Sports
7 — Tuesday, November 5, 2013
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Lewan apologizes for conduct
FOOTBALL
Recruiting Rundown
By LIZ VUKELICH
By JAKE LOURIM
Daily Sports Editor
Daily Sports Writer
Leading up to the Michigan State game, Taylor Lewan kept harping on the fact that he didn’t want the Wolverines to be “bullied” by the Spartans like they were two years ago in a loss to the Spartans in East Lansing. But this weekend, not much was different from the last time Michigan took the 63-mile trip northwest, as the Spartans easily dismantled the Wolverines, 29-6. The only thing that changed was who instigated the bullying. ESPN.com reported on Monday morning that the Big Ten is currently reviewing a play in which Lewan, a fifth-year senior left tackle, twisted the facemask of Michigan State defensive end Isaiah Lewis. “My assessment is that’s not what we want to portray or be,” said Michigan coach Brady Hoke. “Him and I have had a discussion regarding that. It’s not who we are.” Hoke — who said Lewan’s actions were rooted in him being “a very good teammate” — doesn’t plan to discipline Lewan further, adding, “I think if he should have been suspended, I would have already done it.” Lewan apologized for his behavior on Monday. “What I did was wrong,” he said. “I was just trying to protect my guys. There’s always a different way to go about it. I should have gone about it a different way. I can’t take it back now.” Lewan searched for Lewis on the field after the game to apologize but was unable to find him. Though he didn’t talk to Lewis, he did have a serious chat with Hoke about his actions. “At the end of the day, he told me I’m representing 134 years of Michigan football,” Lewan said. “(I’m the) 134th captain of this team. It’s a big deal. That’s not representing the University of Michigan the way it should be.
The Michigan Daily’s Recruiting Rundown returns this week to check in on Michigan’s top football recruits as they battle in the playoffs. As a couple of future Wolverines continue to deal with injuries, we give you an update on the 2014 commits: Jabrill Peppers, defensive back/running back: Paramus Catholic (N.J.) 41, Friendship Collegiate Academy (D.C.) 14; Ranking: ESPN (2) Scout (4) Peppers ran for one touchdown as No. 4 Paramus Catholic moved to 6-2 ahead of this week’s season finale.
ADAM GLANZMAN/Daily
Fifth-year senior offensive tackle Taylor Lewan is potentially facing discipline from the Big Ten this week.
It’s not taking pride in the rivalry that we have with Michigan State. They won, they beat us fair and square.” Redshirt junior quarterback Devin Gardner took a beating on Saturday as he was sacked seven times after the Michigan offensive line opened up the floodgates to the Spartans’ pass rush. That, according to Lewan, is why he lost his temper in the heat of the moment. On the play in question, Gardner was at the
bottom of a scrum with his head exposed, and Lewis tried to jump in on the action. Lewan said he reacted by pulling Lewis off the pile of bodies by his helmet. He received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for his actions. Lewan has now been on both sides of heightened emotions during the rivalry. In 2011, Lewan was on the receiving end of a punch by former Spartan defensive end William Gholston. Gholston also tugged on the
“I should have gone about it in a different way.”
Hoke: Offensive line doesn’t deserve all of the blame
facemask of former Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson and was ultimately suspended for one game by the Big Ten for the incident. Neither Hoke nor Lewan would comment on any similarities between the episodes. “I’m an offensive lineman. I block,” Lewan said. “I take so much pride in what I do that sometimes I’ll lose my composure. I’m here to protect my quarterback and my running back. I need to go about that in a different way. “When I did it, that was blatant. It was poor and immature of me. There’s really no other way to make it look like I’m a good person in that situation.”
It’s easy to make snap judgments with a number like negative 48, to pass the blame and to point fingers. The reason the Michigan football team rushed for the lowest amount of yards in program history is purely because of the offense line, right? Shouldn’t all the blame go to that young, beatup offensive line? Well, not exactly. Blame certainly still goes to that unit, but it’s not that easy. “The backs need to be able to pick (blitzes) up a little better,” said Michigan coach Brady Hoke in a press conference on Monday. “There were probably one or two times when the quarterback needed to step up on the field a little better. There’s sometimes the timing of the route. It’s hit or miss. You have 10 guys good, one guy bad, like anything else that’s why it’s a great team sport. You have to have them all the same.” In Saturday’s 29-6 loss to Michigan State, Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner was sacked seven times on 34 drop-backs. Even on the plays he wasn’t sacked, the redshirt junior was getting hit. By the end of the game, he sat on the sidelines while freshman Shane Morris finished the bludgeoning for the Wolverines. Hoke said Monday that he expects Gardner to play, but fifth-year senior offensive tackle Taylor Lewan said that Gardner was very sore on Sunday. Of the many factors that played into Michigan’s negative 48 rushing yards, the running backs and their ability to pick up blitzes stood out. The only running back who saw significant minutes on Saturday was fifth-year senior Fitzgerald Toussaint. One backup, freshman Derrick Green, played two snaps and missed one blitz protection pickup. “Fitz is our best pass protector,” Hoke said. “Has been. For some of the young guys, it’s a little
PATRICK BARRON/Daily
Redshirt freshman center Graham Glasgow recently moved from guard to center.
more difficult.” Hoke’s comments aside, Toussaint struggled in blitz protections on Saturday. Part of that was because he was constantly forced to run play actions that were fooling no one, but still, the protection wasn’t there. Gardner and his tendency to hang onto the ball a half-second longer than usual was another problem. That might not seem like much, but when a defense as good as the Spartans is barreling down at you, it’s a big deal. The oft-discussed offensive line, which started its fourth unit in as many games last week, has been a big discussion point in Hoke’s press conferences over the last two months, through all the swaps and the shuffling. The biggest issue, he continues to say, is experience. The more experience the young interior linemen get, the better. The problem is that Michigan is running out of time and games to see that maturation come to fruition, at least for the 2013 season. “It’s a youth problem as much as anything,” Hoke said. “The only way to fix it is experience. I
wouldn’t trade (freshman guard Kyle) Bosch, (redshirt freshman guard Erik) Magnuson or redshirt sophomore center Graham) Glasgow for anybody, or the other guys who are competing with them. You just have to keep every day grinding, and showing them the looks and doing everything you can.” Even with the inexperience and shuffling, the offensive line shouldn’t get a free pass. The bottom line is that if Michigan is going to bounce back from the beatdown in East Lansing, the line is going to have to play better. Still, it’s important to remember that there’s more going on than purely what the guys up front are doing. “What it really comes down to is going 100 percent on every play,” Lewan said. “When you’re young, you really think about the whole game, 60 minutes of football. In reality, you need to focus on one play at a time. Those guys need to learn that. They will. They’re progressing. Obviously we didn’t have a good day on Saturday, but we’ll get better and we’ll learn from it.”
Lawrence Marshall, defensive end: Southfield (Mich.) 16, Birmingham Seaholm (Mich.) 17; Ranking: ESPN (112) Scout (106) Marshall’s season ended Friday with a first-round playoff upset. Michigan is still targeting his teammate and fellow defensive lineman, Malik McDowell. Ian Bunting, tight end: Hinsdale Central (Ill.) 14, Oswego
Wilton Speight, quarterback: Collegiate School (Va.) 34, St. Christopher’s (Va.) 14; Ranking: ESPN (128) Scout (NR) Speight completed 14 of 20 passes for 228 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also ran seven times for 16 yards and two scores as top-ranked Collegiate (8-1) secured a No. 1 playoff seed. Chase Winovich, linebacker/ running back: Thomas Jefferson (Pa.) 39, Hampton (Pa.) 0; Ranking: (NR) Winovich had five carries for 62 yards and a touchdown and added three sacks. No. 2 Jefferson now advances to the quarterfinals of the Western Pennsylvania Class AAA playoffs. Jared Wangler, linebacker: De La Salle Collegiate (Mich.) 14, Macomb Dakota (Mich.) 19; Ranking: (NR) Wangler played sparingly (shoulder) in the playoff loss to undefeated Dakota, according to MIPrepZone. Maurice Ways, wide receiver: Country Day (Mich.) 49, Clawson (Mich.) 14; Ranking: (NR) Ways sat out for most of Country Day’s blowout win over Clawson but should see more action next week at Notre Dame Prep (Mich.).
5 Things We Learned By ERIN LENNON
1. Michigan has depth beyond the line chart.
Daily Sports Editor
Bryan Mone, defensive tackle: Highland (Utah) 14, Sky View (Utah) 27; Ranking: ESPN (76) Scout (90) Mone’s Highland team lost its first-round playoff game Friday in the Utah Division 4A state playoffs. He finished the season with 41 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Michael Ferns, linebacker/ running back: St. Clairsville (Ohio) 41, Union Local (Ohio) 7; Ranking: ESPN (123) Scout (175) Ferns has missed time sporadically this season with a shoulder injury. His team won Friday to finish the regular season 9-1 and will begin the playoffs Saturday.
ICE HOCKEY
Daily Sports Writer
By EVERETT COOK
Drake Harris, running back: Grand Rapids Christian (Mich.) 14, Forest Hills Northern (Mich.) 13; Ranking: ESPN (72) Scout (32) Harris hasn’t played all season after aggravating a hamstring injury in August and again in late September. His team, the defending Division III state champion, won its first playoff game Saturday, but his status is uncertain going forward.
(Ill.) 42; Rankings: ESPN (118) Scout (268) Bunting had six receptions for 59 yards in the regular season, but his team lost in the first round of the state playoffs.
In place of injured freshman defenseman Kevin Lohan — who will miss at least three months after suffering a lower-body injury Friday that will require surgery — junior Mike Chiasson made his season debut on a pairing with senior Kevin Clare. The defense allowed just one goal in a 2-1 victory, going 6-for6 on the penalty kill. And though there were no injuries on offense this weekend, two Wolverines notched points in their second starts of the season Saturday. Sophomore forward Justin Selman netted what was ultimately the game-winning goal for Michigan in the third period Saturday. Freshman defenseman Michael Downing and junior forward Andrew Sinelli recorded the assist. Sinelli’s sixth career assist came in his second appearance this season. “He’s a junior now, and he’s a pretty good hockey player,” said Michigan coach Red Berenson on Saturday. “There’s some competition now between about six or seven guys to get in the lineup and stay in the lineup. But that’s good for our team.” 2. Nagelvoort between the pipes.
has
pipes
With an ability to play the puck as well as stop it, freshman goaltender Zach Nagelvoort acts as a sixth skater on the ice at all times. Nagelvoort’s performance in place of injured sophomore Steve Racine has kept the Wolverines out of the loss column on more than one occasion through five starts. On Friday, Nagelvoort could be heard from the rafters in Yost Ice Arena, shouting “plenty of time” to calm a hasty power play and direct the defense in front of him.
“The defense did a really great job,” Nagelvoort said Saturday. “They let me see pretty much everything in front of me. There were only really two or three chances where they had any opportunities for shots; they just played really well tonight.” Nagelvoort has a reason to be calm. The freshman is now 4-1-1 on the season and has survived three overtime games without allowing the game-winning goal. He boasts a .948 save percentage — the second-best percentage in the nation — and hasn’t given up more than a pair of goals in any start. 3. The power play lacks muscle. Sophomore forward Andrew Copp’s first-period goal on Saturday against the Huskies was the first power-play goal since Oct. 18 against New Hampshire, and the only one scored in five such opportunities during the game. Though Michigan’s power play is 8-for-32 this season, it is arguably the Wolverines’ weakest unit thus far. The power play scored two goals in the season opener against No. 8 Boston College but has been held to one or fewer since. Still, drawing penalties will eventually lead to goals, right? “(Power plays) help us to get out offensively and get in an early rhythm,” Copp said. “It definitely helps to get shots on net.” But eventually, luck aside, the Wolverines will struggle to win games decided by one goal. It will be the power play’s responsibility to find the back of the net, especially against a team like Michigan Tech. 4. But the penalty kill is killer. Before the season, senior defenseman Mac Bennett said that the defense — which had been pegged as Michigan’s biggest question mark following the departure of former blue liners Jon Merrill and Jacob Trouba — would surprise a lot of people.
A defense that boasted three starting freshmen has allowed more than two goals in a game only once this season — in a 7-4 victory over Rochester Institute of Technology. Michigan gives up an average of 1.47 goal per game, which is important considering the Wolverines have scored three or more goals just twice this season. On Friday, Michigan took its first five-on-three penalty kill of the season when junior defenseman Brennan Serville was called for boarding. The penalty kill fended off Michigan Tech for 4:42 of the five-minute disadvantage before surrendering its fifth goal of the season. Without Lohan on Saturday, the Wolverines killed 12 minutes worth of penalties without surrendering a goal. 5. Bold Prediction: Nagelvoort is Michigan’s new No. 1. After missing a weekend against Boston University and UMass-Lowell, Racine practiced in full pads in the week leading up to Michigan Tech but was listed as a backup and didn’t see the ice in either game. Berenson has said several times that, although Racine felt he could play if necessary, the sophomore is not yet 100 percent. With the bye week coming up and a hot-handed backup in Nagelvoort, what’s the rush? But what Berenson is not saying is that Nagelvoort’s impressive play in five starts is a happy, but confusing surprise. Nagelvoort is better at playing the puck and allows fewer rebounds. He is bigger and more vocal. With each win he notches while Racine is resting, especially at home, the freshman earns a bigger share of that starting job. There is certainly potential for a two-goalie option for the remainder of the season, a happy problem to have. Still, don’t be surprised if it’s Nagelvoort minding the net in Omaha, Neb. next weekend.