8A — Wednesday, April 3, 2019
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Position review: Offensive line
The Michigan football team’s
most
important
addition
for
2018 likely wasn’t a new recruit
or even junior quarterback Shea
Patterson. Instead, it was new
offensive line coach Ed Warinner,
hired to fix what was a major area
of weakness in the Wolverines’
8-5 season in 2017.
While the beginning of the
2018 season made the much-
maligned offensive line seem
like more of the same, the unit
improved throughout the year
under Warinner’s tutelage. And
though the season ended with
a thud in losses to Ohio State
and Florida, the offensive line’s
growth under Warinner bodes
well for the future.
Junior guard Ben Bredeson
became a leader on the line.
Elected
a
captain
by
his
teammates, Bredeson ended up
an All-Big Ten Second Team
selection. Bredeson flirted with
entering the NFL Draft but
ultimately told reporters at a pre-
bowl press conference that he
planned to return for his senior
year.
Redshirt
junior
offensive
tackle Jon Runyan — who made
his first career start at left tackle
in the season opener — was
named to the coaches’ All-Big
Ten First Team and joined his
father in winning the team’s
award for best offensive lineman
after steadily improving through
the course of the season. Junior
guard Michael Onwenu was
an All-Big Ten Third Team
selection.
Though
Michigan
loses
Bushell-Beatty
to
graduation,
Runyan, Bredeson and sophomore
center Cesar Ruiz — an All-Big
Ten Third Team honoree — will
be back to anchor the unit in
2019. Warinner returns as well,
hoping to bring consistency back
to a program once known for its
bruising offensive linemen.
HIGH POINT: Karan Higdon
sat at the podium and made a bold
declaration.
“No question, we have the best
offensive line in the country.”
Three times in eight minutes,
the senior running back gave a
variation of that quote.
To be clear, the Wolverines
didn’t and don’t have the best
offensive line in the country. But
the fact that Higdon — Michigan’s
top running back — felt like he
could make that proclamation,
after all the criticism the line
received, spoke volumes.
The Wolverines were fresh off
a win over then-No. 15 Wisconsin
on Oct. 15. Higdon ran for 105
yards, partly thanks to the push
generated by the offensive line.
The unit had shown improvement
in earlier games, but those were
against far inferior opponents.
This game was a sign that the
improvement
was the real deal.
For
an
offensive
line
that just a month
before
had
to
defend
itself
against all kinds
of social media
backlash after a
season-opening
loss
to
Notre
Dame, Higdon’s
declaration was a vindication.
LOW
POINT:
Michigan’s
offensive
linemen
promised
before the season kicked off that
the unit would be a strength.
Because the unit had notably
lacked production the year before
and
needed
replacements
at
both
tackle
spots, many were
incredulous.
After
the
first
game
of
the season — a
24-17 loss to the
Fighting Irish —
the
incredulity
reached a fever
pitch.
The running game struggled,
gaining just 58 yards. Patterson
was sacked three times — one of
those a strip sack that resulted in
a lost fumble. Even when he got
the ball off, Patterson constantly
had defenders in his face, and
his highly anticipated Wolverine
debut ended with a thud.
After the game, the offensive
line got the lion’s share of the
blame. Fans blasted it on Twitter,
laughing at the idea that this
unit could ever be considered a
strength. After a season when
two quarterbacks got hurt behind
a lacking line, it seemed like
this would be more of the same.
Linemen defended themselves,
maintaining that fans didn’t
understand the full story. But
skepticism
persisted
until
Michigan finally demonstrated
improvement on the field against
a quality opponent.
THE FUTURE: When fifth-
year
senior
offensive
tackle
Juwann
Bushell-Beatty
got
injured near the end of the
season, he sat out both the Ohio
State game and the Peach Bowl.
The unit sagged a bit in his
absence, leaving some question
marks in the future. However,
Runyan will return for his final
season, providing stability and
leadership at left tackle.
Sophomore offensive tackle
Andrew Stuber earned the start
at right tackle against the Gators,
indicating that he could be the
next man up. Freshman offensive
tackle Jalen Mayfield, who saw
limited snaps in 2018, is another
who will fight for the open
tackle job. With an extra year of
development under their belts,
the two former four-star recruits
have
plenty
to
potentially
contribute.
Ruiz, Bredeson and Onwenu
return
for
another
year
to
anchor the interior offensive
line. Their experience should
help onboard younger and less
experienced starters, and if Ruiz
and Bredeson can continue the
momentum from their breakout
seasons, it could be a boon for the
Wolverines.
Michigan also landed three
four-star offensive line recruits
in tackles Trente Jones and
Trevor Keegan and guard Nolan
Rumler. None are likely to start
right away, but they give the line
more depth and high potential for
years to come.
Warinner, too, will coach the
offensive line again in 2019. His
results in 2018 — taking a unit
that was a liability the year before
and producing four All-Big Ten
linemen — were promising for
the future.
This time, with the Wolverines
going into the season saying their
offensive line is a strength, it’s a
lot easier to believe them.
After starting the year as a supposed weakness, Michigan’s offensive line grew into a strength. What’s next in 2019?
ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Writer
CARTER FOX/Daily
Junior guard Ben Bredeson is returning to Michigan for his senior season after a year which saw his unit steadily improve from a team weakness to a strength.
Culture key to season turnaround
This
past
weekend,
the
Michigan softball team was
scheduled to play a three-
game series spread out over the
course of three days at Rutgers.
Instead,
the
coaches
from both teams decided to
schedule a doubleheader for
Saturday, providing Michigan
the opportunity to fly home
Saturday night and have an
extra day in Ann Arbor to relax
and catch up on homework. But
instead of adjusting their travel
plans, the Wolverines stuck
with their original itinerary and
spent Sunday on an impromptu
trip to New York City.
Generally, events like these
are meant for players and
coaches alike to bond in hopes
of building team morale and
chemistry. And it was evident at
the beginning of the season that
Michigan was one of the most
talented teams in the country
that also placed a premium on
team culture.
“I think our team especially
has fantastic chemistry this
year,”
said
senior
second
baseman
Faith
Canfield
on
Feb. 5. “There’s
definitely a great
dynamic among
our
players,
our
staff,
our
coaches,
and
our locker room
and everything.
Everyone
works hard and
everyone’s really
excited
to
be
here every day.
“I think this program has
always had, traditionally, a
strong culture. Our main word
this year was ‘respect.’ Respect
Team
42.
Whether
that’s
respect individually and how
we treat people or just saying
things that need to be said
because we’re respecting the
goals that we’re going after.”
After an uncharacteristic 9-9
start that included Michigan
dropping out of the top-25
rankings for the first time in
several years, however, the
Wolverines’
tried-and-true
morale was tested. Veterans
struggled
during
crucial
moments and lineup changes
happened on a
game-by-game
basis, especially
in the infield
– resulting in
sloppy play and
fielding errors.
“(The infield)
is as good as
just
about
anyone,”
said
sophomore first
baseman Taylor
Bump after the Big Ten/ACC
Challenge on Feb. 19. “They
don’t make it easy for me over
there, but I know what to expect
from them and whenever they
mess up, I’m owning that it’s
my job to try and help them
out. So, I think our entire
infield is working on the trust
relationship.
“I think that’s something
we’ll get toward by the end of
the season.”
However, it seems like the
team has already gotten there,
and it’s only halfway through
the season. The veterans are
finally stepping up to the box
and swinging with confidence,
providing stability to a once-
volatile batting order.
But what’s been more evident
is that the team’s culture and
chemistry has given Michigan
something to fall back on
throughout this unusual season.
This
culture
has
given
freshman outfielder Lexie Blair
the confidence to take the No. 3
spot in the batting order and hit
at a .407 clip – which leads the
team. This culture has allowed
freshman
right-hander
Alex
Storako to look up to and learn
from an All-American pitcher
in sophomore Meghan Beaubien
without feeling any pressure.
This culture has given direction
to a team that seemed like it was
it in reverse.
So
the
next
time
the
Wolverines spend a day or two
during their road trips to travel,
know that this isn’t anything
new. They’re just following the
Michigan way.
Nelson’s fight for a starting spot
This season, senior infielder
Blake Nelson has the second-
best batting average, the third
most doubles and is tied for the
fewest walks from batters with
more than 50 at-bats on the
Michigan baseball team.
Though
Nelson
was
the
opening-day starter at third
base after playing at that
position most of last year, he
had a flaw — his defense.
In just the second game of
the season, Nelson made a
mistake. And then another,
and another, and another; he
had four errors that day — two
throwing, two fielding. He was
a liability.
That liability was quickly
taken care of. Nelson didn’t
play the next game, and was
the designated hitter for the
next series, a placeholder while
junior
outfielder
Dominic
Clementi
was
recovering
from an abdominal sprain he
suffered early in the season.
When
Clementi
returned,
Nelson had one pinch-hitting
opportunity in seven games
and he struck out.
Nelson was relegated to
covering
shifts.
He
didn’t
play in big games and only
got the opportunity to prove
himself when senior infielder
Ako Thomas’ nagging injury
deemed
that
the
second
baseman would need a weekend
to rest.
In his first game in two
weeks against Manhattan, he
went 3-for-4 with two RBIs
and two doubles.
“He had a great night,” said
Michigan coach Erik Bakich
after the game against the
Jaspers. “It’s even more special
because he hasn’t played in a
while and it would be very easy
for him to come out and use the
lack of playing time as a reason
for not being in a rhythm to
do well, but he’s been a great
teammate even when he’s not
in there. It’s great for a guy to
have success because of the
type of teammate that he is.”
Added Nelson: “It starts
with
our
team.
We’re
all
bought in for win. Whether
that’s warming up with the
outfielders, doing the chart or
playing in the game. It doesn’t
really matter, we all know our
roles and we’re all ready to
come in when our number is
called.”
It wasn’t a fluke. Over the
next three games, Nelson hit at
a .583 clip with five RBIs.
“We saw that this weekend,
he’s going to be a hard guy
to keep out of the lineup,”
Bakich said. “I really like what
Blake brings from an energy
standpoint, and offensively he
just brings a knack for quality
at-bats
and
making
hard
contacts. He delivered some
clutch hits.”
Unless Nelson experiences
another drastic collapse of
defensive
competence,
a
replacement won’t be needed
for a while. His two competitors
— Thomas and Clementi —
have two of the worst batting
and slugging percentages on
the team and are both plagued
by injuries, the same reason
Nelson got his chance in the
first place.
Meanwhile,
Nelson
has
been firing on all cylinders.
His defense has been nearly
impeccable — just two more
errors — and his offense has
been invaluable, hitting .377
with 14 RBIs since the game
against Manhattan. Even if
there were people to take his
spot they would be hard pressed
to replicate his performances.
KENT SCHWARTZ
Daily Sports Writer
AKUL VIJAYVARGIYA
Daily Sports Writer
EVAN AARON/Daily
Senior infielder Blake Nelson earned his starting third base job back after hitting .377 with 14 RBIs since Mar. 15.
No question, we
have the best
offensive line in
the country.
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Senior second baseman Faith Canfield currently has a .383 batting average
and a .970 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.
This program
has always
had... a strong
culture.