The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/544673
MICHIGAN FOOTBALL game, in which the Wolverines' re- ceivers contributed to a pair of in- terceptions by not hanging onto the football. Phil Steele's College Football pre- season annual ranked the Michigan wideouts as the No. 8 group in the Big Ten, while Athlon's College Football considered the U-M pass catchers the seventh-best unit in the conference. Fisch noted his players need to, at the very least, secure the ball, but he wants far more than that. "We're really looking forward to these guys finding a way to be spe- cial," he said. "Right now, that's going to be their biggest challenge — can they find a way to be competitive for the ball, whether it's in their hands prior to being tackled, or as they're going up to make the tough catch? They'd better fight in every way, shape or form to make the play. "There are some playmakers in this group. They just have to be more consistent. That's what I would like to see. I'd like to see a tremendous amount of consistency with these guys. That's the key." You can go right down the line with that take, from redshirt juniors Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson on to true freshman Brian Cole, accord- ing to Fisch. That's been the knock on several, including redshirt freshman Maurice Ways, who at times makes big plays in practice but also has trou- ble holding onto the ball. Classmate Drake Harris has been mentioned as a potential playmaker, MISCELLANEOUS NOTES • WXYZ-TV (ABC, Channel 7 in Detroit) has partnered with Michigan for the next three years to air the coaches shows for football and basketball. The show will run for 30 weeks, at 10:30 a.m. Sunday mornings. The Inside Michigan Football Show begins Aug. 30 and runs through the regular season. Michigan play-by-play man Jim Brandstatter will serve as host for the show, which also features head coach Jim Harbaugh. The Inside Michigan Basketball Show begins in December and will air through any postseason run. Michigan basketball play-by-play man Matt Shepard will host the show featuring men's head coach John Beilein, while each show will include a segment on Kim Barnes Arico's women's basketball squad. • Michigan senior linebackers Joe Bolden and James Ross are among those on the watch list for the Butkus Award, which goes annually to the top linebacker in the nation. Bolden recorded 102 tackles, including a pair of sacks and four tackles for loss, while starting all 12 Michigan games in 2014. He garnered recognition this past spring by making the Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list. Ross has played in 37 games for Michigan, making 32 tackles with three tack- les for loss last season. In his career, the senior has 153 tackles, with 11 tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.