The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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DECEMBER 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 23 Crippen himself gradually got better as the weeks went by. He kept the at- titude that his opportunity would come — but not if he didn't stay as sharp as he could during his down time. "I'm going to keep my head down, and keep working every day to get bet- ter," he said. "I believe in the coaches, and I believe they'll make the best deci- sion, whatever is best for the team. I was ready to prove to them that I am the guy. I just wanted to improve the things that I am not the best at, and keep improv- ing. Second-level blocking, and some of the little things I wasn't the best at, at the time." In his stead, fellow senior Dominick Giudice handled the starting duties in the opening five games. Crippen wished only the best for his teammate, while still desiring to be on the field. There's no ill will, regardless of how hot the competition gets, he assured. "An example is me and Dom," Crippen said. "We are really good friends, and we talk a lot. It's a little bit of a business, as well. You can't take it personally. You're trying to do the best for them. We all respect each other, we're close, and we really care about each other. We want each other to succeed. That's the char- acter on our team. That's what makes Michigan so special." The Wolverines have churned out some very special offensive lines over the past few seasons. This one has been up and down through injury and from having to go with all new starters after the 2023 season. Crippen insists this group can hold its own, but there are things it can do better, he conceded. "Physicality … we need to be more physical," he said. "We're definitely physical, but it's just the mindset of not trying to think too much, or going out there to try and hit someone as hard as you can. I know we're super-physical people, and we need to go out there and do that." Many noticed Moore fiercely getting into the grills of his offensive linemen on the sidelines, early in the win over Michigan State on Oct. 26. The Wol- verines weren't doing a whole lot on offense, and Moore fired off a bit of unprintable commentary for the brute squad. Although it got more than the usual amount of attention (maybe be- cause it occurred in a night game against Michigan State), Crippen assured it wasn't a unique situation. "It's a normal thing, just trying to fire us up and help us lock back in, and not overthink things, play as hard as we can," Crippen said. "That's why he's such a great coach. He helps us do that, and right after that, we scored a touch- down. He's a great coach." Crippen does a lot of self-critiquing these days. He doesn't have as much time to adjust to any single contest through observation, being out there from the start. So, he puts a lot into game-week preparation, then adjusts on the fly when the blows start coming. "I definitely have a lot of experience with being the second string, ever since the first game of my freshman year," Crippen said. "It's the same, but dif- ferent. I definitely watch more tape, but it's more of a mindset now. I can watch as much tape as I can, but when you go out there and freeze, it doesn't matter how much you know. The biggest thing for me now, as I grow and play more, is when I'm out there. "When I was coming into games, I could watch the game and pick up things, see, 'OK, this is how it's going.' Now, it's actually happening. That's the biggest thing. It's more just actually do- ing it, instead of just watching on film. It's a little tiring, but it's exciting. You want to be out there playing, and not on the sidelines." Senior guard Giovanni El-Hadi knows just what it's like to wait his turn. He's performed in 39 Michigan games, but coming into this season, he'd only started three games as a sophomore. El- Hadi gives a nod of appreciation to his teammate's patience and perseverance. "He's got the heart of a lion," El-Hadi assured. "Greg is a really great player. He shows it every week — great com- munication, great run blocking, great pass blocking. We work as a unit. We trust whoever is in there, but Crip is doing a great job." There's no championship trophy waiting at the end of this road. Crippen takes that in stride, while looking to put a dent in the hopes of others. "One of our goals is to win out, win every game the rest of the season, ruin everyone else's season," he insisted. ❑ Michigan Features Home-Grown Centers This Season This season marks the first since 2021 that Michigan hasn't featured an imported center on offense. Seniors Greg Crippen (Northborough, Mass.) and Dominick Giudice (Freehold, N.J.) were both recruited into the U-M football program out of the Northeast. Prior to this year, the Wolverines dipped into the transfer portal to pluck established starters from other universities to help fuel their championship hopes. Last year, Drake Nugent came in from Stan- ford to supply the brains and brawn in the middle of the blocking crew that sprang Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards for big-time downfield gains. Nugent wound up earning first-team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and media, as well as becoming a finalist for the Rimington Trophy, which goes to the nation's top center each season. Just one year earlier, Michigan plucked Olu Oluwatimi from Virginia's program, and he won the Rimington with the Wolverines. He needed to clear space on the trophy shelf, though, since he also captured the Outland Trophy, along with first-team All-America honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation, the Football Writers Association of America, the Football Coaches Association, and Sport- ing News. Conference coaches made him first-team All-Big Ten. Prior to Oluwatimi and Nugent, the center position was manned by two-time captain Andrew Vastardis in 2020 and 2021, the latter being the first of three straight Big Ten championship seasons. — John Borton ❱ Head coach Sherrone Moore on Crippen "He's been good. He's given us a good chance to win. He's just got to continue elevating his game in certain situations to get better, but he's taken command of the group. You've seen the success, and we're going to ad- vance with him there."