The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com Sports Wednesday, November 21, 2018 — 7A Patterson is familiar with, and ready for, Ohio State When Shea Patterson announced his transfer to Michigan last December, he did it in the way any college student makes announcements: on Twitter. As one would expect, the reactions were varied and plentiful, and one of them came from a surprising source. Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins quote-tweeted Patterson’s announcement, saying: “Rivalry just got a lot more interesting bro.” From the outside, it was an innocuous comment from the Wolverines’ rival quarterback, simply commenting on the state of the rivalry. But Patterson and Haskins know each other well. They were the No. 1 and No. 8 quarterback recruits, respectively, in the 2016 recruiting class, so they went to plenty of camps together. Tuesday, Patterson spoke to media and estimated that he and Haskins have known each other since seventh or eighth grade. “I would (call us friends),” Patterson said. “We’re not gonna be friends on Saturday, but just like anything else, it’s football. Off the field. Before the game, probably not. Later down the road, yeah. “But nobody not wearing the maize and blue is my friend on Saturday.” His relationship with the opposing quarterback is a reminder that Patterson is more familiar than a normal transfer would be with the history surrounding the program he joined. Patterson grew up in Toledo, Oh. as a Michigan fan — his father was a season-ticket holder — and he says his favorite memories of The Game growing up were of watching highlights of Charles Woodson playing the Buckeyes. It makes sense Patterson would look back to those games, since Michigan is 2-15 in its last 17 matchups with Ohio State. The last real good Wolverine memories from The Game are the Woodson days from 1995- 1997. Patterson is familiar with that history too, and he knows what Saturday’s edition of The Game means to fans and players alike. However, he also recognizes there is more than just bragging rights at stake this season. “Obviously, everybody knows how big of a game it is and how much of a rivalry this is to us and them,” Patterson said. “But there’s just a lot more at stake. There’s a Big Ten title and a national playoff spot, so not too sure how often both of us have that opportunity. So there’s a lot more at stake than just the rivalry.” In that, Patterson is correct. Michigan has a chance to send itself to the Big Ten Championship and keep its national championship aspirations alive for at least another week. And, Patterson is to thank for that. Quarterback play has severely handicapped the Wolverines in past iterations of The Game. Last season, especially, comes to mind, when a consistent quarterback may have been enough to push Michigan over the top in a close matchup. Patterson has thrown for 2,177 yards, 18 touchdowns and just four interceptions this season. He has the 17th-best passing efficiency and the 19th-best completion percentage in the country. His ability to run the ball has changed the dynamic of the Wolverines’ offense, and what they are capable of doing completely. “Shea has been an integral part of this team,” said fifth- year senior linebacker Noah Furbush. “Really just being an anchor on offense for us. He’s kind of that guy that makes plays for us. He is what you want a quarterback to be — somebody who controls the game, makes plays for you when you need it and really is a leader for your offense and for the team as a whole.” Patterson’s impact is undeniable, and he can make an impact on Michigan’s history Saturday — if he can do what no Wolverine quarterback, or team, has been able to do since 2000 — beat Ohio State in Columbus. If there was any Michigan team who had a good chance of doing that, it’s this season’s team, and that is, in part, because of Patterson. In that sense, it seems Haskins may have been right back in December. Patterson has made this rivalry game a lot more interesting. Michigan ousts Lehigh, 21-13 in first home meet Wrestlers swipe at each other’s ankles, referees circle the mat and AC/DC’s Thunderstruck blasts from Crisler Center’s speakers. Michigan wrestling is back in Ann Arbor. In the first home dual meet of the season, themed ‘Wrestle ‘n Roll,’ the fifth-ranked Michigan wrestling team (2-0) beat sixth- ranked Lehigh (0-1), 21-13, with key wins from sophomore Drew Mattin, redshirt junior Myles Amine and redshirt freshman Jelani Embree. The Wolverines started the meet strong with dominant wins in the 133 and 141-pound weight classes, delivered with gritty takedowns by redshirt junior Stevan Micic and redshirt sophomore Kanen Storr, respectively. The wins swung Michigan’s score to 6-0 early in the meet. Despite initial momentum, redshirt senior Malik Amine faced a tough opponent in the 149-pound division and came away from the second period tied 2-2. Amine left the match with an injury soon after and went through concussion protocol, dropping the match by default and evening the team score to 6-6. Frustrated by the default loss in a close match, the Wolverines came back with a 9-7 win by redshirt junior Ben Lamantia and a 5-3 win by redshirt junior Logan Massa. Michigan began taking control of the meet, after Myles Amine’s 5-4 win over Lehigh’s Jordan Kutler in the 174-pound division. Amine and Kutler, both All-Americans and ranked in the top-10 nationally for their weight class, wrestled each other twice last year — each earning a win. Amine delivered a takedown to start the match, which Lehigh’s coach challenged. Despite the objections, the referees upheld the call and Kutler responded with a takedown, tying the score at 2-2. Quick footwork at the start of the second period led to a Michigan escape, and a final takedown in the last 30 seconds captured the win for Amine and pushed the overall score to 15-6. “I knew that if I went out there and stayed offensive that I’d come away with a win,” Amine said. “I wrestled a very similar match to how I did at the NCAA’s against him, so it feels good.” Embree continued Michigan’s success, ousting his opponent 7-3 after early takedowns. Though the Wolverines lost their next two matches in the 197-pound and heavyweight divisions, Mattin rounded out the meet with a dramatic pin and scrappy 3-2 win. Mattin’s win brought the team score to 21-13 and secured the win for Michigan — a hard fought result considering the letdown after the meet was postponed from Friday. “We won against Central (Michigan) and then we had a lot of buildup, and I feel like our guys were really keyed up to wrestle Friday night,” said Michigan coach Sean Bormet. “Continuing to wrestle hard and work over the full seven minutes will be an important piece going into Las Vegas.” Myles Amine seconded the disappointment of the change in date, but noted the importance of the win on the team’s preparations for the Nov. 30 tournament in Las Vegas. “You really just have to not focus on those things and just focus on what’s relevant, which is just showing up and wrestling, whether that’s on a Friday or a Sunday,” Amine said. “Lehigh was a team that beat us up pretty bad last year, so to turn around and gain some momentum going into Las Vegas is a good win for the team.” For Gary, frustration for last two years lingers Tuesday afternoon, Rashan Gary faced reporters with a measured edge. Asked about his brief recruitment with Ohio State, Gary provided terse answers. “What else do you want me to tell you about that?” he chided. With the biggest game of his college career to date looming, Gary had only one thing on his mind. “Everybody knows what week it is,” he said. “I’m focused. I’m trying to hurry up, get back to watching film. It’s one of those types of weeks.” The junior defensive end will anchor the top-ranked defense in the country heading into Saturday’s de facto Big Ten East title game. At this point, everybody knows what’s on the line: a spot in the Big Ten Championship game against Northwestern, College Football Playoff hopes, perhaps the balance of power in the conference for the foreseeable future. So, in short, just about everything. It mirrors the game two years ago — Gary’s freshman year — in which Michigan fell, 30-27, in double overtime. For those around at the time, Gary among them, that heartbreak festers. “My freshman year, we were close to winning. A couple of plays went sideways,” he said. “It’s just that one big play that everybody remembers. I don’t want to talk about it, but everybody knows that play. That’s what I keep in the back of my head, and I know my brothers keep that in the back of their head and use it as motivation going into this game.” “That one big play,” of course, was JT Barrett’s fourth down conversion. The referee awarded Barrett a first down, despite inconclusive replays questioning the spot of the ball. Gary doesn’t want to talk about it, but the trauma still lingers. Asked about his recollection of those moments, the memories unspool. “Man. Bring me back,” he said. “I was highly disappointed, because I’m looking up at the screen and to myself I’m like, ‘Nah, can’t be a first down.’ Then they end up getting it. It’s a little slap on the face, but you know what it is, it is what it is.” A year later, more disappointment. Michigan led 14-0 after the fourth quarter and appeared poised to upset the Buckeyes. Led by backup quarterback Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State subsequently stormed past a tired Michigan defense. For the Wolverines, that’s what this rivalry has been for the better part of two decades: annual frustration. “We came out hot to a good start (last year), then we just started making small mistakes,” Gary said. “And small mistakes end up putting points on the board. They started gaining big yardage plays. That’s something I take apart from last year. This year we’re a different team, and I feel like we’re closer as a team. We know what we need to do and we know what we need to take care of.” Gary says that this year, it feels different. This is no lip service. Michigan has marched its way through the “Revenge Tour” with utter dominance, rattling off nine consecutive dominant wins after the loss to Notre Dame. For one, it has quarterback Shea Patterson running the show, who is in the midst of one of the best statistical seasons by a Michigan quarterback in several years. Gary called him “a piece of the team we needed.” The Wolverines enter Columbus a four-point favorite for good reason. And Gary, for his part, appears ready to make his mark. He returned from a lingering shoulder injury three weeks ago against Penn State. Last week against Indiana, he notched 1.5 sacks, tossing around offensive linemen the way he’s shown in flashes during his three years. He won’t make any guarantees or offer any baited one-line zingers. But Gary and his teammates aren’t hiding their confidence. What makes this year different? “Just our brotherhood. I feel like how our swagger is and what we want as a team goal.” And for Gary specificially, there are conversations to have, NFL decisions to make in the near future. No time for that now, though. He’s got film to watch. Wolverines cap season at NCAA Championships The wintry white of the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in Madison, Wis. was streaked with maize and blue on Saturday as the men’s and women’s cross country teams competed in the NCAA Championships. After its fourth consecutive Great Lakes regional title last weekend, the No. 6 women’s team capped off its 2018 season on the national podium with a fourth- place finish behind Colorado, New Mexico and Oregon. The No. 20 men’s team beat its ranking with a 19th-place finish — the fourth top- 20 finish in the last five seasons. Redshirt freshman Camille Davre and fifth-year senior Avery Evenson led the women on the snow-covered course at 29th and 38th, respectively. Those under-40 finishes qualify Davre and Evenson for All-American titles. “It definitely was tough in that the course had a few inches of snow on it,” said Michigan women’s coach Mike McGuire. “But that’s something that everyone had to navigate. “We were well prepared knowing that a midwestern city like Madison would possibly present those elements to us, and being from Michigan, it isn’t like we haven’t been in it before.” This strength in the elements was evident in the Wolverines’ recovery from a difficult start to the six-kilometer race. “At the start, it felt a little dicey just with the snow and everyone getting out pretty quick,” Davre said. “We kind of got swarmed because we were in the middle of the pack, but I think looking back I was surprised at how good I felt at the halfway point and I kept moving up, looking ahead to the next pack and trying to catch them.” In the tough terrain of the last two kilometers, Michigan settled into its fourth place position — which held until the end of the race — and edged out the Stanford team that had been nipping at their heels in the final stretch. Ultimately, Michigan finished seven runners in the top 100. The men’s team was led by All-American sophomore Jack Aho’s 35th-place finish and also highlighted by true freshman John Travers’ 79th-place finish in just the second ten-kilometer race of his cross country career. After a strong start, Aho maintained his place in the pack in the last five kilometers. Aho’s performance marked a significant improvement from last year’s race. “I had run here last year and finished 122nd, which was alright but nothing crazy,” Aho said. “So I took that experience and knew this year I wanted to get out hard and put myself in contention to be All- American right away. “You just have to keep your foot on the pedal I guess — that’s how I’d describe my strategy throughout.” Despite Aho’s strong performance, the men’s team believed that there was some room for improvement. Its 19th-place finish was the culmination of a season that saw both ups and downs. “We didn’t necessarily run our best race yesterday,” Aho said. “But I really don’t think we can hang our heads at finishing 19th in the nation.” “I think it was a good season for us to build off of — we graduated three really high quality seniors from the team last year and so we’ve been in a bit of a rebuilding mode this year,” said men’s coach Kevin Sullivan. “We’ve got everybody back next year and we’re adding some really good parts to the team, so I think the future is very bright for us moving forward.” Both teams ultimately felt their seasons ended on a positive note, in spite of the snowy conditions. “It really did help that we were wearing our maize bows,” Davre said. “Just having those colors — the maize and blue — against the snow to keep pulling me and the others forward throughout the race was a tremendous help.” MIKE PERSAK Managing Sports Editor CROSS COUNTRY AIDAN WOUTAS For the Daily WRESTLING LILY FRIEDMAN For the Daily MAX MARCOVITCH Daily Sports Editor CARTER FOX/Daily Junior defensive end Rashan Gary had 1.5 sacks last week in the Wolverines’ 31-20 win over Indiana in Ann Arbor. “‘Nah, can’t be a first down.’ Then they end up getting it.” ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily Junior quarterback Shea Patterson has improved Michigan’s quartback game this season, throwing for 18 touchdowns.