The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/859588
No. 17 — TE Ian Bunting A recurring theme for the 2017 Wolverines involves players stepping up in the absence of an All-American or All-Big Ten performer now employed in the National Football League. So it is with Bunting, a redshirt junior who did so when 2016 Mackey Award winner Jake Butt went down with a knee in- jury in the Orange Bowl. Bunting's three catches in that one not only marked a career high, they showed off his skills against a fast Florida State de- fense. Bunting high-pointed one grab in a fashion that only his 6-7 frame was going to come down with it, an obvious advantage against defense backs a half-foot shorter. Bunting has 10 catches for 118 yards in his career, but could easily exceed those totals in the coming season. He started seven games a year ago in sets involving multiple tight ends, and with Butt gone he could be in line to see the ball come his way more frequently. What he wants most, though, involves winning. "We're all hungry," Bunting assured. "I've been at Michigan for a few years now, and I don't have any rings to show for it. We're sick and tired of that. We want to win, period." Bunting acknowledged he can't quite get over the near misses at the end of last season. "It's frustrating when you work really hard, and you just don't quite get the result that you want," he said. "We're hun- grier and more determined, and we now know — because of those experiences — what we need to do at the end of the season. "It's just keeping our composure and sticking to what we know works, and finishing. It's all about finishing." — John Borton Photo by Per Kjeldsen 28 THE WOLVERINE SEPTEMBER 2017