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SportsMonday
Monday, September 24, 2018 — 3B
Hallahan is difference-
maker once again for ‘M’
Jack Hallahan had been there
before – Penn State, double
overtime, sudden death, game-
winning goal hanging in the
balance.
Friday night was a lot of the
same for the junior, except for the
fairy tale ending.
Drawing
1-1
with the Nittany
Lions
(1-0-1
Big
Ten,
2-4-1
overall), Michigan
made it a point
to feed Hallahan
the ball time and
time again, hoping
he would break
through like he
did last year in
the waning seconds to give the
Wolverines (1-0-1, 5-1-1) three
points. But he was the reason
Michigan even got a single point
in the Big Ten table.
Leading the Wolverines in
both shots on goal and crosses in
a game where Michigan clearly
dominated,
Hallahan
netted
the
equalizer,
striking a ball
that
deflected
off a Penn State
defender before
bouncing
past
the keeper.
“Honestly,
(assistant
coach
Tommy
McMenemy)
said to me when
I’m crossing it,
when I cut in, aim for the far post
because if (the ball) misses, then
it’ll go in the net,” Hallahan said.
“So, I just kept doing that basically
until it went in.
“I think that (crossing) is one
of the key parts of my game,” the
junior continued. “One of my
main strengths when I’m playing
is trying to be a man that can get
a cross in and normally, we’ve got
men on the end of the ball and we
get a lot of goals from that. It’s
whatever is best for the team in
that sense and crossing is good for
us.”
Creating chance after chance, it
seemed as if Hallahan would serve
as a hero in the closing minutes
once again. Dribbling along the
right edge of the box, Hallahan
wound up a shot only to have his
legs taken out by
the Penn State
goalkeeper.
“I took a bit
too
heavy
of
a touch, and I
wanted to get
a shot after it,”
Hallahan
said.
“At that point, I
tried to cross it
(but) the keeper
came
and
I
cramped up on my calf.”
As a result, Hallahan spiraled
into the wall, and a deafening
silence
ensued
around
the
stadium as he struggled to get
up. He eventually hobbled off his
injury and jogged back to the side
of the field that he had controlled
all night.
“He
carried
the
load
on
the field,” said
Michigan coach
Chaka Daley. “I
think (Hallahan)
got off to a hot
start
and
you
know, it’s a simple
equation.
Like
any other sport,
if someone’s hot,
give
them
the
ball. Let’s see if they can figure it
out. There’s no real coaching to
that.”
All
Daley
did
was
leave
Hallahan in for all 110 minutes,
the first time Hallahan has played
a full game this season. And with
a goal or assist in the last five out
of six games as well as a start
in the last four, it doesn’t look
like the Englishman will be
disappearing any time soon.
Seniors propel ‘M’ to impressive weekend
Fall tennis is a time for players
to get back into their groove and
tweak their game before the real
season starts. Because of that,
the Michigan women’s tennis
team is already in mid-season
form.
While most of the team
traveled
to
the
Miami
Invitational, two players — No.
18 senior Kate Fahey and No. 33
junior transfer Giulia Pairone —
were invited to the prestigious
Oracle ITA Masters in California.
“I think they try to take the
best player from each conference
and then send them out to
Malibu and then they kind of fill
the rest of the spots with at-large
bids,” said Michigan associate
head coach Teryn Ashley-Fitch.
“There’s a lot of good competition
out there. I would say it’s one of
the biggest events of the fall.”
And it didn’t take long for
Fahey to prove why she was
there.
Fahey made an impressive
run to the semifinals before
ultimately
falling
in
three
sets to Pepperdine’s No. 41
Evgeniya Levashova, 6-2, 1-6,
6-2. But it wasn’t an easy path
to get there — Fahey played four
singles matches in three days,
including a three-set thriller in
the quarterfinals where Fahey
fought off a match point to win
the third-set tiebreaker for the
match.
The
semifinals
became
a
familiar spot for Fahey as she
and her partner Stefan Milicevic
of Minnesota made it to the
semifinal round in the mixed
doubles draw. By random draw,
the pair was thrown together
and proved to be a dynamic duo.
They went 18-9 over the first
three matches before dropping
the semifinal match, 8-4.
Fahey
has
proved
herself
as Michigan’s top performer,
but due to some newfound
confidence, she is making a
bigger name for herself on the
national stage.
“She’s shown so much progress
on the court,” Ashley-Fitch said.
“And mentally, for sure, has
made some great improvements
and I think it’s helped her tennis.
I think she’s finally realizing that
to get the best out of her, she’s got
to be in a good frame of mind. I
think for me that was the biggest
takeaway from the weekend for
her.”
While Fahey’s fellow senior
Brienne Minor was across the
country in Miami, both women
are clearly leading the team by
example. At this point last year,
Minor was still recovering from
a knee surgery that sidelined
her for all of the fall season.
But the difference of a year can
be important as Minor took all
three matches over the weekend
without even dropping a set.
And while Minor won her
semifinal match, finals matches
were not held in the singles draw.
But two victories over top-100
ranked opponents and a clean
sheet on the weekend is enough
for Minor.
“She has a great weekend,”
said
Michigan
coach
Ronni
Bernstein. “I think for her, all
three matches (she) played really,
really well and kept her level up.
So, if we can get them from her as
we move into the fall and season,
you know to have her back at that
level would be great.
“So really excited for her and
she showed a lot of heart this
weekend. Competed hard against
three great kids, so definitely a
good weekend for her.”
While Fahey and Minor may
have been able to use their
experience
to
power
them
through
the
weekend,
the
Wolverines also feature many
fresh faces in the lineup who still
made an impact as well.
Pairone, a transfer student
from Arkansas, won her first-
round match before falling in
three sets. She battled to the end,
fighting off three match points
before succumbing to Winthrop’s
No.
26
Lauren
Proctor.
Sophomore Bella Lorenzini and
freshman Anca Craciun won all
three doubles matches in the B
draw to win the title.
And while Michigan had a
successful weekend, Bernstein
viewed this opportunity as more
than a chance to play tennis.
While fall tennis is often very
individual, due to the lack of
team scoring, Bernstein used the
occasion to let her team bond and
get used to each other. While the
veteran players impressed on the
court, Bernstein was much more
impressed with them off the
court.
“You know they’re cheering
for each other and supporting
each other,” Bernstein said. “It
felt like a team event even though
it wasn’t. And really the new kids
feeling comfortable — you know,
they’re away from home and have
only been here a couple weeks for
far, so they really got to know the
older kids on our team, so it was a
fun weekend.”
What you missed when you
left at halftime: Nebraska
Just like its last two games, the
Michigan football team had fans
leaving long before the game was
over against Nebraska on Saturday.
That’s because it was 39-0, and
the Cornhuskers had 17 total yards
in the first 30 minutes.
It only got uglier in the second
frame. But if you were at the game,
you probably left during the band
show and missed that part, opting
instead for a fulfilling postgame
nap.
So for your information, The
Daily breaks down what happened
after you left Saturday’s game at
halftime.
DPJ punt return touchdown
This was probably the most
exciting play of the entire game.
Sophomore
wide
receiver
Donovan Peoples-Jones has had
his fair share of struggles in the
punt-return game.
But on Saturday, Peoples-Jones
took his second career punt return
to the house.
Peoples-Jones caught it on
his own 40, sprinted to his right,
looped around the punt team,
cut back to the left, busted a final
defender with a spin move and
front-flipped into the end zone for
a 60-yard score.
“Donovan had a great —
has been blocking extremely
well,” said Michigan coach Jim
Harbaugh. “Showed up on the
punt return, there was some great
blocks there. Yeah, just, I thought
physically our team played well
today.”
The
play
was
fairly
meaningless,
as
the
game
was already out of hand. But
it did exhibit the continued
development of Peoples-Jones,
who has showed his ability in
the receiving game, but had yet
to break it out in the return game
this season.
McCaffrey
continues
to
impress
One of the more unsung
storylines of this season has
been the steadiness of redshirt
freshman
quarterback
Dylan
McCaffrey
in
the
backup
quarterback role.
He first came in against Notre
Dame and was surprisingly steady
while starter Shea Patterson
recovered from cramping issues.
Then, against Western Michigan,
McCaffrey threw his first career
touchdown on his only pass of the
game.
On
Saturday,
McCaffrey
continued his steadiness.
His first play, he went 75 yards
to the house on a read option play,
but it was called back because
of a holding penalty. No matter,
as McCaffrey still finished the
game 3-for-8 for 86 yards, 56 of
which came on a touchdown to
freshman receiver Ronnie Bell.
“Dylan continues to improve
every time he gets in,” Harbaugh
said. “That’s a position like all
the positions in football, but
especially quarterback, it takes
playing and having time on task
and being out there. And it — he’s
getting that. It doesn’t — it’s never
too big for him. I really like that
about Dylan. So, all good there.”
Aidan Hutchinson solid in
relief
Late in the first half, junior
defensive
end
Rashan
Gary
seemed to hurt his shoulder.
After that, freshman defensive
end Aidan Hutchinson came
in to replace him. And though
Hutchinson went down with
an injury for a short time, too,
he finished solidly with three
tackles, including one for a loss.
His most impressive stretch
came in the early fourth quarter.
First, the Cornhuskers handed
it off to running back Devine
Ozigbo, and Hutchinson squeezed
through the line and forced
Ozigbo to bounce outside, where
Hutchinson and junior VIPER
Khaleke Hudson wrestled him
down.
The play immediately after,
Nebraska
backup
quarterback
Andrew Bunch kept the ball on
a zone read and ran towards the
left.
The good, the bad and the ugly: ‘M’ vs. Nebraska
The good: I have to choose?
The Michigan football team
(1-0 Big Ten, 3-1 overall) was
as dominant as it has ever been
in Jim Harbaugh’s tenure on
Saturday — almost everything
that could have gone well in
the
Wolverines’
56-10
win
over Nebraska (0-1, 0-3), did.
Cornhuskers coach Scott Frost
acknowledged
it
was
rock
bottom for his squad and that
they got “whipped,” a stark
contrast from Frost claiming his
UCF team “outhit” Michigan in
a 37-point loss in 2016.
Shea Patterson once again
gave
Wolverine
fans
every
reason to keep smiling. The
junior quarterback completed
15 of 22 passes for 120 yards
and spearheaded the efficient
offense with an easy touchdown
throw to redshirt junior tight
end Zach Gentry. Perhaps more
reassuring was the performance
of backup quarterback Dylan
McCaffrey,
who
replaced
Patterson with 5:23 left in the
third quarter.
On his first snap, McCaffrey
flashed his wheels for a near
75-yard touchdown run, if not
for a holding call on Oliver
Martin. McCaffrey, later in the
drive, had a 17-yard run and
15-yard toss to Martin. The
redshirt freshman also threw a
dime into the hands of freshman
Ronnie Bell for a 56-yard score
— his first career reception. The
resounding performances were
in part due to a stable showing
by the offensive line, which only
surrendered one sack and one
hurry the whole afternoon.
In the blowout, the offense
reached far into the depth
chart;
Harbaugh
mentioned
that 78 players saw the field
Saturday. After senior running
back Karan Higdon finished his
business — 12 carries, 136 yards
and a touchdown — fullback Ben
Mason got three touchdowns
on six carries, and No. 3, 4 and
5 backs Tru Wilson, O’Maury
Samuels and Christian Turner
combined for 22 carries and 121
yards.
This depth wasn’t just help
to the offense, however. Senior
VIPER Jordan Glasgow, who
replaced Khaleke Hudson in the
first half because of a targeting
call last week, impressed with
a sack and hurry. The whole
defensive line got to Nebraska
quarterback Adrian Martinez
at will to collect four sacks
and four hurries. Overall, 27
defensemen recorded tackles
and kept the Cornhuskers out
of the endzone until the end of
garbage time.
“I thought our team played
very physical, in all phases,”
Harbaugh
said.
“Offensively,
defensively,
special
teams.
Showed up in a lot of the one-on-
one matchups, showed up in the
goal-line, short yardage football
on both sides.”
That plainly sums it up.
The bad: it doesn’t really
mean anything.
Michigan
hasn’t
won
against a team in the top 70 of
the S&P+ Ratings — a metric
that quantifies explosiveness,
efficiency, field position and
finishing drives. It has, however,
lost to Notre Dame, which ranks
11th — a better indicator of the
Wolverines’ future that features
four Top-20 teams.
So yes, Michigan has played
masterfully
the
past
three
weeks. But expectations over the
weaker slate were only slightly
below what the Wolverines have
shown on the field.
Thus, the question remains:
can Jim Harbaugh win a big
game with Michigan? The loss
to the Fighting Irish says more
about that possibility than wins
against Western Michigan, SMU
and Nebraska combined.
The coachspeak continues,
and Harbaugh will list all of
his players’ accomplishments
as usual. One question about
Higdon and Chris Evans evolved
into praise for Wilson, Turner,
Mason, Bell, McCaffrey, kicker
Quinn Nordin and punter Will
Hart.
“Good to see those other guys
getting play,” Harbaugh said.
“I don’t know if this is a record
or whatever, we played 78 guys
today. And not only good for the
morale of the team, but it’s good
for the progress of the team.”
Oh,
and
can
I
critique
Donovan Peoples-Jones’ 60-yard
punt return touchdown? He
spun way too early around the
Nebraska defender in pursuit.
The ugly: targeting … again.
It’s clear why junior VIPER
Khaleke Hudson was given a go
in a foregone game in the third
quarter. After missing the first
half of Saturday’s game because
of a targeting call last week,
Hudson could afford a few drives
so as to not be any bit rusty on
the road at Northwestern next
week.
But up 56-3 with seven
minutes
remaining,
Hudson
was inexplicably still on the
field. And again, the junior was
ejected for a clear targeting on
Nebraska quarterback Andrew
Bunch. If you’re Hudson, you
claim you never really look at
the scoreboard. But if you’re
Harbaugh, there is no good
reason to keep not only a starter,
but one of your best defenders
on the field.
Hudson will now miss the first
half of next week’s game. His
absence against the Wildcats
again shouldn’t prove to be
crucial, but it’s another deficient
element
of
the
Wolverines’
defense that has persisted.
Nordin also missed an extra
point Saturday. He made a
50-yard field goal and five
other extra points, too, but any
coach would rather not put one
thought into the extra point.
CARTER FOX/Daily
Senior Kate Fahey, No. 18 in the country, made a run to the semifinal round of the Oracle ITA Masters in California.
PAIGE VOEFFRAY
Daily Sports Editor
AKUL VIJAYVARGIYA
Daily Sports Writer
“I think that
(crossing) is one
of the key parts
of my game.”
“I think
(Hallahan)
got off to a hot
start...”
ETHAN WOLFE
Daily Sports Writer
KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh’s offense had a dominating performance Saturday that allowed 78 players see the field.
FOOTBALL
MIKE PERSAK
Managing Sports Editor
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