The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/495628
1. Senior linebacker Joe Bolden: During the first series for the Team Maize defense, Bolden was the lone defender to recognize a throwback trick play in which junior quarter- back Shane Morris was the recipi- ent and should have had a wall of blockers to run behind. Should be- cause Bolden stood between Morris and a 20-yard play, shoving redshirt sophomore guard David Dawson off, limiting the QB to a one-yard gain. Bolden finished the afternoon with a scrimmage-high 13 tackles, in on exactly one-third of the 39 tackle op- portunities for Team Maize, record- ing three for loss with a sack. Though the performance does not count, the 13-tackle afternoon would be the seventh double-digit effort of Bolden's career, and represents to his coaches and pundits alike that the 6-3, 232-pounder is poised to build on his 102-stop campaign of 2014 in becoming the Wolverines' most pro- ductive linebacker. 2. Redshirt sophomore defensive end Maurice Hurst: The 6-2, 281-pounder did not receive a ton of playing time in 2014, appearing in seven games and finishing with just three to- tal tackles. But if he can repeat his spring-game performance, he should be one of the top defensive linemen on the team in 2015. Hurst worked over redshirt sopho- more left tackle Logan Tuley-Tillman and Dawson, using an arsenal that included power and swim moves, quickness to slant between pulling linemen, burst off the snap to beat a guard before he even came out of his stance, and an overall determination to penetrate the backfield. Officially, Hurst had one tackle for loss among four stops, but he was a