4B — Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
I
t was hard to walk into
Schembechler Hall on
Monday
afternoon
without
becoming
suffocated
by the
hoards
of media
members
and
television
cameras
lining the room. This week, the
vibe was noticeably different.
Michigan coach Jim
Harbaugh walked in and took
the podium. His answers
were terse. His tone was
monotonous. There were
no injury updates ahead of
Michigan State. There was no
discussion of the gameplan,
retrospectively nor predictive.
Sophomore fullback Ben
Mason may or may not be
injured. Junior defensive
lineman Rashan Gary may or
may not play.
Welcome to rivalry week, in
all its absurdity.
“I think we could all use
a break from the cliches
that have been plowed so
thoroughly on both sides,”
Harbaugh says.
Certainly that includes
last year’s
demoralizing
upset loss to
the Spartans
in the pouring
rain. No doubt
he’d like to
avoid discussing
his 1-5 record
against
Michigan
State and
Ohio State — a
figure firmly stamped into
this program’s present ethos.
No need for a reminder that
Michigan hasn’t beaten a
ranked opponent on the road
since 2006. Perhaps those
“cliches” include Mike Hart’s
infamous “little brother”
comment 10 years ago. There’s
no point in harping on the fact
that the Wolverines are 2-7 in
this matchup since that quip.
No one’s
getting a break
from those
“cliches.” Not
before Saturday
at noon. And
probably not
after.
This is
a big game
pragmatically;
No. 6 Michigan,
coming off a
blistering 38-13 win over then-
No. 15 Wisconsin, needs to
keep the foot on the gas pedal.
A loss Saturday would derail
the wind suddenly at the sails
of this program, not to mention
hope of a College Football
Playoff appearance.
This is a big game
rhetorically; the program is
at a tipping point this season
under Harbaugh. A win in East
Lansing would
do wonders for
the narrative
around the state
of the program.
This is a big
game. Period.
“Yes,”
Harbaugh said,
when asked
if there’s any
heightened
emotion this
week. “In-state rival. Big Ten
opponent. It always has (been
a big game), always is, always
will be.”
As Harbaugh departed into
meetings, media members
rushed to greet the players
made available. There, perched
ever-so-slightly above the
blockade of people, stood
fifth-year senior Lawrence
Marshall.
Reporters
find dozens of
different ways
to ask the same
thing. Marshall
finds dozens of
different ways
to provide the
same answer.
In what ways
is this week any
different for you
heading into
Michigan State? Or no?
“A lot of my friends went to
Michigan State, so it’s a lot of
tension there. But other than
that, this is a big game for us.”
Is there some playful trash-
talking?
“Of course there is.”
A lot of players have said this
game’s personal for them. Why
is there that chatter?
“This is a rivalry game, so
every rivalry
game is going to
be personal.”
Missing Paul
Bunyan?
“Yes. Of
course.”
The reporters
search for the
soundbite. The
player tip-toes
around it as best
he can. So on,
and so forth.
The practice is far from
surprising, of course. It’s
even understandable. This
type of visceral distaste —
the kind that is so plainly
evident between Michigan
and Michigan State players,
coaches and fans — is precisely
what makes college football
unique. The winner next
Saturday will stake a serious
claim for the Big Ten East
division, sure. But it will also
hold bragging rights for a year.
There’s a reason this week
feels different than any other.
It is different.
I wander over to linebacker
Josh Ross’s media scrum,
hoping for something to
fall into my lap beyond the
boilerplate back-and-forth I’ve
grown frustrated by.
That hope dissipates quickly.
How much does this game
mean to you?
“This rival is a big deal to me
and I’m ready to go.”
It’s friendly here. Are you
feeling any different? Emotions,
excitement, how are you feeling?
“I feel like it’s natural, going
into a game like this, to be super
excited.”
Are you feeling any more
excited going into this game?
“I wouldn’t say I’m more
excited or anxious. I know how
I feel about this game, and I
know the passion I have for this
game, and going into a game
against an in-state rival, can’t
beat it.”
I walk away, and look over
at the group
surrounding Tru
Wilson. I walk
leisurely toward
that area. Just as
I arrive, without
an ounce of
context on my
end, a reporter
asks Wilson a
question.
Why did you
get pet snakes if
you’re scared of them?
Welcome to rivalry week. In
all its absurdity.
Marcovitch can be reached
on Twitter at @Max_Marcovitch
or at maxmarco@umich.edu.
MAX
MARCOVITCH
EVAN AARON/Daily
Fifth-year senior defensive tackle Lawrence Marshall (#93) was asked about the importance of the Michigan State game at Monday’s media availability.
‘M’ notches two wins
After the huddled Michigan
field hockey offense broke apart,
freshman forward Tina D’Anjolell
jogged over to take the corner. The
rest of the offense spread around
the top of the arc — one player on
the near side, three at the top and
one on the far side. All throughout
the game the Wolverines would
pass the ball to the top of the circle
on corners, but not this time.
D’Anjolell gave the ball to
senior forward Emma Way at the
near side, catching the Ball State
defense off guard. Taking the open
shot, Way slapped a shot low and
hard to the far post, bouncing off
the top of the goalkeeper’s foot and
into the goal.
Way’s goal was the fifth of six
in Michigan’s Sunday afternoon
6-0 route over an outmatched
Cardinals team. The resounding
victory,
coupled
with
Friday
night’s
conference
win
over
rival Michigan State, brings the
Wolverines’ record to 11-5 (6-1 Big
Ten).
The match on Friday, though,
didn’t come as easily as the win did
Sunday. The struggling Spartans
(4-12, 0-7) managed to hold
Michigan to only one goal late in
the second half — even when the
Wolverines dominated the game
— leading to a close 1-0 victory over
Michigan State.
“I thought we played really well,
just the Michigan State goalkeeper
was phenomenal in that match,
which kept them in the game,” said
Michigan coach Marcia Pankratz.
“But I thought our structure was
good, our midfield play was good, I
thought we had really outstanding
shots on goal, and when you have a
strong goalie sometimes that’s the
way it goes.”
The Wolverines managed eight
shots on goal compared to zero for
the Spartans. Michigan also edged
Michigan State in penalty corners
by six to four.
Carrying their control over the
game into Sunday, the Wolverines
outclassed the visiting Ball State
team in every way. Michigan had
20 shots on goal, the Cardinals
had one. The Wolverines had 14
penalty corners, Ball State had one.
The Cardinals had one moment in
the 70-minute game where they
flirted with the possibility of a goal,
but it was quickly expelled by a
capable Michigan defense. It was
clear that the difference between
the two games, though, was the
Wolverine’s ability to finish.
“It’s always a goal to finish and
I think the last couple of games we
had we had a couple of issues with
it,” said freshman forward Maya
Gompers. “That’s something we’ve
been working a lot in practice on.
Obviously we did a lot better with
that today and we had a lot of
shots off — which is another one of
our goals — so I think we did that
pretty well today.”
Gompers, an Ann Arbor native,
got her first career goal Sunday off
a rebound from a penalty corner —
a theme for Michigan. Three of the
Wolverines’ six goals came from
penalty corners, and most of their
chances did, too.
“This
year
we’re
doing
something different, we’re kind
of calling the corners based on
what we see with their defense
coming out,” said senior forward
Emma Way. “Today we had a lot
of new players coming in, so kind
of figuring out where each of them
were to go was crucial today, but
we just have a plethora of options —
we just choose one and go with it.”
Way scored her 15th and 16th
goal Sunday, too, even as Michigan
played every single player available
— giving players like Gompers
the opportunity to score her first
career goal. Opportunities like
that don’t come very often, but
when they do, there is always a
celebration by everyone involved
with the team.
“I think being able to get
everybody into the game, get some
experience,” said Pankratz. “It’s
always good to get the younger
kids some more game experience
so they can get sharp and be able to
help us into the tournament. That
was the best part. It was a nice
team win.”
And as the Wolverines look
forward to their next challenge — a
game against Ohio State — and even
further toward the tournament
season, games like Sunday’s will
not come often, sweetening the
memories.
FIELD HOCKEY
KENT SCHWARTZ
For the Daily
Ambry Thomas feels ‘hate’ for Michigan State
The old adage about in-state
rivalries says the implications
of a loss extend far beyond a
single game. Sometimes, the
worst part of defeat is hearing
about it until the next contest is
played.
Ambry
Thomas
is
quite
familiar with that concept.
The sophomore corner was
on the losing end of last year’s
matchup between the Michigan
football team and Michigan
State. As an in-state product,
Thomas was reminded of the
upset with each visit back home.
“Every time I go to Detroit,”
Thomas said. “Every time. So
often.”
Thomas knows “a lot” of
Spartans from Martin Luther
King High School, where he
established his long-standing
friendship with Michigan State
linebacker Tyriq Thompson.
That has made him especially
eager for this Saturday’s battle
between
the
sixth-ranked
Wolverines and 24th-ranked
Spartans.
“This week, I’ve been getting
a lot of messages,” Thomas
said.
“Tyriq
Thompson,
he
sent me a video.
I just liked it.
(I) let him know
we’re
coming,
though.
“It was just a
recent exchange
in a saga of trash
talk between the
two.
Recently,
Thomas
found
a picture of him stiff-arming
Thompson and decided it would
make for good wall decoration.
When Thompson saw it, he
reminded
his
friend,
“I’m
coming for you this year.”
While rivalry fuels their
relationship now, the two were
nearly
college
teammates.
Thomas
was
recruited
by
Michigan State and admits that
many thought he’d eventually
take his talents to East Lansing.
His friendships with current
players
like
Thompson,
in
fact, made turning down the
Spartans “tough.”
But now that Thomas is at
Michigan — a decision he says
he’s happy with — he doesn’t
consider
what
could
have
been.
Though
he
grew
up
without a strong
allegiance
to
either
side,
Thomas
has
certainly
developed
feelings
about
the
rivalry
while
playing
for the Wolverines.
“I don’t really think about
that
school
(any)
more,”
Thomas said. “I just think about
beating them.
“Right now, I’m feeling the
hate in my heart. I just want
to get after them. We got
disrespected last year.”
Thomas figures to have a
larger impact this time around,
however. He saw his first snap at
wide receiver against Western
Michigan on Sept. 8, officially
expanding
his
role
beyond
backup
corner
and
kickoff
returns — duties to which he
was limited last season.
It was an opportunity that
Thomas had longed to receive.
“Right
after
Notre
Dame
game,
(coach
Jim
Harbaugh)
told me in the
front of the team
like,
‘Ambry,
how do you feel
about
playing
offense?’”
Thomas said. “I
got real excited.
I was like, ‘Yeah,
put me in there.’ ”
Though his stats are limited
— two catches for five yards
and one catch for 11 — he has
become a useful wrinkle in
Harbaugh’s offense. As one
of the team’s fastest players,
Thomas is used frequently
as
a
jet-sweep
threat.
Sometimes,
he
causes
just
enough hesitation in opposing
defenses to open opportunities
elsewhere.
Six games in, Thomas feels
like offense is coming more
naturally to him.
“Probably just seeing the
game speed and all of that —
I’m acclimated to it,” Thomas
said. “Just getting the ball, I
can really just
play instead of
doing what the
coaches tell me
like, ‘run here,
run there.’ I’ve
opened up my
vision more.
“It’s
a
lot
(playing
all
three sides of
the ball), but
I’m
tough.
I
came here for the challenge.
I’m just ready for work.”
That’s the kind of confidence
Thomas carries into Saturday’s
matchup. He has experienced
the disappointment of losing
to Michigan State — and the
year of grief that comes with it.
Now, Thomas is trying to make
sure that doesn’t happen again.
“It’s just a high-emotional
game for me,” Thomas said.
“And I’m ready.”
Welcome to rivalry week, in all its absurdity
EVAN AARON/Daily
Sophomore cornerback Ambry Thomas said he feels ‘hate’ for Michigan State ahead of Saturday’s game.
MARK CALCAGNO
Daily Sports Editor
“I think we
could all use a
break from the
cliches.”
“A lot of my
friends went
to Michigan
State.”
“I wouldn’t
say I’m more
excited or
anxious.”
“Every time I
go to Detroit.
Every time. So
often.”
“It’s just a high-
emotional game
for me. And I’m
ready.”
The sophomore cornerback has a close friendship with a Spartan linebacker