The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/629217
of his four misses on the season were from longer than 40 yards out, and when fifth-year senior and graduate transfer punter Blake O'Neill was in- jured and could not kick in the Citrus Bowl, Allen boomed a 57-yard punt in his only attempt. 12. MASON COLE Sophomore, OT Cole made some nice strides in his sec- ond season at left tackle for the Wolver- ines. He started all 13 games this year, blocking for an offense that managed 5,147 yards of total offense, including 3,090 through the air, and earned honor- able mention All-Big Ten status. Cole started as a true freshman in 2014 and could be asked to take on an- other big challenge in 2016. Michigan will be seeking a new starting center, and the sophomore has practiced there before. He could make the move to the middle of the line or stay put protecting the quarterback's blind side. 13. DE'VEON SMITH Junior, RB Smith wouldn't talk about it, but he played hurt for much of the second half of the season. That seemed obvious when he exploded for 109 yards on 25 carries against a much-hyped Florida defense in the Citrus Bowl. The junior tailback wound up lead- ing the Wolverines with 753 yards on 180 carries (4.2-yard average) and six touchdowns during the season. Smith doesn't have the breakaway speed some covet, but he runs extremely hard and earns plenty of yards after contact. "He looks tackled by two, three guys and he's burrowing and he's churning, turning, getting two more yards out of every single run today," Harbaugh said of his Citrus Bowl effort. "If it was blocked for two, he got four. If it was blocked for four, he got six — and sometimes even more than two or three more than what it was blocked for. It's just an incredible effort by De'Veon." 14. JARROD WILSON Senior, S The steady veteran in the Michigan defensive backfield called a lot of the shots for the Wolverines, and he also backed his leadership efforts with pro- duction. Wilson finished third on the team with 61 tackles, including a sack. He broke up three passes and intercepted two, among them an end-zone pickoff to blunt a Florida drive in the bowl game. He finished out his career as an integral part of the best Michigan team with which he'd been involved. 15. SIONE HOUMA Senior, FB A favorite among the players, Houma enjoyed easily his best season in a Michigan uniform and came away from the Citrus Bowl wishing he could come back for another year. Houma thrived in the Harbaugh offense, becoming a threat both as a blocker and runner. The fullback played in all 13 Michigan games, carrying the football 43 times for 184 yards (4.3 yards per carry) and five touchdowns. He also made eight catches for 77 yards (9.6-yard average). Houma finished his career with nine runs for 32 yards and a touchdown in the Citrus Bowl.