The Wolverine

January 2019

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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JANUARY 2019 THE WOLVERINE 33   MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Three Best Players 1. Sophomore wideout NICO COLLINS Very few players put together solid performances against both Indiana and Ohio State Nov. 17 and Nov. 24, respec- tively, but Collins gets the nod here for his showing against the Buckeyes. He hauled in a career-high 91 yards on four catches, to go along with two touchdowns. The sophomore only racked up 30 yards on two grabs against the Hoosiers, but the combined 121 yards in the final two games were enough to overtake sophomore wide- out Donovan Peoples-Jones as the team's leading receiver in the regular season, with 552 yards. 2. Junior quarterback Shea Patterson He had a solid game against IU (16-of- 28 passing for 250 yards with a score and a pick), and followed it up by toss- ing three touchdowns on 20-of-34 passing against the Buckeyes. Patter- son also chipped in 68 rushing yards on 7.6 yards per carry in the 31-20 win over the Hoosiers. The junior's 187 yards through the air against OSU were a bit underwhelming, but his 250 yards vs. Indiana were the third most he threw for all year. 3. Senior running back Karan Higdon The senior eclipsed the century mark for the eighth time when he registered 101 yards and a touchdown against Indiana. Hig- don followed it up with 72 yards the ensuing week against Ohio State to give him 1,178 on the year, the most by a U-M running back since Mike Hart totaled 1,361 in 2007. The senior didn't score against OSU, but his two- yard touchdown run in the third quarter of the victory over Indiana put the Wolverines ahead for good (they had trailed 17-15 prior to his score). Key Play Although Michigan lost, 62-39, at Ohio State, the Wolverines only trailed 27-19 with 4:50 to go in the third quarter. Redshirt sophomore Will Hart lined up to punt from U-M's own 36-yard line, but his kick was blocked by OSU. The ball flew straight up into the air and fell directly into the arms of Buckeye freshman cornerback Sevyn Banks, who returned it 33 yards for a touchdown. The score extended Ohio State's lead to 34-19, and all but ended Michigan's hopes of a comeback. Best Highlight With Michigan trailing Indi- ana, 10-9, and only 4:50 to play until halftime, Patter- son took a shotgun snap from the IU 41-yard line and immediately looked down- field for an open man. He then threw a beautiful pass over the middle to wide-open redshirt sophomore tight end Nick Eubanks, who hauled it in at the 20-yard line and sprinted into the end zone. Indiana senior safety Jonathan Crawford was the closest Hoosier, but was three yards behind Eubanks and never had a shot to catch him. The score gave the Wolverines a 15-10 lead (the two-point conversion attempt failed) and marked the first time the redshirt sophomore had ever found the end zone. Surprise Performer This one is a no-brainer — freshman kicker Jake Moody. He served as Michigan's kickoff specialist all season, but had sat behind redshirt sophomore Quinn Nordin on the kicking depth chart. When Nordin missed the Indiana affair with sickness, Moody proceeded to convert all six of his field goal attempts, and followed it up by making two more the following week against Ohio State. The six field goals against the Hoosiers were more than any kicker had made in a single con- test in program history, and were the most any freshman had ever converted in a single clash in NCAA history. In addition, it was the most field goals ever by a kicker in a Big Ten show- down. Bold Prediction Michigan will cover the spread against Florida in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. The Wolverines opened up as a 7.5-point favorite over the Gators, but will win by more than that. After a hot 6-1 start to the sea- son, Florida finished just 3-2 down the stretch, in- cluding blowout losses to Georgia and Missouri. Michigan, on the other hand, has dominated the Gators in recent years, post- ing a 3-0 record against them since the 2007 sea- son, and a 4-0 mark all time. I f the Wolverines come out motivated and ready to play, they'll easily cover the 7.5-point spread. — Austin Fox SUPERLATIVES FOR GAMES ELEVEN AND TWELVE Collins finished the regular season with a team-high 552 receiving yards, while his 33 catches and six touchdown grabs both ranked second. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN

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