The Wolverine

May 2012

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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MICHIGAN FOOTBALL "Russ is another athlete — he can run the ball," offensive coordinator Al Borges said. "He was recruited too by spread teams and pro-style guys. Ac- curate passer. His arm is improving strength-wise all the time. You tell him something once and he's got in. You don't have to retell him 10 times. He's got it down. He's got composure. He can get himself out of a lot of messes when things break down, and he can run. "He can run designed quarterback " ing through the case and hope the charges disappear, once cooler heads prevail. napolis, Md., played in 12 Michigan games last year, mostly on special teams. He recorded 10 tackles and blocked a punt. The two-year performer out of An- " HIGH ON THE HYPE METER • Yahoo! Sports has ranked the Michi- runs, though you don't run as many as you would with Denard. But if you turn him loose, he will hurt you. He has that kind of ability. gan versus Alabama matchup Sept. 1 as the No. 1 non-conference game of the 2012 season. "Two of the most storied programs in Countess could also make a bid to re- turn punts, noting: "He's very confi- dent in what he does back there. In addition to Rawls and Hayes, Mich- Hoke added that sophomore Blake " igan could call on the more experi- enced Gallon or senior Vincent Smith when it comes to kickoff returns, Hoke offered. history get together for just the fourth time," the website's Mike Huguenin wrote. "The three previous meetings were in bowls, with the most recent coming in the Orange Bowl following the 1999 season. Alabama is a lock to open the season in the top 10, and the Wolverines should be in there, too. This will be the third time in five years that Alabama has opened the season in a neutral-site game; the other two were in Atlanta." Redshirt freshman quarterback Russell Bellomy is the No. 3 signal-caller on the depth chart, and he showed improved play throughout the spring. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN SUSPENDED • Redshirt sophomore safety Josh Furman was suspended indefinitely this winter after he was charged with domestic violence, assault, and break- ing and entering/illegal entry based on an incident that occurred Feb. 11. "Josh was suspended from team ac- Sept. 22 matchup with Michigan will be played under the lights at Notre Dame Stadium with a start time of 7:30 p.m. It will mark the first night game between the rivals in South Bend since ND hosted U-M in 1990, beating the Wolverines 28-24. Last year's night game — the first of its kind at Michigan Stadium — set an NCAA single-game attendance record of 114,804, and saw the Maize and Blue prevail 35-31. Michigan could have as many as UNDER THE LIGHTS PART II • Notre Dame has announced its three night games next fall, with its Sept. 1 neutral-site affair against Ala- bama and its Oct. 27 trip to Lincoln to take on Nebraska both rumored to be night contests. tivities as soon as we became aware of the report," Michigan head coach Brady Hoke said in a statement. "These are serious allegations. We will allow the judicial process to run its course before making a final determination on his status with the program." A 6-2, 207-pounder, Furman will go on trial April 23, but his attorney told AnnArbor.com he is confident the charges will be dismissed. "Joshua didn't do anything," Gerry Mason told the website. "We're work- MAKING HIS CASE • Hoke noted junior Jeremy Gallon has increased his grip on the punt re- turner position this spring. Meanwhile, sophomore Thomas Rawls and red- shirt freshman Justice Hayes are com- peting hard to return kickoffs. "I think Jeremy Gallon is really a good punt returner," Hoke said. He's got great confidence in catching the ball. His vision is pretty good, and he'll take it, burst-wise, when you look at the punting game. " in good shape on injuries. Redshirt junior defensive lineman Nathan Brink didn't compete in the spring game, af- ter breaking his leg in bowl practices, but has been able to work out in a limited fashion this spring. "Brink has done all the individual drills," Hoke said. "He hasn't done any FINGERS CROSSED • Michigan came through the spring full-contact with 11 bodies out there, but we knew that going in." Meanwhile, redshirt sophomore wide receiver Jerald Robinson played through a relatively minor shoulder injury, and fifth-year senior Kenny De- mens missed two practices for precau- tionary reasons after sustaining what Hoke described as a "mild concussion." • Sophomore weakside linebacker Desmond Morgan appeared the only Wolverine to suffer an injury at Michi- gan's April 14 spring game. Morgan was cut-blocked by redshirt junior tailback Fitzgerald Toussaint on a blitz during the first series of the game, and walked gingerly to the sideline favoring his right knee. Morgan, who started seven games at the WILL, re- cording 63 tackles in 2011, did not re- turn to the practice. effort put in by fifth-year senior Jor- dan Kovacs. At the same time, the head coach uses him as an example of the never-satisfied mindset of the Wolverines. "The expectations are high, espe- cially for a guy who is a senior, LEADER BY EXAMPLE • Hoke continues to appreciate the said. "That bar is set pretty high. The great thing about it is, Kovacs sets that bar, every day, for himself. He's one of those guys who is a self-starter, and very detailed about how he plays, very critical of how he plays, a very intel- ligent, smart football player. "He does a great job in the back end, " Hoke and he's a physical guy. If you would ask him, he'd tell you the same thing — he hasn't met the expectations yet. " MAY 2012 THE WOLVERINE 35

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