The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1433691
DECEMBER 2021 THE WOLVERINE 29 "He's a captain for us. He gets ev- erything started," offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore said. "He's been outstanding. The strength gains and everything he's done — his summer was huge. The player he was in the spring compared to now are two different people." SOPHOMORE TE ERICK ALL All, a third-year sophomore tight end, has made huge leaps each of his seasons in Ann Arbor. As a freshman in 2019, he admitted he didn't know a lot of the plays. He knew where he was going in 2020, but didn't get a ton of opportuni- ties and still made some mistakes while snaring 12 catches for 82 yards. There have been ups and downs in 2021, but he's now one of the team's most important pieces on offense, slot- ting second in receptions (32) and re- ceiving yards (331). He's made multiple catches in seven games. "That's a tough question," assistant Jay Harbaugh said when asked where All has grown the most. "Not as a cop- out answer, but the way he approaches things, because of his intensity, he gets better at everything incrementally. "When you see the way that he catches the ball, that obviously jumps out because he's catching it really well. He's sustaining blocks better than he ever has before. He's a guy that produces such great force on contact because he bends so well, he gets great leverage and he strikes people like a hammer. "Really, it's been hard to pinpoint any one area because the growth has been pretty well-rounded." Michigan wouldn't have gone into the final weekend of the regular season with a shot at the Big Ten East title without him, either, with his lone touchdown — a 47-yard game-winner with less than four minutes to play at Penn State — being one of the top plays of the en- tire campaign. After missing the Indi- ana game due to a high-ankle sprain the week prior, All was able to return with a gutsy performance. "I was playing at about 80 percent on it," he said. "Woke up, and it was sore. Just wanted to get out there pregame and see how I felt. Work through it. It felt good. Adrenaline took care of the rest." ❏ Sophomore tight end Erick All ranked second on the team with 32 receptions and 331 receiving yards in the regular season. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Top Three Breakout Performances Of The 2021 Season 1. WR Andrel Anthony at Michigan State Oct. 30 — The freshman wide receiver played a career-high 36 snaps against Northwestern the week prior, notching one rush for six yards. Then, in his hometown of East Lansing, he broke out. On the team's third offensive play of the game, Anthony had a 93-yard catch and run to the end zone, marking his first career reception and score, and the second-longest touchdown in program history. He followed that up with several more big catches, totaling six grabs for a game-high 155 yards, including a 17-yard score late in the third quarter. 2. RB Donovan Edwards at Maryland Nov. 20 — The freshman running back had a two-touchdown game in mop-up duty of the team's 63-10 win over Northern Il- linois Sept. 18, before missing some time midseason with an ankle injury. But with Blake Corum out against the Terrapins, Edwards had a big role in the game plan and produced at a high level. He caught 10 passes — tied with sophomore tight end Erick All for a season-high on the team — for 170 yards and a 77-yard touchdown grab on a wheel route and cutback run. His 170 receiving yards stand as the most by any Michigan running back in a single game and gave him more yards through the air than any Harbaugh-era running back has racked up in a single season. He also rushed three times for eight yards. 3. CB DJ Turner vs. Northwestern Oct. 23 — While playing what was at the time a career-high 43 snaps and making his first collegiate start, the third-year redshirt freshman made three tackles, including his first career stop behind the line of scrim- mage, and one interception. His pick came on a hitch route that he recognized and jumped, before corralling the ball after some bobbling. He took off and ran, returning the ball 23 yards to the Northwestern 15-yard line. All told, Turner allowed just two receptions for one yard on six targets, according to PFF. His performance sparked his five-game starting streak to conclude the season. — Clayton Sayfie