The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/201975
Renovation Projects: Units That Have Been Changed On The Fly Defensive Line — 2000: Junior end Jake Frysinger's broken foot in the season opener was an omen for a tumultuous season to come. Relying on a lineup that included seven freshmen and sophomores (eligibility-wise), U-M started three strongside ends, seven defensive tackles and four Wolverines at rush end. Weakside end was the biggest mess, with freshman Alain Kashama starting weeks one and four, junior Evan Coleman the starter for weeks two, three, nine and 10, freshman Larry Stevens in from week five to week eight, and redshirt freshman Shantee Orr the starter for the final two games. Combined, they were productive, though, finishing with 15 tackles for loss and six sacks. Placekicker — 2002: Many remember Phil Brabbs for his game-winning 44yard field goal to beat Washington in the 2002 season opener, but the senior had missed two attempts earlier while sophomore Troy Nienberg had also erred with his lone try. Brabbs would continue in the role as Michigan's starter each of the next three games, but after going 3 of 9 in four contests, he was replaced. Nienberg was given a shot to be more consistent than his veteran teammate, kicking in the first three Big Ten games, but he didn't fare much better and lost the confidence of his coaches. Finally, U-M turned to sophomore punter Adam Finley for the final six games. He connected on 7 of 10 tries. Tailback — 2004: Chris Perry's understudy, senior David Underwood was supposed to arrive in 2004, but after averaging only 2.8 yards per carry in Michigan's opener, Underwood went down with a concussion on his first attempt a week later at Notre Dame. In his absence, sophomore Jerome Jackson had the first crack at performing, but he rushed for only 32 yards on 15 carries against ND, and then 33 yards in starts against San Diego State and Iowa. Enter true freshman Mike Hart. The rookie had rushed for 257 yards on 59 carries in the first four games (4.4-yard average), including a 121-yard effort in a week-three win over the Aztecs. Hart would earn the week-five start, solving the Wolverines' tailback issues in totaling 1,198 yards in his eight starting assignments. Right Guard — 2007: Michigan returned a 12-game starter at right guard in the form of redshirt junior Alex Mitchell, but Mitchell didn't dress in the opener, out with an injury, and the coaches turned to his classmate, Jeremy Ciulla, for a one-game stint. Mitchell returned in week two, but after three lackluster efforts, he lost his job