The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1438965
INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS JANUARY 2022 THE WOLVERINE 13 THEY SAID IT "It's not high school basket- ball, it's not a different con- ference. The Big Ten is about physicality. You get that every single night. So just embrac- ing that, embracing the chal- lenge every single day. Guys need to start hitting people." — Fifth-year senior guard Eli Brooks on Michigan's lack of physicality following its 75-65 loss to Minnesota Dec. 11 "He said he wanted to work out, so we got that in first thing. We did some squats, pushups and curls. He sur- prised me. It was wild for sure. I was like, 'Damn, okay.' It was cool. It was a special moment. Not a lot of people can say they've done that." — Michigan tight end signee Colston Loveland, discussing his early December visit from head coach Jim Harbaugh that included a workout "Ojabo's first step is lightning fast, and he closes on the QB extremely well — his 11 sacks and 14 tackles for loss this season prove it. [Former Wol- verine] Brandon Graham will be 34 years old and returning from an Achilles injury next season, and only two teams have fewer sacks this year than the Eagles' 21. … The Ea- gles get a defensive upgrade with Ojabo. Michigan has had multiple first-round defenders only three times (1972, 2017 and 2019), but here it sends two to the top 10." — ESPN NFL Draft expert Todd McShay on projecting David Ojabo to be selected with the No. 10 overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in his Dec. 14 mock draft, which had teammate Aidan Hutchinson going No. 1 overall "They played a great game. They've had an out- standing season. They're just a really talented football team and they performed extremely well. They've been consistent all season long. So hats off to them, certainly. We knew this game would be a big challenge coming into it. Got a lot of respect for what they've done this season. Knew we'd have to play our best and make some things go our way." — Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz after his team's 42-3 loss to Michigan in the Big Ten championship game PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL 43 Big Ten championships for Michigan football, which is the most of any program. The Wolverines have claimed 17 outright crowns, including this season when they won their first Big Ten championship game. Ohio State's 39 titles rank second, while Minnesota is third with 18. The locker room was going crazy after the game. It was hard to do interviews, it was so loud and music was playing, and with the celebrating. All in all, it was really easy to be happy for those kids and for that staff." — Michigan football radio sideline reporter Doug Karsch on the Wolverines' celebration after their 42-3 win over Iowa in the Big Ten championship game