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Monday, September 18, 2017

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Though the No. 8 Michigan football team beat Air Force, 29-13, the performance was marred by an 0-for-4 day in the red zone.

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Racist writing found on dorm door BSU offers name tags in West Quad sparks outrage response

CAMPUS LIFE

MICHIGAN IN COLOR

Pulitzer awardees highlight successes

Students woke up or came back to dorms to find slurs, DPSS now investigating NISA KHAN, SOPHIE SHERRY & MAYA GOLDMAN

Panels with Daily alumni talk challenges, changes in newsroom dynamics

Daily News Editors & Daily Staff Reporter

Three Black students’ room doors in Michigan Community Scholars Program, located in West Quad Residence Hall, were vandalized with racial slurs over the weekend. The hate speech, including “N-----,” was written underneath their name tags placed on their dorm room doors. LSA sophomore Travon Stearns, one of the students whose door was vandalized, said he did not see the nametag when he first woke up — it was around 1 p.m., when he came back from the dining hall. His nametag bore the racial slur. His roommate’s also had slurs, but were not racially charged. Strens said he notified his RA, where he noticed her nametag had scribbles on it. She contacted DPSS. “When I got up this morning, I was ready to focus and get ready to do my studies and my homework. I planned on dedicating this whole day to prepare for the week and get homework done...like a regular Sunday,” he said. “But when I saw that, it kind of messed me up a little bit. From there, I had to take other steps to really try to get to the bottom of this and report it.”

MATT HARMON Daily Staff Reporter

Alumni of The Michigan Daily, several of whom are Pulitzer Prize winners, participated in panels on sports journalism’s role in the 21st century, diversity for women and minorities in the newsroom, alternative career paths from a journalism background and the role of student publications Friday afternoon in Rackham Auditorium. About 200 students, faculty and University of Michigan alumni attended the panels throughout the day. Celebrating its 127th year of operation, the Daily invited alumni back to campus for a weekend of reunion and reminiscing about their past Daily experiences. Many former Daily staff members pointed to the recent digitization of University newspapers from the past 125 years by the Bentley Historical Library as a way to connect with the history of the Daily, the University and the world. The event was co-sponsored by the University’s Office of Student See PULITZER, Page 3A

Stearns said he posted a picture on Snapchat, which his friends screenshotted and posted on Twitter. “Everybody was, of course, especially in the Black community and even my friends who are not part of the Black community, was pretty outraged

and really concerned. But they really were there for me and let me know that if I needed any help with support, they’re there was me. They were really upset with what had occurred. Very outraged.” Stearns met with DPSS Sunday afternoon. He said they were

“very concerned” and pointed him to resources he can use on campus. He also said security took the nametags as evidence and to look for fingerprints. Stearns said this is the first time he had faced direct racism before. However, despite this, he See WRITING, Page 3A

to racist incident

The Black Student Union offers statement of support and solidarity BLACK STUDENT UNION

Michigan in Color Contributor

BRIAN AUSTIN KOSASIH/DAILY LSA sophomore Travon Stearns speaks to Michigan Community Scholars Program students after a racist slur was written on his door in West Quad on Sunday.

On Sept. 17, 2017, three Black University of Michigan students were targeted with racially derogatory language in the form of defaced name tags on their dorm doors. This is not only a crime of vandalism, but also a hate crime carried out by those with access to our campus and residence halls, presumably underclassmen students. As we move into the third week of classes, we have already encountered deliberate racism via social media and now directly to students in their campus homes, a space where they should feel safe. We, the Black Student Union, stand in solidarity with the three Black students who were directly targeted by this heinous offense. As an organization, our mission is to promote the social and spiritual growth and safety of those affected by crimes such as this. We expect an appropriate See STATEMENT, Page 3A

Detroit event remembers, celebrates Bicentennial University highlights their founding in the city, role of public education in MI

Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin speak out against inequality at Power Center Award-winning actresses doing statewide tour on economic disparities in food service jobs JENNIFER MEER & ANAY KATYAL Daily Staff Reporter & Managing Arts Editor

Academy Award-winning actresses Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin drew an audience of about 300 students, staff and local residents Friday afternoon to the Power Center. The celebrity

activists, accompanied by Saru Jayaraman — co-founder of Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, an organization that aims to improve restaurant industry standards nationwide — discussed economic inequality and the minimum wage’s effects on women in the restaurant industry. Prior to the event, the Daily sat down with Fonda and

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Tomlin to discuss what the two have been highlighting thus far on their statewide tour. “Ann Arbor made sense as a stop for us for us — it’s a college town, a progressive city and the food industry employs many college-aged women who we hope to advocate for here,” Tomlin said. “We need college students to be a part of this platform, this change. It’s very

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ALON SAMUEL

MAX KUANG/DAILY Comedian Lily Tomlin and actress Jane Fonda rally for restaurant worker’s rights at the Power Center on Friday.

important.” Fonda echoed Tomlin’s sentiments regarding Ann Arbor being an appropriate locale to discuss this issue. “It’s important for Lily and I to bring our message to a place like Ann Arbor, where we can hope, even at a minimum, to help make contact with people, See ECONOMICS, Page 3A

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Daily Staff Reporter

On Friday, the University of Michigan brought its Bicentennial festivities to the place where it all began. A founding ceremony took place in Detroit’s Grand Circus Park as a nod to the University’s 1817 founding in Detroit, as well as an acknowledgment of upcoming partnerships and commitments to the city. Several seminars also took place earlier in the day, ranging in topics from investments in the city’s future to innovation in education, arts and technology. University alum and longtime local journalist Carmen Harlan emceed the ceremony and spoke to the significance of the University’s founding in Detroit.

“What (University founders Augustus Woodward, Gabriel Richard and John Monteith) created was not just what is now the University of Michigan but also public education in Michigan,” Harlan said. “In other words, all the outstanding public universities and colleges, high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools that we have today, started here, in Detroit, with the University of Michigan ... Today, as we celebrate this anniversary, we the people of Detroit and Michigan, must recommit to public education for the next 200 years.” Harlan was not the only one speaking of renewed commitments. Frank Ettawageshik, Michigan alum

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CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES Clinical Science Brown Bag: Early Childhood Precursors of Gender Differences in Depressive Symptoms WHAT: Come listen to a clinical science doctoral student discuss her work in highlighting gender differences regarding earlychildhood depressive symptoms. WHO: Katherine Blumstein WHEN: 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. WHERE: East Hall, Room 4464

SWE/TBP Engineering Fall Career Fair

‘Volume Zero: The Work of Charles Correa’

WHAT: Join the annual Society of Women Engineers/Tau Beta Pi, as well as over 300 companies, at the largest recruiting event in the University’s College of Engineering. WHO: Engineering Career Resource Center WHEN: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. WHERE: Duderstadt Center, Media Union

WHAT: Students are invited to watch a 58-minute film that depicts the life of one of the world’s most influential architects through interviews and live footage. WHO: Taubman College of Archiecture and Urban Planning WHEN: 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. WHERE: Art and Architecture Building, Auditorium

“Punks” @ 20: Revisiting Cathy Cohen’s Queer Coalitional Vision

LSA Bicentennial Theme Semester Symposium: Digital Future

WHAT: A symposium that celebrates Cohen’s “queer of color” critique, which recognizes the intersections of race, gender, class, sexuality and nation. WHO: Lesbian, Gay, Queer Research Iniative WHEN 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. WHERE: Hatcher Graduate Library Gallery

WHAT: Learn from five renowned scholars how digital technologies challenge the world, as well as how they will shape the future. WHO: Bicentennial Office WHEN: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. WHERE: Tisch Hall, Room 1014

Charles Correa International Lecture WHAT: Join international architect Tatiana Bilbao as she discusses how architecture can be used to improve society and the surrounding environment. WHO: Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning WHEN: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. WHERE: Walgreen Drama Center, STAMPS Auditorium

North Campus Sustainability Hour: Seth Guikema WHAT: Listen to Prof. Guikema discuss his research regarding how to foster societal safety and sustainability in the face of natural distasters and terrorism. WHO: Industrial and Operations Engineering WHEN: 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. WHERE: Lurie Robert H. Egineering Center, Johnson Rooms

A new @A2ArtCenter exhibit centered around mobility and transportation is underway!

Gits @gitscoco

Using Non-natives and Native Plants in Art WHAT: Make the journey to listen to local artist Jane Kramer discusses how she places shadow images of native plants onto paper made from invasive plants. WHO: Matthei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum WHEN: 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. WHERE: Matthei Bontanical Gardens

Michigan Community Scholars Program holds solidarity event Students, faculty gather to support one another in light of Sunday’s incidents

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734-418-4115 ext. 1241 recognized it as a brave nathankg@michigandaily.com community. Daily Staff Reporter “We’re not talking about free speech in this instance, On Sunday night, more than we’re not talking about coming NEWS TIPS ARTS SECTION PHOTOGRAPHY SECTION news@michigandaily.com arts@michigandaily.com 100 students from the Michigan up and talking to someone photo@michigandaily.com Community Scholars Program and exchanging views with LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SPORTS SECTION NEWSROOM learning community gathered in them,” she said. “To do (this), to tothedaily@michigandaily.com sports@michigandaily.com 734-418-4115 opt. 3 the Multipurpose Room of West deface room or where they live, EDITORIAL PAGE ADVERTISING CORRECTIONS Quadrangle Residence Hall to basically is an act of cowardice.” opinion@michigandaily.com dailydisplay@gmail.com corrections@michigandaily.com show support and solidarity Angela Dillard, the associate against the racist vandalism that dean of undergraduate education targeted three Black student in LSA, was next to take the floor. residents. Dillard said the LSA Dean’s AMELIA CACCHIONE and EMMA RICHTER David Schoem, director of Office has been actively in Managing Photo Editors photo@michigandaily.com MCSP and an adjunct associate contact with the President’s Senior Photo Editors: Zoey Holmstrom, Evan Aaron, Alexis Rankin, professor, led the event. Office, targeted students and REBECCA LERNER Zach Moore Managing Editor rebler@michigandaily.com Assistant Photo Editors: Claire Meingast, Katelyn Mulcahy, Aaron “We feel terrible that in greater community to determine Baker, Sam Mousigian, Kevin Zheng our community they had to how the University will best ALEXA ST.JOHN experience those disgusting respond to the crime. LARA MOEHLMAN Managing News Editor alexastj@michigandaily.com Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com things that were put on their “We advocate on behalf of all Senior News Editors: Riyah Basha, Tim Cohn, Lydia Murray, Deputy Statement Editor: Brian Kuang, Yoshiko Iwai Nisa Khan, Sophie Sherry doors, and we want to show our undergraduates at the University Assistant News Editors: Jordyn Baker, Colin Beresford, Rhea support and love,” he said. “We all the time. ... We really want to Cheeti, Maya Goldman, Matt Harmon, Andrew Hiyama, Jen Sudoku Syndication ELIZABETH DOKAS and TAYLOR GRANDINETTI hope you will feel that we are all tryhttp://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ and do a better job building Meer, Ishi Mori, Carly Ryan, Kaela Theut Managing Copy Editors copydesk@michigandaily.com here to express that to you.” relationships with students this ANNA POLUMBO-LEVY and REBECCA TARNOPOL Senior Copy Editors: Marisa Frey, Ibrahim Rasheed year,” she said. “We think it’s Editorial Page Editors opinioneditors@michigandaily.com going to be another tough year, DYLAN LAWTON and BOB LESSER Senior Opinion Editors: Anu Roy-Chaudhury, Ashley Zhang, we think that this stuff is going Managing Online Editor lesserrc@michigandaily.com Max Lubell, Madeline Nowicki, Stephanie Trierweiler Senior Web Developers: Erik Forkin, Jordan Wolff to keep happening, that it’s BETELHEM ASHAME and KEVIN SANTO going to keep testing us and it’s ABE LOFY Managing Sports Editors sportseditors@michigandaily.com HARD going to test our resolve and Managing Video Editor video@michigandaily.com Senior Sports Editors: Laney Byler, Mike Persak, Orion Sang, Senior Video Editors: Gilly Yerrington, Matt Nolan, Aarthi our ability to respond and to Max Marcovich, Ethan Wolfe, Chris Crowder Janakiraman, Emily Wolfe respond well.” Assistant Sports Editors: Rob Hefter, Avi Sholkoff, Matthew Kennedy, Paige Voeffray, Mark Calcagno, Jacob Shames John Seto, the director of JASON ROWLAND and ASHLEY TJHUNG Michigan in Color Editors michiganincolor@michigandaily.com Housing Security, also spoke, ANAY KATYAL and NATALIE ZAK Senior Michigan in Color Editors: Christian Paneda, Adam emphasizing the event is under Managing Arts Editors arts@michigandaily.com Brodnax, Halibut Olaniyan, Tanya Madhani, Sivanthy Vasanthan investigation. Senior Arts Editors: Dayton Hare, Nabeel Chollanpat, Madeline Gaudin, Carly Snider “We take these types of Arts Beat Editors: Danielle Yacobson, Danny Hensel, Erika ELLIE HOMANT instances very seriously, this is Shevchek, Matt Gallatin, Naresh Iyengar Managing Social Media Editor going to be investigated, and it Senior Social Media Editors: Kayla Waterman and Anna Haritos MICHELLE PHILLIPS and AVA WEINER is a priority,” he said. “Housing Managing Design Editors design@michigandaily.com Security and University Police have already started investigation and have made contact with the residents that CAYLIN WATERS Brand Manager have been impacted.” Seto also affirmed Housing EMILY RICHNER CLAIRE BUTZ Sales Manager Business Development Manager Security’s support for students, JUEUI HONG JULIA SELSKY saying students may notice Special Projects Manager Local Accounts Manager more security officers in the CAROLINE GOLD SANJANA PANDIT halls and encouraging students Media Consulting Manager Production Manager to reach out if they have questions. The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the Engineering senior Chloe University OF Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office © sudokusolver.com. For personal use only. puzzlebysudokusyndication.com for $2. Subscriptions for September-April are $250 and year long subscriptions are $275. University affiliates are subject to a SO HARD. Henderson, a resident adviser reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. in MCSP, said she and her See SOLIDARITY, Page 3A Generate and solve Sudoku, Super Sudoku and Godoku puzzles at sudokusyndication.com!

Schoem said such actions are meant to threaten and intimidate members of the community, but it will not be tolerated. He said an attack against one is an attack against all. Wendy Woods, associate director of MCSP, compared the hateful incidents occurring in West Quad to such an incident happening in someone’s family home. “In other words, it happened in your home,” she said. “That is probably one of the ways you might most make someone feel violated or insecure — by actually coming into their own home and putting up something like that. It’s just like if you are living in your homes at home and you come home and your house has been broken into.” Woods noted in her time addressing MCSP, she has

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WRITING From Page 1A said he was appreciative of how the University came together. There will also be a MCSP meeting Sunday night to discuss the incident, he explained. “Just this afternoon, I already had people reach out to me. President Schissel took to Twitter and said it’s unacceptable,” he said. “Campus security talked to me to get the full story. I think the campus is handling the situation really well...action is definitely being taken. The University is really putting effort to get to the bottom of this.” What caught Stearns off guard, he said, was that MCSP is considered to be one of the most inclusive spaces on campus. He said he hopes people will take the situation seriously. “Because it’s not (a joke). Maybe people do those things as a joke but they don’t realize what psychologically impact that can have on a person,” he said. “Especially since I am at the University to study and get an education. But then I have to worry about the feeling of oppression and not being accepted. I have to watch my back at all times. And that just puts extra pressure on me on top of regular college life.” LSA junior Sydney Whack is a friend of one of the students whose door was marked — she initially saw the photo on Snapchat. “I made sure he was good,” she said. “He said he was going to report it to the RA. I know he was pretty upset.” Pictures of the incidents were spread by angered students across Twitter. “Everyone’s pretty upset,” Whack said. “I know some people have made tweets and stuff addressing the University. A lot of people have reposted on their

Snapchat and stuff and they’re just really really upset because that’s vile.” The University of Michigan’s chapter of the Black Student Union released a statement on the incident later Sunday afternoon, standing in solidarity with the three students. “We expect an appropriate response from The University, including an investigation and consequences for those involved in the vandalism,” it read. “In times like these, it is important that we do not act solely out of the frustration, anger, and sadness we may be feeling. We have to channel these emotions into productive action, in an attempt to leave the campus better than we found it.” The University of Michigan’s College Democrats social justice committee also made a statement on Twitter, quoting BSU’s original tweet. Michigan Community Scholars Program is a living learning community in West Quad centered around intercultural dialogue, social justice, and civic engagement. Sociology professor David Schoem has served as the director of the program since its formation in 1999. Schoem sent a statement to the MCSP community Sunday afternoon denouncing the vandalism. Schoem wrote in the statement; “On behalf of our entire MCSP staff and community, I want to extend our support and express our profound regret that some of our students experienced today a disgraceful, disgusting, cowardly, racist act. Our first concern is for the safety, security and well-being of the students involved and the safety, security and well-being of all of our students.’

ECONOMICS From Page 1A convince them to talk about this issue with their friends, collect signatures for the ballot, go to town halls and help develop a people’s platform that will help talk about all of the issues facing this country and this state,” Fonda said. Fonda and Tomlin both otably appeared in “9 to 5” which premiered in 1980. Lilly Fink Shapiro, the Sustainable Food Systems coordinator at the University, opened the event, and noted there are 60 faculty and staff members working together at the University to explore issues related to food production and distribution, as well as the policies that shape the emergence of different food system models globally. “The University of Michigan is on the map for our worldclass research, curricular and interdisciplinary study of sustainable food systems,” Shapiro said. “We are one of the few Universities in the country to offer both an undergraduate minor, a graduate certificate in sustainable food systems, and we have five tenure-track faculty who are a part of a cluster hire to teach and conduct research in this growing field.” Tomlin was the first speaker to take the stage: She performed a monologue as Judith Beasley — a character she portrayed in sketches throughout her career on Saturday Night Live. Tomlin explained through her monologue that Beasley represents the millions of waitresses, like herself, “who have worked hard all their lives and yet cat can barely eke out a living.” Since the first minimum wage law was passed in 1938, Tomlin explained, restaurant workers’ wages had gone from zero dollars per hour to $2.13 per hour at the federal level and $3.38 dollars per hour in Michigan — a raise of $3 over 80 years. “And no, this is not fake news,” said Tomlin, acting the part of Beasley. “We restaurant workers are facing the greatest level of economic inequality since the Gilded Age and 70 percent of tip workers who earn that measly 3.38 an hour are — drumroll, wait for it — women.” Tomlin described an overworked waitress — speed-

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ROBERT BUECHLER/DAILY George Hastings, a retired judge, speaks alongside distinguished Michigan Daily alumni at Rackham on Friday.

of the frustration, anger and sadness we may be feeling. We have to channel these emotions into productive action, in an attempt to leave the campus better than we found it. That being said, the Black Student Union will remain a resource to all Black students on campus and will always act with the

community and not just for the community. We are strategizing ways to move forward and urge everyone to come together right now and, above all else, practice self-care. Peace, Love and Solidarity, The Black Student Union University of Michigan at Ann Arbor

rights,” he added, describing the 200th anniversary as a chance to renew commitments to the Michigan tribes who gave up their lands. Present at the festival were several University departments and student organizations with ties to the metro Detroit area. One such group is Seven Mile Music, which brings music education to underserved communities in Detroit. According to LSA senior Tyler Neiss, the organization was founded in response to Detroit Public Schools cutting arts and music programing funds in 2013. “Seven Mile Music is especially compelled by our

love for public access to music because most of our members went to public schools and first were engaged with music through our public education,” said LSA sophomore Kirtana Choragudi. However, Choragudi and Neiss were among the few University students present at the day’s celebration. The event was open to the public, and most of the several hundred attendees were faculty or guests who were not associated with the University. “Detroit’s a really great place, and I wish people would care about it more,” Choragudi said.

of who did this, or if you did it, I encourage you to come forward. … This is very serious.” Students were made aware of resources they can turn to in response to for support in response to this at: specifically, the Dean of Students Office, as well as the Bias Response Team — a group of professional staff who assist in managing incidents of bias.

Students were also encouraged to write the expressions “We stand together for social justice” and “#mcspstandstogether” and tape it to all of the doors in the living community. After the speakers addressed the attendees, students broke into small groups to reflect on the incident. The Daily was asked to leave for this portion of the event.

Opinion

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STEPHANIE MULLINGS | COLUMN

My friend, Raleigh

hen I was younger, I had an imaginary friend named Raleigh. Together, we played on an imaginary soccer team called the Wild-Winds. We went to school together and had playdates after class. Just as I awaited Santa’s arrival by placing cookies and milk on the fireplace mantel on Christmas Eve or delicately put my freshly pulled teeth under my pillow at night expecting the tooth fairy, Raleigh sprung from the depths of my imagination — a false reality which others around me validated. My mother had a soccer jersey for the WildWinds team made for me. She intricately gift-wrapped and placed “Santa’s” presents around our Christmas tree. She slid dollar bills under my pillow in exchange for my teeth. Having grown out of our childhood fantasies, as a society it is safe to say that we don’t think like this anymore. There is no makebelieve or magic. Parents won’t contextualize or qualify the abstractions of our imagination. Instead of creating an imaginary soccer team to play on, we now say things like “I can’t imagine that Cristiano Ronaldo won’t be considered one of the best soccer players ever.” It’s fair to say there’s a societal normalcy in this concreteness — the improbable remains intangible. At least this was what I thought until recently. My ref lections regarding Raleigh are not meant to bombard you with memories of my childhood. Instead, I use him to draw a parallel to my “imagination” today. I would never have imagined my identity as a Black American woman would become as threatened as it has within the past few months. I would never have imagined that others like myself who belong to minority communities

would have to fear losing their homes or families. I would never have imagined that the process of “making America great again” included the blatant resurgence of racism and racially charged violence. Most significantly, I would never have imagined that fear, hate and violence touching the very core of our lives — once figments of my imagination — would become validated by the government and society, just like how Raleigh was legitimized by my mother. Maybe my thoughts were incorrect. Has the improbable, or outrageous or absurd — the unimaginable — become tangible? Last week, the seventh season of “American Horror Story” premiered. Spoiler alert: This season’s storyline centers on an American woman named Ally who experiences extreme emotional turmoil and excessive paranoia following President Donald Trump’s election. Her phobias actualize, and she seemingly hallucinates terrifying interactions with clowns, which others view as a figment of her imagination or as her “going crazy.” In other words, Trump’s election reached the depth of her imagination. Her story mirrors my ref lections of Raleigh and the political and social climate of today’s society (minus the clowns). The 2016 presidential election and subsequent policies and events under the Trump administration serve as the tipping point for Ally at the same time the unimaginable (killer clowns) becomes tangible, haunting each aspect of her everyday life. I do want to make sure everyone understands that this is a dramatization. We hopefully aren’t hallucinating killer clowns or being consumed by our phobias because of President Trump’s election.

However, I aim to draw your attention to the connection. What we thought was impossible or outlandish or discriminatory has become very real, very quickly. I use the word “we” here to describe we as human beings, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or political affiliation. We must recognize some faults or tensions in the decisions of our executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, which, in turn, trickle down into our society through violence and use of hateful rhetoric. We as human beings must see and feel these divisions emerging, whether they’re in our own lives or in what we view through media outlets. We as human beings must observe the Trump administration’s progressive action to marginalize certain communities or those who embody certain identities. For it would be rather impossible not to witness this unfolding before our eyes. Now, whether you find these developments “unimaginable” or “imaginable” may be the source of our agreement or disagreement. However, I hope we can all recognize a shift in our political and social climate as of late in light of events like the Trump administration’s rescinding of DACA, banning of transgender individuals in the military and “travel ban,” the violence in Charlottesville, Va., and Betsy Devos’s recent criticism of Title IX. I no longer play makebelieve soccer games with Raleigh or wait for visits from Santa and the tooth fairy. Instead, I imagine what will come of this country in the next four years. How about you? Stephanie Mullings can be reached at srmulli@umich.edu.

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“

NOTABLE QUOTABLE

I want to get up on the biggest microphone ever and say immigration is an issue that affects more than just Latinos... We come in all genders, all shapes and sizes.

— Tony Choi, DACA recipient who moved to the United States from South Korea when he was nine years old.

”

Don’t feed celebrity feeds

t was 2:30 a.m. on a Thursday. I had just finished working a shift in my lab and needed to start fixing my newspaper column because it was ripped apart by the editor. As I was getting ready to write, I opened Spotif y and was greeted by an advertisement of Taylor Swift’s new single. Because I hadn’t heard this song all the way through, I decided to give it a listen. I attempted to work but couldn’t think straight while the chorus of seemingly neverending “look what you made me do’s” reverberated through my head from Swift’s cleverly titled single “Look What You Made Me Do.” As much as I would like to say, “No one cares what you did, Taylor,” I would be wrong considering her single broke streaming and viewing records on Spotify and YouTube. People idolize Taylor Swift and often seem to be more invested in her life than their own. This is a problem. In modern society, social media and even television have evolved in a way that favors making the famous even more famous. Celebrities thrive off publicity, and through platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter, providing them with this notoriety has become a part of our everyday lives. But what makes us interested in celebrities in the first place? Well, most of the time they have lives that are more interesting and extravagant than our own. They have lifestyles that most of us regard as fantasy, and social media has allowed us to admire these lifestyles 24/7. In the amount of time it takes to unlock a phone and open Instagram, you can see where Leonardo DiCaprio decided to go after winning his Oscar or what color Lamborghini Justin Bieber decided to drive to the

MTV Video Music Awards. By commenting on and reacting to photos and videos, we’re provided with the illusion that we’re having an impact or taking part in celebrities’ lives — but we’re not. The truth is that we’ve all become pawns in their personal marketing campaigns. No one seems to take a step back and ask themselves, “Why do I care about these people? Why am I one of 500,000 commenting on Kylie Jenner’s selfie? Aren’t there more important things I should be focusing on?”

Why am I one of 500,000 commenting on Kylie Jenner’s selfie? The average U.S. adult spends more than six hours per week on social media, and I bet that a good chunk of this time is spent viewing celebrities. If you don’t believe me, just look at Kim Kardashian — one of the most popular individuals on Instagram with 103 million followers. That’s roughly a third of the United States’s population. Imagine what people would be able to accomplish if the total time spent on Kardashian’s Instagram page were spent on something useful. Even television has shifted its focus to endorsing the famous and making them viral sensations. “Celebrity Family Feud,” “Hollywood Game Night” and “Running Wild with Bear Grylls,” for example, are shows that never shift their spotlight from the rich and famous because

featuring celebrities can boost ratings and entertain. As a result of this trend, reality competition shows are no longer about finding a star. Unlike “American Idol,” which did an extremely good job of placing emphasis on the individuality and development of its contestants, shows like “The Voice” and “America’s Got Talent” are about marketing the judges and serving as a platform to further perpetuate their celebrity status. A contestant’s performance is merely background noise while the camera forces you to examine every change in a judge’s facial expression as they ponder whether they like what they’re seeing. Though these competitions have each produced 11 winners, none of them have had mainstream commercial success. But for celebrity judges like Adam Levine and Blake Shelton, these shows have allowed for the advertisement of comeback albums, live performances and creation of fashion lines while simultaneously establishing relationships with a large, diverse audience. I’m not saying that the overmarketization of celebrities is always a bad thing. Some of them are great role models who are truly inspiring. But when you find yourself scrutinizing every detail of Taylor Swift’s feuds, listening to “Look What You Made Me Do” on repeat to decipher the lyrics and choosing sides in her celebrity row, it might be time for a reality check. People need to spend more time focusing on their own lives and aspirations, because they can make far more important contributions to society than a poorly written diss track or a viral selfie. Evan Sirls can be reached at esirls@umich.edu.

HANNAH HARSHE | OP-ED

U must address animal agriculture

his academic year, we have already witnessed two record-breaking hurricanes, a massive fire in California and devastating floods in South Asia. “Climate change” is the word on everyone’s lips. Here at the University of Michigan, we go to great efforts to ensure that we’re doing our part to combat climate change and promote a healthy earth. We are, after all, the Leaders and the Best. But why is it that when it comes to addressing some of the largest causes of global climate change, the University is just following the crowd? One of the largest causes of global climate change is, by the way, the animal food industry. As a progressive, forwardthinking institution that prides itself on its environment and sustainability efforts, the University should be a societal leader when it comes to acknowledging and responding to the devastating relationship between animal foods and climate change. Instead, the University decidedly ignores the huge role animal food plays in perpetuating climate change. Studies after studies point to animal agriculture not only as “bad for the environment,” but as the single biggest factor hurting the environment. Georgetown J.D. candidate Christopher Hyner wrote an excellent article, entitled “A Leading Cause of Everything,” for the Georgetown Environmental Law Review. He states that “animal agriculture is a leading cause of many major environmental problems we face globally and domestically— most importantly, climate change. … This means that animal agriculture must be a central element of our efforts to mitigate climate change.” I encourage all of you to read Hyner’s article. But for those of you who will inevitably form your opinions without doing sufficient research, I will briefly touch on the grave implications of animal agriculture. In South America,

cattle ranching is responsible for 75 percent of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. At least one-third of public lands in the contiguous United States is devoted to animal agriculture. Animal agriculture is also the number one consumer of fresh water in the U.S, according to Hyner’s research. Fifty-one percent of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions come from livestock and their byproducts, and replacing livestock products with more sustainable alternatives would have more rapid effects on greenhouse gas emissions than replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy. According to calculations made from Worldwatch Institute’s research, even if we were to eliminate fossil fuels entirely, we would still reach our 565 gigaton CO2 emissions limit by 2030, just from the animal agriculture industry. On a more positive note, cutting animal foods out of your diet would decrease your contribution to greenhouse gas emissions to one-seventh of what they were while eating meat. Even the United Nations has stated that “a global shift toward a vegan diet is vital to save the world from the worst impacts of climate change.” Veganism is one of the most powerful tools we have for combatting climate change. Yet, from the University’s standpoint, it’s nothing but a personal dietary choice. The U.S. government ignores the danger of animal foods because it has incomprehensible vested interest in the animal agriculture industry. Subsidies, legislation and reg ulation play a major role in our access to animal foods and are the only reason we can purchase them at such low prices, as is outlined by David Robinson Simon in his book “Meatonomics.” It hurts my heart to believe that the University would turn a blind eye to the disastrous implications of the animal food

industry for those same reasons. To the environment’s detriment, the University’s sustainability and climate change efforts don’t mention veganism at all. For example, the University expresses a desire to “pursue energy efficiency and fiscally-responsible energy sourcing strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions toward long-term carbon neutrality.” To do this, it focuses on things like decreasing vehicle carbon output, even though a larger percentage of global greenhouse gas emissions is directly attributable to livestock production than is attributable to the entire transportation industry (according to United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization). In another case, Planet Blue expresses a goal of purchasing more food from “local and sustainable sources,” but it fails to provide a comprehensive definition of “sustainable” other than stating the farming practices that it considers to be such. It would be helpful to understand how it determines if meat, eggs and dairy are sustainable; The New York Times notes that meat labeled as “sustainable” is often even worse for the environment. The word “vegan” is only mentioned in passing on the Planet Blue website and is never once mentioned on the website for the Graham Sustainability Institute. The University has a unique position of power. If “reduced consumption of animal foods” was one of the school’s climate change goals, other institutions would likely follow suit. It could start a precedent of reducing climate change in the most effective way possible. The University truly has the opportunity to be the “Leader and the Best,” and yet, in what is arguably one of the most critical issues ever, it is settling for mediocrity. Hannah Harshe is an LSA sophomore.

Arts

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Monday, September 18, 2017 — 5A

DAILY LITERATURE COLUMN

LGBTQ writers & their place in literary cannon Literature columnist Laura Dzubay explores the uneven patterns of sexual identity scattered across the literary canon HBO

HBO’s new series “The Deuce” premiered last week

In a smooth debut, ‘Deuce’ outdoes our expectations New HBO series wows in its storytelling and creative design SAM ROSENBERG Daily Arts Writer

“The Deuce,” a new HBO period drama by David Simon (“The Wire”), delivers so much more than what its premise implies. The story revolves around the rise of the porn industry in 1971 Manhattan — a plot that reeks of tasteless caricature and ostensibly formulaic storytelling. Like, do we really need more stories about Italian mobsters, sex and the ‘70s? From the super-sized, 84-minute pilot alone, “The Deuce” defies those expectations, displaying the gritty texture and Greek tragedy stylings of a character-driven morality tale. This is not a show about the intricacies of the porn industry per se. It’s a show about the humanity underlying the people who would become involved in such an industry, and how financial desperation and social ecosystems lead them to make brash, selfcontradictory decisions. Centered within the show’s version of New York’s seedy underbelly are two identical twin brothers, Vincent and Frankie Martino, both played wonderfully by James Franco (“The Interview”). While Vincent, a down-on-his-luck Brooklyn bartender, is given more screen time during the pilot than Frankie, an elusive gambler, Vincent’s knack for business offers a intriguing set-up for the episodes to come. When it comes to dramas, Franco is somewhat of an unpredictable actor (amazing in “127 Hours,” not so much in “Palo Alto”), and you’d think with a show like “The Deuce,” he would overact the hell out of his characters. Here, however, Franco disappears into the roles of Vincent and Frankie with

finesse, distinguishing the two their own agency, such as when with charismatic ease and subtle Candy explains the limitations dramatic flair. of her practice with an overeager In addition to Franco’s standout teenage customer or when dual performance, the rest of the Darlene asks her client to give her incredible ensemble cast deserve an advance for letting her watch credit for making the most out “A Tale of Two Cities” with him of their absorbing characters. during their usual session. There are the ruthless pimps C.C. Along with its colorful (Gary Carr, “Downton Abbey”) characters, “The Deuce” and Larry Brown (Gbenga incorporates impeccable Akinnagbe, “Detroit”); the forlorn production values and, most prostitutes Candy (Maggie importantly, a clear tone, mood Gyllenhaal, “Frank”) and Darlene and atmosphere. The visuals ooze (Dominique Fishback, “Show Me with steely, cold blues, juxtaposing a Hero”); and the the darkness of ambitious college the night scenes “The Deuce” dropout Abby with the glowing (Margarita Levieva, artifice of Times HBO “The Blacklist”). Square, the show’s Sundays at 9 Each of them are setting. There’s painted with the an obvious p.m. same amount of significance to robust complexity this aesthetic and specificity: C.C. and Larry contrast — the darkness establish their friendship and embodying the corruption on the business acumen through their streets and in janky hotels versus punchy banter, Candy juggles her the brightness and flashiness of occupation with motherhood, the “rich and famous” lifestyle that Darlene quietly defies her boss and the characters seek. But it’s shown Abby harnesses her independence with such rich astuteness, a clear after deciding the college life isn’t indication of the brilliant artistry for her. Even the more secondary of Simon, cinematographer Pepe characters, like new girl in Avila del Pino (“Ozark”) and town Lori (Emily Meade, “The director Michelle MacLaren Leftovers”) and her competition (“Breaking Bad”). Ashley (newcomer Jamie Granted, there’s some confusion Neumann), have some dimensions during the episode about who’s to them. And as disparate as their who and what’s happening, a flaw storylines are, they seamlessly that can easily be fixed as the story interconnect with one another continues. The beauty of nonthroughout the episode. expository dialogue and situations The theme of independent allows the audience to connect the women being corrupted by dots on their own rather than have abusive men is a prominent — and the writers do it for them. In fact, unfortunately relevant — part of there isn’t even a single mention “The Deuce,” especially in how of the porn industry in the first the male characters attempt to episode. Instead of resorting dominate the female characters to exploitation like it could, or through toxic masculinity and crafting a simplistic, glamorous the male gaze. The women, for story for entertainment’s sake, the most part, are able to subdue “The Deuce” does its own thing their male counterparts through and unapologetically so.

LAURA DZUBAY

Daily Literature Columnist

When you hear “Willa Cather,” you might think, “Oh yeah, I had to look up My Ántonia on SparkNotes in high school.” Or, if you’re a big literary fan, you might recall some of her other monumental and frontier-focused novels, “O Pioneers!,” “Song of the Lark” and “One of Ours.” Or maybe you’re just thinking, I’ve never heard of Willa Cather before today. But one thing a lot of people aren’t aware of, even if they are familiar with her groundbreaking achievements in literature, is that Cather was likely a member of the LGBTQ community. Of course, the idea of a famous writer being LGBTQ is hardly a groundbreaking one. So was Oscar Wilde, so were Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine, Allen Ginsberg, W. H. Auden — maybe even William Shakespeare, if you’re ever in the mood to go down that road. But what’s interesting about Cather — at least in part — is how long it took for the public to start admitting it. I started down this path of discovery one day when I was bored and started reading famous people’s biographies on Wikipedia. On Willa Cather’s page, I scrolled through long passages about her life and career before stumbling across the information that during college, Cather often went by “William” and wore traditionally masculine clothes. Several of her works, including her early short story “Tommy, the Unsentimental,” seem to critique and discount traditional gender roles and conventions, and positively portray main characters who undermine them. Cather also seems to have had several samesex relationships, most notably

with editor Edith Lewis, with whom she lived for the last thirtynine years of her life. For some reason, though, the matter of whether or not Cather was lesbian, trans or otherwise queer is still a matter of much contention among scholars. Of course, Cather was also a very private person. She’s been dead for seventy years now and never explicitly came out during her lifetime, and my purpose here isn’t to make undue presumptions about her or to direct attention away from the quality of her writing itself. Rather, it is to make a point about LGBTQ writers in general, particularly female LGBTQ writers, and the ways in which they are represented (and omitted) in contemporary literary discussion. For instance, remember the writers I listed a few paragraphs ago? You may have noticed that they’re all white men. I refer to them because they were the first people to come to my head, and even now I can’t think of any canonized LGBTQ writers to add to the list who aren’t either white, a man or both. By “canonized,” I mean noncontemporary writers whose work is often taught, often anthologized, and considered deeply impactful to English literary traditions. I’m sure there are some, but there certainly aren’t enough for me to be able to think of them easily. However, it must be added here that even gay white men draw the short straw when you put them up next to straight white men. Of those above, Rimbaud and Verlaine probably don’t count as canonical, and some secondary schools don’t even teach Wilde and Ginsberg due to concern from parents over subject matter. As for Shakespeare, I’ve seen people defend his straightness as vehemently as if they were defending their own. So what’s the deal? Is there

Classifieds

a dynamic in which a famous writer can be recognized either as influential and worth teaching or as queer, but not both? Cather is somewhat recognized in English literature, but even she is taught far less regularly than James Joyce, W. B. Yeats, and many of her other countless contemporaries. This is particularly surprising in American schools, where no doubt Cather’s profound and beautifully composed accounts of American frontier life and immigrant experiences are more relevant than European-set and focused works like Dubliners. The web of LGBTQ representation in the writing world is a tangled one, but the list of LGBTQ writers who are considered “classic” begs some questions. Either there just weren’t that many queer writers until very recently, or (more likely) there have been a lot, who have been poorly represented in history. This is particularly true of writers of color and of female writers like Cather. They have always existed, but something has always been swept under the rug: their sexual or gender identity or their writing itself, and in some cases both. Of course, the skewed leanings of the English literary canon where LGBTQ writers are concerned have been apparent for quite some time now, and Cather is only one example in a sea of others whose accomplishments and/or personal identities have been sidelined by the narrative of scholars over time. But it isn’t useful to simply complain about the way writers’ identities have been handled in the past; what is useful is to examine these patterns critically and to acknowledge the impact that LGBTQ writers have had on literary traditions, so that this subject may receive more attention in the future.

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RELEASE DATE– Monday, September 11, 2017

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

HELP WANTED

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

MUSIC VIDEO REVIEW

OFF-WHITE TM FILMS

If Lil Uzi Vert is setting the bar, rap today is having a very “post” moment. The video for Uzi’s “XO Tour Llif3,” released Sept. 4, is, at the very least, post-cliché. There’s no discernible narrative and for over four minutes viewers are treated to a jumbled montage of a bejeweled Uzi dancing in post-apocalyptic scenes. The excessive use of blood, zombies and The Weeknd feels right, however, certainly compatible with Uzi’s loaded career thus far. It’s the rapper’s — or “rock star’s” —latest display of his post-sadboy vulnerability machine, served with a side of post-trap/punk/middle fingerblasting verve, and it all further adds to the brand. Frequent Kanye West col-

laborator Virgil Abloh directs the video, which explains the traces of West’s now-iconic 2007 “Stronger” video. The 1980s-esque filters and bold

“XO TOUR Llif3” Lil Uzi Vert Virgil Abloh Off-WhiteTM Films Arabic subtitles are the most obvious parallels to Kanye’s Akira-alluding epic, and this time around shots of dismembered bodies in a bathtub (first

shown around the 1:14 mark) lend to the video’s post-punk feel. That’s not to mention Uzi’s trademark emo touch, seeping through in oversaturated and overstated purples. The song itself, by now an absolute hit, touches on death, loneliness and life purpose, among other introspective crises rarely approached in this space. And Uzi complements the confessional with a so — wait for it — post-rap video that it excels more in aesthetic than substance. He’s beyond conventional rap spectacle, and such flirtation with this sort of rugged touchiness, even amidst some aesthetic confusion, is setting him apart day by day. —JOEY SCHUMAN

ACROSS 1 Amount to 5 Evening affair 11 Cavern critter 14 Clarinet cousin 15 Many charity golf tournaments 16 Wall St. specialist 17 24-hour broadcaster that keeps you up-to-date 19 CBS police series with three spin-offs 20 Moog, briefly 21 Detroit NFLer 22 Hershey’s toffee bar 23 Music from Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey et al. 26 Chintzy 29 Type of waste pump 30 Buyer’s financing 31 Army installation 35 Last Marx brother, alphabetically 38 Well-suited 39 Ship’s area for medical assistance 41 Spy novelist Deighton 42 Bette’s “Divine” nickname 44 Bills at bars 45 Almanac tidbit 46 Long-running dispute 48 Braggart’s retort 50 Singer dubbed “King of Country” 55 Doctor Zhivago’s love 56 Island band The __ Men 57 Garlicky mayo 61 Musician’s suffix 62 Saturated like the ends of 17-, 23-, 39- and 50Across? 64 Lawn coating 65 Exercise pieces 66 Russian range or river 67 Symphonic gp. inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 68 Head out 69 Start of a choosing rhyme

DOWN 1 Pen occupants 2 Do what’s asked 3 Scattered, as seeds 4 Nuclear restraint topic 5 Globe shape: Abbr. 6 Dental care brand 7 Ancient Aegean land 8 Talked nonstop 9 Removes errors from 10 Bilingual subj. 11 “Just in case” strategy 12 Fiery crime 13 “Fun, Fun, Fun” car in a 1960s song 18 Greenside golf shot 22 “Win __, lose ... ” 24 Mongolian desert 25 Postwar supermodel Parker 26 Mollusk in a red or white linguine sauce 27 Arizona native 28 Consumes enough to nourish mother and unborn child

32 Play a part 33 Calypso cousin 34 Recede, as the tide 36 Lats relatives 37 Not fooled by 39 Highly selfsatisfied 40 Singapore’s continent 43 Blood bank supply 45 Exhaustion 47 Candidates’ faceoff

49 “So long, Paulo!” 50 Soar without effort 51 Painter’s stand 52 Stopped slouching 53 Silents star Bara 54 Not as prevalent 58 Kid lit monster 59 Low-fat 60 In an aimless fashion 62 Married 63 WWII carrier

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Arts

6A — Monday, September 18, 2017

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

STYLE

SIRIANO

MAXWELL

CUSHNIE

NYFW 2017 kicks off with a progressive vision Style writer Tess Tobin provides us with an overview of the various designers that took the stage at the start of fashion week TESS TOBIN

Daily Arts Writer

Thursday, Sept. 7 kicked off the start of New York Fashion Week, a biannual event where designers debut their collection for buyers and the press. New York fashion week is the first of the “Big Four”: London, Milan, and Paris host the remaining major fashion weeks. Cushnie et Ochs Cushnie et Ochs is an American fashion brand founded in 2008 by Parsons grads Carly Cushnie and Michelle Ochs. The brand prides itself on being a “By women, for women” and is famous for pieces with minimalistic sophistication with a seductive

element. Fashion has a problem with trying too hard, attempting to push the envelope at the cost of ultimately creating something creatively contrived and wholly un-clever. Cushnie et Ochs’s spring summer collection provided necessary relief from the over-designed collections that are all too frequent on the runways. The collection succeeded on simple silhouettes coupled with strong patterns. Brandon Maxwell Perhaps most famously known as Lady Gaga’s stylist, Brandon Maxwell launched his luxury women’s ready-towear label in 2015. Maxwell’s transition from stylist to a designer has been well received by the fashion community; in

the short period of time since his label launched, his designs have quickly become a favorite among icons such as Michelle Obama, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston and more. Still a relatively juvenile designer, Brandon Maxwell is steadily establishing himself as one of New York’s coolest by consistently offering up well designed collections. This runway show, only his fifth ever, was no exception. His women

The collection focused on vibrant, monochromatic, occasionally neon looks

JACOB RICH

VIDEO GAMES

“Mario” is the latest from Ubisoft

marched down the platform ready to seize and conquer, be it a boardroom or gala. His frequent use of angora knits was an untraditional textile choice for a spring summer collection, but the unorthodox fabric did not detract from the collection. The collection focused on vibrant, monochromatic, occasionally neon looks. Despite the harsh color scheme, his looks maintained an air of professionalism, well-matched

Daily Arts Writer

UBISOFT

‘Mario’ injects art & fun into soulless commerce

The blame for the 21st century’s greatest humanitarian crisis, Minions, falls squarely at the feet of Ubisoft. Years before Universal Pictures’ yellow, goggle-wearing Lovecraftian monstrosities smuggled the evils of late-stage capitalism into American homes by way of slurpee cups, misshapen backpacks and mobile phone games meant to suck away what meager resources the American worker had left after the financial crisis, (French developer/publisher) Ubisoft’s Rabbids were already chewing their way through the wallets of naive Wii owners in 2006. Universal took notes. The Rabbids’ manic screams and mediocre minigames haunt my nightmares to this very day. Back then, the Rabbids were handcuffed to the “Rayman” brand, some classic, really good game series or something that doesn’t sell anymore. Nowadays the Rabbids have hit the big time, starring in a crossover, Mario and the Rabbids, with the Mario characters — a very rare instance in which Nintendo allows a ‘B’ franchise to hang with the big boys. This game leaked a while back and nobody was all that excited for it. Weirdly enough, though, my cynicism for this usuallysoulless series of products kind of has to end there. This is a good game, one that clearly has heart and soul packed into it. That was made clear in that famous video where director Davide Soliani became overcome with emotion at seeing living legend Shigeru Miyamoto talk about his project onstage at E3. Somehow, it seemed, Ubisoft made a Rabbids game not to exploit the characters’ marketability but because an artist actually developed passion for an idea. That passion is immediately evident in this game’s animation. From the opening cutscene, it seems like more love is poured into each frame than usual. It’s hard to put a finger exactly on what’s

with his intentions to “give something that our customer could wear to work, or to her friend’s house on the weekend.” Christian Siriano Christian Siriano is measurably the most successful “Project Runway” alum. In addition to owning an eponymous line, he sits on the Council of Fashion Designers of America, arguably the most prestigious fashion organization in the world. He has recently garnered applause for his more inclusive style of dressing. Christian Siriano made a name for himself last year when he volunteered to dress Leslie Jones, of “SNL” fame, when no other designer would. This collection paid homage to that incident in two parts. First he

invited Jones, who, according to Vogue, showed “raucous enthusiasm for each piece.” Second, he cast an array of body types in his show — something that should be neither shocking or rare, but unfortunately is. He didn’t draw much attention to this fact, however, and instead let the focus remain where it should be: on his clothes. His collection carried the energy of the room well, his designs all had an energy and a spark to them. Sometimes the liveliness derived from his electric choice of color and pattern and other times from sculptural elements. If you want to leave a party with a guarantee of not being forgotten, he’s a designer to turn to.

changed, and using nouns like passion and love to describe in-game animations doesn’t get us far in doing so. But it just feels less soulless and grating than that of previous games like the Kinect and mobile swill Ubisoft used to churn out. It is not hyperbolic to call this game “Duplo XCOM.” It is quite simply a watered-down version of XCOM’s famous turn-based, squad-based strategy gameplay. A team of Mario characters and Rabbids dressed up like Mario characters arrange themselves on a battlefield and take shots at baddies with cartoon-y laser guns. There’s an extremely simple cover system, which strips some of the nuance from how XCOM calculated aim values (shots hit 0 percent,

effective way, there’s no reason to press on in “Kingdom Battle” after a pyrrhic victory. It’s super easy to just reload the encounter, and the weapons bought with the extra coins are so valuable that not getting them makes you feel underequipped for future fights. The highlights of this game are the boss battles. They’re incredibly diverse and are often good digressions from the way fights typically work. One in particular takes the form of a musical, complete with lyrics written by Grant Kirkhope, the renowned British game composer that penned the “DK Rap” we all sing along to in DK64, Melee and the opera from “Conker’s Bad Fur Day.” It’s cute. Speaking of Kirkhope, the man puts in soundtrack work here that is beautiful, fitting, and extremely nostalgic, giving reverence to Nintendo classics while coming up with a few new classics of his own. Some of the melodies aren’t distinct enough, though — they feel a little wandering, and I left the game with merely a few earworms to hum. Let me be clear that the only reason I feel comfortable giving such an unfair criticism to a great soundtrack is that Kirkhope has the power to make every single song in a video game a memorable classic (see: both Banjo-Kazooie games). He didn’t quite do that here. One more small criticism: Playing this game on the Switch’s Tablet Mode isn’t ideal. The proportions of the characters to the map, the hugely restrictive camera and the mediocre UI make it so the TV version is much more manageable. It’s definitely not a deal-breaker, but you’ll want to play this one at home more than you take it on the go. Regardless, this game is still a great B-tier release and decent satiation for Nintendo fans at the end of a Summer quite starved for new Switch games, Rabbids (and Minions) be damned. A digital review copy was provided to the Michigan Daily by Ubisoft.

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle Developed and Published by Ubisoft Nintendo Switch Exclusive 50 percent or 100 percent of the time, which kind of takes away the thrill of gambling on a risky shot). Enemy types evolve nicely, if a teensy bit slowly, over the course of the game, which forces the player to change up their strategies and keeps gameplay fresh. There is, of course, no permadeath in “Kingdom Battle,” a hallmark feature of the XCOM series that obviously wouldn’t make sense in Nintendo’s kid-friendly universe. Instead, the game’s battles come with a rather annoying rating system, encouraging the player to complete missions with a full party remaining in order to be granted more coins for their victory. However, where XCOM is designed to actively encourage continuation after losses and toys with the players’ emotional attachments to their party members in a meaningful,

The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | September 18, 2017

DREAD ZONE Michigan 29 Air Force 13

EVAN AARON/Daily

Quinn Nordin had a good day. His offense did not. The Wolverines failed to convert any of their four red zone opportunities into touchdowns Saturday afternoon, as yet another nonconference game presented an unexpected test. ORION SANG

Daily Sports Editor

One week later, and the boos rained down once again. Yikes. This time, they came in the third quarter after a failed draw play on 3rd-and-goal from the eight-yard line. Air Force signaled it was blitzing, and it did, stuffing Ty Isaac in the backfield. Michigan’s offense trotted off the field, Quinn Nordin and the field goal unit trotted onto it and the crowd expressed its displeasure. It was that type of day for the seventh-ranked Wolverines, who struggled to a 29-13 win over the Falcons. The spread was 23 points. Michigan, though, certainly proved that Las Vegas is no expert — thanks to occasionally sloppy execution by the offense. What could have seemed like an outlier compared to previous seasons has now become a very real trend. The Wolverines have entered the red zone 10 times this year, and have only one touchdown to show for it. Saturday, Michigan had the ball in the red zone

Still searching

Michigan’s defense knows its identity. The same can’t be said for the offense, and that’s becoming a problem.

» SportsMonday Column Page 2B

four times. And while it didn’t exit completely empty-handed, kicking four field goals, the lack of touchdowns kept Air Force in the game. Michigan outgained the Falcons, 359 to 232. But that didn’t matter as much when the Wolverines were putting only three on the board instead of seven. The Falcons — true to their reputation and riding a seven-game winning streak — performed admirably. With their f lexbone offense, they ground away at the Wolverines. Several nifty plays, good decision-making from their quarterback, Arion Worthman, and stout defense helped Air Force stay close with Michigan. “We knew they were going to be fundamentally sound and really smart players, which obviously they were,” said redshirt junior quarterback Wilton Speight, who completed 14-of-23 passes for 169 yards. “They were doing a really good job of disguising coverages, disguising blitzes. Oftentimes in the red zone they’d show one thing until the last second and then they’d bring another look or they’d bring the house.

“We were making in-game adjustments. I was talking to Coach Pep (Hamilton) on the phone a lot, talking with Coach Harbaugh as well. Just trying to adjust on the f ly like they were doing the entire game.” The Wolverines came out of the gate determined to throw, beginning their opening drive with three consecutive passes. Their first run play nearly resulted in a touchdown when Isaac made a nifty cut and rumbled down the sideline before stepping out of bounds. The drive eventually sputtered at Air Force’s 17-yard line, and Nordin knocked in the first of a record-tying five field goals. After Air Force was forced to punt, Michigan seemed on its way to moving the ball down the field again. Sophomore

running back Chris Evans, though, fumbled on the ensuing possession, and the Falcons tied the game with a 37-yard field goal from Luke Strebel after a glacial 12-play, 24-yard drive that took 6:13 off the clock. The Wolverines used a pair of explosive plays — a 37-yard screen pass to freshman receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones and a 30-yard catch-andrun by redshirt sophomore tight end Zach Gentry — to move down the field on their third drive. But the red zone issues continued, and Michigan was forced to turn to Nordin for his second field goal. The Falcons would counter quickly. They marched down the field, gaining 42 yards, before their own offense faltered in opposing territory — apparently the theme of the day on both sides — and Strebel hit a 50-yarder.

Our team is moving the ball, that’s a fact. I think the red zone touchdowns will come.

A poor punt by Air Force did give Michigan enviable field position on its final possession of the half. But it ended with a familiar sight: Nordin and the field goal unit trotting out for a 49-yarder that gave Michigan an uncomfortable three-point lead headed into halftime. It appeared the Wolverines were ready to pull away at the start of the third quarter. Peoples-Jones zig-zagged his way past Air Force’s punt coverage unit for a 79-yard touchdown. “My punt return team did a great job of blocking,” PeoplesJones said, “and they made my job very easy.” The Falcons countered quickly, though. After attempting only two passes up until that point, they caught the Wolverines’ secondary off guard and connected on a 64-yard touchdown strike to Ronald Cleveland. Michigan’s next two possessions began on Air Force’s side of the field — and both resulted in Nordin celebrating with his teammates after his third and fourth field goals. After a 12-play, 73-yard drive,

the Falcons seemed poised to make things interesting by cutting it to a one-score game. But the Wolverines kept Air Force out of the end zone and then caught a break when Strebel missed a 29-yard field goal wide left, preserving their tenuous nine-point lead. And with just over a minute left, the offense finally iced the game when junior running back Karan Higdon bounced a run outside and took it 36 yards to the house. The 16-point win seemed to be another unsettling effort from a team with serious postseason expectations. Yet Jim Harbaugh remained unfazed after the game, saying that he is “happy” with the offense thus far — with the offensive line, the running backs and his quarterback. Happiness aside, a continued inability to score touchdowns in the red zone could prove disastrous for Michigan. But Harbaugh doesn’t think that’ll remain the case for much longer. “Our team is moving the ball, that’s a fact,” Harbaugh said. “I think the red zone touchdowns will come.”

The arrival

Donovan Peoples-Jones finally had his moment, returning a punt for 79 yards and scoring the first touchdown of his career.

» Page 4B

SportsMonday

2B — September 18, 2017

SPORTSMONDAY COLUMN

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

An identity crisis

aran Higdon paused for a moment when he was asked the question. If you had to sum up your offense in one word, one sentence, how would you describe it right now? The Wolverines’ sophomore running back had just scored the Michigan football KEVIN team’s sole SANTO offensive touchdown in a 29-13 victory over Air Force that was far closer than the score indicated. It was a rough day at the office for the offense, which entered the red zone four times and didn’t come away with a single touchdown. It’s not an anomaly, either. The Wolverines have converted on only one of their 10 red zone opportunities this season. Higdon’s 36-yard rush — a break to the outside that turned into a foot race to the end zone with just over a minute left in the game — was the singular exclamation point. And yet, it’s not really the discrepancies in production between Michigan’s offensive and defensive units that are the problem. So: If you had to sum up your offense in one word, one sentence, how would you describe it right now? “Courageous,” Higdon finally said. “Our offense is very courageous. Don’t give up and we won’t be denied, no matter what happens in a game. And I think we believe in each other, we have faith in each other and we know that we’re gonna come around and make things

imagine Purdue fans were smiling if they found themselves watching the Michigan football team’s matchup with Air Force. Sure, the seventh-ranked Wolverines won, 29-13, and remained undefeated, but they had to endure another unsettling afternoon. Barely beating a TED so-called JANES ‘inferior’ opponent doesn’t bode well when three top-10 teams remain on the schedule. The Big Ten season starts away at Purdue next weekend, and the Boilermakers have plenty of reasons to be

EMMA RICHTER/Daily

Sophomore wide receiver Kekoa Crawford dropped Wilton Speight’s best pass of the day in the fourth quarter, capping off a rough offensive day for Michigan.

happen.” But those things haven’t happened yet. Later, Higdon admitted that Michigan shot itself in the foot on multiple occasions. It did. He admitted that the Wolverines need to get back to the drawing board. They do. And he admitted that the Wolverines’ offensive unit is still searching for its identity. Undoubtedly. Higdon has an idealistic vision of what Michigan’s offense could be. He said the Wolverines have shown flashes of it, and he’s not wrong. The first score against Florida, which ended in a 46-yard touchdown pass to freshman receiver Tarik Black, was a flash.

The opening drive against Cincinnati, which ended in 43-yard touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Kekoa Crawford, was a flash. And the multiple touchdown rushes by fifth-year senior Ty Isaac that have been called back? Those are flashes, too. On Saturday, Higdon looked to the future, painting a picture of what his unit’s identity could be. “I think we’re great,” he said. “I think we’re physical. I think we know ourselves, we’re gonna play hard, we’re determined and we won’t be denied.” The problem is that they have been denied plenty of times. The flashes don’t create an identity, and the Wolverines are still in need of one.

I don’t mean to suggest that Michigan should be perfect already. But we still don’t know what makes Michigan’s offense, well, Michigan’s offense. That’s a problem. Michigan has a playoff-caliber defense, and right now, it looks like its offense might waste it. The Wolverines’ young defensive unit attacked Air Force’s triple option, and barring the Falcons’ 64-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, they were successful. Through three games, Michigan is allowing an average of 14.7 points, 82.3 rushing yards and 125.7 passing yards. The Wolverines have surrendered just two touchdowns, while scoring three of their own.

On Saturday, sophomore linebacker Devin Bush Jr. said the defensive unit is starting to reveal “who we are, who we want to be.” Taken at face value, it would appear Michigan’s offense and defense are each progressing simultaneously. But it’s in the subtle statements that it becomes clear the Wolverines’ defense is miles ahead of their counterpart. When you’re stuffing them on the run like that, do you feel like nobody can run the ball on you guys? “Nobody can run the ball on us,” he said. “Nobody.” And again. You mentioned their offense being almost annoying to face, does that make it more fun to

blow a play up when you do get a chance to do that? “Just to stop what they love to do,” he said. “It’s always a good feeling.” And again. Is that the identity of this team, the defense helping the offense along? “Yeah, that’s how it should be,” he said. “Championship. Let’s get it.” It’s Bush’s unbridled confidence that makes this much clear: The defense knows who it is. They are confident, with the appropriate touch of arrogance. They find pleasure in ruining another team’s Saturday. They know — and are not intimidated by — the likelihood that, as of Saturday night, this team will go as far as the defense can take it. There’s nothing wrong with that collective identity — a team that thrives on the defensive end while its offense does enough. Plenty of championship-caliber programs have succeeded under the same model. You don’t need to look further than when Jim Harbaugh was in the NFL with San Francisco. From 2011 to 2013, the 49ers went to two conference championships and a Super Bowl with Colin Kaepernick or Alex Smith as their quarterback. Their defense ranked fourth, third and fifth in the NFL. The NFL is a low-scoring league. Comparatively, each of last year’s College Football Playoff contenders averaged at least 38 points. The Wolverines don’t need to be that, but they certainly need to be better. But right now, Michigan’s offense doesn’t know what to hang its hat on. And the time to play catch up is over. Santo can be reached at kmsanto@umich.edu or on Twitter @Kevin_M_Santo.

Looking down the road optimistic about their chances of upending Michigan. After all, the Wolverines have been the ones struggling. Their upcoming opponents have not. Purdue (1-1) handled No. 14 Louisville well on opening weekend, losing by only a touchdown. The week after that, the Boilermakers whooped Ohio, 44-21. Just up the road, Michigan State is 2-0 with a pair of comfortable wins. Meanwhile, No. 5 Penn State (2-0) is crushing every team in its path. The Nittany Lions won their first two games by a combined score of 85-14. To be fair, they played Akron and Pittsburgh. To be fair again, Michigan has played Cincinnati and Air Force. Those four teams aren’t much different. In Madison, the 10th-ranked Badgers (2-0) keep winning as

well. And of course: No. 8 Ohio State (1-1). If Michigan can’t find a solution to its offensive struggles, taking down quarterback J.T. Barrett and the Buckeyes at the end of the season is not going to be easy. The consequences of the Ohio State game might not even matter if the struggles keep repeating. Nonetheless, amidst all the criticism, the coaches and players have remained positive. They don’t express much concern in front of the media, but in reality, there is concern to be had. Relying on the defense and special teams isn’t going to get them very far in conference play. The team knows it, too. “We know (the defense is) top tier, and we know they’re going to do their job,” said junior

running back Karan Higdon. “We still got to do our job as an offense. … We got to do our part and not make it as hard on the defense.” Fixing the mistakes doesn’t fall on one player, either. Criticizing redshirt junior quarterback Wilton Speight would be easy, but it’s really the entire offensive unit that has struggled to produce. They’re moving the ball downfield well — Speight threw for 169 yards and the team gained 190 yards on the ground — but when they get into a scoring situation, something isn’t clicking. Michigan didn’t score an offensive touchdown against Air Force until there was a minute left in the game. It was the same story as last week, the same struggle we saw against Cincinnati. The

Wolverines have scored only one touchdown on 10 red zone trips this season. Air Force handed Michigan chances, too. Two botched punts gave the Wolverines starting field position in Air Force territory, and both of those times Michigan had to settle for field goals. They were the type of scenarios that a great offense would capitalize on, but Michigan’s wasn’t up to the task. “If you’ve ever been on a football field, and one side might not be going right, it’s easy to point fingers,” said redshirt junior defensive end Chase Winovich. “Great teams don’t do that, even if something isn’t coming along as much as you like.” At the end of the day, Michigan came out victorious, and the Wolverines still hold a

perfect record. But after beating Florida, it seemed like it would be smooth sailing until a trip to Happy Valley in late October. The real test shouldn’t have started until they played Penn State. Now it’s clear, the test has already started, and the Wolverines have managed to escape back-to-back scares. “If one guy makes a hiccup, it can cost the whole offense,” Higdon said. When an entire offense has the hiccups, though, it could cost Michigan a win. With the Big Ten season now upon them, we’re about to find out what really happens when the Wolverines get punched in the mouth. Janes can be reached at tedjanes@umich.edu or on Twitter @tedjanes7.

EMMA RICHTER/Daily

Sophomore wide receiver Eddie McDoom was part of a Michigan offense that had plenty to be frustrated about Saturday.

SportsMonday

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

September 18, 2017 — 3B

Five Things We Learned: Air Force ORION SANG

Daily Sports Editor

What’s the first rule about playing Air Force? Never play Air Force. No. 8 Michigan slogged its way to a mostly unsatisfying 29-13 win over the Falcons on Saturday. The Wolverines did well in shutting down Air Force’s triple-option attack. But their own offense struggled to convert deep in Falcon territory, settling for a field goal on all four trips into the red zone. Here are five things we learned from Saturday’s game: 1. Ty Isaac is a home-run hitter It didn’t take long for the fifthyear senior to wrest the starting

running back job away from Chris Evans — only one week, to be exact. And Isaac hasn’t showed any signs of slowing down, either. He’s been Michigan’s most consistent runner and is a constant threat to break a long run. Against Air Force, he had two that were this close to going the distance — a 32-yarder in the first quarter that displayed impressive burst, and a 26-yarder in the third that would’ve been a touchdown had sophomore receiver Kekoa Crawford not been flagged for holding. On the season, Evans and Higdon are averaging 3.7 and 4.6 yards per carry. Isaac, meanwhile, is averaging 7.1, and last week, The Athletic ranked him the 26th most efficient runner in the nation. He’s been a significant differencemaker out of the backfield, and

if the injury he suffered late in Saturday’s game is serious, Michigan’s run game will suffer. 2. Don Brown unstoppable

remains

Michigan’s defensive coordinator may find his name in conversations for the Broyles Award — given to the nation’s best assistant coach — at the end of the season. He’s taken a relatively inexperienced unit and kept it running just as smoothly as last year’s historically elite defense. That’s nothing short of remarkable. On Saturday, Air Force — which had won seven straight games — was the latest team to run into Brown’s buzzsaw of a defense. Aside from one big bust in the passing game that went for

a 64-yard touchdown, Michigan shut down the Falcons. Air Force ran the ball 49 times for just 168 yards — 3.4 yards per carry. That was its second-lowest rushing output since 2014. Brown could have his hands full next week with a rejuvenated Purdue attack led by new coach Jeff Brohm and veteran quarterback David Blough. But, given the results up to this point, does anyone doubt that he’ll have the defense ready to go? 3. Success with the ‘VIPER’ Khaleke Hudson hasn’t played offense. He hasn’t returned punts or kicks, either. Those are components of Jabrill Peppers’ game that Hudson will probably never be able to replicate. What the sophomore has done, though, is fill

EVAN AARON/Daily

Fifth-year senior running back Ty Isaac has undoubtedly emerged as Michigan’s starting running back, and his undisclosed injury could hurt the ground game.

The good, the bad and the ugly The Daily breaks down what went right, and what went wrong, for the Wolverines in their win Saturday afternoon. BETELHEM ASHAME Managing Sports Editor

For an undefeated team, No. 8 Michigan (3-0) hasn’t looked all that convincing. Another Saturday into the 2017 season and the Wolverines still haven’t presented a clear picture of who they are and what they are capable of this year. After double-digit wins over Florida and Cincinnati that left much to be desired, Michigan fell victim to the same fate against Air Force. The defense carried the load while the offense struggled to find a groove, but the Wolverines managed to capture yet another victory. The Daily breaks down the good, the bad and the ugly from Saturday’s 29-13 win. The good Michigan’s defense may have faced its toughest task of the year Saturday when the Falcons and their complex triple-option scheme rolled into town, but their performance didn’t show it. Air Force rushed the ball a whopping 49 times, but gained a measly 168 yards — an average of 3.4 yards per carry. Though the Falcons tried to pound the ball down the Wolverines’ throat, Michigan controlled the line of scrimmage from start to finish. Air Force’s pass game fared much worse. The Falcons attempted nine passes. They completed only one. That one pass resulted in Air Force’s only touchdown of the game. Junior safety Tyree Kinnel was caught off guard at the snap and Air Force receiver Ronald Cleveland got the jump on him. Cleveland caught the ball in motion and sprinted 64 yards across the field. Kinnel couldn’t recover in time to catch him before he reached the end zone. The Wolverines terrorized

Falcon quarterback Arion Worthman all day, sacking him three times and forcing a fumble. With the amount of hard hits he took in the contest, Worthman would have needed to take a long ice bath Saturday night. The linebacker unit earned top marks, as senior Mike McCray and sophomore Devin Bush Jr. each tallied 11 tackles. The ends weren’t far behind in that race, as redshirt junior Chase Winovich and sophomore Rashan Gary recorded nine and six tackles, respectively. After a mistake-riddled outing against Cincinnati, the special teams unit also

The defense carried the load while the offense struggled to find a groove

got back on track against Air Force, courtesy of redshirt freshman kicker Quinn Nordin and freshman receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones. Nordin had a perfect day, nailing all five of his field goals to notch a career high and equal a program record. PeoplesJones, for his part, provided the highlight of the day with a 79-yard punt return touchdown. It was Michigan’s first trip into the end zone, and it gave the Wolverines the breathing room they desperately needed. The bad Though disastrous picksixes and fumbles were placed firmly in the rearview mirror,

Michigan’s offense didn’t look particularly impressive Saturday. Coming into the matchup, Air Force’s offense seemed to be of principal concern to the Wolverines. But with the way the game panned out, they should have been warier of the Falcons’ defense. Redshirt junior quarterback Wilton Speight completed 14 of 23 attempts for 169 yards, but he couldn’t seem to connect on the most important passes. Michigan found its way into the red zone four times, yet not once did the Wolverines come away with a touchdown. After the game, Speight said Air Force disguised its blitzes really well, holding its positioning until he called for the snap, and therefore making it difficult for him to pick up on the scheme. Even Michigan’s run game, which had proved to be a steady force in its first two games, looked relatively contained by the Falcons’ game plan. Fifthyear senior running back Ty Isaac came closest to scoring, but both times he reached the end zone, the play was called back.

in capably at the ‘VIPER’ position, perhaps the most important spot in Don Brown’s defense. Hudson, who played safety in high school, has been stout against the run. He’s also been a pleasant surprise in defending the pass. Against Air Force, he covered a deep route comfortably, knocking the ball to the ground. And his most impressive play in coverage wasn’t even his first recorded interception, which came late on a desperate heave from Air Force’s Nate Romine — it was an unsuccessful attempt at a pick, when Hudson nearly snagged a pass with one hand. He doesn’t wear No. 5. But Saturday’s disruptive performance may have reminded some viewers of the last ‘VIPER’ Michigan had. 4. The 3-3-5 is here to stay Michigan has spent most of its first three games in the new 3-3-5 stack formation that was debuted against then-No. 17 Florida. It doesn’t matter what type of offense the Wolverines have faced — their new scheme has successfully thrown off all of their opponents. It shut down Air Force’s lethally efficient flexbone option Saturday, it shut down Cincinnati’s mess of an offense last week and it destroyed Doug Nussmeier’s prostyle, zone-blocking scheme in the opener. Most importantly, Michigan still retains the flexibility to switch back to its more conventional 4-2-5 look. Redshirt junior nose guard Bryan Mone, who is subbed out in favor of redshirt junior SAM linebacker Noah Furbush in the 3-3-5, is still strong enough to take on double teams and beat single blockers. That may come in handy against heftier pro-style attacks such as Wisconsin, and being able to successfully employ both schemes may help the Wolverines confuse Penn State and Ohio State’s no-huddle spread attacks,

as well. 5. BOLD PREDICTION: Devin Bush Jr. will be an AllAmerican Michigan’s lightning bolt of a linebacker stood out once again, leading the team with 11 tackles Saturday. The sophomore is now on pace to finish the regular season with 18 tackles-for-loss and 14 sacks. What may be scarier for opponents is that the stats aren’t a fluke. Bush has simply been that good, and in Brown’s scheme, which favors constant blitzes from the linebackers, it would be unwise to expect him to slow down. Bush’s unique blend of speed, explosiveness and tackling makes him the complete package in the middle of the defense, and if he continues to pile up stats, the rest of college football will be sure to take notice — if it hasn’t already.

BY THE NUMBERS Michigan vs. Air Force

Pass completed by Air Force quarterback Arion Worthman.

Yard return on Donovan PeoplesJones’ first collegiate touchdown.

10 %

Of Michigan’s red zone possesions have resuled in touchdowns.

Points scored by kicker Quinn Nordin in Saturday’s game.

WHERE

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The ugly The score at halftime was 9-6. For a football game, that’s never a good sign. While it may have been nice for Nordin and Air Force kicker Luke Strebel to go mano-amano in a quasi-kick-off, neither offense will enjoy watching the tape of their first-half performance — just as the crowd of 111,387 at Michigan Stadium probably didn’t enjoy watching it in person. With both teams unable to find the end zone, the most exciting plays of the first half were a 50-yard field goal from Strebel and a 49-yarder from Nordin. But even “exciting” would be generous.

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SportsMonday

4B — September 18, 2017

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Peoples-Jones marks his arrival BETELHEM ASHAME Managing Sports Editor

One foot made all the difference. It wasn’t that of redshirt freshman kicker Quinn Nordin, who nailed a career-best five field goals to tie a school record. And it wasn’t that of fifth-year senior Ty Isaac, who broke through the line of scrimmage and made it all the way into the end zone before the officials called him back, stating that he had stepped out of bounds. Though there will certainly be arguments to the contrary, Nordin’s 17 points and Isaac’s neartouchdown paled in comparison to the left foot of freshman receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones. For the No. 7 Michigan football team, which led Air Force by just three halfway through the game, Peoples-Jones made the play of the game Saturday. And to think, it almost never happened. Peoples-Jones, lined up to receive the punt, watched eagerly as the ball soared through the air. While backpedaling nearly 10 yards, he never took his eye off it. As it corralled into his grasp, he immediately turned on the jets. He ran 30 yards to his left, sliced across the painted ‘M’ in the middle of the field and headed toward the right sideline. There was only one Falcon left in his path with 20 yards to go. Peoples-Jones faked to his left, and while he gained just enough separation to run around Air Force punter Charlie Scott, Scott followed his cut and managed to put both hands on Peoples-Jones at the very edge of the sideline. The freshman’s right foot hung just shy of the sideline, but he came down with his left. He had shaken off Scott, and the contact kept him balanced just long enough to bring his left foot down inside the sideline. The final 15 yards was easy. With a 79-yard touchdown — Michigan’s first of the game and its first via punt return by a true

freshman since 2008 — PeoplesJones gave the Wolverines a double-digit lead only one minute into the second half. “I mean, it just opened up like the Red Sea,” Peoples-Jones said. “... (The punt return team) did a great job of blocking, not holding, and made my job pretty easy.” There had been much anticipation ahead of PeopleJones’ first punt return of the day after the freshman receiver had been benched halfway through the Wolverines’ previous game against Cincinnati. He only made one true error. But at his position, one mistake can lead to disastrous consequences. In the case of Peoples-Jones, he kept making that same mistake over and over again. And against the Bearcats, it cost him dearly.

EVAN AARON/Daily

Freshman receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones celebrated his first touchdown.

MEN’S SOCCER

‘M’ loses heartbreaker against Michigan State PATRICK REED For the Daily

Sunday’s game between the No. 18 Michigan men’s soccer team and No. 6 OHIO STATE 1 0 Michigan MICHIGAN State was perhaps the most significant match in the rivalry’s history. For the first time ever, both teams were ranked in the top 25, and the Wolverines were coming off a draw against No. 1 Indiana in Bloomington. While it looked like Michigan might be able to pull off the upset, the Wolverines fell short with a 1-0 overtime loss to the Spartans. Michigan State controlled possession for most of the game, but Michigan’s defense stood its ground. Ultimately, the Wolverines’ lackluster attack allowed the Spartans to control momentum for much of the game. Throughout the first half, Michigan defense was able to keep the Michigan State strikers out of position and make them fight for every shot. The match was locked in a scoreless draw at halftime, yet Michigan State had the upper hand due to its ability to control the ball. Michigan started to show some signs of aggression 13 minutes into the first half, but it was unable to capitalize around the Spartan net. To counter Michigan State’s forceful attack, the Wolverines we able to effectively slow the tempo and gain momentum using their style of play. The second half of play was much more evenly matched, as both Michigan and Michigan State went back and forth between shots and possession. Both teams had multiple open looks on goal, trading blows like two great boxers. The Wolverines came out

Just eight minutes into the first quarter, Michigan held a comfortable 14-0 lead. With the Wolverines riding high after junior safety Tyree Kinnel’s picksix, all Peoples-Jones had to do was call for a fair catch. Instead, he watched as the Cincinnati punt soared through the air, heading straight toward him. If he had signaled for a fair catch, maybe his main blocker, freshman defensive back Benjamin St-Juste, would have stopped running. While it’s no guarantee, Peoples-Jones might have been able to prevent what happened next. St-Juste wasn’t even looking at the ball when it bounced off him and right into the path of an oncoming Bearcat. Cincinnati took over possession at the

of halftime with a different mentality, as they moved the ball with purpose and added grit to their play. Michigan was able to gain momentum with more time on the ball, forcing the Michigan State defenders to retreat back into coverage. Increased aggression from both sides caused both team to amass penalties. Senior defender Billy Stevens received a red card in the 74th minute, which brought out a huge altercation between the two teams. A few minutes later, Michigan State defender Brad Centala drew a yellow card. After a full 90 minutes, the match was still scoreless, and the two in-state rivals went head-to-head in an overtime period. The 10-minute overtime period was controlled by the Spartans, as they pushed the ball forward deep into Wolverine territory. With just 31 seconds left on the clock in overtime, Michigan State forward DeJuan Jones nailed a shot into the lower right part of the goal to give the Spartans the victory. “It’s college soccer,” said Michigan coach Chaka Daley. “We’ll get healthy and learn from our mistakes.” Daley believes that his team learned a lot from being down three key players and that his team will mature and grow from this tough battle. In addition to Stevens’ absence, Marcello Borges (Junior defender) and Daniel Mukuna (Junior defender) also suffered injuries in the game. According to Daley, it was an opportunity for his team to adapt to adverse circumstances. “They say weak teams will be broken, mediocre teams will survive it, and great teams will get better as a result of it,” Daley said.

Wolverines’ 38-yard line and scored its first touchdown minutes later to cut Michigan’s lead in half. Thinking Peoples-Jones had learned from his mistake, coach Jim Harbaugh gave him another chance. But when he was hammered by a Bearcat immediately after controlling another punt, Harbaugh had enough. Peoples-Jones didn’t see the field again that day. Saturday, Peoples-Jones was all over the field. He called for fair catches when they were necessary, returned another punt for 25 yards, and caught two passes — the first two receptions of his career — for 52 yards, including a 37-yard connection with redshirt junior quarterback Wilton Speight. “I think you saw Donovan settle in a little bit today and realize what he’s truly capable of,” Speight said. Though Peoples-Jones — the No. 1 receiver in the 2017 class — has taken a backseat to fellow freshman Tarik Black so far, he took center stage on Saturday. And there could be much more of him in store. “We’re giving a lot of thought to using Donovan in a lot of ways,” Harbaugh said. “... I think you’re gonna see him grow, grow, grow. He’s been plus, plus, plus, so (it’s) great to see. “I feel like great things will happen for Donovan PeoplesJones.” After reaching the end zone, Peoples-Jones motioned toward the student section, raising his arms high above his head. With more students still in attendance than what may have been expected after halftime in a game where neither team had scored a touchdown, the section responded in kind, bouncing with more energy than it had shown all game. The scene on both sides made one thing abundantly clear. Peoples-Jones had arrived.

VOLLEYBALL

Kieffer-Wright, Crocker key to Wolverine victory DYLAN CHUNG For the Daily

With the Michigan volleyball team clinging to a one point lead, Cincinnati defensive specialist Abby Williams readied her serve. She fired the ball over the net, def lecting it off the outstretched arms of Michigan’s senior outside hitter Adeja Lambert for a service ace. Suddenly, a 2-9 Bearcats team was tied with the 21st - ranked Wolverines. They appeared to have Michigan on the ropes. Apparently, they didn’t. Senior middle blocker Claire Kieffer-Wright quickly pounded a kill down the center of the court, junior middle blocker Cori Crocker redirected a Cincinnati hit down to the f loor for a Michigan point and the Wolverines never looked back. Michigan ended up winning the match in straight sets (25-16, 25-21, 25-18), adding yet another win to its perfect home record at Cliff Keen Arena on Saturday night. This victory came in large part due to the efforts of the Wolverines’ two star middle blockers. Their defense was truly spectacular; KiefferWright tied her season high with seven blocks while Crocker had six. Several times throughout the match, the duo’s defense was so stif ling that the Bearcats were barely able to get the ball over the net for several possessions. Michigan coach Mark Rosen praised Kieffer-Wright for “just making great moves,” and commended Crocker for her athleticism. “Cori is the most physical player we’ve ever had,” Rosen said. “At times she’s getting hit

off her head because she’s so far above the net. Today, she got her hands way across the net, and almost got on the ball before the hitters got on the ball, and I think therefore she blocked a lot of balls.” In a season where the Wolverines have struggled to generate a high volume of blocks, a defensive performance like this was refreshing for Rosen, who called the game, “the best defensive, and especially the best blocking match we’ve had this season.” “Our defense across the board hasn’t been where we want it to be,” Rosen said, “and that’s been a big focus for us the whole week at practice.” Both of the middle blockers’ defense was excellent, but they had solid offensive games as well — especially KiefferWright. Through the first two sets, she collected nine kills, including a service ace and several spikes that she blasted from the center of the court. Although she began to struggle offensively in the final set, she never appeared to be f lustered and continued to trust in herself. Crocker, meanwhile, contributed just four kills, but they all came at important times, including two that came right after the Bearcats appeared to have the second set within their grasp. And that was the story of the game — whenever the Bearcats appeared to be poised for a comeback, Crocker and Kieffer-Wright deftly shut the door. Whether it was with their suffocating blocks or timely kills, they kept themselves off the ropes. They kept their team from faltering. They kept the Wolverines perfect at home.

‘M’ defense passes another test KEVIN SANTO

Managing Sports Editor

Nate Romine let the pass loose from Michigan’s 48-yard line. The Air Force reserve quarterback was facing pressure, and with the Falcons trailing by 16 with under a minute left, he took a shot downfield. It was an ill-advised decision. The pass turned into a jump ball, and Michigan linebacker Khaleke Hudson won that battle — rising up to snatch the ball out of the air and seal the seventh-ranked Wolverines’ third win of the season. Redshirt junior quarterback Wilton Speight took over, taking a knee to milk the final 19 seconds off the clock. But for the third time in as many games, it was Michigan’s defense that provided the exclamation point on a victory. Against Florida, redshirt junior defensive end Chase Winovich sacked Malik Zaire in the end zone before senior linebacker Noah Furbush corralled the loose ball for a touchdown. Against Cincinnati, sophomore cornerback Lavert Hill’s pick-six put the game to bed in the final five minutes. And against Air Force, there was Hudson’s interception. It’s no secret that the Wolverines’ defensive unit has been the highlight of what has been an oddly unconvincing three weeks of undefeated football. The alarming fact is that Winovich thinks the performances up to this point are just the “tip of the iceberg.” And against the Falcons, Winovich and the defensive unit took another step forward. Michigan faced the triple option — an offense that sophomore linebacker Devin Bush Jr. described as a “whole other world” — with a unit composed primarily of players making their third college start.

“It’s harder because you gotta stay in your gap,” Bush said after the game. “You can’t get washed out, you can’t get washed down. You can’t fall, miss a block or miss attacking your gap. It’s way harder when you have to do a certain job and not make the play, but do your job to help your teammates be great.” They did their job well. While the Falcons amassed 232 yards, those were primarily the result of a high volume of carries: Air Force ran the ball 49 times, but averaged just 3.4 yards per carry. The passing game didn’t fare much better. Earlier this week, Bush had warned of such. “They’re not going to pass the ball too many times,”

he said. “If they do, we got something for ‘em.” He was right. The Falcons threw the ball just nine times. One pass was picked off. Seven of the attempts fell incomplete. The one that didn’t, however, was the singular blemish on the defensive unit’s resume. On first and 10 with just under 12 minutes remaining in the third quarter, Arion Worthman — Air Force’s starter under center — made the Wolverines pay for complacency. He found his receiver, Ronald Cleveland, who busted the play open for a 64-yard touchdown that brought the Falcons within three. Bush admitted that, for the play, they were “lulled to sleep” by Air Force’s run-heavy scheme.

Coach Harbaugh talked about this, how our defense could be special.

Still, Michigan didn’t allow a single point for the rest of the game. They notched three sacks and nine tackles for loss. The Falcons converted on just three of their 13 third-down attempts. With the way the Wolverines’ offense was sputtering, the singular mistake could have been costly. In the end, though, a unit that surrendered just 13 points against a triple-option system notoriously hard to prepare for deserves its credit. Michigan’s defense checked off another box Saturday. And if you ask Bush or Winovich, they’re just getting started. “You haven’t seen us at our best yet,” Bush said. “You haven’t seen us lights out yet. We get three and outs, but we want it much cleaner. We want first down, second down, third down — out.” Added Winovich: “It’s the little details. We’re so close to being such a great team. And Coach Harbaugh talked about this, how our defense could be special. And I believe we’re on our way.”

EVAN AARON/Daily

Redshirt junior defensive end Chase Winovich tallied nine tackles against the Falcons on Saturday afternoon.