The Wolverine

March 2018

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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12 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2018   INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS 1 Player in NFL history has lost a game — in the regular season or playoffs — despite throwing for at least 500 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions: Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Brady completed 28 of 48 passes for 505 yards with three scores in New England's 41-33 loss to Philadelphia. 6 Former U-M students participated in the 2018 Winter Olym- pics: American figure skaters Evan Bates, Alex Shibutani and Maia Shibutani (the latter two are brother and sister who won a bronze in ice dancing); former U-M hockey players Andrew Ebbett (Canada) and Chad Kolarik (USA); and former U-M foot- ball player Sam McGuffie, a Rice graduate on the U.S. bobsled team. Minnesota (11 athletes, including eight women's hockey players) and Wisconsin (11, including 10 women's hockey play- ers) are the only Big Ten schools with more representation. 10 Is Michigan's national rank for projected S&P+ ranking in 2018. The formula is a creation of SB Nation's Bill Connelly that takes into account three factors — recent history, returning production and recruiting — to rank every team in the Football Bowl Subdivision from 1-130. Ohio State checked in at No. 1, 2018 foe Notre Dame ranked sev- enth, and three other Big Ten squads were listed among the top 12: Penn State (eighth), Michigan State (11th) and Wisconsin (12th). 10.7 Is Michigan's average national recruiting finish in the Rivals. com team rankings over the last three years, which coincides with the number of full cycles Jim Harbaugh has been at the helm. That average ranks eighth nationally, trailing only Ohio State (2.3) in the Big Ten. U-M also finished ahead of Big Ten rival Penn State (12.7 average), while nobody else in the league had an average better than 21. 54 Former U-M football players have played in the Super Bowl after former Wolverine Brandon Graham and his Philadelphia Eagles were victorious over Brady, Alan Branch, David Harris and the Patriots. NFL.com noted that total, which counts each participant only once — even if they have played in multiple Super Bowls — and does not include players not on active rosters, is tied for fourth nationally with Florida State and Nebraska. Miami (Fla.) led the list with 62. 83.2 Was Pro Football Focus' game grade of former U-M linebacker Mike McCray during the Senior Bowl, the annual marquee postseason all-star college football contest held Jan. 28. McCray's grade was the best among linebackers and ranked eighth overall. Offensive lineman Mason Cole also played in the contest. 2,683 Is senior women's basketball guard Katelynn Fla- herty's career point total through Feb. 14, which ranks fifth in Big Ten history. Next in the cross- hairs of Michigan's all-time leading scorer is Ohio State's Jantel Lavender, who tallied 2,818 points from 2008-11. 111,589 Was Michigan's average home attendance for football, which led the nation for the 21st straight year. The Big House, which hosted just six contests, was home to the six largest gridiron crowds of 2017. By The NUMBERS PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN RIVALS' TOP 10 AVERAGE RECRUITING FINISHES OVER LAST THREE YEARS Rk. School 2018 2017 2016 Avg. 1. Ohio State 2 2 3 2.3 2. Alabama 7 1 1 3.0 3. Georgia 1 3 9 4.3 4. Florida State 10 5 2 5.7 5. USC 3 6 10 6.3 6. LSU 13 8 5 8.7 7. Oklahoma 8 7 16 10.3 8. Michigan 24 4 4 10.7 9. Auburn 12 14 8 11.3 10. Clemson 8 22 6 12.0

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