The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Biggest Shoes To Fill — Quarter- back Kirk Cousins: A second-team All-Big Ten quarterback, Cousins — the winningest signal caller in pro- gram history (27 victories) — leaves the Spartan as the school's all-time leader in passing touchdowns (66), passing yards (9,131), completions (723), passing efficiency (146.1), 200- yard passing games (26) and total offense (9,004 yards). In The Spotlight — Quarterback Andrew Maxwell: The redshirt ju- nior has thrown for only 294 yards and one score in nine career appear- ances during his first two seasons, and will be depended upon to direct a Spartan offense that will be without departing wide receivers B.J. Cun- ningham, Keshawn Martin, Keith Nichol, and tight end Brian Linthi- cum, who combined for 202 of MSU's 288 receptions last season. On The Rise — Defensive end William Gholston: Coming off of an outstanding effort in the Outback Bowl when he tallied a school-record five tackles for loss and following a season that included 70 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and five sacks, Gholston should be even more domi- nant in 2012. MINNESOTA 2011 Record: 3-9, 2-6 Big Ten Departing Starters: 6 offense, 6 de- fense, 0 special teams Biggest Shoes To Fill — Tailback Duane Bennett: Bennett scampered for 2,126 yards and scored 24 touch- downs during his Minnesota career, and also added a strong, positive locker room influence that will be missed in his absence. In The Spotlight — Quarterback MarQueis Gray: After spending his sophomore year at receiver, Gray consistently improved as a quarter- back during his junior season. While battling through numerous injuries, he accounted for 14 total scores and 223.7 yards of total offense per game, including 87.8 yards rushing a con- test. Without Bennett and departed wide receiver Da'Jon McKnight, the success of the Gophers' offense will largely rest on Gray's shoulders. On The Rise — Defensive tackle Ra'Shede Hageman: Although he finished with only 13 total tackles, four of them were for loss with two sacks. The 300-pound redshirt junior will be relied upon heavily to cause 42 THE WOLVERINE FEBRUARY 2012 Nebraska's Taylor Martinez has totaled 23 passing touchdowns and 15 interceptions in his two seasons as the Cornhuskers' starting quarterback. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL mayhem in the trenches for a Gopher defense that loses defensive tackle mainstays Anthony Jacobs and Bran- don Kirksey. NEBRASKA 2011 Record: 9-4, 5-3 Big Ten Departing Starters: 5 offense, 5 de- fense Biggest Shoes To Fill — Line- backer Lavonte David: The depar- ture of the All-American linebacker leaves a gigantic void in the middle of the Nebraska defense. David led the Blackshirts with 133 tackles in 2011 and posted a school-record 152 in 2010. He finished his career ranked fourth in Huskers history with 285 career stops. In The Spotlight — Quarterback Taylor Martinez: Martinez has been wildly inconsistent in his two sea- sons as the Huskers' man under center, boasting a 57.4 percent ca- reer completion rate with 23 touch- downs and 15 interceptions. Now a junior, and with the services of tailback Rex Burkhead behind him, Martinez must take the next step in his maturation as a quarterback, cut back on the mistakes, and efficiently lead a Nebraska offense that returns a plethora of weapons. On The Rise — Wide receiver Kenny Bell: The speedy wideout dis- played sure hands and sound route- running during his freshman year, leading the Huskers with 32 catches for 461 yards (14.4 yards per recep- tion) and three touchdowns in 11 starts. With another year of experi- ence under his belt, Bell should prove to be the primary target for Martinez. NORTHWESTERN 2011 Record: 6-7, 3-5 Big Ten Departing Starters: 6 offense, 7 de- fense Biggest Shoes To Fill — Quarter- back Dan Persa: In losing Persa, the Wildcats will be without the most accurate quarterback, statistically, in NCAA history; Persa compiled a 72.7 percent career-completion rate that ranks first all time. The 2010 first- team All-Big Ten quarterback fin- ished his senior campaign with 2,376 passing yards and 17 touchdowns against only seven interceptions, de- spite missing the first three games of the season due to a 2010 Achilles injury. In The Spotlight — Quarterback Kain Colter: Following in the foot- steps of a program legend is no easy task, and Colter had a taste of the re- sponsibility while filling in for Persa throughout the year. The versatile junior was effective under center, completing 55 of 82 passes (67.1 percent) for 673 yards, six touch- downs and only one interception. He rushed for a team-best 654 rush- ing yards and nine scores on 135 carries (4.8 yards per carry). Addi- tionally, he caught 43 passes for 466 yards (10.8 yards per reception) and three scores. On The Rise — Safety Ibraheim Campbell: Campbell may have been an unlikely opening-day starter as a redshirt freshman, but the Philadel- phia native removed any doubts with a team-leading 100 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss, along with two interceptions, six pass defensed, and one fumble recovery in 2011. ❏