The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1147681
52 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2019 37-13, before heading into the locker room with a commanding 44-17 ad- vantage. Though Michigan shot 50.9 percent for the game, its defense was actually the story of the night — it held the Wildcats to just 31.4 percent shooting overall (14 of 44), 20.0 percent (3 of 15) from behind the arc and forced 21 VU turnovers. Redshirt junior guard Charles Mat- thews led the way with 19 points, while freshman forward Ignas Braz- deikis introduced himself to the nation by pouring in 18 points and pulling down seven boards. The blowout was Villanova's worst loss in the 32-year history of The Pa- vilion, and was also the program's first double-digit setback in 107 games (since Dec. 19, 2015). The Wildcats went on to enjoy a suc- cessful campaign, however, winning both the Big East regular-season and conference tournament titles, before advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Best Female Team Win — Field Hockey, Sept. 21 at No. 6 Penn State: U-M posted a 7-1 mark in league play in 2018, with none of the victories more impressive than a 1-0 triumph at No. 6 Penn State. Junior midfielder/forward MEG DOWTHWAITE tallied the lone goal of the contest, converting a penalty stroke with just 1:53 remaining in regulation. Freshman goalkeeper Anna Spieker earned seven saves in the win, hand- ing the Nittany Lions their lone shut- out loss of the 2018 season. The victory was U-M's fifth straight at the time in what wound up being part of an 8-1 stretch, with the lone loss in that span occurring at No. 3 Mary- land Sept. 23. The triumph over Penn State was one of seven ranked foes Michigan toppled in 2018, but was its first over a top-25 opponent on the road since a 6-2 win over No. 7 Louisville on Oct. 22, 2017. The PSU triumph also played a key factor in U-M grabbing a share of the Big Ten title (with Maryland), while preventing the Nittany Lions from joining in (they finished third in the league with a 6-2 mark). MOST IMPROVED TEAMS Most Improved Male Team — Football: Head coach Jim Harbaugh's club improved in the record depart- ment from 8-5 in 2017 to 10-3 in 2018, but the obvious differences on the field were the most staggering as- pect. His club carried a 10-1 over- all record and an 8-0 tally in league play into the regular-season finale at Ohio State, with a trip to the Big Ten Championship Game on the line. One year prior, U-M was out of conference title contention long before it played the Buckeyes, having racked up three league losses heading into The Game. The Maize and Blue were also ranked in the top 15 of the Associ- ated Press poll for 10 weeks in 2018, a place it was only at for only five in 2017. Additionally, U-M took down three ranked foes in '18 (No. 15 Wisconsin, No. 24 Michigan State and No. 14 Penn State) after toppling just one the previous year (No. 17 Florida). The biggest improvement for the Wolverines, however, occurred on the offensive side of the ball, where junior quarterback Shea Patterson's arrival (from Ole Miss) provided a significant boost. Patterson — along with an im- proved offensive line under the tu- telage of first-year position coach Ed Warinner — helped U-M go from 105th nationally in total offense in 2017 to 50th in 2018, and 91st in points per game in '17 to 21st in '18. Michigan's offensive line also al- lowed 23 fewer tackles for loss in 2018 (60) than in 2017 (83). The Maize and Blue concluded the 2018 campaign with a No. 14 ranking in both major national polls, after be- ing left outside the top 25 to end 2017. Most Improved Female Team — Lacrosse: After enduring a disap- pointing 7-10 campaign in 2018 (2-4 in Big Ten play), Michigan bounced back in a big way in 2019 under second-year head coach Hannah Nielsen, en route to a program-best 16-4 (4-2 in league action) season. The Maize and Blue reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history, appearing as the No. 8 overall seed and taking down Jacksonville in the opening round, before falling to Denver and conclud- ing the year with a No. 11 ranking in the Intercollegiate Women's La- crosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Coaches' Poll. The Maize and Blue's success be- gan right from the opener in 2019, Junior midfielder/forward Meg Dowthwaite notched the lone goal in the Wolverines' 1-0 win at No. 6 Penn State Sept. 21. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY