The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1051817
DECEMBER 2018 THE WOLVERINE 11 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS 2nd Overall was where four-star running back commit ZACH CHARBONNET was selected in the first-ever Under Armour All-America Game Draft. He was the first pick for the Ballaholics. 3 Newcomers to the U-M wrestling pro- gram won tournament titles at the first event of the season, the Michigan State Open, Nov. 3. Redshir t sophomore 141-pounder Kanen Storr, a transfer from Iowa State, freshman 157-pounder Will Lewan and freshman heavyweight Ma- son Parris each earned gold medals. Storr, ranked 18th in FloWrestling's preseason poll, beat teammate Sal Profaci in the finals, 5-3; Lewan finished his 4-0 day with three straight overtime victories, including a 10-8 decision against two-time All-American team- mate Alec Pantaleo, who started the year ranked fourth nationally by Flo; and Parris also went 4-0 with a pair of wins over former NCAA qualifiers in the semifi- nals and finals, beating Flo's No. 15-ranked wrestler in the latter with a 14-second pin. 7.0 Sacks for junior linebacker Josh Uche, which leads the team. His average of 0.78 per game ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 21st nationally. He has accumulated that to- tal on just 108 snaps and 69 pass rushes (one sack every 9.9 pass rushes) per Pro Football Focus (PFF) through the team's first 10 games. If Uche can tally one more quarterback takedown, his single-season tally would tie for 15th in program history. 11th Nationally is where the Wolverines rank for pass blocking efficiency, ac- cording to PFF through its first 10 games. The metric "measures pres- sure allowed on a per-snap basis with weighting toward sacks allowed," and U-M's front has been charged with just four sacks, six quarterback hits and 23 hurries for a total of 33 QB pressure (an average of 3.3 per game) on 279 pass snaps (a pressure given up every 8.5 snaps). Last year, the Wolverines ranked 171st out of the 219 Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision programs PFF ranked in the category with 16 sacks, 21 quarterback hits and 64 hurries allowed for a total of 101 pressures (7.8 per game) on 359 pass snaps (a pressure every 3.6 snaps). 17 Straight NCAA berths for the Michi- gan women's cross country team after it completed its four-peat of regional championships Nov. 9. Freshman Anne Forsyth placed third, while fifth-year se- nior Avery Evenson placed fourth to lead the Wolverines' five who earned all-region honors and placed among the top 16. U-M had all five runners cross the finish line before any other team had four finish. Only Stanford (25) and Michigan State (18) boast longer active NCAA streaks. 33.3 Was redshirt junior Charles Matthews' a v e r a g e r a n k i n g in six different pre- season countdowns of the top players in col- lege basketball. Athlon (No. 36), TheBigLead. com (46), CBS Sports (25), College Basketball Talk (27), SB Nation (27) and Stadium (39) all in- cluded a different num- ber of players on their lists but each included Matthews. 1,005 Rushing yards for se - nior Karan Higdon after 10 games. He becomes the Wolverines' first 1,000- yard running back since Fitzgerald Toussaint in 2011 (quarterback Denard Robinson reached quadruple digits on the ground in 2012). His average of 111.7 rushing yards per game ranks 12th in the country as of Nov. 11, while he is also tied for 37th with nine rushing touch- downs. By The NUMBERS PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM