The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1051817
20 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2018 convinced it was mediocre and need- ing to ramp things up the following week. "They're reminding us of where we want to go, where we can go, and we have to take that into account every week," Long added. "Every week, there's a sense of urgency to get things done and get things done the right way." AN UNDENIABLE TURNAROUND There's no better place to quantify Michigan's revival following the 2017 season than with the three-game stretch of paybacks for a trio of last year 's losses. Pundits in the preseason talked about the Wisconsin-Michigan State- Penn State portion of the Wolverines' schedule like it was insurmountable. The Wolverines themselves went in feeling like those games didn't have to be cliffhangers. U-M got off to some good starts last year, before seeing leads slip away. They were up by two touchdowns on Ohio State before the Buckeyes rallied to win. This year, according to junior safety Josh Metellus, Michigan is more con- cerned about finishing. All of Michi- gan's coaches stressed that aspect, and safeties coach Chris Partridge drilled it into the middle men of U-M's highly regarded secondary. "That's one of the things I'm starting to see really matters, more and more, in this game," Metellus said. "He stressed no matter what happens, nobody's per- fect, and you've got to finish every play as hard and fast as you can. "He really stressed that in the off- season, and he stresses it now. It starts with practice. If you practice right, you practice full speed, practice 100 percent, it's going to transfer to the game." It definitely transferred against the Badgers, Spartans and Nittany Lions. Consider these massive turnarounds from the season before: Wisconsin — Yes, the game was played at Camp Randall Stadium in 2017. But the Wolverines led midway through the third quarter, 10-7, before their defense wore down and redshirt freshman quarterback Brandon Peters got knocked from the game with a con- cussion. The No. 5 Badgers pulled away for a 24-10 win, starting Michigan's three- game losing streak to end the season. Here's a stark comparison of key stats in going from that one to this year's 38- 13 Michigan win: Category 2017 2018 U-M Rushing 58 320 U-M Total Offense 234 444 U-M Time Of Possession 28:15 37:01 Michigan State — The Wolverines faced a second straight dismal, rain- soaked game against the Spartans, this one in East Lansing. But they were much better prepared to make things happen on offense and protect the foot- ball than in the 14-10 loss at home in 2017. Junior quarterback Shea Patterson deftly guided Michigan to a 21-7 win, with a major boost from a defense that nearly shut MSU out. It would have, but for a U-M fumble inside its own 10-yard line. Here are some undeniable turn- around stats from that one: Category 2017 2018 U-M Rushing 102 183 MSU Rushing 158 15 MSU Total Offense 252 94 U-M Turnovers 5 2 U-M Interceptions Thrown 3 0 U-M Time Of Possession 30:52 41:03 Penn State — The Wolverines had the longest way to go in turning around the result from last year 's rout in Happy Valley. They executed it with the ferocity of swarming pira- nha on a dangling piece of meat. Michigan unquestionably pointed for this one, especially on the defen- sive side of the ball. Meanwhile, its offense proved vastly more equipped to handle the Nittany Lions than it was just 12 months earlier. Here are the numbers that don't lie: Category 2017 2018 PSU First Downs 25 11 PSU Rushing 224 68 U-M Rushing 103 259 PSU Passing 282 118 PSU Total Offense 506 186 U-M Total Offense 269 403 U-M Sacks Allowed 7 1 Fifth-year senior defensive end Chase Winovich (right) publicly coined the Revenge Tour in an on-field postgame interview with ESPN after the 38-13 win over Wisconsin Oct. 13. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN Fifth-year senior defensive end Chase Winovich "We had revenge to give out on the people who were kind of bullying us, just beating up on us last year. … Me personally, I wanted our lunch money back, and I wanted them to pay interest."