The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/589596
ing and helping them understand what we're trying to do." A SEINFELDIAN BEGINNING Comedian Jerry Seinfeld did a bit on his iconic television show about substituting a host of casual greetings for names he didn't know or remember. That's how Rudock felt when first arriving in Ann Arbor from Iowa. There, he knew everybody, and everybody knew him. He'd completed 213 of 345 passing attempts for 2,436 yards with 16 touchdowns and a mere five interceptions during his redshirt junior campaign for the Hawkeyes. But he found himself displaced in the Hawkeyes' bowl game, and named a backup on an unprece- dented offseason depth chart pro- duced by Iowa football. That set him into motion, following the NCAA's graduate transfer rule, allowing fifth- year performers who have completed their undergraduate work at one in- stitution to attend another while us- ing their final season of eligibility. Rudock opted to try and make a name for himself under Harbaugh's guidance. But first the grad transfer needed to learn the names already on hand. "It's just tough with names," he said with a grin, recalling those awk- ward opening exchanges. "'Hey buddy,' or 'pal.' You just don't know their names yet, so you just kind of throw the old Seinfeld reference out there. I used that a lot." During U-M's 5-2 start, Rudock completed 121 of 196 passes (61.7 percent) for 1,303 yards with five touchdowns and six interceptions. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL