2B — November 25, 2019
SportsMonday
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

M

oments like these are 
the reason Michi-
gan went out and 
got Shea Patterson in the first 
place. Why they brought him 
to the Big House to toss around 
snowballs 
two winters 
ago and why 
his visit to 
a basketball 
game was 
treated like a 
parade.
He is not, 
never was 
and never 
will be the 
savior of this program — and 
those who expected as such 
placed an unattainable burden 
on his shoulders. Those people 
set themselves up for failure 
before Patterson even took a 
snap.
But they nabbed Patterson, 
a blue-chip, five-star recruit, 
from the transfer market 
because he is the most talented 
player to play quarterback at 
Michigan since Denard Rob-
inson, and it’s not particularly 
close. By certain traits, his tal-
ents even supercede those of 
Robinson. He’s the most natural 
passer Michigan’s had since 
Chad Henne; he’ll finish this 
year with the most efficient 
two-season stint at quarterback 
since Henne in 
the mid-2000s. 
None of that is 
hyperbole.
And right now, 
he’s playing the 
position at a level 
this program 
hasn’t seen in 
quite awhile. Just 
in the nick of 
time.
Michigan went 
on the road Saturday and beat 
a quality Indiana team, 39-14, 
behind 366 passing yards and 
five touchdowns from Pat-
terson. In the last two weeks, 
the senior has 750 yards, nine 

touchdowns and one intercep-
tion, while completing over 
67 percent of his passes. He’s 
thrown for four-plus touch-
downs in consecutive games 
for the first time in program 
history.
“We’re riding him,” said 
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh 
after Saturday’s game. “His play 
has just been outstanding. But 
he’s really seeing the field well, 
he’s taking care of the football 
at all times.”
After an uneasy first half of 
the season, Patterson has set-
tled into offensive coordinator 
Josh Gattis’ new offense, mak-
ing quicker and more deliberate 
decisions to put the defense in 
conflict horizontally and verti-
cally.
He’s doing so in a way that 
oozes command and gives 
his talented receiving corps a 
chance to make plays.
“When Shea has time like 
that, we know we can move the 
ball,” said junior receiver Nico 
Collins. “We were just out there 
having fun today. And I feel like 
we’ve been having fun as an 
offensive unit since the second 
half of that Penn State. I feel 
like we’re finally clicking. 
“We’ve got one game left, and 
it’s time to finish strong.”
Which brings us to this 
week, a game which requires 
no clarification 
to espouse its 
importance. 
Ohio State 
comes to town 
as arguably the 
most complete 
team in the 
country. The 
Wolverines are 
rightly a hefty 
underdog.
But with Pat-
terson playing the way he is, 
and the offense subsequently 
humming, Harbaugh and his 
staff have a luxury they haven’t 
had in this game in the previous 
four meetings.

In 2015, Jake Rudock went 
into this game on a good run 
in his own right. But the talent 
gap between those teams — the 
Wolverines in their first year 
under Harbaugh facing a Buck-
eyes squad that went on to win 
the National Title — was too 
wide for it to matter. The year 
after, Michigan wasn’t sure 
Wilton Speight would play due 
to injury. Even when he suited 
up (a few boneheaded mistakes 
clouding an otherwise under-
rated performance), Speight 
was never able to do the things 
Patterson can. In 2017, John 
O’Korn’s dreadful performance, 
capped by an inexplicable arm 
punt on the drive that could 
have won the game, marred 
what was otherwise a masterful 
gameplan. An average quarter-
back probably leads Michigan 

to a win that year.
Last year, Patterson was effi-
cient, but stuck in an offense 
that inherently compressed his 
skillset. He threw for 187 yards 
and three touchdowns against 
the Buckeyes, but the contrast 
in offensive paces and styles 
stuck out like a sore thumb. 
Ohio State boat raced the Mich-
igan defense for 62 points with 
ease; the Wolverines scratched 
and clawed for everything they 
could.
This year, the combination of 
talent and system are coalesc-
ing at the perfect time, and they 
give Michigan one clear reason 
for hope going into Saturday.
“We understand the level 
of intensity this game brings,” 
Patterson said Saturday. 
“Everything we do leading 
up to this game next week is 

already plain throughout the 
season. I think Ohio State, just 
the word ‘Ohio State’ in itself is 
enough for us.”
If the Wolverines somehow 
pull off a win for 
just the second 
time in 16 years 
in this rivalry, 
it will all but 
surely come with 
another monster 
performance 
from their senior 
quarterback. For 
the first time in 
the Harbaugh era, 
that hypothetical 
seems far from outlandish.
The staff doesn’t have to go 
into this game holding their 
quarterback’s hand. They aren’t 
asking him to simply manage 
the game. The goal isn’t to avoid 

turnovers and let the defense go 
win a rock fight. They are not 
designing a game plan in spite 
of him; he’s at its crux.
They’re going to ask Shea 
Patterson to 
go out and win 
this football 
game, to play 
his game and 
lead this team 
to a win that 
would recon-
figure the 
perception of 
Michigan foot-
ball. 
They’re 
going to ask that because he can 
do it.

Marcovitch can be reached 

at maxmarco@umich.edu or on 

Twitter @Max_Marcovitch.

This Shea Patterson gives Michigan a chance

MAX

MARCOVITCH

ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily
Senior quarterback Shea Patterson has thrown for 750 yards and nine touchdowns in his last two games, while completing over 67 percent of his passes.

When Shea has 
time like that 
... we can move 
the ball

We’re riding 
him. His play 
has just been 
outstanding.

Irish outlast Wolverines, 76-72

Down three with 30 seconds 
remaining 
on 
Saturday, 
the 
Michigan women’s basketball 
team had an opportunity to 
force overtime against Notre 
Dame. Freshman guard Michelle 
Sidor found herself open from 
three, with a chance to keep 
the Wolverines’ perfect season 
intact. 
The shot clunked off the right 
side of the rim, sealing a 76-72 
victory for the Fighting Irish 
(4-2).
The Wolverines (4-1) started 
off strong offensively, largely 
thanks to tough play down 
low from their bigs. In the first 
quarter alone, they picked up 
six offensive rebounds that led 
to nine second-chance points. 
Senior forward Kayla Robbins 
led this effort, picking up three 
first-quarter offensive boards. 
“Kayla was outstanding,” said 
Michigan coach Kim Barnes 
Arico. “We really challenged her 
this week to get a double-double 
and try to be a great rebounder, 
and I thought she was really a 
great rebounder for us tonight.”
The Wolverines’ dominance 
in the paint continued through 
the second quarter. They added 
six more offensive rebounds, two 
of which came from sophomore 

forward Naz Hillmon. At the end 
of the first half, Michigan had 22 
total rebounds to Notre Dame’s 
10. 
Late in the first half, the 
Wolverines struggled to pull 
away, largely because they had 
several players in foul trouble. 
Robbins, senior guard Akienreh 
Johnson, and freshman center 
Isabel Varejão each picked up 
two fouls in the first quarter, 
which limited their minutes for 
the rest of the half. 
“(Losing 
players 
to 
foul 
trouble) doesn’t give subs to 
everybody else and it forces 
people to play a lot of minutes,” 
Barnes Arico said. “I thought 
that also when we tried to put 
them back in in the first half, 
they were very tentative, and 
not playing aggressively because 
they were afraid to foul.”
Errant 
passes 
and 
miscommunications 
also 
hampered Michigan offensively. 
They gave up 11 turnovers in the 
first half, and Notre Dame tallied 
13 points off of those turnovers.
A flat offensive start in the 
second half allowed the Irish 
to jump to a three-point lead. 
After three minutes without a 
bucket, Michigan turned to its 
upperclassmen for offense. 
They responded in a big way. 
Junior forward Hailey Brown 
nailed two straight 3-pointers, 

and Robbins converted a three 
point play in what felt like a 
turning point. 
But Notre Dame kept up the 
pressure. Led by guard Destinee 
Walker’s 
nine 
third-quarter 
points, including two 3-pointers, 
the Irish cut the Wolverines’ lead 
to four entering the game’s final 
period. 
The 
fourth 
quarter 
was 
all 
Notre 
Dame. 
Defensive 
adjustments allowed the Irish 
to shut Michigan down in the 
paint, and the Wolverines only 
managed two field goals in the 
entire quarter. They didn’t help 
themselves 
on 
free 
throws, 
either — they were a poor 7-of-12 
from the line in the fourth. 
As 
the 
buzzer 
sounded, 
Michigan knew it had let this one 
get away. It had led for almost the 
entire game and used its superior 
height to dominate off the glass. 
But its careless mistakes and 24 
turnovers ultimately led to their 
defeat. 
“I would definitely say that 
they were more so our turnovers 
(and not forced by Notre Dame),” 
Brown said. “Whether that be a 
travel, or even we’re catching it, 
reversing it and throwing it right 
to the team’s hands.”
Added Barnes Arico: “I think 
we just need to be able to make 
our free throws and finish games 
out.”

BRENDAN ROOSE
Daily Sports Writer

ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily
Junior forward Hailey Brown nailed two 3-pointers early in the second half in what felt like a turning point.

‘M’ finishes best season in six years 
with Sweet 16 loss at North Carolina

2013 was a very different time. 
Barack Obama had just entered 
his second term, Avicii was at 
the top of the charts and the 
Michigan women’s soccer team 
was in the Sweet Sixteen. 
The players on this year’s team 
were just entering their preteen 
phase then, and Michigan coach 
Jennifer Klein was coaching in 
Washington. 
Fast forward six years and the 
Wolverines found themselves in 
the same spot as that 2013 squad. 
In one of the team’s most prolific 
campaigns in recent history, 
No. 19 Michigan (17-6-1 overall, 
8-2-1 Big Ten) made its deepest 
run into the NCAA Tournament 
since 2013 before falling to No. 
2 North Carolina (22-1-1, 9-0-1 
ACC) in the Sweet Sixteen, 4-0, 
on Sunday. 
Prior 
to 
the 
loss, 
the 
Wolverines 
relied 
on 
their 
improved goal-scoring ability, 
balanced offensive attack and 
depth in their 3-2 victory over 
Texas Tech on Friday in the 
second round of the tournament. 
Against 
the 
Red 
Raiders, 
Michigan dominated from the 
opening whistle. In the fifth 
minute, Big Ten Midfielder of the 
Year, junior Sarah Stratigakis, 
was given a penalty kick and got 
the goalkeeper out of place, only 
for the ball to hit the post. But, 
just three minutes later, she had 
the opportunity to atone for her 
miss. She took the ball down the 
field by herself and blasted a left-
footed shot to the upper right 
corner of the goal. 
She gave two thumbs up 
after the goal and kept moving 
forward.
“I think it speaks to her 
strength and determination not 
to allow for something like that 
to get her down,” Klein said on 
Friday. “Stratigakis is a player 
that has the ability to bring 
pressure on the goal and create 
opportunities not only for herself 
but for her teammates.”
Stratigakis’ 
goal 
was 
a 

confidence builder and provided 
the Wolverines with a sense 
of relief. Coming into Friday’s 
game, Michigan was 13-0 when 
Stratigakis had at least one point 
in a game. 
Texas Tech then equalized the 
game in the 22nd minute, killing 
Michigan’s 
momentum. 
The 
score carried into halftime. 
After playing an action-filled 
first half, the Wolverines had 
depth to their advantage. They 
were able to give their starters 
time to breath and the ability to 
have a fresh set of legs. 
“We really feel the deeper the 
bench is the more opportunities 
the team gets,” Klein said. 
“We knew it was going to be a 
physical battle and required a lot 
of players to run. We wanted to 
make sure we were rotating them 
to keep them fresher longer.”
Freshman forward Danielle 
Wolfe came off the bench and 
proved to be exactly what was 
needed to break the tie. 
Less than two minutes after 
entering the game, Wolfe headed 
in a perfectly placed pass from 
senior midfielder Brooke Cilley 
into the goal. This broke the tie, 
putting the Wolverines ahead, 
2-1.
“I think she values the minutes 
that she is given,” Klein said. “She 
knows she has the opportunity 
to be impactful with what she is 
given and takes advantage of it. 
She is a team-first mentality kid.”
The freshman’s impact wasn’t 
over. She added another goal 
in the 83rd minute, heading it 
in off a pass from sophomore 
midfielder Skylar Anderson. Her 
second goal of the day proved to 
be the game-winner, putting the 
Wolverines ahead 3-1. 
The Red Raiders were able to 
notch another goal in the 88th 
minute, but it was too little too 
late. 
No one on this roster had 
ever played in a game of this 
magnitude before, but to Wolfe, 
as a freshman, playing in the 
Sweet Sixteen had an added 
significance. 
“Its 
nothing 
like 
I 
have 

played in before,” Wolfe said. 
“Definitely an experience and a 
moment that was super surreal. 
I never thought I would get here 
and definitely took it all in.”
After the game, Klein and her 
team relished in their victory but 
remained focus on the task at 
hand — beat No. 2 overall seed, 
North Carolina. 
“Our job is not done yet. We 
are going to shock the world,” 
Klein said after the win over 
Texas Tech. 
It didn’t happen. 
The Tar Heels presented a 
level of competition that proved 
insurmountable. North Carolina 
posted an NCAA-high 18 shutouts 
and outscored opponents, 60-8, 
coming into the game.
With only one loss on the 
year, the Tar Heels came as 
advertised. 
Six 
minutes 
in, 
they notched their first goal. 
Michigan managed to keep up 
with North Carolina’s offensive 
pressure and fast pace of play for 
the first 20 minutes, as the two 
teams had equal shot totals. 
However, the Tar Heel’s bench 
proved to be better than that of 
the Wolverines. North Carolina 
was subbed in six different 
players at a time. They were able 
to play 21 players to Michigan’s 
17. 
The Tar Heels went on to 
win, 4-0, in pursuit of their 23rd 
national title. 
The Wolverines were outshot 
19-7. Junior goalkeeper Hillary 
Beal tallied eight saves in the 
effort. Her strong play was 
unable to overcome the opposing 
offensive onslaught.
The team knows there was a 
silver lining to this loss and the 
season as a whole. In only her 
second season as coach, Klein’s 
emphasis on offensive efficiency 
led the team to nearly double its 
goal total from a year before. 
2013 and 2019 have come 
and gone for Michigan. But 
Klein has led her program in 
a direction that could make 
the Wolverines’ next Sweet 
Sixteen 
hiatus 
considerably 
shorter.

LILY ISRAEL
Daily Sports Writer

WOMEN’S SOCCER

