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.