The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 71 "We all feel like we should've done better," Black added. "I don't know what the high- est number was in the receiving corps, but it wasn't that good. "Now we have to prove it." It's a lot to ask of a pair of sophomores, but it's the reality given their immense talent. They know they're young, but their experi- ence makes them feel older. This is the year they've got to get open for their quarterback, Peoples-Jones said, whether it's Ole Miss transfer Shea Patterson or somebody else, and lead the Wolverines back to the top of the Big Ten. That's what they came to Ann Arbor to do, after all. "I just want to be the best receiver I can," Peoples-Jones said. "I just want to win games. That's what it's about. Just winning games." He and Black both will play huge roles in reaching that goal this year, and many say they have a legitimate shot to become one of the Wolverines' best-ever sophomore receiv- ing duos in the process. ❏ Michigan has had some outstanding wide receiver duos over the years, most of them coming after the late Bo Schembechler started opening up his offense in the mid-1980s. Here are the top single-season combinations of the last five decades: 1. Braylon Edwards and Jason Avant, 2004: Edwards caught a school-record 97 passes in Michigan's last Big Ten championship season, setting an all-time mark (at the time) with 1,330 receiving yards with freshman Chad Henne throwing to him. He finished his career as U-M's all-time leading receiver (3,541 yards) and went to Cleveland as the third overall pick of the 2005 NFL Draft. Avant was the intermediate route man on that team and still averaged 11.76 yards per reception in putting up 447 yards. He'd catch 1,007 yards in passes a year later and parlay it into a 10-year NFL career. 2. David Terrell and Marquise Walker, 2000: Terrell hauled in 67 catches for 1,130 yards to set a Michigan record (at the time) for most receiving yards in a season. The Chicago Bears would pick him eighth overall in the NFL Draft after his junior year. Walker managed 49 receptions and 699 yards that year, averag- ing 14.3 per catch, to give the duo 1,829 yards between them, still the second most in U-M history for a pair of receivers. Walker would earn team MVP honors the following year with 1,143 receiving yards, and went to the Tampa Bay Buc- caneers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. 3. Desmond Howard and Derrick Alexander, 1990: How- ard, who would win the Heisman Trophy in 1991, enjoyed a huge year in 1990, going for 1,025 receiving yards with 11 scores, while Alexander added 450 yards and six touch- downs the same season. Both enjoyed long NFL careers, Howard more as a return specialist in Green Bay and Alexander as a receiver. Alexan- der notched three 1,000-yard campaigns in his nine-year career (four seasons with Kansas City). 4. Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington, 2007: This is the only duo in which both show up on Michigan's top 10 list for single-season receptions. Manningham corralled 72 passes in 2007, still tied for seventh on U-M's all-time list, and 1,174 receiving yards (still third), while Arrington is tied for 10th with his 2007 total of 67 receptions. He managed 882 yards, giving him and Manningham 2,056 between them and making them the most prolific single-season receiving duo in Michigan's storied history. Injuries cut both of their NFL careers short. Manningham did play six years in the league and won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants after the 2011 season. 5. Amani Toomer and Mercury Hayes, 1994: Toomer and Hayes wouldn't graduate until 1995, but they had their best year together during their junior seasons. Toomer registered 1,096 yards in 1994, a Michigan record at the time and still seventh on U-M's all-time list, and managed an impressive 20.3 yards per reception with six touchdowns. He spent 13 seasons with the New York Giants and is in the franchise's Ring of Honor, having won a Super Bowl with the club. Hayes added 589 yards on 36 receptions that year, aver- aging 16.4 yards per grab, and followed up with a team- leading 923 yards the following season. He spent a couple seasons in the NFL and also played in the World League and the CFL for a few seasons. 6. Anthony Carter and Vince Bean, 1982: Carter remains, arguably, the best receiver in Michigan history. The Wolverines didn't throw as much in his era, but he was a three-time All-American and caught 43 passes for 844 yards and eight scores in his last season, averaging 19.6 yards per catch. He started in the now-defunct USFL before becoming a three-time Pro Bowler with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings. Bean was a complementary receiver throughout his career, but he added 321 yards and averaged 16.9 yards per reception in 1982. 7. Greg McMurtry and Chris Calloway, 1989: McMurtry nor Calloway do not show up anywhere in the top 10 on Michigan's single-season or career receiv- ing lists, but this was an outstanding duo on a run-heavy team in 1989. McMurtry caught 41 passes for 711 yards for Bo Schembechler's last team, averaging 17.3 yards per reception as the team's deep threat, while Calloway added 31 catches for 425 yards. Both would go on to have nice NFL careers. Calloway played 10 years with four different teams (including seven with the New York Giants), and McMurtry was in the NFL five years, with four at New England. — Chris Balas Mario Manningham (No. 86) and Adrian Arrington combined for the most prolific sea- son by a U-M receiving duo in 2007, hauling in 139 receptions for 2,056 yards and 20 touchdowns. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN Michigan's Top Wide Receiver Duos Of The Last 50 Years