2B — October 21, 2019 SportsMonday The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com M ichigan played its best football game of the season Saturday. Michigan also lost, notching a second Big Ten defeat, which equates to something of a death knell in mod- ern college football. It’s diffi- cult to square these two dis- tinct facts, so I won’t try to do so. There are surely hot takes to be read, and this won’t be one. Josh Gattis’ offense looked better, particularly in the second half. Shea Patterson offered his best performance of the season. After an early speed bump, the Wol- verines’ defense settled in quite comfortably. The talent of this team is present — and, at times, quite obvious. Michigan outgained Penn State, 417 to 283, and could have easily posted 35-plus points had it capitalized on five drives inside Nittany Lions territory that resulted in zero points. It’s a game the Wolverines probably should have won. Where have we heard that before? This column obviously takes on a whole different tenor if Ronnie Bell catches that pass in the end zone, if a couple 50/50 calls go Michigan’s way, if Pat- terson doesn’t errantly throw an interception on the screen pass in the second quarter, if—we could entertain these equivocations all day. All that’s left to say — after a game which will mark Jim Harbaugh’s seventh loss to a ranked opponent on the road in eight tries and his eighth loss in eight games as an underdog — is that there are no more moral victories. This is Year Five. Half a decade into what should have been a golden age of Michigan football, the Wolverines will have not a thing to show for it. This program is not what it thinks it is, plain and simple. The second half against Penn State showed glimpses of what this team could be if it ever reached its apex. Pat- terson was in a groove, dealing to his trove of weapons. The offense had tempo and purpose, wearing down a Nittany Lions defense that entered the game top-10 in SP+ defense. The defense was as aggressive and imposing as it perceives itself. It was at once a glimmer of hope, and a cruel twist of the knife — the full comeback ending mere yards shy, No. 7 Penn State escap- ing with a 28-21 win. The performance in the sec- ond half Saturday, one of the best halves of football this team has played in years, changes noth- ing. Just because Harbaugh’s team surpassed the menial expecta- tions it set for itself through the first six games does not excuse another in a remarkably consistent line of disappointments. “I’m not gonna sit down and feel sorry for ourselves,” said junior defensive end Kwity Paye. “We still have a lot of big teams to play — we have Notre Dame, a ranked team, Ohio State, a ranked team. There’s still plen- ty of opportunity to be able to go out and finish the season great.” You’d expect a player of Paye’s maturity to say that, of course, and it’s not entirely untrue. This team could quite possibly run the table to Ohio State; it opened as a slight favorite over No. 8 Notre Dame next weekend, and will almost certainly be favored against Michigan State, Indiana and Maryland. Winning those and then capping the year with a win over the Buckeyes would constitute some sort of success- ful season, if unconventional and still hollow. “Just complimented them on the effort they gave, the char- acter they showed,” Harbaugh said, on what he told his team after the game. “Hold their heads high and come back at it again on Monday.” Added senior VIPER Khaleke Hudson: “We’ve just got to move onto the next day. We’ve got to work even harder in practice and we’ve just got to stay on top of our film work and keep trusting our guys.” It’s tiresome to hear, and must be more tiresome to live. There are still meaningful prisms through which to view the rest of the season. Increased opportunities for promis- ing young players — the Cam McGrones, Zach Charbonnets, Daxton Hills, Chris Hintons scattered about the roster — will help enlighten present and future talent. Wins over Michi- gan State (a requirement) and Ohio State (a bonus) would cer- tainly do wonders to quell the angst in and around the team. A bowl win for the first time since 2015 would mean something, to be sure. But there are no more moral victories left to deduce any- more. All that counts are the literal ones. And in the biggest moments, those remain absent. Marcovitch can be reached via email at maxmarco@umich.edu or on Twitter @Max_Marcovitch. No more moral victories When Western Michigan (9-4-0 overall, 1-0-0 MAC) visited the Michigan men’s soccer team (6-4-3 overall, 2-1-2 Big Ten) last Thursday, the visitors looked to use a seemingly simple tactic— turn the beautiful game into something, well, less beautiful. Their attempts proved successful as the Broncos beat the Wolverines 2-1. “It wasn’t much of a soccer game, which made it a lot more difficult for us,” said Michigan coach Chaka Daley. A talented Western Michigan team, ranked 33rd in the country in the latest RPI poll, used physical play to its advantage to turn the game away from a chess match. Despite totaling 14 fouls, the Broncos only earned one yellow card in the 14th minute. Michigan looked frustrated trying to deal with Western Michigan’s energy while struggling to keep possession in the attacking half of the field and went into the half trailing 1-0. After a few more hard fouls in the second half, the frustration started to boil over, as Michigan exchanged frequently pleasantries with Broncos players. Coach Daley did his best to cool his team down and refocus it on its own play. “It’s tough, I think it should be sorted out by the officials,” Daley said. “But if it’s not, you have to make sure that you respond and continue to play and not get too distracted or emotional from it. I think our team got a little emotional as a result.” Emotions reached a peak point after the final horn, the game ending in a 2-1 Western Michigan win. The Broncos performed a spirited rendition of their fight song in front of their supporters, to the great dismay of a few Michigan players who approached the opposing team with seemingly ill intent before being held back by teammates and coaches. Theatrics aside, Western Michigan ultimately outplayed Michigan and could cruise back to Kalamazoo with an impressive win against the Wolverines. Undoubtedly the Wolverines will have their next bout with the Broncos circled on their calendars. DOMINIC DIFRANCO For The Daily Once the outcome was decided, Western Michigan poured onto the field and sang their fight song at the top of their lungs. The fight song was appropriate in more than one way on Thursday. On a night where 20 fouls were committed, neither team pulled any punches both on and off the field. The Michigan men’s soccer team (6-4-3 overall, 2-1-2 Big Ten) fell to 2-1 to Western Michigan (9-4-1 overall) . The Wolverines struggled in the first half against the Broncos’ high press, as the opposing side scored within the first minute. With senior forward Jack Hallahan out due to injury, the Wolverines lacked the creative spark to break down the opposition. Western Michigan’s tall back line cleared everything Michigan crossed into the box, making it difficult for its front line to get shots on target. The game got choppy by the end of the first half as the Broncos committed four fouls and had one yellow card, a preview of what was to come. “We let a half pass us by,” said Michigan coach Chaka Daley. “We did ourselves a disservice by not being prepared for the energy they would bring. It wasn’t much of a soccer game which made it a lot more difficult for us, but we have to respond to those things.” The Wolverines came out strong in the second half, scoring a 46th minute goal from graduate transfer Nebojsa Popovic. Freshman midfielder Harry Pithers played a one-touch pass high to the far end of the box to freshman forward Christian Pullselli, who headed it back to the center. Popovic met the ball and volleyed it home. “You need some personality players to break them down and we have three that weren’t available,” Daley said. “It makes it difficult and we knew it would be a challenge because we know those guys can unlock the game.” Forty seconds later, Western Michigan responded with a high-shot goal at the top of Michigan’s six-yard box. Then, the Broncos shifted the tenor of the game, committing 10 fouls in the second half. Whether it was swinging for the man, not the ball, or throwing elbows while going up for a header, the message was clear from the Broncos. “It’s tough,” Daley said. “I think it should be sorted out by the officials.” Michigan followed Western Michigan’s goal with a great scoring chance in the 51st minute. A low driven ball across the box came to Popovic, who shot it towards goal. But, Broncos goalie Isaac Walker came up with the save denying Michigan one of their best chances of the game. “We’ve got to put it in the rear view mirror,” Daley said. “It’s a tough night for our group. We are disappointed we responded too late. We need to get back to the drawing board.” Compared to Michigan’s six fouls, Western committed 14 by the end of the match. The Broncos switched to a more compact formation and stuck five players in their back line to further stymie the Wolverines. This gave Michigan no choice but to move 6-foot-5 senior center back Jackson Ragen up top and bomb crosses into the box. Elbows were thrown, fingers were pointed and a rivalry brewed. “You have to respond, continue to play, and not get too emotional about it,” Daley said. I think our guys got a little bit too emotional. That’s a style or tactic for sure. We didn’t do a good job handling that.” The Michigan football team played one of its best halves of football in years. But we’re past the point of moral victories. MAX MARCOVITCH Michigan offense stifled in physical matchup, fight breaks out after ugly 2-1 loss to WMU NICK MOEN For The Daily ‘M’ rebounds with win over hapless Rutgers The Michigan volleyball team had a fatigued Rutgers squad on the ropes late in the second set, desperately scrambling to patch together a sustained attack. Sensing a break in the Wolverine defense, the Scarlet Knights rallied, but freshman middle blocker May Pertofsky rushed to the ball, greeting it with an emphatic solo block. On the very next play, in the exact same spot, the Rutgers attack was stuffed again, this time by redshirt freshman outside hitter Grace Persson. The rest of the night played out in much the same way for the Wolverines (13-5 overall, 6-2 Big Ten), who swept the Scarlet Knights (6-13, 0-8) to the tune of 25-10, 25-15, 25-16. Following consecutive Big Ten losses to No. 5 Nebraska and No. 8 Penn State, Michigan wasted no time righting the ship against another conference foe. “We knew Rutgers wasn’t as strong of an opponent, but for us, we always judge on our side of the net,” said Michigan coach Mark Rosen. “It’s about how are we playing comparative to our level rather than the opponent, and that’s probably one of the most dialed-in team wins, playing for each other.” The Wolverines set the tone early with a swarming, physical defense that left few gaps on the court, frustrating the Scarlet Knight attack, which was unable to correct course even after burning two timeouts in the first set. Rutgers had no answers for the freshman tandem of Pertofsky and middle blocker Jess Robinson, who combined for 25.5 points and 10 blocks. Michigan’s competence in both phases of the game continued during the match, as the Scarlet Knights scored on 45.2 percent of their possessions when receiving the serve, while the Wolverines scored on a gaudy 81.4 percent of theirs. Not a single Scarlet Knight reached double- digit points, while Pertofsky, Robinson and sophomore outside hitter Paige Jones all tallied 10 or more. “I thought tonight we were just really clean,” Rosen said. “When you hit almost .500 and side out at 80 percent, you know, those are numbers that are crazy. (A hitting percentage of) .250 is a good number, and we were double that tonight. We were really efficient.” The Wolverines’ efficiency was the product of a fluid, communicative attack befitting an older, more experienced group. Each player seemed to be innately aware of the other’s presence on the court, filling in the defensive gaps as necessary. “I think our team has gotten along really, really well, especially in the quickness in which we were put together,” Robinson said. “To pull off wins in a conference this hard, you have to be working together all the time.” While Michigan’s pair of freshman flashed its two-way potential, the team should remain competitive within the conference by leveraging the talents of veterans like senior setter Mackenzi Welsh, who added two blocks and one of the team’s seven service aces. “It’s not just our freshmen that are carrying the load right now,” Rosen said. “I think this team has a ton of potential to just keep getting better, and I’m pleased with the direction we’re heading in, but we’ve gotta win some of these big matchups.” JOSEPH ARONOFF For The Daily This team has a ton of potential to ... keep getting better. ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has now lost seven of eight games against ranked opponents on the road during his five years coaching the Wolverines. We’ve just got to work even harder in practice... I’m not gonna sit down and feel sorry for ourselves. CLAIRE MEINGAST/Daily Michigan coach Chaka Daley said physical play should be handled by officials. It’s tough, I think it should be sorted out by the officials.