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