By Jeff Stillman
©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
10/03/19
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
10/03/19
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
Release Date: Thursday, October 3, 2019
ACROSS
1 Collect
6 Stag
10 Diminished
gradually, with
“off”
14 Lake between the
Silver State and
Golden State
15 Promise, for one
16 Operation
Solomon airline
17 Feature of an
American flag
purchased with
58-Across?
20 Raina Telgemeier
graphic novel
about a girl with
braces
21 Breeder’s income
source
22 Names as a
source
25 Fizzy prefix
26 Decryption org.
29 Sidney Lumet film
purchased with
58-Across?
34 Regatta racer
36 Paint store
selections
37 Ristorante bottle
38 Mandolin kin
39 Loved, with “up”
40 Dasani product
41 Carbon
monoxide’s lack
42 Iditarod racer
43 Capital of
Ghana
44 Freight vehicle
purchased with
58-Across?
47 Coal scuttle
48 “I have an idea!”
49 Silas of the
Continental
Congress
51 Deals with
freebies
55 Museo
Leonardiano city
58 Sales incentive
62 Everyone, in
Essen
63 Mideast bigwig
64 Mill input
65 “All in the
Family” producer
Norman
66 Donnybrook
67 Church council
DOWN
1 QB’s stat
2 Big mouths
3 Word of
disapproval
4 Sega’s hedgehog
5 Band concert
guides
6 Cooperstown inst.
7 “Rope-a-dope”
boxer
8 Races
9 “CSI” IDs
10 Multi-use
workshop tool
11 Elsa and Anna’s
snowman pal
12 Medium __
13 Besides that
18 Mysterious
Himalayan
19 Litigious type
23 Yoga instruction
24 Cooked in a
skillet
26 Guitar string
option
27 King Salman, for
one
28 Do something in
response to
30 Tease
31 Deadpan comic
Hedberg
32 Summer month
in South America
33 Annual Santa
tracker
35 From now on
40 Alarms
42 More on the ball
45 Miss Muffet fare
46 Outer wall
protector
50 Vestibule, e.g.
51 Nonstick kitchen
brand
52 Sly trick
53 “Man __
Mancha”
54 Frozen Four
game
56 Invent, in a way
57 “That being the
case ... ”
59 Brazilian hot spot
60 Old PC monitor
61 Co. with a
bouquet in its
logo
6A — Thursday, October 3, 2019
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
‘Maniac’ Daxton Hill turning heads
Daxton Hill was a highly-
touted
recruit
coming
into
Michigan.
A
five-star
safety who flipped from the
Wolverines to Alabama and
then back again, there were
talks
that
Hill
could
get
significant playing time, or
even start immediately. But
before the season even started,
coaches put a damper on his
hype.
Jim Harbaugh said at a
preseason
press
conference
that the freshman safety would
mostly
play
special
teams.
Safeties
and
special
teams
coach Chris Partridge said he
was the fourth safety, behind
not only senior Josh Metellus
and junior Brad Hawkins, but
also junior J’Marick Woods.
The coaches stuck to their
words, and on the field, Hill
was quiet through the early
goings of the season.
Until Saturday.
As a gunner on the punt
coverage team, Hill flew down
the field after Will Hart’s
kick. Avery Young, the Rutgers
returner, fielded the ball, then
suddenly, Hill tackled him and
pinned him to the ground.
Young
likely
didn’t
know what hit him. But the
Wolverines did.
“He’s the fastest guy on
kickoff, on punt,” Partridge
said Wednesday. “He’s maybe
the fastest guy on the team.”
Two weeks ago, at Wisconsin,
Hill looked tentative on punt
coverage, hesitating when he
should have hit the gas. But he
knew the mistakes he’d made
and worked hard to fix them.
It may have been that one hit
on special teams that propelled
him back into the spotlight,
but behind the scenes, he’d
already laid the foundations for
a breakout game.
“(He)
practices
like
a
maniac
and
really,
really
takes coaching,” said assistant
special teams coordinator Jay
Harbaugh. “So when you watch
a game — like the week before,
there was a couple plays he
didn’t make, and then the next
week, and he makes them, it’s
really cool.”
Hill also saw time at safety
Saturday, picking up four total
tackles. Sure, the opportunity
came partially because Woods
was out with an undisclosed
injury, but Partridge admitted
himself that they wouldn’t have
put Hill in the game if they
didn’t think he was ready.
There
are
still
some
improvements
Hill
has
to
make, like learning when you
can run at full speed to hit
someone and when you can’t
and how to adjust to motion.
But by all indications, he’s been
progressing in those areas.
“Dax has been practicing
hard each week, he’s just been
getting better,” said senior
cornerback Lavert Hill. “His
mind’s starting to slow down,
and he’s just getting a feel for
the games so it’s definitely a big
jump in the past couple weeks.”
Both Jim Harbaugh and
Partridge want to get Hill more
playing time, but like with
most freshmen looking to work
their way into the rotation,
there’s a dichotomy. If Hill gets
significant minutes this early,
it’s probably because one of his
more experienced teammates
isn’t playing well, something no
coach wants.
So while Hill will probably
stay the fourth safety for now,
he’s impressed enough that he
could still carve out a niche on
defense.
Partridge
preaches
playing to everyone’s strengths
with as much depth at the
position as the Wolverines
have, and against the Scarlet
Knights, Hill frequently came
out on third-down packages
because of his speed.
“He’s a great cover guy,”
Partridge said. “He’s got elite
coverage skills. His thing is
just making sure we’re training
his eyes and he understands
what route combinations could
possibly coming based on who
he’s defending, splits, all that
stuff, but he’s getting there.”
Of course, one game against
Rutgers isn’t going to suddenly
rocket Hill up the depth chart,
but his hype train has regained
steam, and for good reason.
Especially with Woods still
questionable, Hill has emerged
as a reliable backup option in
the secondary, and one with
upside, to boot.
To see that upside, all you
need to do is watch again as
Dax Hill flies into the Scarlet
Knights’ punt returner and
waves his fingers afterward, as
if making an introduction.
Wolverines finding balance at RB
Among
the
confounding
trends from Michigan’s first four
games, one stands out.
In week two against Army,
freshman running back Zach
Charbonnet ascended into the
spotlight, rushing 33 times for
100 yards and three touchdowns.
In the Wolverines’ two games
since, Charbonnet — “limited”
by injury, according to Michigan
coach Jim Harbaugh — has seven
carries. Sophomores Christian
Turner and Hassan Haskins
have 17 and 10, respectively.
Senior Tru Wilson, in his return
from a broken hand, joined the
mix with four carries against
Rutgers on Saturday.
Confusing, right? Turns out,
that’s just how Michigan wants
it.
“I liked the fact that you can
split it up, maybe 20, 20, 20,
maybe a few for a fourth guy,”
Harbaugh said. “But Zach played
really well. Christian Turner
played really well in this game,
had some really fine runs. And
Hassan Haskins really played
well.”
Look
past
Harbaugh
suggesting the Wolverines run
the ball 60-plus times in a game
— even in a run-heavy game-
script against Rutgers, they ran
41 times — and you’ll see what he
wants this running back group
to be.
Charbonnet, as talented as he
is, isn’t supposed to run the ball
33 times. “It’s just kinda common
sense,” said running backs coach
Jay Harbaugh. “As a running
back, you don’t want that. But
there’s times in a game where
you can get in a situation where
it’s a little bit
unavoidable.”
The
key
to
avoiding
those
situations
lies
in
establishing
depth at running
back — something
Michigan didn’t
anticipate
struggling
with before the
season.
Then,
less
than
halfway
into the season opener, Wilson
broke his hand on a blitz pickup.
Turner has struggled with poor
pass protection. Behind them,
Haskins and sophomore Ben
VanSumeren — fourth and fifth
on the preseason depth chart,
according to Jay Harbaugh —
weren’t quite ready yet.
Now?
Saturday’s
carry
distribution says it all.
“Those guys really just (got)
back to work,” Jay Harbaugh
said. “There were certain things
that they needed to focus on and
get more mental reps, actual
physical reps, making sure that
they’re ready to see in the game.
“I think a lot of it’s just the
nature of young, inexperienced
players
that’s
it
sometimes
happens like that. None of those
guys have played very many
snaps in live action so it probably
is a little less surprising to us
than maybe it is to the outside
that something like that can
happen.”
While Jim Harbaugh didn’t
explicitly announce who his
top three backs were when he
called for a three-way split, the
indication soon became obvious.
Charbonnet and Turner were
givens and Harbaugh’s next two
sentences were, in fact, about
those backs.
The third spot, though, left
some
momentary
intrigue.
Haskins got nine carries against
Rutgers, but that was the first
game back for Wilson, part of the
top trio before the season.
Then, Harbaugh answered
the question he himself had
prompted.
“Hassan
Haskins
really
played
well,”
Harbaugh
said
“We’re watching
Hassan
now
really
make
great
strides
in
practice,
see
him
play
that well in the
game. There are
some examples of him dropping
his hips and getting through
the hole like some of the really
special backs can do. So, redshirt
freshman Hassan Haskins has
really come on.”
According to Jay Harbaugh,
the keys for Haskins to establish
his playing time were to fall
forward at the end of runs and
improve his blitz pickups. “All
that is kind of the vision we had
for him, which is great,” he said
Wednesday.
Now,
the
vision
for
the
running back room as a whole is
starting to fall in place with it.
Notebook: What you need to know from Media Day with Juwan Howard
ROSEMONT, Ill. — During
the 2009 NBA season, a thought
crawled into Juwan Howard’s head.
Coaching.
As a member of the Portland
Trail Blazers, he watched head
coach Nate McMillan in action, and
his interest was piqued. It was just
a seed at the time, but eventually
it sprouted into something bigger
than he could imagine.
A decade later, he found himself
behind the podium at Big Ten
Media Day, donning a Michigan
pin on the lapel of his sport coat.
Between his realization in Portland
and Wednesday morning, he won
two NBA titles alongside LeBron
James and Dwyane Wade and
spent five seasons as an assistant to
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.
His convoluted journey back to Ann
Arbor ended with an emotional
press conference at the end of May,
where he shed tears on the Crisler
Center floor.
The Daily breaks down what the
Wolverines’ first-year head coach
had to say.
Lofty expectations for prized
freshman Franz Wagner
Juwan Howard’s first win on
the recruiting trail came across the
pond, where he landed German
wing Franz Wagner — younger
brother of former Michigan star
Moritz Wagner — in July. But it
didn’t come at the behest of a college
blue blood. Instead, Howard lured
Wagner away from Alba Berlin, his
pro German club.
With Wagner now spending
at least a season in Ann Arbor,
Howard has no intentions of
coddling the freshman. He’s ready
to see the floor from the start, and
his ability to make an impact on
offense should help compensate
for the departures of Jordan Poole,
Ignas
Brazdeikis
and
Charles
Matthews — a trio that accounted
for the majority of the Wolverines’
offense last season. Wagner and
junior wing Isaiah Livers’ ability
to create their own offense could
be what Michigan turns to if the
offense stalls.
“Franz is talented,” Howard said.
“Franz is a big, huge pickup for us.
In my opinion, if Franz lived in the
U.S. he’d be the equivalent of what
today’s players are rated five-star
— he’s that good. And to be almost
6-foot-9 at a wing position, he has a
high IQ. He’s tough, he’s skilled. He
can put the ball on the floor, create
his own shot, and he’s not afraid to
dunk on you.
“One thing I did not mention
which I should’ve mentioned first
was he’s an underrated defender.
We all talk about his skill level
offensively, but the guy can defend.
He wants to defend, and that’s the
beauty of Franz. He’s going to be a
pro.”
Clean slate for Brandon Johns
Despite being the Wolverines’
second-highest ranked recruit last
fall, Brandon Johns couldn’t earn
regular minutes under John Beilein.
With a year of college experience
now under his belt, Johns will see
an increased role under Howard.
In Johns, Howard sees all the
tools. As a former NBA All-Star
who worked closely with big men
like Hassan Whiteside and Bam
Adebayo in Miami, Howard knows
what it takes.
“(Johns) has a beautiful shot,
(he’s)
athletic
(and)
skill-wise
he still hasn’t tapped all the way
into what he has,” Howard said.
“Once he figures that part out?
Woah, this kid’s interesting. And
that’s the beauty of working with
Brandon and many others like
Brandon, when I talk to them at the
beginning of practice — great eye
contact, trust, you can see I want
him and I’m going to do whatever I
can to help him get better.
“He knows he has an opportunity
to play. We’re going to lean on him,
he can be one of those stretch fours
that can be able to guard a ‘2,’ ‘3,’ ‘4’
and ‘5.’ Now it’s basically picking
up the concepts and learning the
terminology. He’s going to be good.”
After averaging just 4.2 minutes
per game across 28 appearances at
the ‘5’ last season, Johns’ ability to
take a stride forward could very
well hinge on his confidence. As
a natural power forward with
defensive versatility, Johns looked
uncomfortable playing the role of
small-ball center last year. Despite
his difficulty adjusting, he remained
boxed in because few minutes were
available at the ‘4.’
In
Howard’s
positionless
basketball
philosophy,
he’s
crossing the confidence bridge by
challenging Johns with competitive
practice matchups.
“I’m going to keep working
with
(Johns),
developing
him
and breathing more and more
confidence in him,” Howard said.
“ … He’s very interesting. Playing
against
a
Franz
everyday
in
practice, competing against Isaiah
Livers — that’s just going to help his
skill level rise even more. They’re
challenging
one
another
each
and every day in practice, and I’m
making sure of that.”
High praise for Eli Brooks’
‘basketball mind’
Since
relinquishing
starting
point duties to now-senior Zavier
Simpson in his freshman year,
junior
guard
Eli
Brooks
has
assumed a pivotal bench role. His
high IQ, quick first step and ability
to lead a fast break earned him
playing time in each of Michigan’s
37 games last season. He averaged
13 minutes per game, averaging 2.5
points and 1.1 assists per game.
Now an upperclassman, Brooks
can ease the Wolverines’ offensive
struggles by igniting fast breaks that
result in easy points. His quickness
and decision-making in transition
could ultimately determine how
much playing time he sees.
“(Brooks) gets it,” Howard said.
“He has a basketball mind — he
picks things up so quick, you only
have to tell him one time. His IQ in
transition, he can apply it quickly.
“He’s super crafty with the
basketball, getting to the paint,
whether
he’s
making
a
play
for himself or for others. He’s
competitive. Some would say he’s
undersized, but I think that’s what
really makes him edgy because he’s
counted as small at his position. I
look at Eli as a combo guard.”
THEO MACKIE
Daily Sports Editor
ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Editor
KEEMYA ESMAEL/Daily
Freshman safety Daxton Hill saw his playing time increase against Rutgers.
KEEMYA ESMAEL/Daily
Redshirt freshman running back Hassan Haskins had 10 carries against Rutgers.
You can split it
up, maybe 20,
20, 20 (carries
for each back).
DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Writer
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Michigan coach Juwan Howard first realized his interest in coaching while playing with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2009 under coach Nate McMillan.