The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, September 26, 2018 — 7A
Back from heart surgery, Beilein looks for normalcy
John Beilein nearly didn’t get
a stress test.
He skipped it the first time
— he had to go recruiting.
He didn’t want to get on the
treadmill, and he certainly
didn’t intend to come back to
the doctor’s office after leaving
that day.
“Sort of the way I live my
life,” Beilein said. “I was in the
middle of it, and I had the first
part of my physical — I always
do it at the end of the year — and
they said, ‘Well, it’s time for the
stress test.’ I said, ‘Well, I only
got 30 minutes, I gotta catch a
flight.’
“So they said, ‘Well, let’s do
it later,’ and I actually wasn’t
going to do it.”
He did, and the test showed
he
needed
a
double-bypass
surgery.
He
underwent
a
successful procedure on Aug.
6, missing the Michigan men’s
basketball team’s trip to Spain
as a result.
So, when Beilein sat at the
podium Tuesday afternoon, let
out a smile and said, “It’s great
to be here,” it felt like he meant
it.
He joked about spending
more time on Twitter, not
participating in a simulated
airplane crash, getting a lot of
reading
done,
watching
the
Cardinals
get
hot.
Still,
he
seems
pretty
active
for
someone
who
had
his
chest
opened
up
less
than
two
months ago.
Beilein
said
he was walking
five miles a day with his wife,
Kathleen, within a week of the
surgery. He’s back in practices
and plans to coach in both
the
Wolverines’
closed-door
scrimmage at Toledo on Oct.
27 and their exhibition game
against Northwood on Nov.
2. Ditto for the Nov. 6 season
opener.
When the team returned
from Spain, Beilein eased back
into things. He met with the
five-man freshman class on
the first day back, according
to junior point guard Zavier
Simpson, then the rest of the
team a couple days later.
“He actually
wasn’t
vocal
at all, he was
kinda just saying
a
few
things
and
stepping
out of the way,”
Simpson
said.
“Not
yelling,
maybe
one
or
two
sentences,
stepping out of
the way.”
For five brief minutes, when
Beilein was told he needed
surgery, there was a discussion
as to whether or not the team
should go to Spain at all. Beilein
was all for it, installing assistant
coach Saddi Washington as the
interim head coach and sending
his team on its way.
Michigan ended up going 1-2
in three games against European
competition, a worse result
against far better competition
than in Italy in 2014. Though
Beilein missed time with the
freshmen, it hasn’t been hard to
catch up. He’s largely stayed in
Ann Arbor instead of traveling
to recruit and can spend four
instead of two hours per week
with the players.
Right now, ask around and
the only tangible basketball
impact of Beilein’s surgery is
that he has taken a backseat
in practices, unable to yell the
way he might normally. The
assistant coaches have picked
up the slack in his stead.
“I feel like they all have a
piece of their own pie — piece of
the pizza,” Simpson said. “I feel
like (DeAndre Haynes) is more
of a player type of coach, that
comes to you and compliments
you or tells you things you could
have done individually. And
(Luke Yaklich) is extremely
loud. He is extremely loud. Yak
is definitely extremely loud.
“And Saddi’s just more the
kind of mature one, that wraps
up and summarizes everything.
He’s the one who — he’s the one
who’s kind of like the Coach B
when Coach B isn’t there. He
kind of takes over, he does —
he’s not really a yeller, he’s not
quiet. He’s just saying things to
regroup us as a team, he’s just
probably the most vocal one.”
Added Beilein: “I just stand
in the middle and sort of talk,
probably the way a lot of coaches
do coach.”
By the time Beilein finished
taking
questions
—
having
moved on from his own health
to the progress of sophomore
shooting guard Jordan Poole
and
comparing
freshman
forward
Ignas
Brazdeikis
to Scott Ungerer, a player
he
coached
at
Richmond
from 1998-2002 — you could
almost mistake it for a normal
circumstance.
If Beilein has his way, come
Nov. 6, it will be just that.
EVAN AARON/Daily
Michigan coach John Beilein has returned to coaching after going through double-bypass surgery on Aug. 6.
ETHAN SEARS
Daily Sports Writer
One play away, McCaffrey stays prepared
Football giveth and football
taketh away.
Dylan
McCaffrey
is
the
newest
member
of
the
Michigan football team to learn
the maxim.
The
redshirt
freshman
quarterback entered Saturday’s
game
against
Nebraska
after
the Wolverines’
starters built up
a 46-3 lead late
into the third
quarter.
On his first
play, McCaffrey
dropped
back,
side-stepped
and saw a path
down the left
sideline to run
with abandon. McCaffrey saw
nothing but green in front of
him,
even
adding
distance
between
himself
and
the
defensive back in pursuit into
the endzone. But a holding
penalty on redshirt freshman
receiver Oliver Martin that
sealed the edge for McCaffrey
erased the most electric play of
his young career.
“In all honesty, I didn’t
think it was holding at all, so I
just told him that,” McCaffrey
said. “He agreed, but he was
bummed like anyone would be.”
McCaffrey wasted no time
making up for it. He threw
two 15-yard throws on rollouts
and had a 17-yard scamper
on that same drive to set up a
field goal. The next drive, he
dropped a dime
into the hands
of
freshman
wide
receiver
Ronnie Bell for
a 56-yard score.
It’s
give
and
take.
“Dylan
continues
to
improve
every
time he gets in,”
said
Michigan
coach
Jim
Harbaugh. “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.”
A few weeks prior, Harbaugh
lauded his demeanor more
succinctly — “coolness.” It was
on full display in the season
opener against No. 8 Notre
Dame after Shea Patterson
departed the game with leg
cramps in the fourth quarter.
With Michigan within two
scores,
McCaffrey
entered
a game for the first time in
his college career — let alone
at a critical juncture — and
completed four
of
six
passes
before Patterson
returned.
“Right away,
you could tell
he
brought
confidence
to
the
huddle,”
said
redshirt
junior tight end
Zach
Gentry.
“He
hadn’t
skipped a beat,
he completed some passes, did
what he needed to do. … You can
never really tell if he’s nervous.
He talks really steady and just
makes plays.”
Assumed backup Brandon
Peters was injured prior to that
game, making McCaffrey the de
facto No. 2 quarterback. And he
ran with it, cementing himself
as the next man up during
garbage time in the Wolverines’
following
three
contests.
Through three appearances,
McCaffrey has compiled just
126 yards and two touchdowns,
but a poise that has excited
Michigan faithful.
From
the
sidelines,
McCaffrey has reconciled his
position — perpetually waiting
in line — with a quote from his
coach.
“Coach
Harbaugh
actually
said
something at the
end of practice
the other day
that
really
stuck with me
personally,”
McCaffrey
noted. “He said,
‘It’s
better
to
be
prepared
and not get your opportunity
then it is to be unprepared and
get your opportunity.’ I think
that’s just something you’ve
gotta live by. You don’t wanna
go out there and have no idea
what you’re doing.
“... It’s just one of those
things you’ve gotta prepare like
you’re one play away because,
frankly, you are.”
It’s
why
McCaffrey
continually does what he refers
to as “mental reps.” Last year,
as a member of the scout team,
McCaffrey
would
listen
to
what plays were being called
on the sideline, double-check
with the play calls listed on his
wristband and evaluate what
he would do as the plays would
unfold on the field.
Following Harbaugh’s words,
results from his preparedness
have been positive so far this
season.
“Dylan’s come a long way,”
Gentry said. “I know that’s
one of the guys that stays after
practice a lot and gets route
timing with extra guys, gets
some extra reps.”
McCaffrey still has ways
to go before finding himself
in the lead role. It probably
won’t happen while Patterson
is still here. But either way
he’ll be prepared, even if the
opportunity never comes.
ETHAN WOLFE
Daily Sports Writer
KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Redshirt freshman quarterback Dylan McCaffrey has compiled 126 yards and two touchdowns in three appearances.
In fifth season, Marshall
finally getting chance
The Michigan football team
left no doubt with a 46-point win
over Nebraska. The Wolverines
dictated both sides of the ball
throughout Saturday, racking up
nearly 500 yards while collecting
14 tackles-for-loss defensively.
It makes it easy to forget what
could’ve been.
After a 32-yard pass play
early in the first quarter, the
Cornhuskers fooled senior VIPER
Jordan Glasgow with a read-
pass-option, leaving receiver J.D.
Spielman completely uncovered
on a slant pattern. A completion
might’ve gone the distance with
Glasgow so out of position.
But just as Adrian Martinez
set to throw, fifth-year senior
defensive
tackle
Lawrence
Marshall stuck up his left arm
and batted the pass into the hands
of junior safety Josh Metellus. It
was a critical play — Michigan
turned a potential defensive
miscue into a touchdown drive
shortly thereafter.
“I read it was a pass, and
(defensive
line
coach
Greg)
Mattison always says ‘get your
hands up,’ ” Marshall said during
Tuesday’s press conference. “I
got my hands up, got a piece of the
ball — wish I had gotten the pick.”
Though Marshall didn’t get
his wish, it was one of the most
significant plays of his long but
limited time with the Wolverines.
Briefly a four-star Ohio State
recruit before committing to
Brady Hoke’s staff in 2013,
Marshall had just 11 career
tackles at the end of last season.
And after undergoing a move
from defensive end to the interior,
his future at Michigan seemed
murky.
But in the loss of Maurice
Hurst,
Marshall
saw
an
opportunity.
“I felt like with Mo Hurst
(graduated) the spot was open,”
Marshall said. “I wasn’t gonna
walk away. A lot of guys second-
guess their skills, and they go
someplace else in a lower division.
I told myself, ‘I can play here.
There’s no doubt in my mind.’ ”
Naturally however, Marshall
did have his moments of doubt.
“You really be like, ‘Man, am
I really good?’ ” Marshall said.
“Or you really start thinking and
second-guessing your skills. For
myself, I just kept going through
it, trying to get better and better.”
Marshall said he’s adjusted to
defensive tackle by remembering
what Hurst did in his Michigan
tenure — in addition to watching
Hurst’s current tape with the
Oakland Raiders. That, combined
with an entire summer dedicated
solely to refining interior line
technique, has Marshall feeling
more confident than ever.
“I
really
started
feeling
comfortable this year,” Marshall
said. “Fall camp (is) when I
really got my feet wet. Last year,
I understood it, but I didn’t know
how to play it right.
“I know the game much better
now. Just looking at how Mo
played and just coming off the
ball fast, reading my keys and
knowing what the offensive line’s
gonna do. I’m looking at the splits.
I can tell if it’s a tight split, most
likely you’re gonna get double-
teamed.”
The work paid off when
Marshall received his first career
start at Notre Dame. Rotating
with juniors Carlo Kemp and
Michael
Dwumfour
in
the
absence of sophomore Aubrey
Solomon, his group has become
more productive by the week.
Marshall hasn’t had the career
he
probably
expected
when
committed to Michigan. But six
years later, his efforts are finally
getting rewarded with consistent
snaps.
“I didn’t play my freshman or
sophomore year, barely played
my junior year,” Marshall said.
“Really started to see the field my
senior year. It’s just perseverance
— just keep going through it. I
started my first game my fifth
year.
“It’s amazing really getting the
chance to play. Showing my skills
on the field is a great feeling.”
FOOTBALL
MARK CALCAGNO
Daily Sports Editor
“I said, ‘I only
got 30 minutes,
I gotta catch a
flight.’ ”
“Dylan
continues to
improve every
time he gets in.”
“He talks
really steady
and just makes
plays.”
Wolverines top Buckeyes
in dominant fashion, 3-1
The field was opening up for
the Michigan men’s soccer team.
Senior midfielder Ivo Cerda’s
inspired run from the center line
into the box culminated in a pass
played into the feet of sophomore
forward Umar Farouk Osman.
Osman skillfully held up the ball
and nudged it to Jack Hallahan
standing right on the edge of the
18-yard line.
The junior attacker chopped
the ball back onto his right foot
and unleashed a curling shot into
the top corner.
“I knew that a guy was behind
me,” Hallahan said. “I saw his
shadow come in, so I chopped
it
backwards
knowing
I
would beat him
— knowing the
keeper was set off
guard, so I had a
go and got lucky.”
If
the
Wolverines
(2-0-1 Big Ten,
6-1-1
overall)
sat
comfortably
before, now with
a three-goal advantage, they
switched into cruise control
against Ohio State (0-2-1,1-6-2). So
much so that the Buckeyes were
able to pull one back in the dying
embers of the game, making the
final scoreline 3-1, in Michigan’s
favor.
The Wolverines maintained
control
throughout.
Senior
defender Daniel Mukuna headed
home a corner kick from Hallahan
in the 21st minute to open the
scoring.
Prior to the end of the first half
though, Mother Nature made her
presence known. The teams had
to endure a 50-minute lightning
delay before they could finish out
the remaining 4:18.
“We waited,” said Michigan
coach Chaka Daley. “But as soon
as we figured out the timing, we
just kinda went back in and said,
‘Hey, we don’t want to have a lull
after the long break. Let’s get out
and focus on getting things right.’
Passing the ball properly and
getting back to competing as well
as we did in the first half.”
Half-time was shortened to
just two minutes and when play
resumed, the Wolverines picked
up right where they left off.
Ohio State’s occasional spell
of possession was cut out by the
Michigan backline while the few
chances the Buckeyes had early
in the second half amounted to
nothing. At the same time, the
Wolverines hung onto their one-
goal lead and would’ve liked
insurance.
With
frustrations
mounting
on
both sides, the
game
became
somewhat
chippy.
Players
on each team
received yellow
cards and free
kicks
became
frequent.
The
rising
pressure
was
alleviated
for
Michigan in the 74th minute when
Osman capitalized on a rebound
opportunity, neatly placing it past
the Ohio State goalkeeper.
The remaining 15 minutes,
though eventful, proved fairly
easy for the Wolverines, who
now turn their attention to the
meat of their schedule against
powerhouses No. 2 Indiana, No. 5
Michigan State and No. 20 Notre
Dame.
“Not every game is going to be
comfortable late in the game at
3-0, so we want to make sure we
have good habits and continue to
build,” Daley said. “The strength
of our schedule is to come — the
challenge is in front of us. We’re
up for it, there is no question about
it.”
MEN’S SOCCER
CONNOR BRENNAN
Daily Sports Writer
“We’re up for
it, there is no
question about
it.”