The Wolverine

December 2018

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1051817

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 8 of 67

DECEMBER 2018 THE WOLVERINE 9 BY ANDREW HUSSEY W ith Michigan's successful season, many Wolverines are playing well enough to garner national recogni- tion. Five Michigan players and defensive coordinator Don Brown were either named as semifinalists or nominated for various national awards. Senior running back Karan Higdon was named a semi- finalist for the Maxwell Award, which is presented to the college player of the year. Higdon is one of 20 candidates and one of five Big Ten players up for the award. Higdon joins Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley, Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins, Wisconsin running Jona- than Taylor and Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore. Higdon has run for 1,005 yards and nine touchdowns through 10 games. The last Wolverine to win this award was Desmond Howard in 1991. Howard and fellow Heisman Trophy- winner Tom Harmon (1940) are the only Michigan players to ever win. Fifth-year senior defensive end Chase Winovich is a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, given to the best defensive player in college football. Among the 20 semifinalists, only Winovich and Ohio State defensive tackle Dre'mont Jones hail from the Big Ten. Through 10 games, Winovich has 51 tackles, four sacks and 12.0 tackles for loss. According to Pro Football Focus, he was tied for seventh nationally with 46 quarterback pressures as of Nov. 11. Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson in 1997 is the only Wolverine to previously win this award. Junior quarterback Shea Patterson was named as one of the 16 semifinalists for the Davey O'Brien Award given to the most outstanding quarterback. The only other player from the Big Ten who is a semifinalist for this honor is Haskins. No Wolverine has ever won it. Patterson has passed for 1,927 yards and 17 touchdowns against just three interceptions through 10 games. He is completing 67.0 percent of his passes (16th) with an effi- ciency rating of 160.3 (14th), both top-20 marks nationally. Patterson was also named one of the 10 finalists for the 2018 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Patterson and McSorley are the Big Ten's only quarterbacks that were nominated for the award no Wolverine has ever won. Redshirt sophomore punter Will Hart was also named one of 82 candidates for the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation's top punter in the Football Bowl Subdivision. No Wolverine has won this laurel in the past. His 34 punts through 10 games averaged 48.3 yards, a figure that would rank fourth nationally if he had the minimum attempts. Multiple Wolverines Are Up For National Awards Fifth-year senior defensive end Chase Winovich is one of two semifi- nalists from the Big Ten for the Maxwell Award, annually awarded to the nation's top defensive player. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN Inside Michigan ATHLETICS

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of The Wolverine - December 2018