8 — Thursday, October 18, 2018
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Warriner with different perspective on Saturday’s game

Saturday will be nothing new 
for Ed Warriner. 
In fact, there’s not much 
anymore 
that 
is 
new 
for 
Warriner. 
Michigan’s 
offensive 
line 
coach 
remembers 
coaching 
as a graduate assistant in the 
Michigan-Michigan 
State 
rivalry 
“30-something 
years 
ago.” 
Now he’s on the other side 
coaching 
a 
much-improved 
Michigan offensive line that 
just might hold the key to 
a win in East Lansing over 
the 24th-ranked Spartans on 
Saturday. 
“You 
never 
know 
how 
life’s going to take you in 
this journey,” Warriner said 
Wednesday 
afternoon. 
“You 
just do the best you can to keep 
moving.”
Warriner has done just that, 
reaching nearly every corner in 
the college football landscape 
on his winding path to Ann 
Arbor. Warriner has made stops 
at Army, Air Force, Kansas, 
Illinois, Notre Dame, Ohio State 
and Minnesota, in addition to 
his time at Michigan State in 
1985-86.
Then 
25, 
Warriner 
had 
already put pen to paper on 
an agreement to coach in high 
school when Michigan State 
approached him. He knew he 
wanted to be a college coach. 
And working with then-head 
coach George Perles and then-
assistant coach Nick Saban 
in East Lansing shortly after 
graduating college was an offer 
he couldn’t refuse. 
When Warriner speaks about 
his past, phrases like “learned 
a lot from” and “connected 
with” arise with frequency. The 
names of coaches and schools 
get tossed around at a rapid 
pace. He’s firmly intertwined 
in the complicated web that 
underlies college coaching. A 
football coach, through and 
through.

And with his laundry list 
of 
experience, 
Warriner 
approaches Saturday’s rivalry 
differently. Unlike others in the 
Michigan locker room, Warriner 
holds no such animosity toward 
the Spartans. In fact, Warriner 
remains friends 
with 
Michigan 
State 
coach 
Mark Dantonio, 
who he roomed 
with 
during 
their 
time 
together 
with 
the 
Spartans. 
His 
son 
is 
a 
freshman 
linebacker 
at 
Michigan State.
He speaks of Dantonio like 
one might speak of an old friend.
“We were just two guys who 
loved coaching football, loved 
the 
opportunity. 
We 
were 
learning. We were working 
together. So we enjoyed that 
time together — we hit it off 
and had a great relationship. 

And that’s carried through,” 
Warriner 
said. 
“Obviously 
our paths have gone different 
directions, so we don’t get to 
spend as much time together, 
but when we are together, it’s 
like we haven’t been apart.
“Obviously 
now that I work 
here, 
that’s 
going to change 
a 
little 
bit,” 
Warriner 
adds, 
remembering 
where he stands. 
“But as far as, is 
he a good man? 
He is a good 
man. And you 
respect him, you 
respect what he’s done.” 
He doesn’t forget that there’s 
a game Saturday, though. Quite 
a meaningful one, at that. 
He likes where his offensive 
line stands at the moment, 
noting it has accounted for 
just four penalties all season. 
It’s unquestionably the most 

improved unit on the team 
through seven games, a credit 
to Warriner’s diligence.
And Saturday is his unit’s 
biggest moment, a test against 
an aggressive team that always 
seems to turn up the physicality 
when it plays Michigan. He, like 
everyone else, looks forward 
to the challenge. Warriner’s 
laundry list of former employers 
doesn’t jade him to the moment. 
“They’re 
all 
the 
same, 
because they’re very important 
to the players on this team, to the 
alumni, to the former players,” 
Warriner said. “They’re all 
important. They’re important 
to us. We get the significance of 
them. It’s a privilege to be apart 
of a program that have these 
kind of rivalries. You turn it up 
a notch; that’s why you do this.
“These 
are 
the 
great 
opportunities, the fun games, 
the memories you have playing 
in these games, coaching in 
these games for me, stay with 
you a lifetime.”

MAX MARCOVITCH
Daily Sports Editor

CAMERON HUNT/Daily
Michigan offensive line coach Ed Warriner used to work with Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio in East Lansing.

“We were 
learning. We 
were working 
together.”

Wolverines, Metellus motivated by past mistakes

The Michigan football team 
owns the nation’s top-ranked 
pass defense yet again in 2018, 
allowing fewer than 130 yards 
per game. That showed last 
Saturday 
when 
Wisconsin 
quarterback Alex Hornibrook 
did not complete a pass during 
the second and third quarters 
of the Wolverines’ eventual 
blowout win.
It was as close as Michigan’s 
defense has come to perfection 
— the perpetual pursuit of 
defensive 
coordinator 
Don 
Brown. In the same vein as 
Alabama coach Nick Saban, 
Brown always has something 
to critique, even when the 
Wolverines 
are 
dominant. 
Sometimes, that means going 
back a few weeks to remind 
players that they’re not perfect.
Such 
was 
the 
case 
in 
Michigan’s 
season-opening 
loss 
to 
Notre 
Dame. 
The 
Fighting Irish scored three 
first-half touchdowns behind 
quarterback Brandon Wimbush, 
who was aided by a litany of 
the Wolverines’ penalties and 
mistakes on third down.
Safeties coach and special 
teams 
coordinator 
Chris 
Partridge reminds his group 
about those first-game gaffes 
frequently. 
“Shoot,” 
Patridge 
said 
during 
Wednesday’s 
press 
conference. 
“I 
like to show my 
guys clips from 
that game every 
week 
just 
to 
make sure they 
stay 
grounded 
and understand 
that, if they don’t prepare the 
right way and they don’t play 
the right way, anything can 
happen.”
Much has been made about 
the improvement in Michigan’s 
offensive line since that loss in 
South Bend. But the secondary 
has 
also 
flashed 
signs 
of 
growth. Penalties are down. 
Interceptions are up. Mistakes 

have been mitigated. 
“We’ve made a huge step after 
the Notre Dame game because 
we got bombed on a few times 
that game,” said sophomore 
cornerback 
Ambry 
Thomas. 
“And (the coaching staff has) 
been hard on us ever since. They 
haven’t let up yet.
“They’re more 
interactive, 
more vocal, more 
everything. 
They’re 
on 
the field really 
showing us what 
to do.”
Partridge sees 
a 
connection 
between 
that 
increase 
in 
intensity and the 
play of perhaps the Wolverines’ 
most-improved defensive player, 
Josh Metellus. The junior safety 
had a difficult start to the season 
— he was ejected for targeting 
during the second drive of the 
Notre Dame contest. He and 
fellow 
safety, 
senior 
Tyree 
Kinnel, 
were 
also 
exposed 
occasionally against the slant-
heavy offenses of SMU and 

Northwestern. 
But 
while 
Metellus 
isn’t 
flawless, he has become more 
of a play-maker for Michigan’s 
defense with a team-high three 
interceptions.
“He’s playing at a high level,” 
Patridge said. “He’s practicing 
at a high level, that’s why he’s 
playing 
at 
a 
high level. He 
is 
seeing 
the 
game 
really 
well. He’s seeing 
how we’re going 
to be attacked 
really well back 
there. 
He’s 
taken command, 
become 
more 
vocal 
and 
is 
finishing plays.”
Metellus 
was 
named 
the 
team’s defensive player of the 
week Monday after collecting 
an interception and five tackles 
against the Badgers.
“His 
best 
game 
as 
a 
Wolverine,” said Jim Harbaugh 
on Monday. “And he seems to 
be a solid tackler, good coverage 
safety. Great to see him get his 
hands on the ball with another 

interception and create the 
big play. (He’s an) ascending 
player.”
It was a year ago that 
Metellus 
first 
earned 
his 
starting role. During fall camp, 
he mentioned that confidence 
was an issue for him at times in 
2017, when he was often a target 
of criticism from 
Michigan 
fans. 
That caused him 
to 
play 
“more 
passively” than 
he would have 
liked to.
According 
to 
Patridge, 
however, 
Metellus 
entered 
spring 
practices 
with 
an “open mind” to potential 
improvements he could make. 
Six months later, that has him 
keying a defense that is playing 
strong football.
“If I’m confident, I feel like the 
rest of the defense is confident,” 
Metellus said Saturday. “So 
I just feel like, being a leader 
on the defense, confidence is 
something you should have.”

MARK CALCAGNO
Daily Sports Editor

EVAN AARON/Daily
Junior safety Josh Metellus was named Michigan’s defensive player of the week after the Wolverines’ win over Wisconsin.

“They’re on 
the field really 
showing us 
what to do.”

“And he seems 

to be a solid 

tackler, good 

coverage safety.”

Michigan places 14th 
at UNC Invitational

From 
the 
outset, 
it 
appeared to be a perfect 
storm for the Wolverines. 
Over 
the 
weekend, 
the 
Michigan 
women’s 
golf 
team 
traveled 
to 
North 
Carolina and battled through 
unfavorable 
conditions 
to 
place 14th amid a stacked 
field at the Ruth’s Chris Tar 
Heel Invitational.
Typically, 
the 
practice 
round 
before 
any 
big 
invitational is key. During 
this time the golfers check 
the speed of the greens, scope 
out any illusive tricks of the 
course and get a lay of the 
land. Exposure to the course 
is crucial for any golfer. If 
it can provide even a stroke 
of an advantage, it’s key for 
gaining that extra edge.
But 
over 
the 
weekend, 
the 
Wolverines 
were 
not 
allowed their practice round 
due to safety concerns over 
Hurricane Michael rolling 
through the region. Instead 
of 
playing 
the 
full 
18, 
Michigan 
merely walked 
the first nine 
holes 
and 
sat 
indoors 
meticulously 
strategizing 
how it would 
attack the new 
course.
To 
make 
matters 
worse 
for 
the 
Wolverines, the UNC Finley 
Golf 
Course 
is 
made 
of 
different grass — Bermuda. 
Michigan typically practices 
on Flatgrass and had limited 
exposure to Bermuda this 
season. Not an end-all factor, 
but enough to set a golfer 
back if they’re not used to 
playing on the new grass.
But when it came time to 
play, Michigan left those 
factors 
behind 
and 
put 
together one of its more solid 
outings of the fledgling 2018-
19 season. And leading the 
pack was sophomore Ashley 
Kim.
Finishing at No. 20, Kim 
figured out the course early 
and definitively proved her 
role 
as 
the 
Wolverines’ 
most 
consistent 
golfer. 
Kim 
opened things 
up on Friday 
with the best 
round 
by 
a 
Michigan 
golfer with a 
71, 
good 
for 
one under par 
and a new season best. Kim 
used four birdies in the round 
to set the tone early.
“Ashley Kim, she’s been 
our 
best 
player 
so 
far,” 
said Michigan coach Jan 
Dowling. “She’s been close to 
par every round, and she’s on 
the verge of really breaking 
through and getting herself 
in contention to win.
“She’s on the verge of 

some 
great 
golf. 
She’s 
already playing some good 
golf, but she’s right on the 
verge of being able to win 
some of these tournaments 
individually, so that’s pretty 
huge.”
And right on Kim’s tail 
is 
freshman 
Ashley 
Lau. 
Seemingly seeking to rise to 
the level of her teammate, 
Lau shot a 72 in her second 
round and proved she can 
compete with the best. Then 
shooting 76s on the bookends 
of 
the 
invitational, 
Lau 
demonstrated her potential 
while also showing room for 
improvement.
For 
Lau, 
there’s 
no 
doubt that overcoming the 
challenges of living in a new 
country and playing against a 
different level of competition 
has been an adjustment for 
her. The Malaysia native is 
experiencing a whole new 
world of firsts and playing 
some quality golf in the 
process — two factors not 
lost on her coach.
“I think she’s coming into 
her 
own,” 
Dowling said. 
“The 
kid 
knows 
how 
to 
play, 
and 
I 
think 
just 
moving 
onto 
collegiate golf 
and 
getting 
comfortable 
there, 
and 
starting 
to 
balance living 
in a new country and going 
to school, there’s a lot of 
elements that go into playing 
good golf besides the obvious 
things. And you can tell she’s 
on the verge of going crazy 
under par, and she’s starting 
to find her own.
“Particularly, I hope that 
second round gave her some 
confidence. She got under par 
for quite a while. She’s just 
gotta clean up some things 
around her ball striking and 
her ball management, and 
she’ll be off to the races. 
We’re really excited about 
her potential.”
Dowling believes the team 
still needs to eliminate the 
small mistakes — errors that 
have been dogging her team 
all 
season. 
She 
thinks 
Michigan 
needs to take 
advantage 
of 
wedge 
shots 
and 
avoiding 
three-putting.
But still, it’s 
clear that the 
Wolverines 
are 
trending 
in 
the 
right 
direction.
“We’re 
not 
doing 
some 
of 
the 
simple 
things 
as 
consistently as we need to be, 
and those include capitalizing 
on short wedge shots and 
avoiding 
free 
putting,” 
Dowling said. “So when we’re 
gonna do that, it’s gonna be 
awesome. We’re pretty close, 
but simple isn’t always easy, 
but simple is still simple.”

JACOB KOPNICK
Daily Sports Writer

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Sophomore Ashley Kim notched a 71 in the first round of UNC’s invitational.

“Ashley Kim, 
she’s been our 
best player so 
far.”

“We’re pretty 
close, but 
simple isn’t 
always easy...”

