The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1473191
THE WOLVERINE 2022 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 147 1. WR NICO COLLINS at Indiana in 2019: A 39-14 victory over the Hoosiers in Bloomington was headlined by a 6-catch, 165- yard, 3-touchdown performance, his best in a Michigan uniform. Collins' big day came alongside a sterling performance from QB Shea Patterson, who threw for 366 yards, 5 touchdowns and an interception. Collins scored the last 3 touchdowns for the Wolverines to help Michigan pull away late. His first was a 24-yard pass from Patterson with 5:37 to go in the first half. He then scored a 76-yard touchdown with 5:10 to go in the third quarter and a 19-yard strike with 1:39 left in the third to put a stamp on a career day. 2. WR Donovan Peoples-Jones at Michigan State in 2018: Peoples-Jones did not have the most productive game of his career in East Lansing, but he cashed in on an op- portunity and gave U-M a signature rivalry moment. On a day where emotions were high, U-M line- backer Devin Bush stomped on the Spartan logo and scoring was at a premium, Peoples-Jones busted open the game in the third quarter with a 79-yard touchdown catch from Patterson to put the Wolverines up 14-7 with 2:24 left. Not only did it give Michigan a lead it never surrendered in a 21-7 decision, but he also hit MSU with a Paul Bunyan Trophy pose after he crossed the end zone. 3. DE Kwity Paye vs. Iowa in 2019: The Wolver- ines found themselves in an October slugfest with the Hawkeyes at The Big House and escaped with a 10-3 victory. A team defensive effort, with Paye's performance leading the way, led to the win. He finished the afternoon with 2.5 sacks and a pair of quarterback hurries. Michigan scored all 10 of its points in the first quarter, meaning the defense had to hunker down the rest of the way to secure a win. Paye and the Wolverines were up to the challenge and finished the afternoon with 8 sacks of Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley and 13 tackles for loss. Michigan's defense was able to hold the Hawkeyes to only 1 yard rushing and forced 4 fumbles on the day. 4. CB Ambry Thomas vs. Middle Tennessee State in 2019: Few will mistake a victory over MTSU as a signature moment, but it was a heartwarming one for one of the Wolverines' defensive stalwarts. Coming off a bout with colitis that required hospitaliza- tion and caused a notable weight loss in the summer, Thomas returned to the field for the season opener and had one of the best games of his career. During the 40-21 win, Thomas finished with 2 tackles (one for loss) an interception and a recovered fumble. His pick came near the start of the second quarter when he jumped a pass near the sideline. He would start all 13 games that season and earned third-team All-Big Ten honors. 5. FB Ben Mason vs. Nebraska vs. Nebraska in 2018: Michigan has a knack for getting fullbacks involved in the scoring action and leaned on Ma- son in the fourth game of his sopho- more season. The Wolverines gave Nebraska a triple dose of the fullback during the first half of its showdown at The Big House on Sept. 22. He opened the scor- ing with a 1-yard run at the 10:27 mark of the first quarter and scored from 4 yards out a little over seven minutes later. Another 1-yard plunge with 5:25 to go in the first half helped put Michigan up 37-0 before an eventual 56-10 win. Top Five Performances Of The 2017 Class NFL Draft Picks • DE KWITY PAYE – Indianapolis Colts; first round, No. 21 overall in 2021 • C Cesar Ruiz – New Orleans Saints; first round, No. 24 overall in 2020 • CB Ambry Thomas – San Francisco 49ers; third round, No. 102 overall in 2021 • WR Nico Collins – Houston Texans; third round, No. 89 overall in 2021 • WR Donovan Peoples-Jones – Cleveland Browns; sixth round, No. 187 overall in 2020 • FB Ben Mason – Baltimore Ravens; fifth round, No. 184 overall in 2021 • OT Andrew Stueber – New England Patriots; seventh round, No. 245 overall in 2022 PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN