The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1133482
"Our stadium and fans had a different feel tonight. It felt like the old days, with an energized student section and group of fans. It was a Saturday in Ann Arbor the way it's supposed to be, and the way I remember it at the very highest level. It was an electric atmosphere out there and was great — it gives me chills, and our team responded to it as well." — Head coach Jim Harbaugh following his team's 42-7 blowout win over Penn State Nov. 3 "I'm reminded of the old jingle from the '70s — [in singing voice] 'When you said Don Brown, you said it all.' He's the king — the king of defensive coordinators." — Harbaugh on defensive coordinator Don Brown, after U-M's defense held Penn State to just 186 total yards in its 42-7 triumph "I'll go one step further and use [MSU] Coach [Mark] Dan- tonio's words from a few years back: 'It's not a product of the team, but of their program.' Again, that's using his words, and that could have been an unfortunate deal — I'm proud of our guys for keeping their cool. "Their [MSU's] strength coaches were out there lead- ing it, their assistant coaches were out there and Coach Dantonio was right behind it. That had all the ear mark- ings and evidence of an orchestrated storm trooper march, and it was bush league." — Harbaugh discuss- ing the pregame scuffle that occurred between MSU and Michigan when the Spartans attempted to do their pregame walk with Wolverine players still on the field prior to the Oct. 20 showdown TOP FIVE INDIVIDUAL PLAYERS 1. LB Devin Bush — Bush took home the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award, in addition to earning unanimous first-team all-conference honors and second-team Associated Press All-America recognition. Bush led the club with 79 tackles in 2018, while his nine stops for loss were the second most for the Wolverines and his five sacks tied for second. The junior captain led a Michigan defense that ranked No. 1 in the country for much of the 2018 campaign. The speed he possessed was a rare commodity from the linebacker spot, and sub- sequently allowed him to make plays all over the field. Bush's thunderous collisions and willingness to serve as an anchor in the middle of Michigan's defense cemented his legacy as one of the best linebackers in school history. 2. CB David Long — The California native was a lockdown corner for the second year in a row and was the key cog in U-M's pass defense finishing second nationally (147.8 yards allowed per game, second only to Miami's 135.6). Long's 2018 statistics didn't jump off the page — 17 tackles, one interception and eight passes broken up — but that's simply because teams seldom threw his way. According to Pro Football Focus, the junior was targeted 31 times and allowed just nine receptions (29.0 completion percentage against) for a total of 42 yards, including nine yards after the catch. Junior linebacker Devin Bush led U-M in tackles (79), was second in tackles for loss (nine) and tied for second in sacks (five) en route to earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, unanimous first-team all-conference and second-team All-America accolades. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL 144 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW "WE KNEW THEY COULDN'T HANG WITH US, AND WE DID WHAT WE HAD TO DO. SOMETIMES YOUR LITTLE BROTHER STARTS ACTING UP AND YOU JUST HAVE TO PUT THEM IN PLACE." — Fifth-year senior defensive end CHASE WINOVICH following U-M's 21-7 victory at Michigan State Oct. 20 THEY SAID IT "We could be sitting here and talking negative as much as we want about how Michigan doesn't win the big games. What else is there to say? We're going to come back and work our [butts] off in the spring and go from there." — Junior quarterback Shea Patterson following U-M's 41-15 Peach Bowl loss to Florida PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL