The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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20 THE WOLVERINE JANUARY 2018 Scout Team Player Of The Year (Defense): Junior linebacker Jameson Offerdahl Scout Team Player Of The Year (Special Teams): Freshman defensive back Jake McCurry The "Toughest Player Award" is a new one for the annual Bust. Mason proved exceptional all season long in that area, and figures to be a mainstay at fullback next season, given the de- partures of Poggi and fellow fifth-year senior fullback Khalid Hill. Defensive coordinator Don Brown heaped praise on McCaffrey's day-to- day preparation, attitude and effort in helping the defense get better. The freshman quarterback will be battling redshirt freshman starter Brandon Pe- ters and rising-junior transfer Shea Pat- terson for the 2018 starting spot, pro- vided Patterson is ruled immediately eligible by the NCAA. HARBAUGH WANTS TO WIN, SEEKS PATIENCE Head coach Jim Harbaugh ad- dressed the assemblage, talking about Michigan's 8-4 season, prior to the Outback Bowl. He understands rival- ries and the disappointment experi- enced when falling just shy of potential big wins. He also understands building and patience. His words to the crowd re- flected both. "I know you want the best for us," Harbaugh offered. "We've got to im- prove. We're going to win all of our games — that's what we're striving for." Fans are particularly interested in witnessing more wins in Michigan's biggest rivalry showdowns, where it's been tough sledding of late. The Wol- verines have been extremely close the past three seasons against Ohio State and Michigan State, but have just one win over the Spartans to show for it. Frustration comes into play. Har- baugh remains completely aware of it, but called for some patience in the process. "We talk about social media, and we talk about the ending of the world, basically," he said. "I don't see it that way, I really don't. The criticism wears people out. "I see the stuff on social media where they criticize you or tell you that you're not good enough, that you should have done this or you should have done that — it reminds me of how I grew up." He talked about the highly competi- tive Harbaugh household, in which two sons would go on to be coaches in the NFL and/or high-level college programs. He recalled his dad, former Bo Schembechler assistant Jack Har- baugh, setting high standards. Michigan will always have those, and not just on the field, Jim Harbaugh maintained. "We want you to get your educa- tion, we want you to get your degree, we want you to represent Michigan in a first-class manner," he said to the players. "But they also expect us to win. They expect us to be the best; they expect us to be great. "Wins are really important, too. And we need to do better as a football team. We welcome the judgment from you [fans and alumni]. I know you just want the best for us. But we've got to improve." Harbaugh underscored Michigan's never-ending pursuit of improvement earlier in the week, getting a commit- ment from Patterson, the transferring Mississippi QB. The rising-junior will heat up the battle behind center in the spring, while a host of returners fight it out at the other positions. Some Michigan assistant coaches weren't in attendance at the Bust this year. Harbaugh explained why, with a nod to the ongoing improvement. "They're out recruiting," he said. "There's a new signing period [starting on Dec. 20]. We're practicing for our bowl game, and we're also recruiting. We desperately want another win. "But we're also [focused] on the fu- ture. We're building." THE FUTURE IS NOW Peters will draw the start for the Out- back Bowl at quarterback, and then an eight-month battle for the starting job in 2018 begins. Fifth-year senior John O'Korn played a role in a three-headed QB situation in 2017 and left no doubt at the Bust that he'll be pulling for Pe- ters in the coming year. With Wilton Speight moving on for a fifth year elsewhere, Peters is the only quarterback on the roster with starting experience in a winged helmet. "I'm so grateful for all my experi- ences of the past few years," O'Korn said. "There's a lot on my mind right now. I think looking back at my time at Michigan, we accomplished a lot as a team. I accomplished a lot indi- vidually, but one of the things I'm most proud of is being a part of the quarter- back room. "Just being around those guys every day, there's a lot of competitive spirit and so much talent in our room. "A lot of us have been through hell and back, but we've never wavered in our support of each other. That's something I'm so proud of. I can't wait to see Dylan and Alex [Malzone, who will also utilize a graduate transfer] and Wilton and [walk-on Michael] Sessa go on to do great things. I'm so excited to watch Brandon lead this team next year." Whether Peters does so as the start- ing quarterback remains to be seen. He'll get a crack at showing what he can do against South Carolina in a con- test everyone agreed is a big deal for an 8-4 U-M squad. "It's very important, to build mo- mentum into next season," McCray said. "Starting off the year with a win on Jan. 1 can build the team, build that confidence you have with the guys coming back. That's probably the big- gest part." Fifth-year senior fullback Khalid Hill concurred. "Finish with a win," he said. "That's Redshirt freshman quarterback Brandon Peters will start the Outback Bowl against South Carolina Jan. 1 after leading the team with four touchdown throws and a 142.2 passer rating despite the lowest number of attempts (64) of the three U-M quarterbacks who played this fall. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN