The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, October 10, 2018 — 7A
Wangler proves progress with first touchdown
With a little more than six
and a half minutes left in the
fourth quarter of the Michigan
football
team’s
win
over
Maryland on Saturday, Jared
Wangler trotted onto the field
and into the offensive huddle.
Per usual, the fifth-year
senior fullback was joined by
his position partner, sophomore
Ben
Mason.
And
while
Wangler knew
there
were
a
variety
of
plays
that
could be run
with
both
fullbacks,
it
wasn’t
until
junior
quarterback
Shea Patterson
called the play that Wangler
knew he was going to score.
Moments
later,
the
12th-ranked Wolverines broke
the huddle. Patterson got the
snap, and he faked to Mason
while Wangler leaked into the
flat. Patterson rolled out and
hit Wangler near the goal line,
who fell into the endzone with
the ball.
“When I caught it, I didn’t
really know if I was in the
endzone
or
not,”
Wangler
said. “But when I saw the
blue endzone, that’s just kind
of when I knew. And then,
obviously, I got pretty juiced
up after that. I was pretty
excited.”
That’s when the celebrations
began. First, as Wangler said,
he got juiced up, yelling into
the Michigan Stadium crowd
while his teammates mobbed
him in the corner of the
endzone.
Then he made his way to
Michigan’s sideline, where he
was met by all the players who
have known him over the last
five years, going crazy for a
fifth-year senior’s first career
touchdown.
Wangler’s
brother,
Jack
Wangler, who played for the
Wolverines from 2013 to 2017,
had made his way down to the
front row. Wangler celebrated
with
him,
too,
for
good
measure.
“It was awesome to see
that,” said senior wide receiver
Grant Perry, who played with
Jared in middle school. “You
know, he’s worked so hard, and
it was just really
happy.
All
the
guys were really
happy for him.”
Wangler’s first
touchdown isn’t
exactly a shocker
— he has played
increasingly
more
snaps
as
the season has
advanced.
Still, even with
the rest of the season to go, the
play gave Wangler somewhat
of a punctuation on a career
that has been anything but
routine.
Wangler,
whose
dad,
John,
is
a
former
Wolverinesquarterback, came
to Michigan as a three-star
safety.
Since then, Wangler has
gone through the firing of
Brady Hoke — the coach he
committed to — a position
change to fullback and even
a knee injury over this past
summer.
All that turmoil has driven
Wangler in to work harder, to
prove he belongs.
“It feeds in a lot,” Wangler
said.
“You
know, you go
through
the
ups and downs,
you don’t quite
play as much as
you anticipate
on, like, early
on
in
your
career.
And,
yeah, it’s just
something that
sticks to you.
You really want to be out there
and contribute for the team,
and you’re in here busting
your butt every day just like
everyone else. So yeah, that’s
something that plays into it.”
One of the unknown pieces
of turmoil for Wangler was
revealed
on
Tuesday
via
Wangler’s Instagram account.
He
posted
a
picture
of
himself
celebrating
in
the
endzone
with
Mason,
captioned, “ ‘You will never
play here at Michigan’ -DJ
Durkin (2015)”
Durkin is the Terrapins’ head
coach — though he is currently
on administrative leave — and
was the Wolverines’ defensive
coordinator in 2015.
“I guess it’s
just something I
appreciated that
he did for me
early on in my
career, was, you
know,
he
was
tough on me,”
Wangler
said.
“He’s
a
tough
coach.
That’s
just kind of his
style.
So
that
quote just kind of always stuck
with me in my head, and that’s
just one of those things, like
I mentioned earlier, you just
have to prove people wrong.
So, you know, I appreciated
that, that he gave me that extra
incentive.”
MIKE PERSAK
Managing Sports Editor
AARON BAKER/Daily
Fifth-year senior fullback Jared Wangler scored his first career touchdown against Maryland on Saturday.
“When I caught
it, I didn’t really
know if I was in
the end zone.”
“I appreciated
that, that he gave
me that extra
incentive.”
Nothing much has changed after slow start
It’s a case of expectations
versus reality.
One would expect the No.
4 Michigan hockey team to
beat a Vermont team that went
10-20-7 last season. But reality
says otherwise.
Similarly, one might expect
the
Wolverines’
in-practice
adjustments
to
address
struggles seen in the opening
game of the season.
Well, reality, once again,
says
otherwise.
Nothing’s
really
changed.
Attitudes,
maybe,
but
Michigan
is
sticking to its system, trusting
that the problems that surfaced
during
the
loss
will
sort
themselves out through time
and experience.
“I
really
don’t
think
anything needs to be changed
to be honest with you,” said
sophomore center Josh Norris.
“Compete has been one of
the things mentioned a lot
by (Pearson) and I know its
something he takes a lot of
pride in, and that’s how he
wants the team to play, so I
think as long as we’re really
competitive
every
night,
I
think we have
enough talent for
the rest to take
care of itself.”
The
only
difference
in
the team, which
showed in the
Wolverines’
rebound game on
Sunday
against
Waterloo,
is
the
demeanor.
They’ve
seen
rough
starts
before, so it’s nothing new.
Instead, they’re focusing on
shaking off the rust and getting
acclimated to the systems in
place that had propelled them
to success late last season.
“I think it takes a little bit to
get used to in a game situation,”
said junior defensemen Griffin
Luce. “And obviously we got
surprised there a little bit quick
early. After that we showed
more growth, like you watch
the second period, we didn’t
give up any goals there, and the
third
period,
we gave up one
and the empty
netter,
but
I
think
it
was
pretty evident
our
defensive
zone got better
through
the
game.”
Luce added:
“It was a little
bit of a learning
curve for some guys.”
So, despite the loss, the
status quo stayed the same.
Practice didn’t need to be
changed. It was the attitude
that did it. It was the verbal
cues. It was the intensity the
team practiced with.
“We’re
playing
to
our
system, which is how we want
to play. Being on them quick.
Being aggressive,” Luce said.
And it’s the things that don’t
need
practice
that
require
the most repetition. There
were
defensive
drills,
like
every practice, but it was the
communication during those
drills that was stressed — one
of the things Luce thought
factored in the team’s loss.
You can see defensive zone
drills, but you have to hear the
verbal cues to understand the
difference from last week’s
practice.
“Making
sure
that
everyone’s
communicating
and on the same page in the
defensive zone so that we can
have a rock solid defense like
we want,” Luce said. “Because
we think that’s going to be
the backbone of the team, and
because offense comes off of
defense, we need to sharpen up
defensively and tighten up for
sure.”
KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Junior defenseman Griffin Luce saw progress in Michigan’s defensive play throughout the periods of its season-opening loss to Vermont on Saturday.
TIEN LE
Daily Sports Writer
“I really don’t
think anything
needs to be
changed...”
Michigan practiced just the same as usual this week despite losing season opener
‘M’ defense makes it a
contender in the B1G
Michigan was knocked from
atop the Big Ten standings
Sunday afternoon when No. 2
Indiana (10-2 overall, 4-0 Big
Ten) came to town.
The 2017 national runner-
up defeated the fourteenth-
ranked
Wolverines
(8-2-1, 3-1-1), 1-0, behind a
clinical
offensive
display
and a resolute and organized
defensive
performance.
Though the game was evenly
contested,
ultimately,
the
Hoosiers
were
just
better
when they had to be.
“That was a pretty even,
50-50 game,” said Michigan
coach Chaka Daley. “They’re
a pretty good team. There’s a
reason there’s a number one on
their jersey, but we’re a good
team, too. That’s my takeaway.
There’s no doubt we were
challenged though.”
For
the
Wolverines,
a
noticeable bright spot was
their
defense.
Indiana’s
goal was scored off a broken
Michigan attack where the
full-backs were upfield, leaving
the
remaining
defenders
exposed at the back. The
Hoosiers effectively worked
their man advantage, and Rece
Buckmaster placed it in the
only spot he could have, beating
sophomore goalkeeper Henry
Mashburn to the far-post.
In
the
first
half,
the
Wolverine defense thwarted
countless Indiana attacks and
dealt aptly with a barrage of
crosses from Hoosier wingers.
The centerback pairing of
senior Daniel Mukuna and
sophomore
Jackson
Ragen
seemingly didn’t put a foot
wrong,
making
critical
tackles within their box. The
success
and
reliability
of
this partnership has been a
developing trend for Michigan
throughout this season and is
one of the reasons the team
held the top position in the Big
Ten prior to Sunday’s game.
“They’re great players,” said
junior attacker Jack Hallahan.
“When someone scores a goal
on them, they’re absolutely
gutted and that shows a lot
about their character. Those
guys work really hard.”
Emphasis
on
“when
someone scores on them.” The
Wolverines have allowed just
seven goals in 11 games this
season, and contributed to
five clean sheets. Ragen and
Mukuna started at the back in
all of these contests.
The two dependable and
physically imposing central
defenders
are
flanked
normally
by
seniors
Peter
Brown and Marcello Borges,
though versatile sophomore
Austin Swiech has also seen
significant time at full-back.
This continuity at the back has
had a favorable effect on the
team as a whole.
“I think it’s really nice,”
Hallahan said. “Especially as
an attacker knowing we have
such a solid defense behind
us. It gives us the freedom up
front to be creative.”
Despite
the
success,
Michigan’s stellar defensive
performances will have to
continue if it hopes to rebound
from the loss against Indiana.
The Wolverine attack was
ineffective against a superior
opponent like the Hoosiers,
especially when they packed it
in late in the game.
Michigan’s
remaining
schedule doesn’t get any easier
with No. 15 Notre Dame and
No. 13 Michigan State still to
come. The Wolverines will
rely heavily on their defense,
like they did against Indiana,
to keep them in these games.
“We got this opportunity
and we played a team of that
caliber
now,”
Daley
said.
“Going
down
the
stretch,
we know what we are, and
what we can continue to do
and build upon. Learned a lot
today, for sure.”
CONNOR BRENNAN
Daily Sports Writer
MEN’S SOCCER
Despite strong defense,
Michigan defeated, 1-0
In a matchup of the Big Ten’s
top two teams, the No. 14 Michigan
men’s soccer team fell to No. 2
Indiana in a defensive battle that
ended with a final score of 1-0.
Michigan (8-2-1 overall, 3-1-1 Big
Ten), which entered the game riding
a nine-game unbeaten streak, looked
upon its defense to halt the Indiana
attack, and through the majority
of the game the back line held
strong. But Indiana (10-2-0, 4-0-0)
only needed one defensive lapse to
capitalize.
Ten minutes into the second half,
following 55 minutes of organized
and composed defending by the
Wolverines, the Hoosiers earned
their chance to break the scoreless
game open. Indiana midfielder
Griffen Dorsey made a run into
Michigan’s third of the field and
slipped past two defenders to find
midfielder Rece Buckmaster trailing
behind in open space. With nobody
marking him, Buckmaster fired
the ball into the bottom corner of
the net, past Michigan sophomore
goalkeeper
Henry
Mashburn’s
outstretched glove.
“In our moment of — if you call it
a moment of weakness, it’s not really
a moment of weakness — (Dorsey)
does a good job,” said Michigan
coach Chaka Daley. “He’s a big-time
player, (he) tucks in, beats a guy, skips
by (sophomore defender Jackson
Ragen) and sets (Buckmaster) over
here and he scores a great goal.”
Despite giving up the goal,
Michigan’s
defense
remained
composed
and
organized
throughout the game. Ragen and
senior defender Daniel Mukuna
were especially impressive; both
consistently
making
well-timed
tackles,
blocks
and
clearances
that stalled Indiana’s attack time
and time again, while both senior
Marcello Borges and sophomore
Austin Swiech did a good job of
containing Indiana’s attack on the
wings. Mashburn also had a solid
game, tallying four saves.
Indiana’s back line found a way,
however, to outshine Michigan’s and
conceded no space for the attack to
create meaningful chances. There
were moments when Michigan
tested the Hoosier defense, but these
occasions were extinguished.
“Down the stretch, while we
had a lot of the ball, while we put
them under duress, I don’t know if
we really gave them a ton of, what
I would call, stress or working
the goalkeeper late in the game,”
Daley said. “Although we had a lot
of the ball, and we started to put
it in, I think they did a good job of
protecting the lead…But certainly
we’re disappointed we didn’t find a
way today.”
Overall, the match was well-
balanced and competitive until
the final whistle. Neither team
dominated possession early on, as
both played back-and-forth with
each defense curtailing attacking
chances. Indiana’s counter-attack
showed flashes of danger at times,
but the Wolverines maintained their
shape and protected the net — until
the goal in the 55th minute.
After Indiana scored, though,
Michigan adjusted its attack to be
more proactive. With more urgency,
the Wolverines got the ball into the
box and did what they could, but
Indiana conceded few opportunities
other than a handful of chances that
failed to test sophomore goalkeeper
Trey Muse.
“There’s nothing to improve
upon, except just staying sharper,
you know what I mean, in those big
moments,” Daley said. “They played
in the national final, they have
five redshirt seniors, eight seniors
starting.
“When you kind of knock it down,
it’s a pretty experienced group, and
we had our way at ‘em. We had a go
at them. They found a way today, and
that’s what, you know, experience
will do sometimes, and we’ll get
better as a result of this.”
MEN’S SOCCER
COLIN MCGRATH
For the Daily