the
starting WILL linebacker.
It was an answer to one of the
final personnel questions for a
defense returning nine starters
from
last
season.
Defensive
coordinator Don Brown had
said Gil and sophomore Josh
Ross were in a “fistfight” for the
starting spot.
Both said the competition
benefitted them. And in the end,
though only one of the two can
run out for the first defensive
play, both saw the field Saturday.
Ross worked at MIKE linebacker
in camp too, so when junior
Devin Bush went down with a
leg injury in the second quarter,
Ross came in for him.
Gil finished the game with
four tackles, and Ross finished
with five.
So maybe the “fistfight” will
go a few more rounds.
On Tuesday, at the Wolverines’
media availability, Gil mentioned
Ross when asked if Bush’s injury
changed anything for him.
“No, because I know that I’ve
got another linebacker next to
me, Josh Ross,” Gil said. “And
we’re both vocal enough where
we both can contribute halfway
and
he
does
the other half.
So I have trust
in him. So we
knew that we
were
gonna
step up and do
what we had to
do to make sure
the defense is
right.”
Ross and Gil
played
solidly,
though the most memorable play
from the two may have been
one that Gil says he should have
made.
Late in the third quarter,
he broke into the backfield,
nearly
sacking
Notre
Dame
quarterback Brandon Wimbush.
But
Wimbush
spun
away,
scrambled, then found an open
Chase Claypool for 20 yards.
It was a low point in an
otherwise strong first start,
which included a tackle of
Wimbush with two minutes left
in the game to give Michigan the
ball back and a chance to tie it.
“I felt I did
pretty good,” Gil
said.
“I
mean,
it’s always some
plays that you feel
that you could be
able to make, and
that’s just how it
is.”
The
question
now
is
if
Gil
remains
the
starter at WILL.
While Ross played a lot when
Bush went down, he also spelled
Gil at times.
For his part, Gil says he’ll leave
any permanent starting decision
up to the coaches. Either way, it
seems the two are happy to fill
whatever role they’re given.
“We’re cool,” Gil said. “Like I
said, we both feed off each other.
No matter what, regardless if
he’s in or I’m in, we’ve always
got each other’s back, and if we
see something that we did wrong
or can help us, we’re gonna make
that adjustment and help each
other out.”
Added Ross: “I mean, having
D. Bush and D. Gil on the team,
I mean, all three of us just
working together, it’s a great,
great thing to have when you
can really talk to guys and really
get better off of each other. So to
have guys like that on our team
— linebackers next to me — it’s
beautiful to see.”
It’s a good problem to have for
Brown and Michigan. Bush is
clearly the best linebacker on the
team, and from all accounts his
injury is minor — Gil said Bush
practiced on Tuesday. But Gil
and Bush both proved capable in
Saturday night’s loss.
And they may have each other
to thank for that.
KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Junior WILL linebacker Devin Gil and Josh Ross fought for a starting spot in the preseason, and on Saturday against Notre Dame, they showed what they can do.
“I know that
I’ve got another
linebacker next
to me...”
Zordich evaluates defensive back play vs. Irish
On paper, the Michigan football
team’s defensive backs put on a
formidable show against Notre
Dame’s receiving corps on Saturday
night.
But for defensive backs coach
Mike Zordich, it all comes with an
asterisk.
“I’d say for the first quarter,
pretty bad,” he said of his group’s
performance. “But after that, they
settled in and played well.”
Fighting
Irish
quarterback
Brandon Wimbush completed just
12 of 22 passes for 170 yards and a
touchdown. But 148 of those yards
came in the first half, and even some
of Zordich’s highly-touted corners
surrendered atypical yardage.
After Chase Claypool caught
a 16-yard first-down pass on the
third play of the game, Notre
Dame’s Miles Boykin corralled an
impressive 28-yard grab through
a pass interference call by junior
defensive back Lavert Hill. Hill had
his back turned and tried to save
face by pushing Boykin, but the
referee saw it.
For the fiery Zordich, even the
best aren’t immune to criticism.
“The simplest things, the first
third down — things we do 15, 20
times in practice — we didn’t do it.
Why? I have no idea,” Zordich said.
“The next play (Hill) looks like he’s
never covered a guy man-to-man.
He had a pass interference and the
guy made a great catch anyway.
You just never know, just gotta
learn from it.
“And we’re moving on, but that
was a tough one to swallow.”
Zordich demands excellence
from his defensive backs and will
be blunt about it if they aren’t, but
he will allow breathing room for
some of the nuances of the position.
He acknowledged the size of the
Fighting Irish’s top two receivers
— both 6-foot-4 — and how that
caused a physical grudge match for
his shorter corners.
After two consecutive miscues
that set up Notre Dame’s first
touchdown, he didn’t say anything
to his group on the sidelines,
emphasizing the short memory he
preaches for his players.
Amnesia was certainly necessary
after the most notable play of the
evening, with the Wolverines
already down, 7-0. Backup safety
Brad Hawkins, who had replaced
the ejected Josh Metellus, found
himself in the endzone on a 50-50
ball with Fighting Irish receiver
Chris Finke. Despite Hawkins’
hand on the ball, Finke outmuscled
Hawkins to bring Notre Dame’s
lead to two scores.
“Hats off to the Notre Dame
guy,” Zordich said. “He made the
play. Ball is in the air you gotta go
get it. You gotta make plays, there’s
no excuse. Certainly that was a big
(mistake) because that resulted in
seven points.”
After the first two drives,
though, Zordich was pleased.
Michigan allowed just 22 yards the
entire second half, and recorded
an
interception
by
Brandon
Watson. But even Watson received
measured feedback, as Zordich
cited “a couple technique issues”
before admitting the fifth-year
senior had a solid showing on
Saturday.
The
Wolverines’
defensive
backs were some of the best in the
country a year ago, and displayed
that same aggressiveness despite
anomalic mental lapses. It seemed
like enough to hush any lingering
concerns about the unit, but
also enough to leave Zordich
questioning himself after trotting
out what he thought was an
“unbelievably prepared” group.
“As a coach you have to focus on
what you saw to correct,” he said.
“Yes, you have to look at how they
came back and they played well,
they really did. I compliment them
on that.
“It’s just — I’m trying to figure
out why that happened in the first
quarter with all the prep.”
ETHAN WOLFE
Daily Sports Writer
‘M’ shows depth in win
Most
cases
of
one
team
dominating another are a show of
superior physicality and skill. But
for the Michigan volleyball team,
its 3-0 win over Valparaiso was a
chance to flex one of its greatest
strengths this season: depth.
In a sweep over the Crusaders,
16 players saw time on the
court. There were lineups that
incorporated
the
Wolverines’
veterans and youth — putting both
in situations to allow success.
“We want to continue to
develop that depth,” said Michigan
coach Mark Rosen. “Because you
never know when somebody has
an off night or an injury or you
want to make adjustments. That
depth is really important for us so
it’s kind of a combination of both
where we’re still able to get players
experience, but we’re also settling
in on what our team is looking
like.”
In contrast to last season,
when Michigan arguably had a
more limited bench, this year’s
team draws its advantages from
its substitutes. Playing freshman
outside hitter Paige Jones in the
more experienced starting lineup
allows Rosen flexibility to have
veterans come off the bench, while
helping Jones transition to the
level of play.
“I think (Jones) just acclimated
to the college game really quickly,”
Rosen said. “I think she’s a player
who can play six rotations, and we
certainly want her to develop as
her career goes on.”
Rotating in off the bench, junior
outside hitter Sydney Wetterstrom
mans
the
second
wave
of
substitute, playing a pivotal part in
not just contributing to the game
— where she hit eight kills — but
in teaching the inexperienced
players on the court with her. Even
so, many of the underclassmen are
eased into the game by playing
next to experienced players.
“We don’t want to have a new
player in there with a bunch of
other new players because then
it’s not like they get a chance to
acclimate to what the lineup is
like,” Rosen said. “So we try to
sparingly put those kids in, get
them experience with veteran
kids, with the experienced kids.
Because that’s a better way to learn,
and they don’t feel that pressure in
having to do everything.
“Also
our
veterans
(senior
libero Jenna Lerg, senior outside
hitter Carly Skjodt, redshirt junior
middle
blocker
Cori
Crocker
and
senior
setter
Mackenzie
Welsh),
they’re
really
smart
volleyball players, so they’re on
the court teaching and helping (the
inexperienced) understand what’s
going on, so we want to give them
the chance to play with those kids.”
Splitting defensive duties with
Lerg, sophomore libero Jacqueline
DiSanto saw two sets where she
either played the main libero role
or side-by-side in a two libero
defensive lineup. The opportunity
to play next to the consistent Lerg
could be fruitful for DiSanto’s
development.
In the center of the rotations,
Skjodt played all three sets,
recording 14 kills in 21 attempts.
With all the changes in rotation,
from
freshmen
to
seniors,
sophomores to juniors, Skjodt
pillared the offense to work as it
does, teaching by example.
“Carly’s just such a glue of our
team,” Rosen said. “At the end of
the match, she leads us in kills. She
hits .570. She’s just a kid who gets it
done. She’s played all six rotations.
She’s great defensively. She’s great
as a passer. She’s great as a server.
There’s nothing she doesn’t do well
we found with her. We can’t take
her off the court. We take her off
the court and it changes way too
much because she’s so impactful in
so many areas.”
One player who can attest to
this is freshman opposite hitter
Lizzie Sadilek, who made her
collegiate debut Tuesday night.
Hitting a .800 attack percentage,
Sadilek tallied four kills, good for
second-highest on the team for
non-starters.
Ending Valparaiso’s six-game
win streak while adding another
sweep to its five-game sweep
streak, Michigan proved that its
strengths don’t just lie in its talents
and skills, but with its depth that
continues to develop every game.
TIEN LE
Daily Sports Writer
VOLLEYBALL
EVAN AARON/Daily
Junior cornerback Lavert Hill and the Michigan secondary surprisingly struggled early in the Wolverines’ 24-17 loss to Notre Dame on Saturday.