The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1133554
THE WOLVERINE 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 109 going back to work to reach the goal that we set from the day we walked in the door." Tackling Ball Carriers — And Adversity Even that was met with a shrug by a por- tion of the fan base that, simply put, proba- bly weren't knowledgeable enough to appre- ciate what they had in the 6-0, 204-pounder. "Where was he going to go?" some openly responded on social media. Some still remembered him as the guy who dropped a certain interception near the goal line against Ohio State the previ- ous year, one that would have preserved a 14-0 Michigan lead and given U-M a great chance to win. It was a mistake some wondered if he'd ever live down. It wasn't on the same scale as Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buck- ner and his infamous 1986 World Series error, but the same proverb — "You can do 99 things for someone, and all they'll remember you for is the one thing you didn't do" — applied, at least among a faction of U-M fans. But it didn't affect Metellus. Like he did after his sophomore season, when he put in extra time and earned a starting job, finish- ing with 50 tackles, five passes broken up and a forced fumble, he came back even more determined in the spring. The Florida loss and a 62-39 embarrassment at Ohio State had left a taste worse than any indi- vidual setback. Metellus leaned on the saying of his own choice in preparation for his last year in a Michigan uniform. "There's this one quote: 'Let the pain you suffered be the strength to move forward and get better,'" he said. "I take that every day. Every loss I've ever had here is motiva- tion to get better and motivation to not have another one. "That's how I take the last two games." By the end of the season, he'd become arguably the Big Ten's top safety. He'd still have to overcome some difficulties, includ- ing a targeting call early in the Notre Dame game that got him ejected and proved ex- tremely costly in a 24-17 loss, but he be- came the cerebral leader on the back end of an outstanding defense. All eyes were still on Bush as the domi- nant, running back wrecking force in the middle, but Metellus quietly continued to progress. More and more of the nation's knowledgeable football minds started to no- tice him, and even the most unforgiving had to acknowledge him when he made one of the plays of the year in the season's third game. Against SMU, with the Wolverines cling- ing to a 14-7 lead and the Mustangs driv- ing late in the second half of a closer-than- expected game, Metellus jumped in front of a pass and took it the remaining 73 yards as time expired, a huge momentum boost that propelled Michigan to a 45-20 victory. A game six win over Maryland, though, was when the coaches really knew they had something special. Metellus was responsible for directing traffic and calling out plays against the Terrapins' tricky offense, and his success earned him the team's Defensive Player of the Week honors. "The Maryland game was really a great example, with all their shifts, motions and unbalanced sets and tackle over-sets … he took charge back there and was able to get the secondary aligned up so we didn't miss any gaps and miss any coverages," safeties coach Chris Partridge said. "It was a really good job by him." One that solidified Metellus' spot as one of the best on a loaded defense. He hadn't forgotten his failures, but he'd put them behind him, the sign of an out- standing defensive back. "He's used any challenges that he's come through, he's used them as motivation as a positive thing," Partridge said at the end of spring. "The sky's the limit for him. "I think he could be one of the best safe- ties in the country this year. That's what we're shooting for." A Blossoming Leader But that's not all they're asking of him. The Wolverines lost not only great talent, but also outstanding leadership when cap- tains Bush and safety Tyree Kinnel left. Metellus has become one of the most experienced and reliable defenders on a unit that has finished in the top two nationally in pass defense the last two seasons (No. 1 in 2017 and No. 2 in 2018). PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL