The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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140 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 1. Close But No Cigar — Michigan finished with a record of 10‑3 for the second time in as many years, but was inches away from winning any one of those three losses. Michigan lost to then‑No. 10 Florida State, then‑No. 2 Ohio State and Iowa by a combined five points. No one expected Jim Harbaugh to have Michigan undefeated in just his second season on the job, but these games were all winnable and decided at the end. 2. Over The MSU Hump — One of the major problems for the Wolverines over their last several seasons has been their inability to win against their rivals. In four years under Brady Hoke, Michigan beat Michigan State and Ohio State just one time each. When Harbaugh arrived in Ann Arbor, it was hoped he would quickly reverse the trend. Had it not been for a punt gone horribly wrong, he would have gotten his first rivalry win a year ago, but he final cleared the hurdle in 2016 against Michigan State. The 32‑23 victory for the Wolverines in East Lansing seemed like it could be a positive sign for Michigan in its rivalry games. Next up: Ohio State. 3. Wilton Speight Takes The Mantle — Because Michigan was led by a graduate transfer at quarterback in 2015, the search was on for Harbaugh's next field general. Redshirt sophomore Wilton Speight may have not been the frontrunner in everyone's minds during the spring, with Houston transfer John O'Korn seemingly waiting in the wings after sitting out for a year in compliance with NCAA transfer rules. However, Speight won the job in the fall and got the opening day start against Hawai'i. It quickly became clear that Speight was the man for the job. During the season, he completed 204 of 331 passes for 2,538 yards with 18 touchdowns. Against Maryland, Speight set the program record for the most passing yards in the first half with 292. Both O'Korn and redshirt junior quarterback Shane Morris saw time in relief of Speight, but neither did anything to put any real pressure on his hold of the starting position. 4. Dr. Blitz Steps On Up — During 2015, Michigan sported one of the nation's top defenses under coordinator DJ Durkin. The group ranked No. 4 in the country by allowing just 280.7 yards per game, and shut out three straight opponents while surrendering only 17.2 points per contest. Not many thought the defense would get better in 2016, espe‑ cially considering Durkin left the program to take the head coaching job at Maryland. However, in true Harbaugh style, the school went and hired the coach of the top defense in 2015, Don Brown. Brown led the Boston College defense to the No. 1 ranking in to‑ tal defense, rush defense and scoring defense, along with five other categories the year before coming to Ann Arbor. Dr. Blitz brought his aggressive style of play to Michigan and built a defense that led or was second in the NCAA in seven cat‑ egories. All 11 starters on the defensive unit earned some form of All‑Big Ten honors. In addition to his own style, Brown brought in his own position, viper — a hybrid linebacker spot that seemed custom‑made for redshirt sophomore Jabrill Peppers, who compiled a career‑high 72 tackles and led Michigan in tackles for loss (16), was a unanimous All‑American and came in fifth in Heisman Trophy voting. After his first season at Michigan, Brown — a Broyles Award finalist for the best assistant coach in college football — signed a new five‑year contract in December. "I'm bitterly disappointed in the officiating today. That spot [was wrong]. The graphic displays on the interference penalties, the one not called on Grant Perry [who was] clearly was being hooked before the ball got there. And the previous penalty they called on Delano Hill, the ball's uncatchable and by the receiver. I'm bitter- ly disappointed in the officiating, can't make that any more clear. My view of the first down was that it was that short [holds hands apart by a few inches]." Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh following the Wolverines' loss to Ohio State in Columbus, which turned on a disputed ball placement. The Big Ten publicly reprimanded and fined the coach $10,000. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL TOP STORYLINES OF 2016