The Wolverine

"There is no selfishness on this team," he said. "If we get the ball, we get the ball. If we don't, we don't. We really take pride in our blocking. Catching the ball is a big deal, but you also have to block." Gallon lets everyone know that size isn't as significant as heart in the blocking arena. He won't accept that it's tougher for a big receiver to block smaller defensive backs, or that he at 5-8 can't take down whoever needs to hit the deck. "It's just the will of the person," Gallon said. "It's my job, and if I've got to block a guy that's seven feet tall and whatever pounds, I'm going to do it. focus. You go into the game with that mindset: I want to win. I'm going to win. That's how we go into the game." "They're tough," Hecklinski said. "It's just how you prepare, how you "That goes from Coach Hoke all the way down through the system. We're going to line up every snap and — whether it's a pass play or a run play — be physical. If we can establish that mentality, which we have … "I thought we played fairly physi- cal against Alabama. We didn't make all the plays, but we were fast and we were physical. "It's fun to coach kids who like to play the game of football, and em- brace what football is. Football is a physical, tough, hard-hitting sport, no matter what position you play. These kids love the game, and they love to play." kept the focus off Michigan's lanky rookies, thus far. Jehu Chesson, at 6-3 and 183, appears headed for a redshirt season, while he fills out a bit. Amara Darboh, at 6-2 and 220, has already seen the field on special teams, mean- ing he's likely to see his role increase in the days to come. Darboh looked impressive on spe- cial teams in the win over UMass, demonstrating the sort of physical- ity Hoke and Hecklinski want out of Michigan's receivers. The production of the veterans has right now. He's going to have to be a guy like you should be as a freshman in college, that has to wait his turn. "He's been working hard. You see him making plays on special teams, and that's going to earn him reps. I feel like he's going to take advantage of those reps." Hecklinski appreciates as well the fact that Darboh and Chesson can be brought along at a measured pace. "They're going to be very talented players," Hecklinski said. "Amara is a little more ready, football-wise. He's played football longer, and he under- stands the game a little bit more. We call it football intelligence. That's why he's out there, providing us some stuff on special teams. I think you'll see his role continue to grow. Devin Gardner Set To Go For Big Ten Season Three simple words from Brady Hoke left a host of Michigan fans exhaling relief two days after Michi- gan's loss to Notre Dame. Hoke stubbed out their worst injury fears without ceremony. "He is fine," the U-M head coach noted on his weekly teleconference call. brevity regarding a rumored injury, this one to junior wide receiver Devin Gardner. The transplanted quarterback slammed into some temporary bleachers during Michi- gan's 13-6 loss to Notre Dame, sparking an Inter- net buzz about a broken collarbone, broken fore- arm and more. Any such outcomes Hoke spoke with characteristic Gardner, a junior, had notched 11 catches for a team-leading 195 yards and three touchdowns through four games. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN "He's done a nice job — two tackles on kickoff teams the other day, and he's played some at wide receiver," Hoke said of Darboh. "The first play he was in he had a great block. I think he improves every week." "I love Darboh," Gardner com- mented. "He had a really good fall. It's just that older guys are in front of him be really special. It will benefit us and him in the long run, that he redshirts. He's going to be better five years from now than he is right now. With the depth we have in our room, we can afford to redshirt him." "Jehu is a kid who has a chance to Maintaining that depth, and honing the play of the individuals creating it, could have a lot to say about how well the Wolverines fulfill their Big Ten dreams. u catches and the touchdowns didn't change that. I just knew I was help- ing the team. Those just happened to happen." They're expected to continue hap- pening into the Big Ten campaign, Hoke noted, hours after his confer- ence call. He indicated he didn't an- ticipate Gardner missing any prac- tice time. "Devin, in his own way, is pretty would have marked a huge blow for Michigan's fortunes in the upcoming Big Ten schedule. Gard- ner made his mark early in the season, leading the Wolverines in receiving yards and touchdowns through the non-con- ference portion of the schedule. Although he still har- bors quarterback hopes down the road, Gard- ner insisted that since switching to receiver, he's completely dedicated to maximizing his results at the position this year. "It's always been that way," Gardner said. "The mentally tough," Hoke said. "I think he likes where he has gone with that, being a wideout. — John Borton " OCTOBER 2012 THE WOLVERINE 27

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