The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JANUARY 2019 THE WOLVERINE 25 Some wondered why the Wolver- ines took so many receivers in the recruiting class two years ago. The injuries to Perry and Black made it clearer. Seven different wide receiv- ers played significant minutes this season, led by Collins and his 552 yards on 33 catches. Collins emerged as the deep threat in the first game of the year, catching a long ball from junior quarterback Shea Patterson at Notre Dame. He showed signs of potential greatness with two fade pattern touchdowns against the Buckeyes, and this unit is only going to be better next year with sophomore Donovan Peoples-Jones, freshman Ronnie Bell and redshirt freshman Oliver Martin among the primary players in the mix. The Wolverines needed to stay healthy up front and did, with one exception — Bushell-Beatty's injury. That forced redshirt freshman An- drew Stueber into action, and he had his ups and downs, especially during a start in Columbus. If there's one area in which more depth is needed, the offensive line would be it. "He did well and stepped up to the call for the team," junior guard Ben Bredeson said of Stueber. "Getting called off the bench and having to play your first start in The Horseshoe [Ohio Stadium] is tough, especially with the defensive ends they have and their pass-rushing capabilities. "I thought he played as well as he could. He did a great job and was out there communicating calls with us. I was really happy with him." Finally, special teams play this year was the case study in just how impor- tant depth can be. When projected starter and scholarship punter Rob- bins went down, redshirt sophomore Will Hart stepped in and helped lead the Wolverines to a sixth-place na- tional finish in punting (46.4-yard average) and the top spot in confer- ence games (45.5 yards per attempt). Hart was a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award honoring the nation's top punter, named the Big Ten Ed- dleman-Fields Punter of the Year and selected a unanimous first-team All- Big Ten honoree. He averaged 47.6 yards per punt and booted 19 kicks over 50 yards, while pinning 14 inside the 20. The latter was when he would get the most fired up, special teams standout Joe Hewlett said. "When you're coming off the field is when you hear him," Hewlett ex- plained. "He'll be screaming, fired up, running around tapping guys on the helmet." On field goals, true freshman Jake Moody stepped up when redshirt sophomore Quinn Nordin struggled or was nursing injuries. Moody set a school record with six field goals in a 31-20 win over Indiana and then made both kicks against Ohio State. "It felt great," Moody said. "I've been practicing all season. Quinn's been a great role model for me. He's taught me what to do when you get out there and how to get your mind right when you kick." All in all, the backups performed at least as well as could have been hoped. That's a positive sign for the future and an indication that Har- baugh is building the kind of pro- gram that should compete for titles on an annual basis. ❏ Five Bright Prospects For 2019 Here are five guys in supporting roles that can emerge as key contributors next year for the Wolverines: LB Josh Uche: The junior was used situationally this year and still led the team with seven sacks on just 130 snaps according to Pro Football Focus. He should be on the field for more plays next season. "He's got a real knack to create speed off the edge and convert that to power when he needs it," head coach Jim Harbaugh said. "He's highly determined and motivated. He's a really special player." Uche is excited to show he's more than just a pass rusher. "Third down is what I'm really good at. It's one of my strong suits," Uche admit- ted. "But I can do a lot of other things that people haven't really seen yet." WR Tarik Black: Broken feet suffered early in both of his first two seasons have limited the redshirt freshman. He caught only two passes for 20 yards in parts of five games played this fall. "Tarik is a great player. Coming from the injury, I feel he had to get his groove back a little bit," sophomore receiver Nico Collins said. "I feel like he's there. He's 100 percent. Once he gets on the field [consistently], he's going to make plays for us." RB Christian Turner: The true freshman kept his redshirt by playing in only two games, carrying 13 times for 63 yards, including 10 for 55 in a win over Nebraska. He's one of senior running back Karan Higdon's favorites going back to the pre- season, and he'll get his chance in 2019. DE Aidan Hutchinson: Hutchinson will be a candidate to replace Rashan Gary, an early departure to the NFL. The true freshman, was better earlier in the year, but still finished with 15 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Twelve of his stops and every one of his tackles for loss came in the first six games. CB Ambry Thomas: Michigan will likely lose at least one of its starting cor- nerbacks to the NFL, and the sophomore Thomas will have to step up. He's still learning, but he did notch his first career interception in a win at Rutgers. "It puts more confidence in my play. It just made me feel a little bit better about myself," he said. "It was one of my personal goals. Now it's just keep on attacking practice like I always do. Don't let up." — Chris Balas Redshirt sophomore punter Will Hart was benched last year and expected to be a backup again this season. However, after Brad Robbins went down with injury, he stepped up and became the Big Ten Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN