The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547256
22 THE WOLVERINE ❱ NOVEMBER 2026 BY JOHN BORTON J J Buchanan doesn't need to apologize for any aspect of his personal per- formance in his first handful of games in a Michigan uniform. The sophomore wide- out stands at the top of Michi- gan's receiver production list. Through six games, Buchanan paced the Wolverines in reception yardage (482), touchdowns (4) and av- erage yards per catch (17.9). This much is absolutely certain — without him, Michigan starts the season 2-4, rather than 4-2. Buchanan took no time at all endear- ing himself to the throng at The Big House. He secured the catch of the year in the season opener, rising above the crowd to snag the 49-yard game winner on the Very Scary Double Hail Mary, lifting the Wolverines past Western Michigan 13-12. As long as big-time, last-second, triumphant plays are shown on a Michigan highlight reel, the 6-foot-4 Buchanan's leaping im- age will be shown. All that said, Buchanan wishes he could've celebrated more over the first half of the 2026 season. He wishes he could have done even more. That's understandable, any time a team drops a pair of games prior to the midway point. Regardless of one's personal contribution to that point, competitors take to heart the quickly adopted team mantra — DO MORE. "One hundred percent," Buchanan af- firmed recently. "Everybody's got to look in the mirror, including myself. There are plays that I leave on the table, blocks that I need to make that I don't make. That goes for everybody. Everybody's got to look in the mirror and see what they did wrong. Look at the film and just own up to your mistakes, and we'll get better." Coming from someone with Bu- chanan's impressive debut in a winged helmet, those words resonate. He's also not about to start pointing fingers and giving in to the frustration that losses bring. The Utah transplant made that very clear. "You're going to make mistakes here and there, but I think there have been too many mistakes," Buchanan assured. "Everything is easily fixable here. You look at the film, and you do one thing here, one thing there and it's a vastly dif- ferent game. We just continue to do our job, continue to improve every day, and the results will come with it. "It's definitely not what we expected. But we're little things away from huge differences. I believe in everything that's in this building. I believe in the players and the coaches. And I have no doubt we'll get this thing turned around. "We don't point fingers. We win and lose as a team. It's not offense or defense. We win and lose as a team. All of these games have come down to the final pos- session. The offense has to do a little bit more. Everybody has just come to the re- NO BACKING DOWN JJ Buchanan Keeps The Faith Through Team's Early Struggles Buchanan celebrates with the Big House crowd after catching a touchdown against UTEP on Sept. 19, part of his 7-catch, 92-yard afternoon. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL