8A — Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

The first sign that Michigan 
might retool its offense came 
months 
before 
Josh 
Gattis 
was hired to take over the 
coordinator role.
Giles Jackson, then a four-
star whose position in college 
was at question, committed 
last September. His skillset, 
based around speed, not size 
or technique, didn’t seem to 
fit into Jim Harbaugh and Pep 
Hamilton’s offense. To succeed 
as a receiver, Jackson would 
need to be put into open space, 
where he could make use of that 
skill set and pick up yardage 
after the catch.
Gattis, of course, has built 
his offense around that very 
concept.
Jackson hasn’t been much of 
a factor in the receiving game 
his freshman year with three 
established starters atop the 
depth chart. Still, he’s made 
a name for himself as a kick 
returner, and found the field on 
offense when the Wolverines 
see chances for him to stretch 
the field on sweeps or end 
arounds. 
Technically speaking, it isn’t 
the offense he signed up for 
when he committed. But it’s one 
that fits him.
“I think (my game) helps a 
lot,” Jackson said. “Me and Mike 
(Sainristil), we’re similar. We 
both use that to our advantage 
in our offense on like the swings 
and bubbles, using our speed to 
try to beat everybody out, and I 
think that helps us a lot.”
Cornelius Johnson, another 
freshman receiver who stepped 
into 
an 
offense 
that 
was 
perhaps different than what he 
expected, was across the room 
talking to media at the same 
time as Jackson. A Connecticut 

native, Johnson was recruited 
by Gattis to play for Alabama, 
but didn’t see him at Michigan 
until the spring game.
There’s 
a 
stereotypical 
adjustment 
period 
for 
freshmen, at any position in 
any sport that both Jackson and 
Johnson 
discussed. 
Jackson 
said 
remembering 
a 
more 
nuanced playbook took time; 
Johnson 
said 
he 
struggled 
with the increased time on 
the sideline between drives. 
That 
adjustment, 
though, 
came with the added layer of 
the Wolverines’ new offense. 
One that, as any onlooker 
could plainly see, took time for 
everyone to get comfortable in.
“I feel like all our receivers 
can actually do it,” Jackson said. 
“Like I said, little details matter 
and that helps us a lot. Just 
showing every step in a route. 
We can’t take a play for granted. 
We’re never going to get a play 
back, so we just have to do every 
play to our fullest ability.”
Keeping with the theme of 
the last few weeks, Johnson 
said the Wolverines haven’t 
changed what they’re doing on 
offense. Merely, the execution 
has gotten to where it needs 
to be. “Doing a terrific job,” 
Harbaugh said Monday when 
asked about Gattis. “I think we 
talk pretty much every week 
how I feel about the job that he’s 
doing.”
Whether 
anything 
big-
picture 
has 
changed 
with 
Gattis is, in a sense, moot. The 
Wolverines are moving the 
ball with far more ease, and 
that’s what matters. At the tail 
end of Saturday’s 44-10 win 
over Michigan State, Johnson 
entered the game due to the 
lopsided score. Patterson faked 
a handoff and rolled out, causing 
a defender to overcommit and 
giving Johnson 30 yards of open 

field to work with. It ended in a 
pitch-and-catch touchdown.
“I was not surprised at how 
open I was, cause that was the 
designed play,” Johnson said. 
“I was definitely expecting the 
ball on that play.”
Tangibly, that play is the 
biggest impact either he or 
Jackson have had on the offense 
this year. But they both know 
what they can do in the offense. 
And they want this year to be 
just the beginning.
“Sometimes, 
me, 
Mike, 
(Cornelius Johnson), George 
(Johnson), we’ll all talk about 
how n=ext year, as time goes 
on, we’ll be the big receivers on 
campus,” Jackson said. “Just 
got to keep grinding, one day 
we’ll get to it.”

Shea 
Patterson 
faked 
the 
handoff, rolled to his left and 
threw to tight end Sean McKeon 
in the flat. Ahead of McKeon 
was sophomore wide receiver 
Ronnie Bell, who plowed into an 
unsuspecting defensive back and 
knocked him down. With mostly 
open space ahead of him, McKeon 
gained an easy 19 yards.
Bell’s 
block 
was 
perhaps 
the best example of improved 
blocking from Michigan’s wide 
receivers over the past month or 
so. While blocking isn’t nearly as 
glamorous as catching passes or 
scoring touchdowns, it’s equally 
important, and the Wolverines’ 
receiver room has taken that 

message to heart.
“That’s been a really good thing 
for our team,” said Michigan 
coach Jim Harbaugh on Monday. 
“I’d say probably four or five 
weeks ago, it just — we were at a 
point early where it wasn’t that 
good and that’s an area we really 
value. Really gotten better. Really 
improved steadily and it was at its 
best in the past game. That’s been 
a real focus for us and how to get 
yards after contact, tackles will 
get guys blocked. If you don’t have 
the ball, to me you’re a blocker on a 
down or play and that was big this 
week.”
When Bell was young and still 
learning the game, his dad gave 
him a word of advice: If you can’t 
block, you can’t play. So Bell has 
made blocking into something 
personal, and the message has 
spread.
“Every receiver’s just blocked 
their tail off this year,” Bell said. 
“And it’s been a lot of fun to watch 
it on film.”
Johnson on his first touchdown
With 2:33 left in the Wolverines’ 
44-10 win over Michigan State on 
Saturday, freshman wide receiver 
Cornelius Johnson found himself 
wide open.
Like, wide open.
As Patterson took the snap, 
Johnson bluffed a block, pursuing 
his man briefly before breaking 
free downfield. Patterson found 
him around the 25-yard line 
and, with no one in front of him, 
Johnson coasted into the end zone.
“I was not surprised how open 
I was because that was the design 
of the play,” Johnson said Tuesday. 
“So I was definitely expecting the 
ball on that play. That was the 
playcall.”
In the moment, Johnson wasn’t 
thinking about the rivalry or the 
hundreds of thousands of fans 
in the stadium. All he focused on 
was the ball, and it paid off. The 
39-yard reception was Michigan’s 

second-longest of the day.
“I was just like, ‘Now’s my 
opportunity,’ ” Johnson said. 
“I knew what I was doing, I’d 
practiced it so many times and 
everything. 
Just, 
now’s 
my 
opportunity and you gotta focus.”
Bell still seeking first score
This season, Bell leads the 
team with 621 yards on 37 catches, 
but he still hasn’t found the end 
zone despite several close calls — 
including one on Saturday when 
he was tackled at the 3-yard line.
After Saturday’s game, Johnson 
joked around with Bell, asking, 
“Who’s got more touchdowns?”
Of course, it was all in good 
fun. Whether or not he has a 
touchdown to his name, Bell 
has been one of the Wolverines’ 
most productive receivers. Still, 
the numbers don’t lie, and Bell 
admitted: “He got me.”
“I thought that was funny,” 
Johnson said. “It was like my 
fourth catch. Ever.”
Bell’s teammates haven’t lost 
any trust after Bell dropped the 
potential game-tying reception 
at Penn State last month. In 
that moment, Bell felt he had let 
everybody down. But the team 
lifted him up and made it clear that 
he wasn’t the reason they lost the 
game. After being limited against 
Notre Dame and Maryland due to 
injury, Bell continued his status 
as 
Patterson’s 
favorite 
target 
Saturday, with nine receptions for 
150 yards.
Now, the Wolverines have truly 
hit their stride on offense, scoring 
30 or more points in the three 
games since, and Bell has been as 
big a part of that as anyone.
“It was just funny cause 
technically 
I 
got 
more 
touchdowns, but obviously he has 
like the most yards and catches 
on the team,” Johnson said. “I’m 
happy for Ronnie. He’s gonna push 
it. He’ll get tons of touchdowns for 
sure.”

Cruise control

With emerging weapons on offense and a steady defense, the Michigan football team is feeling good ahead of Saturday

A transition in transition: Analyzing Isaiah Livers’ success on the break

When 
Juwan 
Howard 
returned to Ann Arbor, it was 
a 
foregone 
conclusion 
that 
he’d bring his wealth of NBA 
experience with him.
Now in his first year as the 
coach of the Michigan men’s 
basketball 
team, 
Howard’s 
experience as an NBA player 
and coach is shining through. 
The area of the game in which 
it’s most obvious, though, is in 
transition offense. As a result, 
the Wolverines are humming 
along in an up-tempo offense 
that’s seemingly starting to 
become second nature.
Under former coach John 
Beilein, 
Michigan’s 
offense 
finished 341st in the nation 
in possessions per game last 
season. While the Wolverines 
averaged just under 57 shots per 
game in 2018, they’ve eclipsed 
that mark in three of their first 
four contests this season.
Thus 
far, 
the 
biggest 
beneficiary of the stark change 
is junior forward Isaiah Livers. 
To shed light on Livers’ success, 
The Daily broke down the film:
First and foremost, Livers’ 
most impactful strength is his 
combination of athleticism and 
ability to beat the defense to 
the rim. Because Michigan’s 
frontcourt presents so much 
size, Livers is afforded the 
liberty of leaking out if his 
defensive assignment is away 
from the rim.
At 6-foot-7, his long strides 
allow him to cover the court 
quickly. That much was apparent 
against Saginaw Valley State, 
particularly in the early going. 
Just three minutes into the 
exhibition, senior point guard 
Zavier Simpson found Livers 
lurking behind the defense after 
the Wolverines secured a loose 
ball.
From just in front of the logo, 
Simpson lobbed a pass over the 
lone defender standing between 
him and Livers. The defender 
made 
an 
effort 
to 
contest 
Livers, but stood no chance as 
he barreled to the rim. Livers’ 
sheer athleticism allowed him 

to elevate over his defender as 
he flushed home Simpson’s feed 
with two hands.
On the very next possession, 
Livers’ speed in the open floor 
allowed him to get to the rim 
for another dunk. When senior 
center Jon Teske pulled down 
the rebound, Livers was the 
furthest player from the basket. 
With a Cardinals player on his 
hip and the other four defenders 
standing between him and the 
rim, Livers took off in a full 
sprint, out-running two of them.
When he saw the fourth 
defender stop the ball and the 
fifth bolt towards junior guard 
Eli Brooks in the corner, he 
angled 
himself 
toward 
the 
basket. Livers then kicked his 
speed into top gear, reeling 
in a chest pass from Simpson 
in stride, reaching the paint 
without putting the ball on the 

deck.
Against 
Creighton, 
Livers 
showed no hesitation in running 
alongside Brooks following his 
steal. 
Seeing 
that 
Brooks 
was 
drifting 
towards 
the 
opposite 
wing, 
Livers correctly 
filled the lane, 
creating an angle 
that made it easy 
for 
Brooks 
to 
float 
an 
alley-
oop pass. When 
both 
defenders 
committed to Brooks, Livers was 
left all alone for the two-handed 
slam.
With the NBA’s emerging 
emphasis 
on 
transition 
3-pointers 
in 
recent 
years, 
Howard has given his team the 
green light to let uncontested 

looks fly. Livers, in particular, 
has taken advantage. Even when 
Simpson slows down the pace in 
transition, Livers still hunts for 
his own shot.
While 
the 
thunderous 
dunks 
against 
Saginaw 
Valley 
State stand out, 
Livers was just as 
effective at slower 
speeds. 
When 
the 
ball 
began 
ahead of him, he 
often hung back 
and 
read 
the 
defense. If the Cardinals failed to 
communicate, which happened 
twice, he’d find an open spot 
along the arc and make them pay.
Delaying his transition from 
offense to defense until the ball 
crossed 
halfcourt 
forced the 
opposing defense to communicate 

as Simpson brought the ball up. 
Twice, miscommunitcation led to 
two defenders guarding the same 
player, leaving Livers open for a 
walk-up triple.
In the instances in which Livers 
doesn’t beat the defense to the rim 
or no passing angle presents itself, 
he still keeps himself in the play. 
About midway through the second 
half against Saginaw Valley State, 
two 
defenders 
converged 
on 
Simpson at halfcourt as Livers 
sprinted ahead of him. Simpson 
couldn’t find an angle to get him 
the ball, and with sophomore 
forwards Brandon Johns Jr. and 
Colin Castleton trailing a few 
steps behind him, Livers filled out 
to the corner.
The decision not only cleared 
some of the paint congestion for 
the driving Simpson and trailing 
forwards, but also created a new 
passing window for him to get 

the ball. When Livers’ defender 
remained in the paint to help stop 
Simpson, Livers was left alone 
in the corner for an uncontested 
3-pointer. Simpson, a creative 
passer, made the mid-air hook 
pass to the corner look easy and 
Livers canned the triple.
Altogether, Livers’ ability to 
beat defenders down the floor, 
finish at the rim and knock 
down the long ball add value 
to a Michigan offense that lost 
its three leading scorers from a 
season ago. With prized freshman 
wing 
Franz 
Wagner 
still 
recovering from a fractured wrist, 
the Wolverines will continue to 
lean on Livers in transition.
As the schedule gets tougher 
over the next few weeks, Livers’ 
ability to score in transition 
may be the difference in a 
number of potential signature 
wins.

ETHAN SEARS
Managing Sports Editor

ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Editor

ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily
Sophomore receiver Ronnie Bell leads the team with 621 receiving yards.

NATALIE STEPHENS/Daily
Junior forward Isaiah Livers has shown a propensity to get out in transition under new coach Juwan Howard, who has emphasized a more NBA-style pace compared to his predecessor, John Beilein.

DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Writer

Against 
Creighton, 
Livers showed 
no hesitation...

