The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JANUARY 2022 THE WOLVERINE 11 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS There's Work To Do, But Going Dancing Is Still Within Reach By Clayton Sayfie After watching Michigan suffer four losses in the early go- ing, fans are fearful that the Wolverines will miss their first NCAA Tournament since 2015 — a more than fair stance — but there's still reason to be hopeful. The Wolverines took major strides in big wins over San Diego State Dec. 4 and Nebraska Dec. 7, before taking a step back in a Dec. 11 loss to Minnesota, but it's important to remember that im- provement isn't always linear. The "glass half full" outlook says that Mich- igan's tough Big Ten schedule provides a perfect opportunity to build an ironclad case for NCAA Tournament inclusion. Nine of the Wolverines' remaining op- ponents (which make up 13 of the team's games to be played) checked in among the top 50 in the Dec. 13 NET rankings, mean- ing there are an abundance of chances to boost the résumé. The Maize and Blue must get better, but there's reason to believe they can and will get it done. Wolverines Will Be Dancing In Their Dorm Rooms This Year By Chris Balas Juwan Howard's third Michigan team was picked fourth nationally in the preseason, and some said this group could be even better than last year's. That was based on potential, however, and the young guys in particular are going through some growing pains. That's especially true on the defensive end. First-year starters Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabate have been lost at times. U-M was still 25th in adjusted defensive efficiency following a disappointing 75-65 home loss to Minne- sota, but the Gophers scored their points with only two assists on 29 buckets. Houstan, too, has been inconsistent shooting the ball (7 of 24 against Power Five conference teams) and needs to be better on a team without a lot of shooters … and he will be. But U-M isn't getting the point guard play it needs or the shooting, allowing teams to col- lapse on sophomore big man Hunter Dickinson. There's time, but the competition is going to get tougher, and the hole is now pretty deep. POINT ❙ COUNTERPOINT WILL MICHIGAN BASKETBALL MAKE THE NCAA TOURNAMENT? The Wolverines have reached the NCAA Tournament every year its been held since 2015 under head coaches John Beilein and Juwan Howard (above). PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson finished as the runner-up to Alabama quarterback Bryce Young for the 87th Heisman Trophy, which is annually presented to the most outstanding player in college football. Two other quarterbacks — Pitts- burgh's Kenny Pickett and Ohio State's C.J. Stroud — placed third and fourth, respectively. Hutchinson, who is the sixth Heisman Trophy finalist from Michigan since 1986, had 954 points on the ballot after votes were counted. He earned 78 first-place nods, 273 second- place votes and 174 ballots third-place honors. His second- place finish makes him the third Wolverine to do so, after running backs Tom Harmon (1939) and Bob Chappuis (1947). Pittsburgh linebacker Hugh Green (1980) and Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o (2012) are the only other defensive play- ers in Heisman history to finish second. He was the 10th defensive player chosen as a Heisman final- ist in the history of the trophy, joining Oklahoma linebacker Brian Bosworth (1986), Washington defensive tackle Steve Emtman (1991), Miami defensive tackle Warren Sapp (1994), Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson (1997), Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (2009), LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu (2011), Te'o (2012), Michigan linebacker Jabrill Peppers (2016) and Ohio State defensive end Chase Young (2019). Hutchinson finished the regular season with 14 sacks, a program single-season record, 15.5 tackles for loss, 58 total tackles, three passes defended and two forced fumbles. — Anthony Broome MICHIGAN'S HEISMAN FINALISTS SINCE 1986 Season Player Position Finish 1986 Jim Harbaugh QB 3rd 1991 Desmond Howard WR 1st 1997 Charles Woodson DB 1st 2003 Chris Perry RB 3rd 2016 Jabrill Peppers LB 5th 2021 Aidan Hutchinson DE 2nd Hutchinson became only the third defensive player to place second in the Heisman balloting, joining linebackers Hugh Green of Pittsburgh (1980) and Manti Te'o of Notre Dame (2012). PHOTO BY SIMON GIBBS Aidan Hutchinson Finishes Second For Heisman Trophy