The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Friday, October 18, 2019 — 7

Behind Enemy Lines with Penn State writer (and friend) Mike Persak

Ahead of No. 16 Michigan’s clash 
with No. 7 Penn State this weekend, 
The Daily called up an old friend. 
Mike Persak, former Michigan 
Daily Managing Sports Editor, 
now covers Penn State football for 
the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. We 
dialed up his number, turned on the 
recorder and let the (half-baked) 
thoughts flow. 
The Michigan Daily: So, what 
do you want to talk about?
Mike Persak: Do you want to 
know what I cooked for dinner? 
TMD: What did you cook for 
dinner?
MP: I figured out that it actually 
isn’t that hard to just make 
homemade 
chicken 
parmesan, 
so I’ve just been making chicken 
parmesan for myself like four 
nights a week.
TMD: I’m happy for you.
(awkward pause)
TMD: What else do you want to 
talk about?
MP: What do you think about 
tomorrow?
TMD: Tomorrow? Tomorrow’s 
Friday, it should be a good day—
MP: (Expletive) off. Saturday.
TMD: What do I think? I 
think (Michigan) is going to get 
blown out, honestly. I said two 
touchdowns, and I think it could 
be more.
MP: I’m not so sure.
TMD: Why? Why not?
MP: Penn State, their offense 
hasn’t been good against good 
defenses. I think Michigan has 
arguably the best defense that 
they’ve played so far.
TMD: Yeah, but are we sure 
Michigan’s defense is really good?
MP: Well, I don’t know. That’s 
the thing. Michigan, when they 
show up on defense, they’re 
really good. But, yeah, it’s a good 
question. I think — I split Penn 
State’s schedule into two spots. 
And they’ve played Idaho, Buffalo, 
Maryland and Purdue. Those four 
teams are not that good, and they 
really beat up on them. And those 
two teams have good defenses 

and they scored 17 points in each 
game. The only way I see it being 
more than two touchdowns is 
if it’s, like, 24-3, which I’m not 
necessarily ruling out, but it seems 
like unlikely. I don’t see Penn State 
running up the score here.
TMD: To me, it’s the kind of 
thing where if Michigan, let’s say 
they turn the ball over early and 
Penn State goes up a score or two 
scores, it’s over. It’s done.
MP: 
Yeah, 
it 
might 
just 
avalanche quickly. But the thing 
that’s funny to me is that I actually 
think these two teams are kind of 
similar offensively in that I think 
that both offenses are really close 
to like breaking out. Like, really 
breaking out. Penn State has 
technically broken out already, 
they have a top-10 scoring offense 
because they really kicked the 
you-know-what out of the teams 
they’ve beat up. But if you told 
me that one of the offenses kind 
of exploded on Saturday, and it 
was like kind of crazy and out of 
nowhere, I wouldn’t know which 
offense it would be, even if I think 
it’s probably Penn State.
TMD: I would be kind of 
shocked if Michigan’s offense went 
to Penn State during the night 
game and exploded.
MP: No, no. I don’t necessarily 
think that’s going to happen. But I 
think Michigan’s offense is closer 
than people think it is.
TMD: That’s interesting. Go on.
MP: I was reading a stat … 
comparing when Joe Morehead 
came in as OC at Penn State in 
2016 and when Josh Gattis came 
in as offensive coordinator for 
Michigan. (unnecessary rambling) 
Through the first six games, it’s 
extremely similar. The difference is 
that Michigan is 5-1 and Penn State 
was 4-2 at that time. And that was 
the year Penn State won the Big 
Ten championship. I’m not saying 
Shea (Patterson) is going to turn 
into Trace McSorley and Hassan 
Haskins or Zach Charbonnet is 
going to be Saquon, but the offense, 
it’s more different than people 
think it is. I think people thought 
it’s just a matter of scheming guys 

open, but that’s not the case, you 
know?
TMD: I think that’s interesting. 
People here talk about 2016 Penn 
State as the optimist’s take on this 
year, because they do have so much 
talent.
MP: Yeah. And it’s a different 
kind of talent, because Penn State 
was just like quarterback — they 
had Gesicki, Sayid Blackwell on 
the outside. They had some good 
receivers. But it was like, Trace 
McSorley was sick, and they 
finally just had to trust him. And 
Saquon was a god. But the other 
thing was, I remember watching 
that Penn State team and being 
like, ‘Jesus Christ, they just throw 
bombs and that’s all they do.’ The 
Big Ten Championship Game 
against Wisconsin that year, they 
just threw bomb after bomb after 
bomb.
TMD: McSorley throwing those 
slot fades on Michigan. I don’t 
know, I think the optimist’s take on 
this Michigan team is 2016 Penn 
State, and the pessimist’s take on 
this team is 2017 Michigan.
MP: For sure. And whatever 
way it goes. … I could see it either 
way.
TMD: How has your perspective 
on—
MP: Hold on, shh shh, listen.
TMD: I’m listening.
MP: (Crackling noise)
TMD: What was that?
MP: That was a beer can.
(Laughs)
TMD: Anyway. How has your 
perspective 
on 
the 
Michigan 
football program changed since 
you flew away from the nest?
MP: I mean, it’s pretty much the 
same. The answer is what everyone 
says. Michigan is convinced that 
it’s still the late ‘90s and Michigan 
is Michigan. I heard it put well 
by someone that, like, I’m not 
writing off — Michigan I think 
in any given year could make the 
College Football Playoff under 
Jim Harbaugh. But to expect 
them to be a perennial contender 
for the Playoff, it’s just not where 
the program is right now. I think 
people outside of Michigan get 

that, and I think people who watch 
Michigan every year don’t quite get 
that. But that’s just fandom.
(Random Lions blabber. Super 
Bowl bound. Other nonsense.)
MP: 
Do 
you 
think 
that 
Michigan currently has a Big 
Ten 
championship-winning 
quarterback?
TMD: Yes. 
MP: You do?
TMD: I mean, it depends how 
you define “Big Ten championship-
winning quarterback”. They don’t 
have the best quarterback in the Big 
Ten. But they have a quarterback 
who’s capable of leading a Big Ten 
— I still think this roster is talented 
enough to be good enough to put 
themselves in a position to win a 
Big Ten title. I just do. And I still 
think the talent is there with Shea 
Patterson. I just don’t know.
MP: Last year, I would have 
told you that I thought Shea was 
good enough to be a Big Ten 
championship, potential College 
Football 
Playoff. 
This 
year, 
obviously, he hasn’t been great. 
But I also don’t know… if I see 
Joe Milton or Dylan McCaffrey 
as being that either. Who knows. 
Maybe it’s J.J. McCarthy.
TMD: J.J. McCarthy, the next 

reason for Michigan fans to point 
two years down the road.
MP: I’m old enough to remember 
when Alex Malzone was that guy.
TMD: Then Shane Morris. 
Remember him?
MP: I do. What’s he up to? Still 
at Central?
TMD: Uhhhhh. We’ll cut this. 
TMD: 
I 
have 
two 
more 
questions because I don’t want to 
transcribe more. First question: 
prediction?
MP: I don’t know. I’m really bad 
at predictions. … I’ll go 28-10.
TMD: That’s pretty convincing.
MP: Yeah, 28-10, but it’s like 
closer than that. Do you know what 
I mean?
TMD: 28-10, but really it’s an 
eight-point game. Got it.
(Laughs)
MP: 28-10, but really Michigan 
wins by 35.
MP: I don’t know that’s just 
reaching into my gut and pulling 
out a random score that I think 
might happen. But if I have to 
make a prediction, don’t think 
Michigan’s going to be able to score 
on Penn State very well. See, man, 
the other thing is Penn State really 
hasn’t faced an offense like this 
from one of the good teams... 

TMD: I don’t know how much 
of the Michigan offense you’ve 
watched, but uh…
MP: I mean, I watched pretty 
much the whole game last game, 
and I watched pretty much the 
whole Wisconsin game. And Army. 
I have got the spectrum of both 
(good and bad). Either way, yeah, 
prediction: 28-17.
TMD: If we talk to you on 
Saturday morning, that’ll be 28-26.
MP: It’ll be 45-2, Penn State.
(Random Vegas spread talk. 
Mike offers gambling advice. Isn’t 
sure what can feasibly be printed, 
per his contractual obligations. 
Swears he’s not betting on Penn 
State games. That’s unethical.)
TMD: Last question, where 
should I go —
MP: Wait, is Louisville at home 
against Clemson? 
TMD: I don’t know.
MP: Because if so, that’s my 
pick: Lousiville to cover against 
Clemson.
TMD: Last question, where 
should I go for dinner tonight?
MP: How about a good Piada 
push?
TMD: 
Interesting. 
Very 
interesting. I’m going to turn off 
the recorder now.

Howard at home during media day

On 
Thursday, 
freshly-
minted Michigan coach Juwan 
Howard 
sauntered 
into 
the 
room full of reporters at Crisler 
Center. 
Greeting 
the 
crowd 
and recognizing some familiar 
faces, the 19-year NBA veteran 
sat down in the Ron and Eileen 
Weiser 
Family 
Club 
— 
an 
exclusive area of the arena 
shrouded in maize and blue — 
and looked like a man who’s been 
doing the job for years.
Answering questions about 
the state of the team, the 
development of his roster, the 
city of Ann Arbor and more, 
Howard gave a glimpse into what 
the men’s basketball program 
is going to look like under his 
tenure.
Blending key aspects of the 
program’s identity under former 
coach John Beilien and a new 
scheme and value set under 
Howard, a few key aspects of 
the team appear to be making 
their way into the limelight: 
work ethic, coachability and 
athleticism.
Going one by one, detailing 
his players’ strengths, a few key 
words kept making their way to 
the forefront. Chief among those 
was dedication.
Junior forward Isaiah Livers? 
He’s in the best shape of his life 
after hitting the weight room 
hard all off-season. Sophomore 
forward Brandon Johns Jr.? 
He’s been hustling in practice 
attempting to gain confidence in 
his position. Senior guard Zavier 
Simpson? He was working so 
hard his coach had to tell him 
to ease off the three-a-day 
practices. 
Howard lent further insight 
into this mentality through a 
story of one of his first weeks on 
the job this summer.
He was in his office late, 
around 10:30 p.m., when he 
heard music blaring from the 
gym at the Player Development 
Center. 
Startled 
and 
a 
bit 
confused, Howard made his 
way to the floor, where he saw 
a group of his guys putting up 
shots and getting in a workout. 

“I enjoy it,” Howard said. 

“Guys were in there working out. 
Whatever it takes for you to get 
into that zone, get comfortable, 
come into the gym and get a 
workout. You can blast your 
music or whatever music it is. I 
don’t care. At 10:30 I heard music 
playing, and there’s always one 
or two guys in there working out, 
and it’s not policed by me, I don’t 
see it. They do what they want to 
do.”
In the summer, these late-
night 
music-
blaring workouts 
became a staple 
of 
the 
off-
season regimen. 
Especially 
for 
sophomores 
Colin Castleton 
and 
David 
DeJulius, junior 
guard Eli Brooks, 
and Johns — the 
usual 
suspects 
for late-night shenanigans.
Howard also noted that his 
players are inherently coachable, 
always striving to get better — a 
skill perhaps most embodied by 
Johns.
The sophomore struggled to 
find the floor in his first year 
with the Wolverines. Confidence 
problems, difficulties adjusting 
to 
a 
new 
position 
and 
a 
complicated offensive scheme 
were used as reasons for his 
benching. This offseason, the 
name of the game has been 
building 
up 
confidence 
and 
getting ready to take a larger role 
in a team that saw its top three 
offensive producers take off for 
the NBA.

“Brandon is a very athletic 
guy who has a beautiful stroke 
in his jump shot,” Howard said. 
“I’m just instilling more and 
more confidence in Brandon. 
He’s competing hard in practice. 
He’s grasping a lot of the new 
responsibilities in teaching what 
is asked of him. He’s a joy to 
work with.
“I see that he’s gonna have his 
chance to play a lot this year, but 
as he knows, it starts in practice. 
You gotta earn your minutes.”
Straying away 
from basketball, 
Howard 
also 
delved into what 
made Michigan 
and the city of 
Ann Arbor such 
a great place — 
especially 
for 
any top recruits 
who 
may 
be 
making 
their 
college decisions 
soon.
Discussing the diverse food 
scene, the Art Fair and the 
unparalleled academics, Howard 
provided a snapshot into his 
recruiting toolkit. After all, 
basketball is only one of many 
factors going into a recruit’s 
decision of where to spend their 
lives for the next one to five 
years. 
But 
his 
larger-than-life 
personality and sense of humor 
snuck into his description of the 
city, too. 
So when he added, “And we 
have me,” when listing off what 
makes Michigan the place to be 
as a student athlete, he seemed 
right at home.

Michigan ready for physical play

End-to-end hockey. Battles 
on the boards. Body checks, 
poke checks and forechecks. 
Anything to bother a player 
and get position in between a 
Michigan player and the net. 
Grinding hockey.
That’s 
the 
first 
phrase 
Michigan coach Mel Pearson 
used to describe the scrappy 
play style the team had faced 
thus far. It was gritty. It was 
extremely 
physical. 
The 
Wolverines had to fight for 
every inch of the ice.
They saw it last weekend 
against No. 10 Clarkson — 
every loose puck required a 
battle. The space in front of 
the net was clogged by Golden 
Knight players. They outworked 
Michigan without the puck, 
and the moment the Wolverines 
had the puck on their stick a 
Clarkson player was preparing 
for a hit. These little details 
ultimately led to a loss and a tie. 
 
Michigan will see the same 
style of play again this weekend 
with Lake Superior. 
While all teams aim to play 
with a high level of physicality, 
in the Big Ten, speed and skill 
reign supreme over strength and 
size. There’s much more open 
ice to skate and make plays. But 
non conference opponents like 
the Golden Knights and Lakers 
force the Wolverines to adjust 
their play style slightly. 
“We played Lake State last 
year,” said senior forward Jake 
Slaker. “They definitely play 
the same kind of similar style 

(as Clarkson). Kind of a grindy, 
simple game so now we’re 
expecting what we had last 
weekend so we can change a 
few things and be ready for the 
weekend.”
All 
week 
in 
practice, 
Michigan has been prepping 
and fine-tuning its play in the 
wake of the series with the 
Clarkson. 
There’s been a lot of battle 
drills, contact drills — really 
anything 
to 
get 
the 
team 
further attuned to the physical 
play. Ultimately, its focus is 
on competing hard, especially 
from the get-go. Just like last 
weekend, the Wolverines know 
if they want to win, they have 
to get off to an early lead. They 
cannot afford to play from 
behind. 
Last year, when Michigan 
played Lake Superior, the games 
almost didn’t resemble hockey. 
Whether the puck was nearby 
or not, the Lakers were hitting 
hard. The Friday night game 
had 18 penalties, and Saturday’s 
had 10.
And Lake Superior has the 
personnel to make that play 
style work. Its roster is stacked 
with big, strong defensemen. 
Only one of its blue line players 
measures under six feet tall. 
Offensively, the Wolverines 
aren’t necessarily known for 
being physical. Against the 
Golden Knights, the forwards 
showed 
they 
could 
handle 
matching up against defenders 
with a size advantage. But 
playing a stronger team gives 
Michigan a chance to win with 
a different skill — speed.

“It’s nice when you play 
those physical teams,” Slaker 
said. “Usually they’re a little bit 
slower and clunkier. It’s a time 
for the fast guys like myself to 
use that to our advantage.”
While playing a gritty team 
offers the Wolverines a chance 
to 
display 
their 
quickness, 
there’s also a catch — less open 
ice to play. Big, physical teams 
take away space to move the 
puck in the offensive zone, 
particularly around the net. It’s 
an issue Michigan battled with 
last weekend, and will have to 
overcome this weekend to have 
a chance of winning.
“As a team we’ve all agreed 
upon (the fact) that we need 
to drive the net better,” said 
fifth-year senior forward Jacob 
Hayhurst. “When we see shots 
going towards their net we need 
to get in front of their goalie’s 
eyes and drive the back post in 
order to create more scoring 
opportunities.”
Crashing the net will require 
the Wolverines to perfectly 
balance 
both 
speed 
and 
strength.
To 
make 
matters 
more 
difficult, the team will be 
without one of its most physical 
players, 
senior 
defenseman 
Griffin Luce. He was suspended 
one game after hitting a player 
from behind in the closing 
minutes of last Saturday’s game. 
In his place, another defender — 
maybe sophomore Jake Gingell 
or 
fifth-year 
senior 
Shane 
Switzer — will have to step up.
“Their forwards aren’t real 
big,” Pearson said. “They play 
strong, but we have to use our 
quickness and our speed. Would 
I like to have Griff in the line 
up? Yes. But Gingell is physical. 
Switzer is a big guy so I think 
we’ll be fine there.”
But after Clarkson, Michigan 
is better prepared to handle 
situations where every puck is 
a battle to get to. A game where 
ice space, especially in front of 
the net, won’t be easy to come 
by. And now, the Wolverines 
know what they’ll have to do 
to find success against a team 
that plays an extremely physical 
brand of hockey.

JACOB KOPNICK
Daily Sports Writer

KEEMYA ESMAEL/Daily
Michigan coach Juwan Howard has acclimated to his new role.

Whatever it 
takes for you 
to get into that 
zone.

MOLLY SHEA
Daily Sports Writer

ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
Senior foward Jake Slaker said he was eager to use his speed this weekend.

FILE PHOTO/Daily
Former Managing Sports Editor Mike Persak now covers Penn State football for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

MAX MARCOVITCH
Managing Sports Editor