The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1433691
14 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2021 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Michigan Football Notches Eighth 10-Plus Win Season Since 2000 With a 11-1 finish to the 2021 regular season, Michigan claimed its eighth double-digit win campaign since 2000. Head coach Jim Har- baugh accounts for half of those after his fourth such season since taking the job in 2015. With a win in the Big Ten championship game, the 2021 Wolverines would be the first U-M team since 2003 to post 10-plus wins and claim the conference crown. Prior to the win over Ohio State Nov. 27, the 2006 and 2011 teams car- ried the designation as the winningest Wolverines of the last 21 years with each recording 11 victories. The Wolverines' postseason destination will be determined by its performance in Indianapolis. A win puts them in the College Football Playoff for the first time, heading to either the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas, or the Orange Bowl in Miami. A loss could mean a trip back to the Rose Bowl, where the program is 0-3 since 2000 with losses to USC (2003, 2006) and Texas (2004). Harbaugh's Wolverines will look to win a bowl game for the first time since the 2015 Citrus Bowl (41-7 vs. Florida). An appearance in a New Year's Six bowl would be Michigan's third under Harbaugh with an Orange Bowl trip in 2016 (33-32 loss vs. Florida State) and a Peach Bowl appearance in 2018 (41-15 loss vs. Florida). The Wolverines will have a chance at 12 wins in Indianapolis, which would make them the third in program history to reach that number, along with the 1905 and 1997 teams. No U-M squad has ever won 13 or more games, which could be in play if Michigan makes the playoff. — Anthony Broome Michigan football's reset under head coach Jim Harbaugh in 2021 was success- ful, and the team earned its fourth double-digit win season in his seven years in Ann Arbor. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL DAVID OJABO SOARS IN NFL DRAFT DISCUSSION, AIDAN HUTCHINSON STAYS NEAR TOP Redshirt freshman pass rusher David Ojabo did everything that was asked of him and more during the 2021 regular season. He finished with 11 sacks and a school-record five forced fumbles, and was every bit the disruptive force his run- ning mate Aidan Hutchinson was. The result of his play is a heavy consideration from NFL Draft pundits that he might be a first- round prospect in this spring's event. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. ranked Ojabo his No. 10 overall prospect in a Nov. 10 update of his big board. Kiper also listed him as the No. 1 outside linebacker. "Ojabo has been one of the most impressive newcomers in the country this season," Kiper wrote. "He has flashed advanced pass-rush moves and his athletic traits pop on tape. While Ojabo needs to work on his all-around game, there's a lot to like. He's still young; he could de- velop into an elite edge rusher." Ojabo came to Ann Arbor as a raw player and had only two seasons of high school football under his belt. The Aberdeen, Scotland, native was as much of a revelation this season to his coaches as he was to the rest of the nation. "We learned about him when we first got here," first-year defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald said on Nov. 10. "What you saw on tape was a guy with great ability. You could tell there was some untapped potential there. It kinda made sense a little bit once you realized his history. "But his learning curve — I was telling some- body, I think he learns more football in a day than I did in like two years. He's just a sponge, soaks it all up. He's done a great job. Fun to coach." Hutchinson's stock has stayed steady since the beginning of the year, coming in at No. 5 overall in Kiper's early-November update. He was the No. 2 defensive end, behind big board No. 1 Kayvon Thibodeaux of Oregon. "In the preseason, I led off my write-up on the Michigan edge rusher with 'I think Hutchinson could have a big year,'" Kiper said. "Well, that's what he's doing. He … [shows] powerful moves and relentless pursuit of quarterbacks. His 18.6 percent pressure percentage [through nine games] ranks third in the country. He looks out- standing. Hutchinson played only 144 defen- sive snaps last season before he injured his leg against Indiana and had to have surgery. The Michigan defense cratered after he was hurt. He was outstanding as a sophomore in 2019, putting up 4.5 sacks and creating havoc in the backfield (10.5 total tackles for loss)." Third-year safety Daxton Hill did not appear in Kiper's listing of the top 25 overall prospects, but he did rank as the expert's No. 2 safety behind Notre Dame's Kyle Hamilton. — Anthony Broome Record Bowl Game Season (B1G record) Big Ten Finish (Result) 2002 10-3 (6-2) 3rd Outback Bowl (W) 2003 10-3 (7-1) 1st Rose Bowl (L) 2006 11-2 (7-1) T-2nd Rose Bowl (L) 2011 11-2 (6-2) 2nd (Legends) Sugar Bowl (W) 2015 10-3 (6-2) 3rd (East) Citrus Bowl (W) 2016 10-3 (7-2) 3rd (East) Orange Bowl (L) 2018 10-3 (8-1) T-1st (East) Peach Bowl (L) 2021 11-1 (8-1) 1st (East) TBD