The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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168 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 1. Jehu Chesson at Indiana, 2015: The redshirt junior receiver reeled in 10 receptions for 207 yards, including a long of 64 yards, and four touchdowns — all career highs. In doing so, Chesson became the second Michigan player in the last 20 years to record 200 yards and four receiving touch- downs in a game. The Wolverines were taken to the brink by the Hoosiers in Bloom- ington, but ultimately won 48-41 in double overtime. Indiana quar- terback Nate Sudfeld threw to the end zone on fourth-and-goal, but defensive back Delano Hill was there to break it up and give Michigan the win. 2. Devin Funchess vs. Appalachian State, 2014: Funchess came out of the tunnel for the season opener against Appalachian State in the famed No. 1 jersey and did not disap- point. His first game as a true wide receiver, Funchess hauled in seven receptions for 95 yards and a career-high three touchdowns. He became the first wide receiver in pro- gram history to record three touchdown re- ceptions in a season opener and helped U-M to a 52-14 win over the Mountaineers. 3. Drake Johnson vs. Indiana, 2014: Af- ter missing the 2013 season due to a torn ACL, Johnson returned to solid form in 2014 and had the best outing of his career against the Hoosiers. The versatile running back car- ried the ball 16 times for 122 yards and two touchdowns — all ca- reer highs. There weren't a lot of highlights for the Wol- verines in 2014, but the 34-10 win over Indiana in Ann Arbor on John- son's big day was one of them. 4. Joe Bolden vs. M a r y l a n d , 2 0 1 4 : The Wolverines lost to Maryland 23-16 in Ann Arbor. However, it wasn't because of Joe Bolden. The junior line- backer posted a career- high 14 tackles against the Terps. Fellow line- backer Jake Ryan also tallied 14 tackles, but the offense struggled. Quarterback Devin Gardner only had 106 passing yards with no touchdowns and an in- terception. The loss to Maryland ultimately sealed Brady Hoke's fate and kept the Wolverines out of a bowl game. 5. Willie Henry vs. Utah, 2014: Henry had an interception that he returned seven yards for a touchdown. He also added four tackles and a sack on the day. Unfortunately, his touchdown was the only one U-M could muster in a 26-10 loss. 1. 78-0 vs. Rutgers, 2016: Michigan ran for 481 yards and racked up a whop- ping nine rushing touchdowns in its second largest margin of victory since 1920 and biggest in a conference game since 1939. Wide receivers Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson left a mark on the game as well. Darboh was the leading receiver with two catches for 65 yards and Ches- son added a pair of catches for another 34 yards and a touchdown. Defensive lineman Chris Wormley had two tackles, including one for loss, in the shutout of the Scarlet Knights. 2. 38-0 vs. Northwestern, 2015: After blanking BYU (31-0) and Maryland (28- 0) in the previous two weeks, Michigan hosted No. 13 Northwestern in a top-20 showdown (U-M was ranked 18th). Chesson took the opening kickoff back 96 yards for a touchdown and U-M never looked back. The 38-0 win over the Wildcats marked the first back-to-back-to-back string of shutouts since 1980 for the Wolverines. Safety Jarrod Wilson led all defend- ers with seven tackles, and defensive tackle Willie Henry added four stops, 2.5 tackles for loss and a career-best two sacks. 3. 41-7 vs. Florida, 2016 (Citrus Bowl): Florida had been crowned SEC East champions and was basically playing a home game against the Wolverines on New Year's Day. However, Jim Harbaugh and Michigan didn't seem to care, blowing the Gators out 41-7 to end the 2015 campaign. The 41 points marked the most that Florida had allowed all season. Running back Drake Johnson came alive with six carries for 58 yards and a touchdown, and also added two catches for 10 yards and another score. Fullback Sione Houma had nine carries for 32 yards and a score on the ground. Chesson made eventual first-round draft pick Vernon Hargreaves look silly on multiple occa- sions, and finished with five catches for 118 yards and a touchdown on the day. On defense, the 2012 class left a mark as well. Linebacker Joe Bolden led the way with seven tackles, and Wormley had four tackles, 2.5 stops for loss and a sack. Linebacker Royce Jenkins-Stone added four tackles and a sack, plus Wilson had an interception. 4. 14-7 vs. Wisconsin, 2016: No. 4 Michigan hosted No. 8 Wisconsin in a big-time Big Ten battle, and the Wolverines came away with a hard-fought 14-7 win. Chesson had five catches for 52 yards on the day, while Darboh grabbed six passes for 87 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown that gave U-M the lead with just 7:56 remaining in the game. Though not a member of the 2012 class, cor- nerback Jourdan Lewis sealed the game with a highlight-reel, one-handed in- terception and proved that Michigan had returned as one of the Big Ten's elite. 5. 49-10 vs. Penn State, 2016: In hindsight, Michigan's 39-point blowout of eventual Big Ten champion Penn State was a huge win. When it happened, it seemed like business as usual. Darboh led the way for U-M with seven catches for 44 yards, while Chesson struggled a bit with just one catch for 18 yards. On defense, Wormley had three tackles and 1.5 sacks, and classmate defen- sive tackle Matthew Godin added four tackles and a sack. Top Five Wins For The 2012 Class Top Five Individual Performances Of The 2012 Class Wide receiver Jehu Chesson caught 10 passes for 207 yards and four touchdowns in a 48-41 double-overtime victory at Indiana in 2015. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN