8 — Thursday, October 24, 2019
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
To Nico Collins, it was as
perplexing on the re-watch as in
the moment.
He saw the ball in the air on
Saturday, readjusting to the
slightly-underthrown
deep
ball, hauling in what appeared
to be a momentum-shifting
45-yard reception down to the
Penn State 10-yard line. Exactly
what the doctor ordered for an
offense looking to respond to a
red-hot Nittany Lions start.
Then
he
saw
the
flag.
Offensive
pass
interference.
Catch
nullified.
Momentum
drained.
“Oh yeah, I saw it in slow
motion. It was terrible,” Collins
said. “ … He was pulling on me.
I was kinda pulling on him. We
were both competing for it …
but (the call) was on me. Can’t
complain about it.
“It can kinda be hard, cause a
play like that is very explosive.
If we had got that, we’d be down
on the 15-yard line in a position
to score. So we gotta go all the
way back from where we was.”
It was one of two offensive
pass
interference
calls
on
Michigan during the game,
the types of 50/50 plays that
are easier to single out in
what ended a razor-thin, one-
possession game. In the end,
the Wolverines were flagged
eight times for 48 yards, while
Penn State had five penalties for
58 yards. That relatively even
distribution did little to quell
complaints.
“There were some (bad calls),
definitely,”
said
Michigan
coach Jim Harbaugh. “You have
the human reaction of what
your human reactions are and
sometimes it’s not fair. I’ve said
for a long time, the only fair is
the county fair. Respect it. You
can be disappointed sometimes.
“Looked at those, make no
excuse and move onward.”
Kwity Paye breaking out
With any defensive end, the
sacks and tackles-for-loss are
what catch the casual fan’s eye.
Junior Kwity Paye certainly is
no exception.
His
dominant
2.5-sack
performance against Iowa laid
the foundation for what appears
to be a breakout season. And
yet, to defensive line coach
Shaun Nua, those are hardly the
only notable football traits he
possesses.
“I don’t know if he can grow
even more with how well he
plays the run,” Nua said. “He’s
confident, and just doesn’t panic
with all the RPOs and all the
bluff that tight ends will have,
the split zone, he just doesn’t
panic. He knows exactly when
they’re trying to kick him out,
and when they’re not trying
to kick him out. He’s always
in his gap with great pad level
and hands inside. So plays with
great, phenomenal base. You’ll
hardly see him on the ground.
And then when he gets a pass
rush, he can convert fast. He’s
doing a great job.”
Paye and sophomore Aidan
Hutchinson — self-nicknamed
“salt
and
pepper”
—
have
entrenched themselves firmly at
the end positions, each offering
versatility in their skillsets.
In addition to his praise for
Paye, Nua called Hutchinson a
“complete player”, noting the
duo’s ability to flip spots at any
given time and fill each role.
Together,
they’ve
allowed
Michigan’s defense to hardly
skip a beat after the departures
of Rashan Gary and Chase
Winovich from a season ago.
Slow starts persist
In the aftermath of last
week’s 21-0 blitz in the first
half, Michigan has spent the
week reflection on the trend
of starting slowly in big games.
Over
the
course
of
eight
different top-15 matchups in the
last two seasons, the Wolverines
have been outscored 117-83 in
the first half, including a 21-7
deficit to the Nittany Lions and
a 28-0 deficit to Wisconsin, both
this year.
The
answer
to
the
two
questions on everyone’s mind?
No, the players don’t have one
central rationale for the slow
starts. Yes, they know they’ve
got to do better.
“We can’t keep letting that be
a trend,” said senior offensive
lineman
Ben
Bredeson
on
Monday, “falling behind and
having to come back. There (are)
times when we got to start fast.”
Saturday, No. 8 Notre Dame
comes to town. That would seem
like an apt time to start fast.
Michigan football notebook
Kwity Paye’s perfection of run defense, Nico Collins’ comments on the offensive pass intereference call and more
MAX MARCOVITCH
Managing Sports Editor
Still plenty to play for, players say
When the ball hit Ronnie Bell’s
hands then dropped harmlessly
onto the turf, it symbolized the end
of more than just the game.
In big-time college football, two
losses mean no College Football
Playoff. While a Big Ten title is still
theoretically possible, it’s now very
unlikely. Those were Michigan’s
biggest goals coming into the
season. No matter how much fight
the Wolverines showed Saturday,
those goals are essentially gone.
Under
these
kinds
of
circumstances, there is inevitably
a debate about what the rest of the
season means, and what there is to
play for if there are no accolades on
the horizon.
For Michigan, those answers
seem to lie in the remaining games
on the schedule — and a steadfast
belief in themselves.
“A lot of people saying we have
nothing to play for,” said fifth-
year senior offensive tackle Jon
Runyan on Tuesday. “But we have
everything to play for. We got all
these guys in the locker room, we
got all our coaches, we have our
families that we’re playing for.”
Universally, players and coaches
pointed to the next game on the
schedule — a home game, at night,
against traditional rival and top-10
opponent in Notre Dame. Win that
game, and while it might not mean
anything in the conference race,
it’ll mean something to a program
that’s been invested in this rivalry
for over a century.
In his Monday press conference,
Jim
Harbaugh
preached
the
same thing he does before every
game — “this week is the most
important game of the season” —
and while that may not be literally
true anymore in the context of
the Playoff, the significance of
Saturday, and of upcoming rivalry
games against Michigan State and
Ohio State, isn’t lost on anyone.
On Monday, senior defensive
tackle Carlo Kemp faced the
scrum as normal, but the way he
answered questions seemed like
anything but a traditional media
session. Instead, his words seemed
like an impassioned speech, a plea
for everyone to stop treating the
season like it was over.
“What’s left to play is, we’ve
got our whole season left,” Kemp
said. “We’re at the midway point.
We’ve got five games coming up.
… And we’ve got three of the most
important
rivalries
in
college
football coming up. You’ve got
Notre Dame, you’ve got Michigan
State and then you’ve got the game
at the end of the year.
“And those are the games that
you play for. Those are the teams
that you’re gonna want to play for,
and we’re not just gonna sit here
and be like, ‘Alright, we’re done,’
and go out there and just coast the
rest of the season.”
The Wolverines lost to the
Fighting Irish last year. They have
yet to beat the Spartans at home
in Harbaugh’s tenure. And the
Buckeyes? The 0-4 record speaks
for itself. Those facts themselves
present plenty for Michigan to play
for — even if it’s not in the way it
originally hoped.
Defensive line coach Shaun
Nua and sophomore defensive
end
Aidan
Hutchinson
both
admitted that it was tough to
accept Saturday’s loss. But Nua
was pleased with the response in
Tuesday’s practice and the focus
they showed in the face of adversity.
Against
Notre
Dame,
the
Wolverines will get the chance to
prove that the season still means
something to them, that there are
still things to play for, even if there
isn’t a trip to Indianapolis or New
Orleans waiting for them at the
end.
“Yes, we lost, but you’ve gotta
remember, this isn’t our last game
of the year,” Kemp said. “It’s not
like, ‘Alright, we’re done, let’s
start packing up and we’ll get
ready for next season.’ We have
top-10 matchups coming up and
the big thing is, we have one this
Saturday. And we have another
opportunity on the national stage
to go out there, play in front of our
own fans and go out there and
represent Michigan and play on a
big stage.”
Franz Wagner embracing college
For many student athletes,
taking the leap to college
represents much of the same, if
just on a bigger stage with more
responsibilities.
Wake up. Go to school. Go to
practice. Complete homework.
Eat a ridiculous amount of
calories. Go to sleep. Repeat.
Very few incoming college
athletes buck this trend in the
time between their high school
days and their fledgling college
careers.
Franz
Wagner
is
an
exception.
After finishing high school
early, the guard played a year of
professional ball for Alba Berlin
in Germany’s Bundesliga. Now,
he’s back in a classroom, and
the 6-foot-8 wing couldn’t be
happier about it.
Any high school students
reading
this
are
almost
certainly
scratching
their
hands at the moment. How
could someone ever possibly
elect to go back to school,
especially after getting a taste
of a professional basketball
player’s lifestyle?
For Wagner, the answer to
that question comes in the form
of all of the resources Michigan
has to offer, including allowing
him to become a more well-
rounded human being. With
the
perspective
of
having
played professional basketball,
Wagner now appreciates a life
that does not solely focus on the
sport.
“(Last year) I played the
whole year of basketball, and
I felt like it was really for the
first couple of months, and I
enjoyed it,” Wagner said. “Not
having to go to school because
I finished high school a year
early, and that was really cool
for the first couple of months.
But after a certain period of
time, you feel like, at least I felt
like, I needed something more.
And that’s part of why I came
here.”
As
a
college
freshman,
Wagner enjoys spending time
in the dorms and meeting new
people who are not enmeshed
in the world of basketball. He’s
embracing his classes as well
as expanding on his hobbies
which include keeping up with
politics and the media.
It shows a wisdom beyond
his years to recognize a desire
to
develop
a
well-rounded
personality after having tasted
life as a professional — an
experience that will perhaps
lend itself handily to his play on
the court as well.
Coming in as a highly-touted
freshman accompanied by a
metric boatload of praise, many
in the program are turning
to Wagner to fill the void left
by last season’s top offensive
weapons
in
Jordan
Poole,
Ignas Brazdeikis and Charles
Matthews.
The wing’s basketball IQ,
passing
ability,
length
and
defensive ability have excited
many around Crisler Center,
which makes the news of his
recent injury so devastating for
the program. Wagner fractured
his wrist and will now miss the
next four to six weeks.
It’s a crucial blow for the
Wolverines early in what’s
sure-to-be
a
transformative
season, but once Wagner steps
back into the lineup, his talents
will shine through. At least,
that’s what associate coach Phil
Martelli believes.
“I would just suggest that if
anybody’s on the fence, if there
are tickets available, get your
tickets,” Martelli said, “because
you’re gonna want to see this
kid play. He’s a guy that you
come to practice every day and
you leave and you just scratch
your head. To be that age, to be
that cerebral, to be that pure.
“And it’s subtle. It’s like, how
did he know to defend there?
How did he know to go with the
right hand? He’s, and I don’t
want to put a lot of pressure on
him, but he’s rain man. He’s a
rain man in basketball. He’s a
savant.”
With such high praise and
professional playing experience
already under his belt, it’s no
wonder the freshman will play
at the next level again one day.
Whether it be in the NBA like
his brother, former Michigan
standout Moe Wagner, or back
overseas, Franz Wagner will be
a professional basketball player.
So, why come to college in
the states at all? Surely learning
the American game as opposed
to the European style played a
role in the decision, but Wagner
strongly asserts that becoming
more well-rounded is a priority
at this point in his life.
“I came here for a reason, and
it’s not just to play basketball
at this time,” Wagner said. “I
really want to make the most
of my time here. I don’t want to
think too much about the future
and stuff like that, I want to
live in the now right now, and I
think that’s the only way to get
better, really. If you think too
much about the future, it’s not
gonna help you.”
ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Editor
JACOB KOPNICK
Daily Sports Writer
ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
Junior wide receiver Nico Collins caught a 45-yard pass in the second quarter, but it was called back for a questionable offensive pass interference, as the drive ultimately stalled out without a score.
ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
Senior defensive lineman Carlo Kemp said that his team still has plenty to play for, starting this weekend..
COURTESY OF MICHIGAN ATHLETICS
Freshman Franz Wagner played for Alba Berlin in the Bundesliga last year.