The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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16 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2021 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS FIVE YEARS AGO, 2016: Michigan football players could be seen going in and out of Schembechler Hall in Au- gust of 2016 literally sporting blue-collar shirts. Head coach Jim Harbaugh wanted to instill a workmanlike attitude in his talented team, and the program-issued shirts marked one obvious representation. Players noted that half the team received the shirts — the half that performed the most practice repetitions. "It's like taking it to another level," said veteran receiver Amara Darboh. "It's kind of cool. In camp, you're going to have nicks and bruises — some guys can't practice all the time. Competing through that, and charting everyone's reps … it just keeps guys going and keeps you wanting to work harder." The Wolverines managed 10 wins in Harbaugh's first season at the helm, one that wrapped up months earlier. Going into the 2016 campaign, Harbaugh insisted the competition among his players remained at a high level. "The waters have been hot all camp," Harbaugh stressed. "Competitive waters, almost boiling. It's been great." Darboh backed that notion, indicating how incredibly com- petitive fall practices had been. "He says no one's job is safe," Darboh assured. "It makes the competitiveness increase in practice. We're all just competing, splitting reps, and when your name is called and the ball's thrown to you, you try to make a play." 10 YEARS AGO, 2011: Michigan's women's soccer team fell behind 1-0, then scored three straight goals to defeat DePaul, 3-1, in the final game of the Michigan Invita- tional on Aug. 28. Michigan goalkeeper Haley Kopmeyer registered six stops, helping her team win its third consecutive game. Kopmeyer turned away everything following DePaul's goal in the 10th minute of the contest, on a shot that dribbled off her near stop and into the net. DePaul kept that narrow lead for the next 33 minutes, be- fore Shelby Chambers-Garcia executed a half-bicycle kick to tie the game at 1-1. In the match's 70th minute, freshman Chloe Sosenko scored from close range to make it 2-1 Michigan. Clare Sta- chel cashed in the insurance goal three minutes later, on a scorcher of a shot into the top left corner. Michigan head coach Greg Ryan praised his crew's effort, following an invitational featuring wins over Duquesne and DePaul. "DePaul is a physically aggressive team," Ryan offered. "We needed to play an opponent like this. … The quality of goals in this game were amazing." 25 YEARS AGO, 1996: Michigan football kicked off the campaign with a rare season-opening Big Ten contest on Aug. 31. The Wolverines knocked off Illinois at Michigan Stadium, 20-8, in front of 105,992. Starting quarterback Scott Dreisbach connected on 11 of 23 throws for 117 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown pass to Russell Shaw. Dreisbach also rushed for 77 yards and another touchdown for the 12th-ranked Wolverines. Running back Clarence Williams tacked on 95 rushing yards, while placekicker Remy Hamilton banged through a pair of field goals. Michigan's defense stood solid, with David Bowens recording three sacks. — John Borton THIS MONTH IN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS HISTORY Jim Harbaugh had his players showing up in blue-collar shirts — literally — to help instill a workmanlike attitude prior to the 2016 season. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN