The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Bowl with the likes of FSU senior defensive end DeMarcus Walker, a second-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos. "He gave me some issues," Bredeson said of the pro, three years his senior. "He was the hardest guy for me to block." It's all part of the process, Skene noted, along with gearing up for the rigors of a long, hard autumn into early winter. "Physically, he looks like he's in better shape now than he was at the end of the season last year," Skene offered. "That's nor- mal. We're coming up on a year of strength and conditioning at the college level, and we should really expect to see his body start looking like a college offensive lineman. "He looked pretty nice in that spring game. With him and [senior left tackle Mason] Cole on the left side, that's a pretty good combo." Bredeson would like to think so, but he's trying to be ready for anything. A year ago, he worked with Cole on his right, the vet- eran playing center for the 2016 Wolverines. Now Cole has made the move to left tackle, and there was even some talk that Bredeson himself might shift spots, talk that has since subsided. "I'm going wherever they tell me to go," he assured. "We're just trying to put the best five guys out there." Bredeson admits the loss at Ohio State, with so much on the line, still stings. The Wolverines were up in the third quarter, 17-7, and appeared to have control of the game in Columbus. The Buckeyes rallied — many felt with the assistance of a little home cooking in the Horseshoe — and eventually pulled out a 30-27 win in double overtime. Bredeson acknowledges he's moving forward, but for- getting is another matter. "It's just that feeling of looking up at the scoreboard and watching them run in at the end," he noted. "We were so close. We had it … and it was gone. That's a feeling that doesn't go away." The feeling that something wasn't right re- garding how officials adjudicated the contest wasn't lost on head coach Jim Harbaugh. He reacted forcefully and in no uncertain terms afterward, drawing a $10,000 fine from the Big Ten. His players, Bredeson assured, appreciated their coach's passion. "He's got our back on everything," Brede- son said. "I absolutely love it. We go to fight for him, and he goes to fight for us. That's the way it should be." Bredeson insists he doesn't have a favorite Harbaugh saying, because: "He's got a new one every day. His intensity just drives you. Even when you're tired, he's always fired up. "He'll find that little bit of gas you have left in the tank, and he'll push you farther Ben Bredeson Is Among The Few Rookie OL Starters Ben Bredeson joined some elite company when he took the field for eight starts as a true freshman. The Wolverines that broke through to start on the offensive line as rookies can be counted on two hands. That may be changing, since Michigan features two such on the 2017 line. Senior left tackle Mason Cole also started during his rookie campaign, becoming the first true freshman offensive lineman ever at Michi- gan to start in a season opener for the Wolverines. He was also the first to start at left tackle for Michigan as a rookie. That says something, given the fact that All-Americans such as Jake Long and Taylor Lewan did not start as true freshmen. Each of them became first-round picks in the NFL Draft. True freshmen became eligible to play in 1972. Since then, seven Michigan rookie offensive linemen have seen the field for at least a game as a starter. Bubba Paris started one game for the Wolverines in 1978, getting the nod at right tackle for a team that beat Ohio State and shared the Big Ten championship. Tom Dixon garnered a start for Michigan's 1980 Big Ten champions, who went on to record Bo Schem- bechler's first Rose Bowl victory. In 1987, Dean Dingman became Michigan's first true freshman offensive lineman to start multiple games as a rookie. He plugged in for the Wolver- ines at right guard, starting three contests for a Michigan team at went 8-4 and finished No. 19 in the Associated Press rankings. For the next two decades, the Wolverines didn't see a freshman starter on the offensive line. Then in 2006, true freshman Justin Boren drew a start- ing assignment, and seven years later, Kyle Bosch started three games in his first season in Ann Ar- bor. Cole's 12 starts in 2014 marked Michigan's first real foray into using a freshman as a season-long option up front. Bredeson logged eight starts two years later, and there was some talk that Michigan might wind up starting a freshman this year. That appears less likely, with the emergence of fifth-year senior Pat Kugler at center and the move of Cole back to left tackle. It's possible that either of a pair of freshmen — early enrollee center Cesar Ruiz (6-3, 313) or incoming frosh Chuck Filiaga (6-6, 335) — might be pressed into action in 2017. — John Borton True Freshmen Offensive Line Starters Since 1972 Year Player Position Starts 1978 Bubba Paris Right Tackle 1 1980 Tom Dixon Left Guard 1 1987 Dean Dingman Right Guard 3 2006 Justin Boren Right Guard 1 2013 Kyle Bosch Left Guard 3 2014 Mason Cole Left Tackle 12 2016 Ben Bredeson Left Guard 8 Dean Dingman became the first true freshman offensive lineman to start multiple games for the Wolverines, appearing in the opening lineup at right guard three times in 1987. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN 84 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW