The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/201975
caller in school history with a 3,000yard season (3,331 in 2003), but the Maize and Blue are lagging behind the trend in college football that has seen 17 passers throw for 4,000 yards the past two seasons compared to just 17 from 2000-05. In 2012, 13 players averaged 300 yards or more per game and 14 were doing so this fall through Oct. 19. Devin Gardner's mark, established versus Indiana, is a huge number, but with quarterbacks routinely throwing for 400 yards or more — 30 this year alone — it will drop within the next three years. 4 passing touchdowns — falls: It almost seems impossible that this mark has not yet been crested because four passing touchdowns in today's game is not a lot. This year, heading into the last weekend in October, there were 23 games of five touchdown passes or more in the NCAA, including three six-TD efforts. There have been 19 instances in U-M history of a quarterback throwing for four scores, including Gardner against Notre Dame this past September. With teams gearing up to stop the run, passing attacks will continue to push the pace of play, and a five-touchdown performance is on the horizon within the next five seasons. 15 receptions — falls: Marquise Walker did this twice in the same season, back in 2001, and senior Jeremy Gallon had 14 catches in his record-setting afternoon against Indiana, while there have been 24 games in which a U-M receiver has had double-digit receptions. That will be a difficult figure to reach because few games will necessitate throwing the ball that much to one player, and because defenses will almost certainly go to great lengths to prevent one receiver from continually beating them. However, seven receivers nationally have caught 15 balls or more in a game this fall, and Toledo's Nick Moore once had 20 receptions in a 2008 game against Michigan. A dominant target that cannot be defended one on one, such as sophomore tight end Devin Funchess, could do it. 369 yards receiving — stands: In the 134-year history of Michigan football, U-M has played 1,261 games, and the greatest output ever produced by a receiver prior to the IU game was Plaxico Burress' 255 yards for Michigan State in 1999. That mark falls 114 yards shy of Gallon's, which ranks No. 2 all time in Football Bowl Subdivision history and 12th in the history of college football, for all divisions. Only six receivers, for Michigan and its opponents, had ever breached 200 yards prior to Gallon's outburst. Going over 300 yards just doesn't happen consistently, and the sheer absence of comparable outputs in the NCAA annals would suggest 369 yards will represent the Wolverines' all-time best for a very, very long time. ❏ Associate Editor Michael Spath has been with The Wolverine since 2002. Contact him at mspath@thewolverine.com and follow him on Twitter @Spath_Wolverine.