The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MICHIGAN FOOTBALL just going out there and develop, opening the eyes for the younger guys to know they can count on me. And I showed confidence in Devin, 'Just put it up there, I'm going to get it.' Today he really played well." He finished the regular season against Ohio State with three catches for 92 yards, including a 75-yard scamper for a touchdown. Hoke was happy to see Roundtree In Roundtree's final four regular-season games at U-M, he hauled in 15 receptions for 378 yards and two touchdowns. — in a big way. In Roundtree's final four regular- season games as a Michigan receiver, which coincided with junior quar- terback Devin Gardner's first four career starts, he caught 15 passes for 378 yards and two touchdowns. In the first eight games of the 2012 season, Roundtree had totaled 13 catches for 175 yards and one score. And against Northwestern, Roundtree made arguably the best catch of his career. Down 31-28 Great Game Performances Steve Breaston Shows Off In Senior Season In the pantheon of Michigan's all- time most exciting players, senior Denard Robinson would likely rank first, though wide receiver Anthony Carter, tailback Tyrone Wheatley and receiver/returnman Steve Breaston were also game-breaking playmakers. Breaston, in fact, laid claim to No. 1 before Robinson came along, show- casing his skills in every facet of the game. He is the only player in school history to account for a touchdown as both a kick and punt returner, a run- ner, a receiver and a passer. In 2006, in a win over Indiana before the matchup with No. 1 Ohio State, Breaston did it all for the Wolverines, going over 100 yards receiving for the first time in his career (103 yards), in- cluding a 62-yard scoring play, while returning a punt 83 yards for a touch- down. In the days preceding the game, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit had said Breaston was a "worthless" receiver, noting he hadn't done anything 40 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2012 noteworthy at the position during his career. Midway through the sec- ond quarter, with U-M leading 14-3, Breaston responded with the longest reception of his tenure. "I don't use that talk as my motiva- a punt early in the third quarter, Breaston caught the ball on his own 17-yard line and was off. "Steve Breaston had an outstanding After Michigan's defense forced " — whom the coach chose to wear the No. 21 Desmond Howard Legends jersey this year — finish his career on such a high note. "We're excited for all of them, but PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN with just 18 seconds to go, Gard- ner launched a prayer down the middle of the field. A Wildcat de- fender tipped the ball and Roundtree twisted his body to reach for the ball, come down with it and set Michigan up for the game-tying field goal. All told, the play covered 53-yards. "I 'm the senior receiver," Roundtree said about the play. "Ev- erybody knows what I can do. Today just showed I haven't been forgotten. I set my goals for it in the summer Roy, because of how he has handled himself as a student and an athlete, how he's come to work every day …," Hoke said. "I thought he played a good football game the other day obviously, and being an Ohio kid, you wanted to see that for him." eryone knew the Wolverines had a tough road ahead, with a neutral site game against Alabama and road tests at Notre Dame, Nebraska and Ohio State. Coming into the 2012 season, ev- U-M FACES HISTORICALLY DIFFICULT SCHEDULE tion," Breaston said. "What was said was said, and I'm not really bothered by it. game," head coach Lloyd Carr said. "I told him before the game that I thought this would be his best game of the season. He had a big play in the passing game and a big return. He had 14 points — that's a pretty good day's work. In Michigan's 2006 matchup with Indiana, Breaston posted 103 yards receiving as well as an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown. PHOTO BY WOLVERINE PHOTO two rushing touchdowns, 10 receiv- ing scores, and one kickoff return and four punt returns for TDs. — Michael Spath Breaston finished his career with "