6A — Thursday, September 13, 2018
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
A moment of weakness
in a dominating match
It was a one-sided affair.
There’s no other way to put
it.
In the Michigan volleyball
team’s sweep of Louisiana
State on Friday, there were
zero lead changes and only one
instance of a tie in score, which
happened
in
the
opening
moments of a set. From start
to
finish,
the
Wolverines
dominated — except for one
instance.
In the second set, Michigan
had
an
extended
scoring
drought. After leading by 16
points at 20-4,
the Wolverines
allowed
six
straight points
to narrow the
lead
to
just
ten. It wasn’t
a scare by any
means.
But
for
Michigan,
which had won
21 straight sets
— many just as
dominantly —
any chink in their armor was a
notable moment.
After putting on offensive
pressure
nearly
the
entire
game, the sudden switch to
defense caught the Wolverines
off guard.
Between
the
inability
to transition and adapt to
the Tigers’ new short serve
offered the first looks at what
an unorganized, unprepared
Michigan team looked like.
“Our defensive effort, there
were a lot of scrambled plays,
you know, we have a system
and a plan, but that system only
goes so far, then it turns into
effort,” said Michigan coach
Mark Rosen.
Seeing
the
moment
of
weakness,
Louisiana
State
attacked aggressively — paying
immediate
dividends.
And
thanks to that pressure, its
defense found improvement
as
well,
exploiting
poorly
coordinated responses from
the
Wolverines.
Sophomore
middle blocker Kiara Shannon
and
junior
outside
hitter
Sydney Wetterstrom saw their
attacks turn into errors as
they failed to keep the hits in
bounds.
And just as much as it was
an impressive showing by the
Tigers, even if for an instance,
it
was
more
of
Michigan
shooting itself in the foot. Of
the six points Louisiana State
scored, four of them were
attacking
errors
from
the
Wolverines.
“It was a weird set because
we really only
rotated
five
times
and
we
didn’t even get
through a full
rotation,” Rosen
said.
“Which
is odd. Usually
you get through
three or close
to three. I think
it was a weird
game, we scored
points at a really
fast rate, we got runs like crazy.
“I think maybe your serve
receive gets a little bit lull
because you aren’t in it very
often. You were point scoring
or serving, playing defense and
all of a sudden we’re not on
serve receive much.”
In an otherwise flawless
game, the short lapse gave the
team a glimpse of something
it had avoided all season —
carelessness. After building
and maintaining a large lead
for so long, Michigan had a
sense of security that lulled it
to negligence.
But it was only momentary
as a brief timeout was all it
took to get regrouped and
revitalized — closing the set on
a 5-1 run.
That run led to a 25-11 finish
on the night, as the Wolverines
kept
their
perfect
record
intact.
Hudson “trending” in second year at VIPER
Khaleke Hudson broke fully
into the spotlight last season for
the Michigan football team.
Taking over at VIPER for fan
favorite Jabrill Peppers, Hudson
made third-team All-Big Ten,
won a Big Ten Defensive Player
of the Week award and even tied
the NCAA record for tackles for
loss in a game with eight against
Minnesota. Hudson finished the
season with 83 tackles and two
interceptions.
This season, Hudson, now
a junior, has solidified himself
as one of the top talents on a
defense that returned nearly all
of its starters.
Last week against Western
Michigan, as the 19th-ranked
Wolverines
dominated
from
start to finish, Hudson made his
mark.
Midway through the second
quarter with Michigan up 28-0
and the Broncos barely clinging
to life, Western Michigan faced
4th-and-1. Its quarterback John
Wassink faked a handoff and
took off to the left.
Hudson shed a block, planted
his feet and upended Wassink at
the line of scrimmage, forcing
a change of possession and
dashing any hopes the Broncos
had left.
It was one of
Hudson’s
six
tackles
in
the
game, and while
that isn’t an eye-
popping number,
it does represent
Hudson’s
solid
play.
“He’s
coming
on,”
said
linebackers coach
Al
Washington
on Wednesday. “Khaleke has
done a very good job. I thought
last week he made incremental
steps, and he’s gonna continue
to do that. But I’m very pleased
with Khaleke, and I’m really
impressed with his ability to
lead. You know, he’s trying to do
a better job leading. But I’m very
excited about this week for him.”
The
leadership
facet
of
Hudson’s game is an interesting
one. As stated, this is a defense
with tons of experience, which
breeds leadership.
Hudson’s leadership abilities
can be categorized by what he
does, not necessarily what he
says.
According
to Washington,
Hudson took a
majority of the
snaps this week
in practice, a
testament
to
his willingness
to work despite
what
he’s
already proven.
“By
his
actions,
I
mean,
you
take
yesterday, he took the bulk of the
reps,” Washington said. “(He’s)
just rolling. And he didn’t balk,
didn’t do anything, you know,
he just grinded through it. And
that’s the type of leadership that
I think a lot of younger guys see
impacting more than what he
says.”
That side of things also shows
itself on special teams. As a
freshman, Hudson saw almost
all of his playing time on special
teams, tying for the team-lead
with two blocked punts.
Since then, he’s spent nearly
every defensive snap at VIPER,
and it would be understandable
if the coaches or even Hudson
himself wanted to give him his
rest on special teams plays.
But just last week, against
the Broncos, Hudson lined up
as Western Michigan set to punt
the ball away. He ripped through
the line at the snap, along with
four other Wolverines, split
Western Michigan’s personal
protectors and blocked the third
punt of his career.
Washington sees that play and
the fourth down stop as signs of
what is to come for Hudson this
season.
“Those
things
piggyback
on each other and start to
snowball,”
Washington
said.
“It’ll continue. We’ve still got
work to do, but he’s trending.
His head is down.”
James Hudson, Jalen Mayfield pushing for starting tackle positions
Offensive tackle has long
been a trouble spot for the
Michigan football team.
Midway through the 2016
season,
Grant
Newsome’s
career-ending
knee
injury
forced Ben Bredeson to start at
left tackle. He played like you’d
expect from a true freshman
lineman in the Big Ten: poorly.
Bredeson then moved to guard
full time last offseason, moving
now-NFL center Mason Cole
out of position to left tackle in
2017.
Still, the Wolverines hoped
to develop Nolan Ulizio, Jon
Runyan Jr. or Juwann Bushell-
Beatty into a bona fide starter
in 2017; all three had been in
the program for at least three
years.
Instead, right tackle was
consistently one of Michigan’s
most
glaring
weaknesses
last
season.
Ulizio
started
the opener but was pulled by
halftime. Bushell-Beatty self-
admittedly
struggled
with
confidence. Runyan looked like
he did, too.
So
began
another
year
of
question
marks
at
the
position.
Though
redshirt
freshman James Hudson and
true freshman Jalen Mayfield
generated buzz in fall camp,
Bushell-Beatty
and
Runyan
started at right and left tackle,
respectively, two weeks ago
against Notre Dame. Familiar
issues
returned.
Michigan’s
offensive line was out-manned
by the Fighting Irish’s front
seven, allowing pressure and
hits on junior quarterback
Shea Patterson throughout.
But the Wolverines didn’t
panic after one game. They
stuck with the same line,
and it paid off with over 300
rushing yards against Western
Michigan last week.
“(The line was) much better
in week two than in week one
but a work in progress still,”
said
offensive
line
coach
Ed Warinner. “(It was) Jon
Runyan’s
first
two
starts
as
an
offensive
tackle.
He’s
played
solid
and
continues
to
improve
there.
Juwann
Bushell-Beatty
has
improved,
and I think he’s
played better as
well. I still want
them to push and develop.”
It
doesn’t
mean
that
Michigan’s offensive line is set,
though. Warinner mentioned
starting roles are evaluated
regularly based off practice
and game performances. In his
words, “anything can happen
moving forward.”
That should perk the ears
of Hudson and
Mayfield.
Both
have
rotated
with the starters
in
practice
—
Mayfield
takes
about 25 percent
of his reps with
the ones while
Hudson gets a
“little”
more
—
and
both
could see larger
roles if the starters’ struggles
re-emerge.
Warinner
already
thinks
Mayfield is “physically and
mentally” ahead of where he
should be, even without the
luxury of enrolling a semester
early.
“Over the summer they’ve
come a long way,” Warinner
said. “I wasn’t
sure
with
Jaylen how the
summer
would
affect
him,
going
through
Summer Bridge,
but he’s really
come
on
and
works every day
with the twos
and gets some
work with the
ones every day. His progress is
great.”
Despite
the
extra
year,
Hudson is also just getting
acclimated to the Wolverines’
offensive line. He switched to
tackle from defensive end last
spring — a change difficult
for even the most athletic and
cerebral players.
“His
growth
over the summer
and
then
this
fall
has
been
tremendous,”
Warriner
said.
“He’s
fully
invested
now
as an offensive
lineman. In the
spring he was
putting a toe in
the water to see
what he thought. He gave us a
good effort and showed some
talent, but there were times
it was frustrating for him
because it was just so new. To
go against our defensive ends
every day, it’s challenging.
He’s way beyond that. He’s
gained confidence in himself
and his ability to do the job,
knowing what to do when he’s
out there.”
Both Hudson and Mayfield
saw action at the end of
Saturday’s game. Given the
lopsided
score
and
weak
opposition, they couldn’t show
much of real significance.
But when asked about the
offensive line during Monday’s
press conference, coach Jim
Harbaugh praised his young
tackles unprompted.
“It was good to see Jaylen
Mayfield get in the game, it
was good to see James Hudson
get in the game and do well,”
Harbaugh said. “We’ve got
good hopes for both those
tackles. It’s kind of a race to
see how fast they can get up to
speed.”
Michigan undoubtedly has a
delicate balance to strike with
its tackles. Based on their age,
neither Runyan nor Bushell-
Beatty are long-term answers,
and their lapses at Notre
Dame put pressure to develop
youthful reserves faster. But
that can backfire, especially
with offensive linemen.
“If you put a young guy in
there before he’s ready, you
could ruin him, really set him
back,” Warinner said. “If you
bring him along at a pace he
can handle, then you’ve got
something for a long time.”
There’s no easy answer for
the Wolverines, and it’s still
early for Hudson and Mayfield.
But the pair do provide a
glimmer of hope for Michigan
at tackle — finally.
“They’re in the ballpark (of
starting),” Warriner said. “So
that bodes well for us. (We)
want depth there. … Whether
they’re the best player at the
position? Time will tell.”
KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Junior VIPER Khaleke Hudson has been making an impact both defensively and on special teams, as he blocked a punt in last week’s win over Western Michigan.
MIKE PERSAK
Managing Sports Editor
“I thought last
week he made
incremental
steps.”
TIEN LE
Daily Sports Writer
“... we have a
system and a
plan, but that...
only goes so far.”
VOLLEYBALL
KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Freshman tackle Jalen Mayfield has been playing with the first-team offense about 25 percent of the time in practice, according to offensive line coach Ed Warriner.
MARK CALCAGNO
Daily Sports Editor
“(The line was)
much better in
week two than
in week one...”
“Over the
summer
they’ve come a
long way.”
Michigan offensive line coach Ed Warriner didn’t rule out Hudson and Mayfield breaking into the starting lineup