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...”