The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/152358
top 25 players Ten championship game, but we just couldn't finish. That's the thing we've been stressing that we want to do this year." Gardner loves the feeling of being in charge of the offense. At the same time, head coach Brady Hoke keeps him as humble as possible, inserting the blunt observation that he has yet to win a "big" game. "He always reminds me of that, every chance he gets," Gardner said with a grin. "Other quarterbacks in the conference have, so I'm behind in that aspect. When I see that list, and I'm not the top guy, it just gives me something to work for. They've proven they can do it, and I haven't." 5. Thomas Gordon, 5th-Sr., S Thomas Gordon climbed to No. 5 on the big list this season, thanks to his longevity (he's started 27 games over the past three years), a key role on the defense (starting safety) and acknowledgement that it's his time to take a lead role. He posted a career-high 81 tackles last season, with two interceptions, a forced fumble and a pair of passes broken up. As for directing the defensive secondary, much of that responsibility fell to eventual team MVP Jordan Kovacs. With Kovacs now trying his hand at the NFL level, Gordon knows he has to raise his game in terms of leadership. "It's a big expectation," Gordon said. "Coach [Greg] Mattison looks to me to be that guy who gets the guys going before every practice and make sure we're ready to compete. It's a big weight on my shoulders, but I have taken it by the horns and I feel comfortable with it. I feel like it's natural." Mattison, Michigan's defensive coordinator, has consistently urged Gordon to play with greater abandon this season. Mattison is looking to tap into the natural abilities of the fifth-year senior and get him to attack without as much contemplation. Gordon also needs to be ready for some versatility. He's being looked at as playing more strong safety now, working closer to the line of scrimmage, after having played free safety in 2012. "I think Gordon is comfortable with either one," Hoke said. "I don't think he has a problem with being the down safety or the safety in the middle of the field." Either way, Gordon is going to be in the middle of the action. He's suddenly the old man of the secondary, and he knows it. He also feels the sting of the final seconds from last Jan. 1, when South Carolina's bomb downfield eluded the Michigan secondary and found an open wide receiver. That made the difference in a cliffhanger Outback Bowl. Gordon tucked that memory away, and used it to prod his fellow defensive backs through a rigorous offseason preparation.