The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/629217
I don't think we all actually knew what to expect with Jake, and the way he performed week to week, I thought he was the catalyst for this team's suc- cess. Van Bergen: I'm going with Jake Ru- dock. Not because he was the most productive or even the most outstand- ing player, but he was under scrutiny coming into the season, and his first game, there were a lot of doubters. But he stayed the course. He stuck to the program, continued to learn the fun- damentals being taught by Harbaugh and he ended up being one of the best quarterbacks in college football by the end of the year. Ray: I'd say Jabrill Peppers. He was an excellent three-way player. Defen- sively, he was a difference-maker and showed uncanny versatility at safety, corner and nickel back. He can run, cover, tackle in space, blitz, get off blocks and has a nose for the ball. Offensively, Peppers was a game- changer. He reminds me of Reggie Bush when he has the ball in his hands. In the return game, Peppers flipped the field for the Michigan offense time and time again, especially in the Michi- gan State game. Peppers is still a young player who has plenty of room for improvement, but his three-way versatility was most valuable to Michigan's team, not to mention his attitude, energy, leader- ship and enthusiasm. The Wolverine: Whose individual de- velopment this year was the most im- pressive offensively? Skene: Rudock. The player that we saw against Utah was nothing com- pared to the player we saw against Florida. It was incredible. Copenhaver: Jehu Chesson. Going into the season we weren't certain we Jake Butt and the Wolverines must find a way a way to topple both Michigan State and Ohio State to move to the top of the Big Ten pecking order. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN