The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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FEBRUARY 2020 THE WOLVERINE 19 are memories you're never going to forget." Here are the most memorable Wol- verines of 2019, who fought their way to a nine-win campaign: 1. BEN BREDESON Senior, OG The two-year captain provided an anchor for an offensive line that not only paved the way for a pair of suc- cessful freshman running backs, but also protected senior quarterback Shea Patterson while he threw for more than 3,000 yards. In doing so, Bredeson elevated himself to All-America status, earn- ing second-team honors by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and third-team laurels from the As- sociated Press. He shared the Hugh H. Rader Award, given annually to Michigan's top offensive lineman, with fifth-year senior left tackle Jon Runyan Jr. Bredeson didn't mind the shared status on the latter, given that he'd shared protection and combination- blocking duties with Runyan all sea- son long on Michigan's powerful left side. "I wouldn't want to share it with anyone else," he noted. "Being able to play next to Jon for two years, we work really well together. We kind of have our own little tandem over there. I was very pleased." Bredeson also earned first-team All-Big Ten honors on both the coaches' and media squads. He'll leave some big shoes to fill in the second year of offensive coordinator Josh Gattis' operations. 2. SHEA PATTERSON Senior, QB Patterson garnered second place on this list for the second straight year, while earning Bo Schembechler Most Valuable Player honors voted on by the team. He performed in all 13 Michigan games as a senior, throwing for 3,061 yards and 23 touchdowns via a 214- of-381 (56.2 percent) effort. He threw eight interceptions on the season, in- cluding a throwaway Hail Mary on the final play of Michigan's Citrus Bowl loss to Alabama. Patterson wound up 53rd in the nation in passing efficiency, with a 139.40 rating. Directing the first season of Gattis' offense in Ann Ar- bor, Patterson also rushed for five touchdowns. He described the opportunity to perform two seasons as Michigan's quarterback as "a dream come true." Patterson finished his U-M career as just the third in program history with a 3,000-yard passing season. He also sits atop the career list in aver- age yards per game passing (217.7), and wound up seventh in Michigan annals for total passing yards (5,661) and No. 6 in touchdown passes (45). 3. KWITY PAYE Junior, DE Paye enjoyed a highly productive season, stepping up for a pair of NFL alums off the 2018 roster. He earned second-team All-Big honors from conference coaches and garnered third-team recognition by the media. Paye finished seventh on the team with 50 tackles, and made a quarter of those in the opponents' backfield. His 12.5 tackles for loss led the team, while he finished second in sacks with 6.5. He also recorded three quarter- back hurries and recovered a fumble. The fourth-year Wolverine shared the Richard Katcher Award as Michi- gan's best defensive lineman with sophomore Aidan Hutchinson. Paye boosted the spirits of both teammates and coaches by announcing he'll be back for his senior year in a Michigan uniform. 4. JON RUNYAN JR. Fifth-Year Senior, OT The other half of Michigan's up- front combination on the offense's left side, Runyan closed out his U-M career with an all-conference effort. In addition to sharing the Rader Award with Bredeson, Ru- nyan earned first-team All-Big Ten honors by both coaches and media. That made it two straight seasons the league's coaches awarded him a spot on the top team. 5. AIDAN HUTCHINSON Sophomore, DE The youngest member of this year 's postseason top five experi- enced a breakthrough campaign for the Wolverines. He garnered third- team All-Big Ten notice by the con- ference media while stepping up to a starting position. He also shared the Richard Katcher Award as the team's best defensive lineman. Hutchinson finished fourth on the team in tackles with 68. His 4.5 sacks ranked fourth on the squad as well, and his 10 tackles for loss were third. The lanky defensive end also accounted for six passes broken up — second only to All-Big Ten cor- nerback Lavert Hill — recorded four quarterback hurries and forced a pair of fumbles. 6. JOSH UCHE Senior, DE/LB Uche could have sought another year as a Wolverine, but he's pursu- ing an NFL dream like he pursued quarterbacks all season. There were none better in that category among defensive coordinator Don Brown's 2019 QB chasers. Uche led the Wolverines in sacks (8.5) and stood second in tackles for loss (11.5). He also led Michigan in quarterback hurries with eight, while breaking up a pair of passes, forc- ing two fumbles and recovering one. The Big Ten noticed, with the coaches naming him second-team all-confer- ence and the media assigning him to the third team. 7. AMBRY THOMAS Junior, CB Thomas looked to be out of the Michigan lineup for a long stretch early while he battled health issues. He came roaring back, though, play- ing in all of U-M's games and earn- ing third-team All-Big Ten notice from conference coaches. Thomas tied for the team's top honors in interceptions (three), while also breaking up four passes. His two fumble recoveries helped him lead the Wolverines in turnovers gained. He earned the team award for Defen- sive Skill Player of the Year, winding up with 38 tackles and three stops for loss. 8. RONNIE BELL Sophomore, WR The other sophomore in Michi- gan's top 10 also enjoyed a break- out campaign in 2019. Bell earned Offensive Skill Player of the Year among the Wolverines, demonstrat- ing his effectiveness in the passing game. Bell led U-M this season with 48 catches and 758 receiving yards. He managed one TD catch, posted nine yards on his only rushing attempt