The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1051817
30 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2018 to get the secondary lined up, so we didn't miss any gaps and we didn't miss any coverages. It was really a good job by him." SURVIVING A ROCKY ROAD The dream hasn't been without some sleep apnea along the way. Me- tellus acknowledges struggles last year as a new starter. He lasted just two defensive series in this year 's season opener against Notre Dame, before getting tossed from the game on a targeting call. Sitting out that 24-17 defeat — with the Irish throwing a long touchdown pass right where he should have been — involves a memory Metellus alter- nately uses and suppresses. He's on his own personal Revenge Tour, making up for team shortfalls in his first year as a starter and its stumble out of the gate this season. "I wasn't happy with the season last year, team-wise," he said. "We were 8-5, and a lot of the big plays — the game decisions that could have changed some of the games — were on the safeties. We're the last line of defense, so we've got to finish every play. "I went into the offseason like, I don't want to be the reason that the team doesn't do what it's capable of. I went in, in January, saying, 'Coach, whatever I need to do, can you help me do it? I'm willing to do it, no mat- ter how hard it is, no matter how much it takes, no matter much work, because I want the team to be success- ful, and I know that means me doing my job well.'" That approach impressed Partridge, who helped channel Metellus' deter- mination into action. Part of the ju- nior 's maturation into a more com- plete player involved setting aside what others were saying about him and focusing on what those inside Schembechler Hall were stressing. That's easier said than done. "Whenever you're a young man, and you're not a man yet, and that kind of stuff happens, you have to Michigan put some seriously strong secondary members on the field over the past quarter century, including a Heis- man Trophy winner. Junior safety Josh Metellus and fifth-year senior corner- back Brandon Watson each secured three interceptions through the first 10 games of the 2018 season. That tied for the team lead, but those two have some work to do to break into Michigan's top six single-season efforts since 1993. Here are the top half-dozen pickoff performances over that period of time: Charles Woodson, 8, 1997 — Woodson set the standard over the last quarter century, intercepting the Heisman on the way to a national championship. His leaping, one- handed pickoff at Michigan State continues as a yearly high- light when the Spartans come up on the schedule, and it was one of two he had in that game. When a championship hung in the balance, Woodson's high-flying pickoff at the back of the end zone in the Rose Bowl against Washington State preserved the title. Blake Countess, 6, 2013 — Countess earned first-team All-Big Ten status with his six-pickoff season as a redshirt sophomore. Countess' interceptions included one in the crushing, 42-41 loss to Ohio State and another returned 72 yards for a touchdown against Minnesota. He also had two in a 41-30 win over Notre Dame. However, Michigan labored to a 7-6 record that season. Todd Howard, 6, 2000 — Howard posted a half-dozen pickoffs for the Big Ten champions as a junior. Howard helped the Wolverines to a very strong finish that year, with wins over Penn State (33-11), at Ohio State (38-26) and in the Citrus Bowl against Auburn (31-28). Ty Law, 6, 1993 — Law registered an All-American season with six interceptions for the 8-4 Wolverines as a sopho- more. The Wolverines opened with a slow start, but came on to knock off Ohio State (28-0) and North Carolina State in the Hall of Fame Bowl (42-7) at the end of the year. Law had a trio of interceptions in those two wins. Marcus Ray, 5, 1997 — Ray might have been overshad- owed by his running buddy in '97, but he more than ably supplemented Woodson's effort with a strong season of his own that included a pair of two-interception games. The redshirt junior made 71 tackles along with his five pickoffs in earning All-Big Ten honors as well as second-team All- America notice. Charles Woodson, 5, 1995 — Woodson served noticed as a true freshman that he wasn't any run-of-the-mill Wolver- ine. He underscored his strong rookie season with a pair of interceptions against Ohio State in Michigan's 31-23 upset of the 11-0 Buckeyes. — John Borton Charles Woodson's eight interceptions during the 1997 season helped U-M win a national championship, while he became the first and still only primary defender to win the Heisman Trophy. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN Michigan's Top Pickoff Performers Since 1993