8 — Friday, March 1, 2019
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Senior Night laugher

Wolverines dominate wire-to-wire, beat Nebraska, 82-53

Position review: Special teams

With the Michigan football 
team’s 2018 regular season in 
the books, The Daily looks back 
at the performance of each unit 
this year and peers ahead to the 
future in 2019. In this edition: 
special teams.
Michigan’s 
special 
teams 
unit came into the year a largely 
raw bunch that had seen its ups 
and downs the year before. 
But from the time sophomore 
defensive back Ambry Thomas 
returned a kickoff 99 yards 
for a touchdown in the season 
opener against Notre Dame, 
it 
also 
flashed 
its 
unique 
potential.
The 
group’s 
contribution 
went mostly unseen, but it was 
quietly one of the Wolverines’ 
biggest 
strengths. 
Whether 
through clutch kicking, long 
punts or electric returns, the 
special 
teams 
helped 
keep 
Michigan in some games and 
turned others into blowouts.
Junior punter Will Hart was 
a revelation. After spending 
last season backing up then-
freshman Brad Robbins, Hart 
stepped into the spotlight after 
Robbins 
missed 
the 
entire 
season with an injury. He 
punted for an average of 49.98 
yards with a long of 65, while 
totaling 19 punts of at least 50 
yards. That earned him the Big 
Ten Punter of the Year award 
and a first-team All-Big Ten 
nod.
While the other positions 
were more unsettled, many 
contributors 
stepped 
up, 
especially 
on 
the 
return 
unit. Sophomore safety Brad 
Hawkins and freshman wide 
receiver 
Ronnie 
Bell 
both 
contributed, and Bell ripped 
off a 53-yard kick return in the 
Peach Bowl that showcased 
his future potential as a return 
man.
HIGH POINT: Michigan’s 
offense had stalled — again. 
Jake Moody came to bail it out 
— again.
It was late in the fourth 

quarter and Indiana — a team 
that had no business sticking 
with the Wolverines this long 
— had just scored a touchdown 
to cut Michigan’s lead to eight. 
With the game down to one 
score, the Wolverines needed a 
safety net, and when they faced 
fourth down again, Moody got 
the call.
His 29-yard attempt sailed 
straight through.
The kick was his sixth field 
goal on the day. Not only was it a 
program record, it was Moody’s 
first 
game 
placekicking. 
Previously, Moody had stuck 
to kickoff duties, but with 
Michigan’s 
normal 
kicker, 
redshirt 
sophomore 
Quinn 
Nordin, out with an illness, 
it was Moody’s turn to step 
up. The Wolverines won the 
game, 31-20, largely thanks to 
Moody’s contributions.
Moody’s 
breakout 
game 
also 
provided 
some 
much-
needed stability to the kicking 
corps. Nordin has a strong 
leg, but was prone to misses 
from easy distances. Due to 
his performance against the 
Hoosiers, Moody started the 
remaining two games of the 
season and hit four of his five 
attempts, including a 48-yarder 
against Florida in the Peach 
Bowl.
LOW POINT: At halftime 
against Wisconsin, there was 
frustration.
Michigan 
had 
thoroughly 
outplayed 
the 
Badgers 
to 
that point, but led by just six. 
Against a team like Wisconsin, 
it seemed like the Wolverines’ 
trouble finishing drives could 
come back to bite them.
The slim lead was partially 
thanks to one of Nordin’s bad 
days. After missing a field goal 
in the first quarter, he missed 
another just before halftime, 
squandered a pair of promising 
drives.
Nordin’s misses ultimately 
didn’t 
come 
back 
to 
bite 
Michigan as it pulled away in 
the second half to win, 38-13, 
but they showed the potential 
dangers that could come with 

an inconsistent kicker — part 
of the reason Moody eventually 
took over the starting role.
Against the Hoosiers, the 
kicking unit bailed out its 
offense when not much was 
working. Against the Badgers, 
the offense was there to bail out 
its kickers at their low point.
THE 
FUTURE: 
The 
Wolverines’ special teams in 
2018 were largely populated 
by fresh faces. Of the main 
contributors, only Hart was 
an upperclassman, and he still 
has one more year of eligibility. 
That bodes well for the future, 
as more development from its 
young players will bolster an 
already strong unit.
That’s particularly true of the 
returners. Sophomore receiver 
Donovan Peoples-Jones at punt 
return and the committee of 
Thomas, Hawkins and Bell at 

kick return certainly flashed 
potential. 
Peoples-Jones 
scored an electric touchdown 
against Nebraska, employing 
his signature spin move to take 
a punt to the house. Facing 
an 18-point deficit late in the 
second quarter against Notre 
Dame, Thomas scored a kick-
return 
touchdown 
to 
give 
Michigan hope of a comeback.
But with it, its inexperience 
showed as well. Against Ohio 
State, Thomas caught a kick 
that was about to sail over 
his head and out of bounds, 
significantly 
hurting 
the 
Wolverines’ field position in a 
critical moment. Both he and 
Peoples-Jones 
occasionally 
made mental mistakes that 
spurred questions over whether 
their roles would be better 
filled by someone else.
The extra year of experience 

will help combat those slip-
ups, and Michigan coach Jim 
Harbaugh’s 
willingness 
to 
try others at punt and kick 
return will give other speedy 
young players, like Bell, a 
chance to emerge. Meanwhile, 
Peoples-Jones’ spin move and 
Thomas’ blazing speed give 
the group large upside despite 
inconsistency.
Should 
Nordin 
and 
Moody 
both 
remain 
with 
the 
team, 
Nordin’s 
range 
could 
complement 
Moody’s 
consistency. 
Moody’s 
only 
missed field goal on the year 
was from 52 yards — a distance 
Nordin has shown he can 
hit. Moody will likely handle 
regular kicking duties in the 
future, but Nordin could come 
in to try long attempts and give 
the Wolverines a higher ceiling.
Meanwhile, after cementing 

his status as one of the top 
punters in the nation, Hart has 
one year left to build on his 
success. Big Ten games have a 
reputation for being defensive 
battles where field position is 
key. Against Michigan State — 
a game in which offense was 
hard to come by — Hart punted 
eight times for an average 
of 45.8 yards, including a 
65-yarder. Michigan will likely 
have more such games in the 
future, and Hart has shown 
that he can put his team in a 
good position to win by making 
opposing offenses work that 
much harder.
Overall, the special teams 
had unsung success for the 
Wolverines this season, and the 
unit’s youth and emergence of 
new stars bode well for another 
year of helping Michigan win 
behind the scenes.

ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Writer

From Will Hart to Jake Moody to Donovan Peoples-Jones and more, Michigan brings back much of its special teams

EVAN AARON/Daily
Freshman kicker Jake Moody made four of his five kicks against Florida in the Peach Bowl after taking the kicker’s job from Quinn Nordin during the season.

Somehow, 
Isaiah 
Livers 
caught the pass, legs in the air, 
teetering on the edge of the 
court. His pink shoes barely 
landed in bounds as he lobbed 
the ball to Jordan Poole.
The 
possession 
started 
with junior center Jon Teske 
rebounding his missed layup, 
then getting down on the floor, 
fighting for a loose ball and 
shoveling it to junior guard 
Zavier Simpson. It ended with 
Poole catching the ball at 
halfcourt and finding Teske, 
wide open on the perimeter for 
three — his second triple in the 
first five minutes.
It was that kind of night for 
the Michigan men’s basketball 
team (25-4 overall, 14-4 Big 
Ten), who got off to a quick 
start and never 
relented, 
winning 
82-53 
over 
Nebraska 
(15-14, 5-13) in 
the final home 
game 
of 
the 
season.
“We 
jumped 
on 
them 
right 
away,” 
Teske 
said. “I wasn’t 
expecting 
to 
win by 30 (but) 
we played well, got on them 
early, which helps. Offensively, 
defensively, we really got on 
them tonight.”
Shots were falling no matter 
who was on the court. With 
redshirt junior wing Charles 
Matthews out with an ankle 
injury, 
others 
— 
including 
sophomore 
forward 
Isaiah 
Livers, freshman guard David 
DeJulius and freshman forward 
Colin Castleton — were forced 
to contribute, and that they did.
Matthews’ absence proved to 
be no problem. Livers, who got 
the start in his place, started 

off the game by rattling in a 
contested trey. He finished 
with 12 points and 10 rebounds 
for his first career double-
double.
“Charles, he does a lot of 
great things,” Livers said. “I 
tried to replace him as best as 
I could, trying 
to grab 50-50 
balls, 
just 
knock 
open 
shots 
and 
go 
dunk on other 
people’s heads. 
… But without 
Charles, 
nothing’s really 
gonna change. 
The ball’s still 
gonna 
move, 
shots are still 
gonna go in. We’re still gonna 
be Michigan.”
Seconds after subbing in, 
meanwhile, Castleton — whose 
last points were in December 
— slipped in a layup. When 
he scored his final points on 
a jumper with 1:24 left in the 
second half, cementing his 
11-point breakout game, he 
exited to a standing ovation.
After Nebraska cut the lead to 
17 by forcing a three-and-a-half 
minute field goal drought, Teske 
responded by sinking another 
3-pointer. 
Two 
possessions 
later, 
Simpson 
grabbed 
a 

rebound and tossed a half-court 
pass to Poole. Poole threw down 
a thunderous one-handed dunk, 
skidding across the floor before 
calmly sinking the and-one.
But Teske was the real star 
of the show. He was a matchup 
nightmare for Nebraska, driving 
to the basket at will and drawing 
fouls when he couldn’t hit a shot 
for a career-high 22 points. 
After he completed the double-
double with his 10th rebound, 
Teske hit a layup on the ensuing 
possession for the cherry on top, 
then subbed out for the final 
time, giving the freshmen and 
walk-ons a go at it.
“Jon did not take a three in 
practice the last two days,” said 
Michigan coach John Beilein. “ 
… All of a sudden he just grabs 
it and shoots it in and does it 
again, so I think that set the 
stage. It seems this is part of 
the mental edge, it seems on 
Senior Nights, this happens 
all the time. There’s just this, 
all of a sudden, we’re playing, 
and maybe we’re playing more 
relaxed as well.”
After the game was over and 
Senior Night festivities done, 
the Wolverines stood in the 
Maize Rage section, singing the 
fight song in front of their home 
crowd for the final time this 
season.
They were nothing but smiles.

Ignas Brazdeikis hit the floor 
and 12,707 hearts stopped.
The freshman forward lay on 
his back, clutching his left knee 
in pain, and all of Michigan’s 
worst fears seemed to be coming 
to fruition.
On 
Wednesday, 
the 
Wolverines found out Charles 
Matthews wouldn’t be able to 
suit up for his own Senior Night 
with a right ankle injury. Now, 
their leading scorer was down on 
the ground after a collison under 
the basket just 13 seconds before 
halftime.
A trainer helped him up, and 
Brazdeikis gingerly made his 
way to the bench under his own 
power. When he took the floor 
to start the second half, Crisler 
Center exhaled. By the time he 
hit his fourth 3-pointer of the 
game, Michigan led by 24 with 
seven minutes remaining, and 
the harrowing moment at the end 
of the first half was a forgotten 
footnote in the Wolverines’ 82-53 
win over Nebraska on Thursday.
“I sprinted over and I was like, 
‘Please no, please no, please no,’” 
said sophomore forward Isaiah 
Livers. “He said he was alright, 
he probably just tweaked it a 
little bit. … You see his playing, he 
hit four threes, so he was playing 
very well after that.”
And so was everyone else 
wearing a maize jersey. Michigan 
scored its most points since Dec. 
8. It shot 56 percent from the 
field and 55 percent from three. It 
recorded 19 assists on its 30 made 
baskets. Brazdeikis, Livers, junior 
center Jon Teske and freshman 
forward 
Colin 
Castleton 
all 
scored in double-figures.
It was the Wolverines’ most 
dominant performance in weeks, 
and it couldn’t have come at a 
better time.
“Great bounce-back for our 
guys after the other day,” said 

Michigan coach John Beilein. 
“It was great that we turned it 
around, coaching staff turned it 
around.”
The “other day,” of course, 
was the Wolverines’ 77-70 loss to 
Michigan State, in which it blew 
a six-point lead with 15 minutes 
remaining. With or without 
Matthews, Michigan needed a 
response in the worst way.
“We had a bad taste in our 
mouths,” Teske said. “We wanted 
to come out defensively, just 
shut them down and offensively, 
knock down open shots.”
The Wolverines did that from 
the start. Livers, who replaced 
Matthews in the starting lineup, 
nailed his first three just two 
minutes into the game. Teske 
— who didn’t attempt a three in 
practice the last two days, per 
Beilein — hit from the left wing 
on the next trip down the court, 
and Michigan was up, 8-2, and 
off and running.
When a team loses a rivalry 
game 
in 
the 
fashion 
the 
Wolverines did Sunday, bouncing 
back is the obvious storyline. 
That kind of mental response is 
intangible. What isn’t, though, 
was Michigan’s extreme height 
advantage over the Cornhuskers, 
who play only one player taller 
than 6-foot-8.
Teske (22 points and 10 
rebounds) 
and 
Castleton 
(11 points in nine minutes) 
stand 
7-foot-1 
and 
6-foot-
11, 
respectively. 
Nebraska 
didn’t have an answer, as the 
Wolverines had no trouble in 
finding their big men down 
low — and occasionally, on the 
perimeter, where Teske hit all 
three of his 3-pointers.
“We knew if we go harder off 
the screen that they were gonna 
switch,” Livers said. “So when 
we see that you got a 7-footer 
and a 6-foot-10 guy with long 
arms, they know how to keep 
the ball above their head, that’s 
an easy assist and easy bucket. It 

was great to see that they were 
playing big today instead of just 
playing small.”
That performance was quietly 
engineered 
by 
Michigan’s 
backcourt. Nothing junior Zavier 
Simpson or sophomore Jordan 
Poole did was electrifying — 
save for Poole’s out-of-nowhere 
tomahawk dunk in the second 
half.
But in a way, that was the 
point. Simpson and Poole’s job 
was simple: find the open man — 
usually a big man — and keep the 
ball moving. With just six shot 
attempts, but 15 assists combined 
between them, they did just that.
“They didn’t have to shoot 
the ball to make us win,” Beilein 
said. “The ball moved. Yesterday 
in practice, we could see the ball 
move. Didn’t stick like it has in 
some games. That’s how you 
score 80 points.”
As for the mental response?
“Maybe we’re playing more 
relaxed as well,” Beilein said. 
“After we got beat the other day, 
I think people just say, ‘OK, we 
learned a great lesson, let’s just 
go out there and take the next 
right shot and don’t worry about 
it. Don’t press to try and show 
anything, just make the next 
right play.’ ”
It’s been a theme this year, 
according to players and coaches 
— 
Michigan 
plays 
its 
best 
basketball when it plays freely 
and without tension. And as the 
Cornhuskers were reminded, the 
Wolverines are quite good when 
they play their best basketball.
“If they’re gonna play for 
a 
conference 
championship, 
you can’t lose at home,” said 
Nebraska 
coach 
Tim 
Miles. 
“Certainly can’t lose at home to 
a 10th place team. … I think that 
just (Michigan) making shots 
early deflated our guys some. But 
hey, this is not a league where 
you can feel sorry for yourself.”
After 
Sunday’s 
loss, 
the 
Wolverines didn’t.

Michigan bounces back after rivalry loss to the Spartans

ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Writer

ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily
Freshman center Colin Castleton scored a career-high 11 points on Thursday.

JACOB SHAMES
Daily Sports Editor

But without 
Charles, 
nothing’s really 
gonna change.

