The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/137378
"I run routes for hours until both of us just have nothing left, and then we get up and do it the next day," Gallon said. "We want to win and want to get better. When we first started doing it we weren't playing much, but we wanted to help the team any way we could and wanted to be ready when called upon. "I was pushing him and he pushed me, and the coaches saw that. We earned their confidence and respect, and they gave us a try." Even now, after they've secured their starting roles and have emerged as key playmakers for the Wolverines, Gallon and Gardner spend their free time throwing and catching passes. "When Devin came in, it felt a little like playground football. It came so easy for us because we had been working together for so long." Gallon on his chemistry with Devin Gardner "That'll keep going this summer and won't stop just because the season starts," Gardner said. "It's sort of become second nature for us. We finish what we need to with the team, and then it's our turn." That bond is noticeable to the Michigan coaches and players. "Jeremy and Devin have always been close — they're like brothers," receivers coach Jeff Hecklinski said. "They have a lot of fun together, and they like being together. That obviously helps. "When Devin's comfortable with who he's throwing to, then he can drop, make his read and let the ball go and not have any worries about it. Jeremy can run the route and make the adjustment, and know the ball is going to be there." Encore, Encore! When Gardner stepped in for an injured Denard Robinson in week nine against Minnesota, he looked Gallon's way, connecting on four completions for 72 yards and a touchdown. A week later, they combined for seven completions, and their familiarity with each other culminated with Gallon's nine-catch, 145-yard, two-score effort in the Outback Bowl. "When Devin came in, it felt a little like playground football," Gallon said. "It came so easy for us because we had been working together for so long." With each game, Gardner grew more Wide receiver Anthony Carter (left) and quarterback John Wangler (right) teamed up to form one of the greatest tandems in Michigan history. photo by per kjeldsen Jeremy Gallon, Devin Gardner Look To Match Top QB-WR Duos Jeremy Gallon and Devin Gardner have forged a strong bond that should lead to big numbers for both in 2013. They have the potential to join a cadre of quarterback-receiver tandems that were at their best when paired together. Here is a look at the top five duos of all time. Elvis Grbac and Desmond Howard: The Catch (against Notre Dame in 1991) demonstrates the incredible chemistry these two shared during three seasons together (1989-91). Over Howard's last two campaigns, with Grbac under center, he had 145 receptions for 2,010 yards and an astounding 30 touchdowns. The two set Michigan single-season records in 1991 for TD passes (25) and receptions (19). Chad Henne and Mario Manningham: The first time the two connected, it went for a 25-yard touchdown against Notre Dame in 2005, and that completion was a sign of things to come. One of the best deep-ball threats in U-M history, Manningham was a perfect complement to the strong-armed Henne. Over a four-game stretch in 2006, the two combined for eight touchdowns, each 20 yards or greater, including 38-, 41-, 41- and 69-yard scoring plays. John Navarre and Braylon Edwards: Before he dominated Michigan State with Henne throwing him corner-of-the end-zone lobs in 2004, Edwards was Navarre's No. 1 target for two seasons. The duo combined for 152 receptions, 2,173 yards and 24 scores in 2002-03. Navarre knew if he threw it in the vicinity of Edwards, the 6-3 wideout would go get it, but the quarterback delivered such an accurate football Edwards rarely had to make the spectacular catch. John Wangler and Anthony Carter: For many of these tandems, there is often one play that stands out about the rest. The signature moment for Wangler and Carter came in the 1979 homecoming contest against Indiana, in which the QB hit his wideout in perfect stride on a slant pattern for a 45-yard game-wining TD as time expired. That wasn't the first time they hooked up — from 1979-80, Carter was responsible for 21 of Wangler's 24 touchdown passes. Jim Harbaugh and John Kolesar: After Carter departed in 1982, it would be four years before a bona-fide go-to receiver emerged in the form of Greg McMurtry, but Kolesar had an uncanny knack of delivering the big play, especially with Harbaugh under center. The two combined for just 27 receptions and five scores in 1985-86, but they averaged 27.3 yards per hookup, tilting momentum heavily in U-M's favor almost every time Harbaugh spotted No. 40. — Michael Spath confident in himself, and Gallon became a greater focal point offensively, finishing with 31 grabs for 511 yards and three touchdowns over his final five games. Over the course of a 13-game season (including a bowl), Gallon's tally would extrapolate to 81 receptions got 1,329 yards and eight scores. 98 ■ The Wolverine 2013 Football Preview "That comfort they've developed, of just being with each other, that's obviously going to help us," Hecklinski sad. "The stronger the bond between the players on the team, the harder it is for them to lose, because they don't want to let each other down. "Now you keep adding to that, because other players see that and they don't want to