The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, October 28, 2020 — 17
YOUR WEEKLY
ARIES
The Full Moon urges gratitude for
what you already have, rather than
what you would like to have. With
Venus shifting into your love zone
too, Aries, it’s the obvious time to
show your sweetheart
how much you care for
them.
AQUARIUS
GEMINI
Venus arrives in your dating zone,
Gemini, but the Full Moon shines
from the most private part of your
chart, so don’t b surprised if you
don’t feel all that sociable. Face to
face meetings may not on the cards,
but messaging a potential
new date could be fun.
SAGITTARIUS
CAPRICORN
SCORPIO
CANCER
Venus’ arrival in your home zone
encourages you to tidy up,
redecorate or beautify your home,
Cancer. Meanwhile, the Full Moon in
your social zone suggests plenty of
entertaining – but be aware that
one particular friendship
may have run its course.
TAURUS
The arrival of Venus, your ruling
planet, in your own sign, is a real
confidence-booster for you. This
should be a very laid back and relaxed
week, Taurus, with Venus arriving in
your indulgence zone too.
Watch out for too much of
a good thing!
VIRGO
PICES
LIBRA
LEO
The Full Moon in your career zone
suggests a crisis where you’re forced
to take charge. As un-fun as that
sounds, Leo, it showcases your skills,
and is a good thing in the long run.
Meanwhile, Venus helps you
to turn on the charm just
when you need it.
Read your weekly horoscopes from astrology.tv
Venus’ arrival in your money zone
finds you focusing on ways to create
extra income – or indeed to spend it.
You’re in an unusually materialistic
frame of mind, Virgo, but the Full
Moon in your philosophy
zone may cause some
guilt over your level of
privilege.
With Venus, your ruling planet, now
back in your own sign, you’re at your
confident best. This is a brilliant week
to date someone new, attend a job
interview or otherwise make a
fabulous first impression –
but the Full Moon proves
unexpectedly emotional.
The Full Moon shines from your love
zone, Scorpio, highlighting a
relationship issue which needs urgent
attention, compassion and honesty. At
the same time, Venus shifts into your
privacy zone, so be careful
how much you share on
social media.
A Full Moon in your health zone
suggests a minor health scare – just
enough to get your attention,
Sagittarius, so that you can start
paying better attention to your
wellbeing. Socially, the Full
Moon puts a friendship in
the spotlight.
Charming Venus in your career zone
now does you no harm when
climbing the professional ladder.
However, you’re not as cautious as
you normally are – the Full Moon in
your risk zone brings out
your reckless streak. Be
careful, Capricorn!
Charming Venus in your career zone
now does you no harm when climbing
the professional ladder. However,
you’re not as cautious as you normally
are – the Full Moon in your risk zone
brings out your reckless streak. Be
careful, Capricorn!
Venus moves into your intimacy zone
this week, which is good news for a
blossoming relationship or for
reviving the magic in a long-standing
partnership. But, Pisces, the Full Moon
suggests some minor communication
issues.
WHISPER
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truck in Ann Arbor.”
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“GO VOTE!”
Erick All shows promise at tight end
Even on a night that saw
a
surefire
touchdown
slip
through
his
fingers,
Erick
All still showed promise in
the Michigan football team’s
season-opener.
In
the
13th-ranked
Wolverines’ 49-24 win over
Minnesota,
the
sophomore
tight end finished as one of
four Wolverines with multiple
receptions
—
hauling
in
two catches for 33 yards as
Michigan opened its season
without senior tight end Nick
Eubanks.
Beyond the box score, the
drop sticks out like a sore
thumb. Offensive coordinator
Josh Gattis set him up about
as well as he could have, using
a 12 personnel set to dupe
the Gophers’ defense. Junior
quarterback Joe Milton took
the shotgun snap, tucked the
ball and drifted to his right. But
instead of keeping it himself,
Milton planted his left foot,
reared back and threw a strike
to All as he streaked through a
gap between Minnesota’s two
deepest defensive backs.
Milton’s throw hit All square
in the hands, but he turned his
head upfield before he could
reel it in. In one of a couple
blunders on an imperfect night
for All, who also failed to bring
in a back-shoulder throw in the
end zone a few drives earlier,
the ball fell to the turf.
“He had the opportunity for
a touchdown,” Michigan coach
Jim Harbaugh said Monday.
“He’s such a good catcher,
so natural to catch it that he
pulled his head away as the ball
was coming in. He just expects
to catch everything and always
does.”
Maybe not always. But on the
next play, the Wolverines went
right back to him. As Milton
rolled left, he found All in the
flat. He did the rest of the work,
taking it 27 yards before going
down at the Gophers’ four yard
line.
“Oh, man, after that play,
I thank God because after
dropping that ball, I was just
way too excited,” All said
during a Zoom with reporters
Monday. “I feel like the coaches
knew that and they gave me
the second opportunity. If it
weren’t for that second play, I
never would have been able to
redeem myself and I think it
would’ve been in my head.
“They just had the confidence
that I don’t really drop balls. I
don’t know. But thank God that
the coaches believed in me and
I was able to get out there for
the second play and do what
was right.”
Though All’s hiccup might
have been a defining moment
of the night, his performance as
a blocker didn’t go unnoticed.
With All’s help, Michigan’s
offense firmly controlled the
line of scrimmage throughout
the game. It’s something he’s
worked
on
diligently
since
arriving in Ann Arbor last
year, and in the grand scheme
of things, significantly more
meaningful than a drop here or
there.
For All, the most important
development in his blocking
came in the weight room.
He’s gained nearly 15 pounds
of muscle since playing last
season at 229 pounds, which
has allowed him to be more
physical in the trenches.
The
result?
A
better
understanding
of
concepts
taught by tight ends coach
Sherrone
Moore
and
an
ability
to
implement
them
immediately.
“When it comes to old school
and new school blocking, I
really couldn’t even tell you the
difference to be honest,” All
said. “I just know that when
you hit somebody hard, they
don’t like it. … Whatever coach
Moore teaches me, I know it’s
right because this man is a
genius when it comes to football
and blocking and doing things
the right way as a tight end.”
Added Harbaugh: “I thought
(All) was really impressive. The
unheralded player, probably of
the entire offense, his blocking
was phenomenal, in line, on the
perimeter, just tremendous.”
On Saturday, All showed he
belonged. He’s a player the staff
has praised for the better part
of the last year, and even when
Eubanks returns, his blocking
could be enough to carve out a
meaningful role.
“Those first-game jitters are
finally out of the way and we’re
ready to roll,” All said.
If Michigan’s 49-point effort
was merely a way of shedding
jitters, it makes you wonder
about its offensive ceiling —
and All’s role within it.
Run game explosive against Gophers
Of the drums the Michigan
football team beat publicly during
this abbreviated fall camp, one of
the loudest and most resounding
was the need for more explosive
plays in the run game.
Running
backs
coach
Jay
Harbaugh first mentioned it back
in May. His father, Michigan
coach Jim Harbaugh, and others
have harped on the subject while
sitting in front of their webcams
with reporters as well. When Jay
Harbaugh spoke to media again in
early October, it came up again.
“We just need to take the next
step forward in terms of creating
explosive runs,” Jay Harbaugh
said.
Instead of a step, consider it a
leap.
And it took all of two drives
before becoming evident.
Down
a
touchdown
after
allowing a disastrous punt block
early in Saturday’s game against
Minnesota,
the
Wolverines
lined up on their second drive
and punched open a hole for
sophomore running back Zach
Charbonnet. It was wide enough
for him to run 70 yards all but
untouched, to the house.
That spot — down a touchdown
after an unforced error — is one
where Michigan has come undone
in the past. On Saturday, it was long
forgotten by the time the clock hit
zeroes and the Wolverines left
TCF Bank Stadium with a 49-24
win.
“Their defense was misaligned
and we were able to get (senior
guard) Chuck Filiaga, I think
he blocked the backside safety
from what I was looking at,” Jim
Harbaugh said of Charbonnet’s
run. “You don’t expect that, but
great job by Chuck to get up on
the backside safety and make that
thing go the distance.”
A defensive error, yes. One that
Michigan would have capitalized
on in 2019, perhaps not.
Michigan came into Saturday
with four new starters on its
offensive line, four running backs
capable of getting touches and
little time to have made it all work.
It left having answered questions
up front, and having proved
that questions in the backfield
are merely semantical. (Junior
quarterback Joe Milton led in
carries with eight; of the four
running backs, it was nearly an
even split).
The Wolverines averaged 8.3
yards per carry and those explosive
plays, they came when needed.
Towards the end of the third
quarter, junior Hassan Haskins
broke one for 66 yards, setting up
a Chris Evans touchdown minutes
later that ended the competitive
portion of the proceedings.
In 2019, the first year Josh
Gattis held the reins as offensive
coordinator, Michigan ran for over
250 yards twice in 13 games. On
Saturday, the Wolverines ran for
256 and averaged over two yards
more per carry than they did in
any game in 2019.
“We got a lot of players that
can do great things on the field,”
Haskins said. “We got a lot of
playmakers on the field in every
single position group. Everybody
can do it.”
That it came on the road,
against a ranked opponent, albeit
one that was missing a starting
linebacker and had turnover at
other positions, should not go
unnoticed.
“Our backs, all of them played
extremely well,” Harbaugh said.
“I don’t know how many different
people scored touchdowns, but it
seemed like a lot.”
It was, to be exact, six — with
Haskins,
Charbonnet,
Milton
and fifth-year senior Chris Evans
scoring five on the ground.
In a game anticipated to
showcase Joe Milton’s ability
as a passer, one of the strongest
takeaways was ability to affect the
run game in a way Shea Patterson
never
could.
Gattis
had
no
problems calling designed runs for
his quarterback, slowly setting up
a sure touchdown that sophomore
tight end Erick All dropped when
Michigan faked the same power
run it had given Milton all night.
(All quickly made up for his
error with a 27-yard catch and
run that led to a Milton rushing
touchdown).
Even freshman Blake Corum,
the fourth man in most of the
running back discussions due
to his youth, got in on the act.
He took an early bubble screen
24 yards and finished with 24
rushing yards on five carries.
It’s one game, but that it took
that short a time for Michigan to
create a new expectation for the
run game says something unto
itself.
“Just every time our guys
needed to step up and make a play
and get that momentum back, they
did tonight,” Harbaugh said. “It
was really impressive.”
Wolverines donning
social justice decals
On Thursday afternoon, the
Michigan
athletic
department
announced via a press release
that all of its varsity teams will
wear social justice decals on their
uniforms and pregame warm-ups
during the 2020-21 academic year.
This
announcement
comes
following the success of a student-
athlete-led initiative to create two
designs that reflect campus unity
and diversity, one of which will be
seen by those watching Michigan
football take on Minnesota the
night of Oct. 24.
The Michigan football team
will be wearing a helmet decal
depicting six raised fists, each of
a different skin tone, along with
the word “EQUALITY” beneath
them.
Each team will independently
vote on whether to wear a similar
“EQUALITY” logo to that which
will be debuted this Saturday or a
“BLM” logo on its uniforms.
Additionally, Michigan student-
athletes voted to approve seven
other slogans and themes to be
worn on warm up apparel: “Stand
Together,” “WAR (Wolverines
Against Racism),” “Say Their
Names,” “No Justice, No Peace,”
“Justice,” “Hear Us” and “Unity.”
“The thing I love the most about
this initiative is that they sent this
out to everyone — not just student-
athletes of color, not only specific
people — so that everyone was able
to be a part of the process,” men’s
track and field graduate student
Roland Amarteifio said in a press
release. “Everyone got an email
that encouraged them to vote and
suggest their own ideas.”
The addition of social justice
messaging to Michigan uniforms
comes in light of the NCAA Playing
Rules Oversight Panel approving
rules that allow programs to
include patches or decals in their
uniforms in late July.
Since then, the student-led
initiative, which was coordinated
by Briana Nelson, a graduate
student on the women’s track and
field team, has worked diligently
to prepare designs for the fall.
“I’m excited because this is an
opportunity for us to step outside
of sport and advocate while also
competing,” Nelson said in a press
release. “It’s something that will
draw attention during big games
and on television. Essentially, it’s
spreading the message, even to
people who are just watching us
for sport, that this is bigger than
sports.”
ETHAN SEARS
Managing Sports Editor
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Running back Zach Charbonnet scored a 70-yard touchdown on Michigan’s first play from scrimmage Saturday.
ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
Sophomore tight end Erick All started on Saturday with senior Nick Eubanks unavailable due to injury.
DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Editor
JACOB COHEN
Daily Sports Writer
ALEC COHEN/Daily
The Michigan football team is wearing helmet decals promoting social justice.