8A — Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Facing McSorley, Michigan looks for redemption
After allowing season highs of
506 yards and 42 points to Penn
State in last season’s blowout, the
Michigan football team’s defense
can seemingly rest easier. This
Saturday, it doesn’t have to line
up across some of the threats
that keep defensive coordinator
Don Brown up at night.
There is no whiteout crowd
in Happy Valley, no DaeSean
Hamilton
or
Mike
Gesicki
running the sidelines and, most
notably, no Saquon Barkley to
gash the Wolverines’ defense.
But
some
teams
have
indescribable
characteristics
that
can
cause
fits.
The
14th-ranked Nittany Lions are
one of them.
“They don’t have Saquon,
but they’re still Penn State,”
said
redshirt
sophomore
defensive tackle Carlo Kemp.
“They’re still super successful,
super dangerous and they’re a
couple plays away from being
undefeated.”
And in Penn State quarterback
Trace McSorley, No. 5 Michigan
will still face off against an
offensive weapon it had no
answers for last year.
McSorley threw for 282 yards
and a touchdown in last year’s
game, but carried the ball 11
times for 76 yards and three
touchdowns. Sure, Barkley and
the headaches he presented are
now in the NFL. But running
back
Miles
Sanders
and
McSorley are still executing run-
pass-options as well as anyone in
the country.
With a chance at redemption,
the
defense’s
success
is
contingent on stopping McSorley.
“Terrific
player,”
said
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh.
“Consistently plays really well.
Always is a threat in the passing
game, defending the passing.
He’s running the ball a lot more
this year, really effectively. He’s
quite a quarterback. Their win-
it factor shows up over and over.
Big challenge for our team this
week.”
With junior linebacker Devin
Bush Jr. likely spying McSorley
and a weaker run game (read:
not the best in the country), the
Wolverines could see a more
balanced, but still explosive
offense.
“They got some key guys that
they like to go to,” said junior
safety Josh Metellus. “Like No.
1, KJ (Hamler), he’s a fast guy,
he creates space well himself
and he has acceleration to take a
five-yard play to an 80-yard play.
And then on the outside they’ve
got No. 84 (Juwan Johnson),
we know he’s a good deep ball
threat and a possession guy too.
If they need a third-and-nine,
they’ll go to him on a curl route
or something.”
And like any powerhouse
offense, it all runs through it’s
quarterback.
“He keeps plays moving with
his feet, extending plays really
well,” Metellus continued, “and
that’s one of those things that
— as a defensive back in man
coverage — you don’t want the
play to extend because now you
cover your man for six seconds
instead of three or four. That’s
what makes their passing attack
hard to defend.”
Michigan
has
played
quarterbacks that are also light
on their feet this season. Notre
Dame’s
Brandon
Wimbush,
Nebraska’s
Adrian
Martinez
and
Michigan
State’s
Brian
Lewerke all fit that bill, with only
Wimbush finding any semblance
of success. McSorley will be
the most decisive and quick
quarterback it will see all year.
The Wolverines’ defense is
boiled down to manning an
assignment on a given play. It’s
simple enough in practice, but
failure in execution could be the
difference between a stop and a
touchdown.
“Just making sure you read
your keys properly,” Kemp said.
“Make sure you do your job, don’t
try to do too much. If you have
the quarterback, make sure you
have the quarterback, because if
you don’t, then you’ll look at him
going that way.”
Kemp, whose face briefly
shifted from a smile to a
concerned
look,
pointed
behind his back. He, and the
whole Michigan defense, saw
themselves
chasing
Barkley
and McSorley often against the
Nittany Lions a year ago.
Brown was adamant that last
year’s defensive performance
keeps him restless. Metellus
knows he’s telling the truth,
because he feels the same. Their
frustration extends from a loss,
and exposing a highly-touted
defense.
Beyond that, feeling helpless
is something Michigan’s defense
has rarely confronted.
“I’m sure everyone on the
defense felt they could’ve done
something to improve the output
of the game,” Metellus said.
With a second chance to tackle
McSorley, the defense doesn’t
need much more motivation than
that.
Mann to continue receiving opportunities
Two is better than one.
Last
season,
then-
sophomores Jack LaFontaine
and Hayden Lavigne split time
at goaltender for the first half
of the season until Lavigne
wrestled away control of the
starting job.
Though Lavigne retains a
hold on the position through the
first five games of the season,
the emergence of freshman
goaltender Strauss Mann has
provided the Michigan hockey
team (3-2) with a viable second
option. Even after Lavigne
recorded a shutout on Friday
against St. Lawrence, Mann
received the nod the following
evening. And for Michigan
coach Mel Pearson, having two
good netminders is better than
one.
“(Lavigne)’s
a
good
goaltender,”
Pearson
said.
“It’s nice to have one really
good goaltender, but it’s even
better to have two really good
goaltenders. So, I just wanted to
make sure Strauss got in.”
In Pearson’s time as an
assistant for the Wolverines, the
team would traditionally ride
one goaltender, including Scott
Sharples, Steve Shields and
Marty Turco. Last season was
a bit of an anomaly for Pearson
who was getting a feel for his
two sophomore goaltenders in
his debut season
as head coach for
Michigan. Now
in
his
second
season
at
the
helm,
Pearson
has a freshman
in Mann who
has
shown
the
ability
to
provide quality
play
in
the
crease.
Mann allowed only one goal
on 19 shots in Saturday’s 3-1
victory after showing some
signs of struggle in a 5-4 loss
at
Western
Michigan
last
weekend.
“I wanted to get Strauss
in and just to get him a home
game,” Pearson said. “We sort
of threw him into the deep end
right off the bat at Western
Michigan, it’s a tough place to
play and I just wanted to get
him a home game ... And I want
some competition.”
As
for
Mann,
the
competitiveness
between
himself
and
Lavigne
only
drives him to be
better.
“As a goalie,
there’s only one
guy
that
can
be in the net at
a time,” Mann
said. “So that’s
something
I’ve
really
had
to
deal
with
my
whole career so that’s nothing
new. Everyone is just trying
to play their best when they’re
in the net and that’s just been
my approach. When I get my
chance just do what I can do
and hopefully things will work
out in the long run.
“I think the best goalies
are really competitive, and I’d
like to think I’m competitive
as well. We both know we’re
friends off the ice, so anything
that happens on the ice is just
hockey and just competing and
at the end of the day just looking
to make each other better.
So, no one ever
takes offense to
anyone wanting
to
stop
pucks
or
getting
competitive
on
the ice, it’s just
the nature of the
game.”
Lavigne
will
likely
continue
to
receive
the
majority of the
time between the pipes. But
with Big Ten play beginning
next
Friday
against
Notre
Dame, Pearson knows that he
may have to ride the hot hand if
one goaltender stakes a claim to
that level of success.
Thus
far,
both
Lavigne
and Mann have put up nearly
identical
numbers
in
three
and two regular season starts,
respectively. Lavigne has a
3.04
goals
against
average
with a .864 save percentage,
while Mann has a 3.07 goals
against average and a .860 save
percentage.
Though he’s
currently
the
clear
backup
now,
Mann
embraces
the
opportunity
to
continue
to improve on
and off the ice
and earn more
playing time.
“(Lavigne
and I) have a
really good relationship and
definitely
push
each
other
on and off the ice. We have a
good line of communication
and
definitely
talk
about
goaltending a lot and how we
can make each other better
and push each other. It’s been a
good relationship so far.”
Karan Higdon takes
on leadership role
After the Michigan football
team’s last game, a 21-7 win
over Michigan State, there
was a lot to talk about.
So when Karan Higdon
sat in the visitors’ press
conference room at Spartan
Stadium,
he
was
asked
about pregame antics and
motivation and doubters. The
senior running back had an
answer ready.
“Every
week,
it
seems
that people, with the playoff
rankings or whatever it may
be, find a reason to critique
us
about
why
we
don’t
deserve to be a top-ranked
team,” Higdon said. “Last
week it was we don’t show
up in big games. This week,
it’s Michigan State’s got the
No.
1-ranked
defense. Blah,
blah, blah. We
showed up and
we did our job.
That’s all that
matters,
and
that’s what it
is.”
Higdon was
positioned
in that press
conference
between
sophomore
wide
receiver
Donovan Peoples-Jones and
junior
quarterback
Shea
Patterson. He answered a
majority of the questions
during
the
presser,
and
he
gave
calm,
confident
responses.
When the three players
stood up afterward, Peoples-
Jones and Patterson smiled at
Higdon, giving him high-fives
and handshakes before they
exited stage right. The game,
and Higdon’s words, seemed
to have pumped them all up.
Higdon was named captain
before the season, and he
exudes the confidence of one,
both in front of
the media and
elsewhere.
When
the
Wolverines beat
the
Spartans,
and Wisconsin
before
that,
they sealed the
games on the
ground, feeding
Higdon
over
and over and
bludgeoning
the opposing defense into
submission.
He
is
the
workhorse of the offense.
On
Monday,
facing
the
media for the first time since
East Lansing, Higdon said he
feels he has always run with
an aggressive, downhill style.
What he has been trying to
develop this season, is his
leadership skills.
“Being
more
vocal,”
Higdon said. “Holding guys
to a higher standard, making
sure we’re all on the same
page and that I’m not just
playing and leading through
my play, but being vocal and
making sure that guys are on
top of their stuff, keeping that
focus, keeping that higher
energy.”
The ability to be a vocal
leader and a strong performer
go hand-in-hand, though.
If Higdon wasn’t leading
the team with 831 yards
and six touchdowns on the
ground, if he hadn’t taken
nearly the entire workload
after junior running back
Chris Evans went down with
an injury, or if he hadn’t put in
work off the field to become
Michigan’s bell cow, his voice
wouldn’t have a place on the
team in the first place.
But he has done all those
things, and his voice does hold
water with the Wolverines.
“(Higdon) has been getting
a bulk of the carries these last
eight weeks, and you can tell
he knows he’s a leader,” said
junior safety Josh Metellus.
“He knows guys look up to
him, and he’s
taken that with
a high head and
like,
‘Alright,
if people want
me to be the
leader, I can
be the leader.’
You know, he’s
speaking
up.
Whatever
he
doesn’t
like,
he says it. Or,
you know, if he
wants to talk to the team, give
us some encouragement, he
does. Everybody really listens
to him.”
Added redshirt junior left
tackle Jon Runyan: “Karan’s
a guy that’s not afraid to call
anybody out. When guys are
slacking, missing a block or
not catching the ball, having
him, knowing that he has your
back even when he says that
stuff, it’s very nice. Karan’s a
great dude. Everybody loves
him, rallies around him, and
it’s great having him out there
with us.”
To Runyan, the way Higdon
has earned respect is the
same thing he
expects
from
those
around
him. He calls
people
out,
because
he
wants them to
work as hard
as he does.
From
Higdon’s
perspective,
that likely has
more
to
do
with the constant push to get
Michigan to its highest level
of performance.
For his teammates, though,
Higdon’s respect for them
means something, too.
“For Karan, it’s coming
in, doing your job, working
hard
every
day,”
Runyan
said. “Don’t get too boastful
about yourself, and you’ll
eventually earn his respect.
I think I’ve definitely done
that. Everyone on the offense
has done their part to earn
that, and that’s something
really special when a type of
player like Karan’s caliber,
you earn his respect.”
The
feeling
is
almost
definitely mutual.
ETHAN WOLFE
Daily Sports Writer
ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
Junior safety Josh Metellus has recorded 30 tackles and three picks through eight games so far this season.
KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Senior running back Karan Higdon has embraced his position as captain.
MIKE PERSAK
Managing Sports Editor
“That’s all that
matters, and
that’s what
it is.”
“Karan’s a guy
that’s not
afraid to call
anybody out.”
ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
Freshman goaltender Strauss Mann has a 3.07 goals against average and .860 save percentage so far this season.
JORGE CAZARES
Daily Sports Writer
“We sort of threw
him into the
deep end right
off the bat...”
“As a goalie,
there’s only one
guy that can be in
the net at a time.”