The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1202829
36 THE WOLVERINE FEBRUARY 2020 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL centered around defensive open- ings on both the Boston College and Rutgers staffs. The 37-year-old Fair Lawn, N.J., native only coached line- backers at U-M for one season. Shoop and Jean-Mary were offi- cially announced as assistant coaches Jan. 18. The 53-year-old Shoop will coach safeties, while the 44-year-old Jean-Mary will mentor linebackers. "Brian and Bob are well respected, experienced coaches who represent great fits for the University of Michi- gan," Harbaugh said in a statement released by the school. "Both coaches have experience coordinating some of the best defenses in the coun- try, and their development of all- conference and future NFL players throughout their careers will benefit our program and student-athletes." Shoop is a native of Oakmont, Pa., and was a finalist for the Broyles Award (given annually to the na- tion's best defensive coordinator) in 2018 after leading Mississippi State to the No. 1 defense in the nation (only 263.1 yards allowed per game), while also coaching the Bulldogs' safeties each of the last two years. MSU also finished with the nation's No. 2 scor- ing defense (13.2 points allowed per outing) and No. 7 pass defense (168 yards allowed per contest) in 2018. Prior to his stop in Starkville, Shoop served as Tennessee's defen- sive coordinator from 2016-17, and was the defensive coordinator/ safeties coach for Penn State from 2014-15 and Vanderbilt from 2011-13. The new U-M assistant has a his- tory with current Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown as well, hav- ing coached with him at both Yale (1989) and Massachusetts (2006). Meanwhile, Jean-Mary has spent the last 10 years working on defen- sive staffs under college head coach Charlie Strong (who is currently un- employed), first as the assistant head coach/linebackers coach at Louisville (2010-13), linebackers coach and re- cruiting coordinator at Texas (2014-16), and then most recently as the defen- sive coordinator and assistant head man at South Florida (2017-19). In the announcement of the hir- ings, Harbaugh also revealed that running backs coach Jay Harbaugh would be elevated to special teams coordinator, a role he previously shared with Partridge. — Austin Fox MISCELLANEOUS NOTES • After racking up 395 total yards in the 35-16 loss to Alabama in the Citrus Bowl, Michigan eclipsed 5,000 yards for the year. The Wolverines have now ac- complished the feat in all five of head coach Jim Harbaugh's seasons on the job, after not having done so since 2011. • Freshman wideout Giles Jackson's four re- ceptions and 57 yards against Alabama were both career highs. The Antioch, Calif., native concluded his freshman c a m p a i g n w i t h n i n e catches for 142 yards and one touchdown. • U-M's offense con- trolled the clock in a big way against the Crimson Tide, possessing the ball for 34:47 and running 80 offensive plays. Alabama only held it for 25:13 and executed 55 plays. • The 18 carries redshirt freshman running back Hassan Haskins received in the Citrus Bowl were the second most he had ever accumulated in a game, trailing only the 20 he tallied in 45-14 blowout of Notre Dame Oc t. 26. On a similar note, the 162 total rush- ing yards the Maize and Blue racked up on Alabama were their most since compiling 303 in the victory over the Irish. • Senior quarterback Shea Patterson concluded the 2019 campaign with 3,061 passing yards after throwing for 233 versus the Crimson Tide, becoming just the third signal-caller in U-M history to ever eclipse the 3,000-yard plateau in a single season. John Navarre in 2003 (3,331 yards) and Jake Rudock in 2015 (3,017) were the other two to do so. • The Wolverines' 35-16 defeat at the hands of Alabama in the Citrus Bowl dropped their all-time record against the Crimson Tide to 2-3. U-M's last victory over Alabama was a 35-34 victory in the 2000 Orange Bowl. • The 35 points Michigan held Alabama to tied a season low (it also scored 35 against Tennessee Oct. 19), while the Crimson Tide's 20 first downs were the few- est they had compiled all year. • Freshman defensive tackle Mazi Smith saw the field in the bowl loss, marking just his second appearance of the season (the win at Maryland Nov. 2 was his other). • Redshirt junior kicker Quinn Nordin's three made field goals Jan. 1 brought his career total to 39 makes, which is good for the fifth most in Michigan history. • The Maize and Blue did not force a turnover against the Crimson Tide for the first time since the setback at Penn State Oct. 19. U-M had forced eight turnovers in the five games in between. • Senior defensive tackle Carlo Kemp and redshirt junior defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour both missed the Alabama contest due to injuries, forcing freshman Chris Hinton and redshirt sophomore Jess Speight to each make their first career starts. The outing was the first game Kemp did not appear in since the loss to Florida State in the 2016 Orange Bowl. — Austin Fox Freshman wide receiver Giles Jackson set career highs with four catches and 57 receiving yards in U-M's 35-16 loss to Alabama in the Citrus Bowl. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL