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.

