The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/970722
46 THE WOLVERINE MAY 2018 M ichigan's annual spring scrim- mage has drawn tens of thou- sands of spectators each April through the years, but the fans will have to wait until fall to see this year's squad. The threat of inclement weather forced the athletic department to cancel this year's April 14 contest. Head coach Jim Harbaugh wasn't planning a full-on scrimmage anyway — only in situations — but the fans weren't able to get anything to satisfy their fix. "We want to ensure the safety of our fans as well as the student-athletes and staff," Michigan director of athletics Warde Manuel said in a release. "We also wanted to provide as much notice in advance for fans and the families of our players that were considering attending." The game was not to be rescheduled due to the limited number of spring practices remaining and the start of final exams the following week. Many team members and coaches are also heading to Paris and Normandy for a week April 26, an educational experi- ence Harbaugh hopes to make an an- nual event. The team went to Rome last year and even practiced overseas a few times, though there will be no football involved this time around. "We are disappointed for our fans and players' families that this opportu- nity to see our team compete at Michi- gan Stadium will not be possible due to weather concerns," Harbaugh said. "We made a decision that was in the best interest of our fans, student- athletes and volunteer staff needed to organize this event." — Chris Balas DEFENSIVE TACKLE MICHAEL DWUMFOUR IS THIS YEAR'S BIGGEST PRACTICE SURPRISE When New Jersey native Michael Dwumfour committed to Michigan as a Rivals.com three-star prospect out of Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic, some critics suggested the U-M coaches had only taken him to help land five-star Rashan Gary. Gary, also a New Jersey native, was (and still is) a good friend of Dwum- four's, and the two go back a long way. It seemed ridiculous to suggest that then, and it seems even more so now that Dwumfour has emerged as not only one of the spring's biggest sur- prises, but also one of Michigan's best players during the session. "We got this guy, Jersey kid, Michael Dwumfour, fast off the ball, gets off just like [recently graduated All-American] Mo [Hurst]," Gary said while smiling after a spring practice. "It's ridiculous. You're going to see it when the time comes." Defensive line coach Greg Mattison backed up Gary with some high praise of his own. "Michael Dwumfour is having one of the best springs I can remember," Mattison said. "He is really playing hard. He has a lot of Mo Hurst in him. "There are times where you see him come off the ball and you just go, 'Whoa, that's really good.' And he's a little bit thicker and a little bit big- ger. … He's always shown flashes, but now all of a sudden he's getting more mature." There were moments last year he'd play really well, but others in which he'd take plays off, Mattison added. He's not doing that anymore, instead pushing himself "way past where he usually would." Though Dwumfour has only notched six total tackles in two sea- sons, including two for loss and a half MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Spring Game Cancelled Due To Threat Of Inclement Weather Jim Harbaugh noted the spring game was cancelled "in the best interest of our fans, student- athletes and volunteer staff." PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN