The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/696825
1. JAKE RUDOCK VS. INDIANA — Rudock had a career day against Indiana and one of the best performances ever by a Michigan quarterback. He went 33-of-46 passing (71.7 percent) for 440 yards with six touchdowns and just one interception. He also added 64 rushing yards, giving him 504 yards of total offense. His 440-yard performance ranks third all time at Michigan for a single-game passing yardage total. 2. JEHU CHESSON VS. INDIANA — Obviously if Rudock had a career game throwing the ball against Indiana, somebody had to be on the receiving end of those passes. On that day, it was often Chesson. The senior receiver hauled in 10 passes for 207 yards (20.7 yards per reception) and four touchdowns. All three were career highs for Chesson, which helped lift Michigan to a 48-41 win in double overtime against the Hoosiers. 3. JOURDAN LEWIS AND JABRILL PEPPERS VS. NORTH - WESTERN — The Wolverines thumped Northwestern 38-0 on homecoming, and the defensive back duo were a big reason why. Lewis recorded four tackles, including one for loss, and picked off a pass, which he returned 36 yards for a touchdown. Peppers registered five tackles, including 1.5 for loss, and also added a game-high three passes broken up. The duo helped hold Northwestern to just 130 passing yards over the course of four quarters and gave U-M a huge win against the No. 13 Wildcats. 4. JAKE RUDOCK VS. FLORIDA — The Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl was billed as an evenly matched defensive struggle between Michigan and the SEC East champion Florida Gators. Instead, it turned into a 41-7 shellacking by the Wolverines. Rudock orchestrated the offense to perfection, connecting on 20 of 31 throws (64.5 percent) for 278 yards with three touchdowns and no picks. He also chipped in another 29 yards on the ground. His near-perfect performance got Michigan to 10 wins and gave the Maize and Blue a lot of momentum head - ing into the offseason. 5. DE'VEON SMITH VS. OREGON STATE — In Jim Har- baugh's home debut at Michigan Stadium, the junior running back took it upon himself to make sure the Wolverines would come out victorious against Oregon State. The 5-11, 228-pound bruiser carried the rock 23 times for 126 yards (5.5 yards per carry) and three touchdowns. Smith also caught two passes for another 24 yards. His lon - gest run of the game was just 19 yards, but he broke four tackles on his three touchdown runs and helped Michigan cruise to a 35-7 win. troops and put "steel in their spines" — and that's exactly what he did. The Maize and Blue went on to win their next four games over Minnesota (29‑26), Rutgers (49‑16), In‑ diana (48‑41) and Penn State (28‑16), setting up a huge showdown in Ann Arbor between Michigan and hated rival Ohio State. The Buckeyes rolled into town ranked No. 8, while Michigan was just two spots behind at No. 10. It was being billed as a huge showdown between a potent OSU offense and a stifling U‑M defense, but like the Michigan State ending things didn't go to plan. Ohio State led just 14‑10 at halftime but went on to outscore the Wolverines 28‑3 in the second half, resulting in a 42‑13 beatdown inside Michigan Stadium. Running back Eze‑ kiel Elliott and quarterback J.T. Barrett were just too much for the Wolverines; the Buck‑ eyes racked up 466 yards of total offense and six total touchdowns on the day. Even though the season finale didn't live up to the hype, Michigan headed into bowl season on a mis‑ sion to pick up that coveted 10th win. The Wolverines were matched up against Florida in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1, 2016. The contest pitted a pair of first‑year coaches against each other in Harbaugh and Jim McElwain, while the Wol‑ verines and Gators both had top‑10 defenses heading into the matchup. It truly looked to be a battle of immovable objects. Instead, Michi‑ gan beat up the Gators all day long and routed the SEC East champs 41‑7. In a perfect case of poetic justice, Rudock started the season on a sour note but finished on a triumphant one, completing 20 of 31 passes for 278 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. The Wolverines finished 10‑3 in 2015 and rode a wave of momentum into the offseason toward National Signing Day, when they would ink the nation's No. 4 recruiting class. Harbaugh is King of Ann Arbor and looks to make 2016 even more special than a memo‑ rable debut. 1. JEHU CHESSON — Chesson led Michigan with 764 receiving yards on 50 catches (15.3 yards per reception) with nine touchdowns. He also carried the ball eight times for 161 yards (19.4 yards per attempt) and two scores. And if that wasn't enough, he added 166 additional yards on kickoff returns, including a 96-yard touchdown scamper against Northwestern. Chesson had single-game career highs in receptions (10), yards (207), and touchdowns (four) against Indiana, and was voted the 2015 Bo Schembechler MVP by his teammates after sev - eral big-time performances. He also received regular praise from head coach Jim Harbaugh all season for his on- and off-field leadership qualities and work ethic. The Big Ten coaches recognized him as a first-team all-conference performer. 2. JOURDAN LEWIS — Lewis had a banner year in 2015, being named to the All-Big Ten first team, the USA Today All-America first team, and the All-America second team by Sports Illustrated, Walter Camp, Associated Press and Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). He started all 13 games and set a new single-season program record with 20 passes broken up, including six against Michigan State. Lewis was also second on the team in tackles among members of the secondary with 52. He picked off two passes in 2015, including one that he returned 36 yards for a touchdown against Northwestern. 3. JABRILL PEPPERS — Peppers started in every contest except for the bowl game against Florida after suffering a hand injury following the regular- season finale. During those 12 games, he made impacts in all three phases of the game. On defense, he notched 34 tackles, including 5.5 for loss, and 10 passes broken up, good for second on the team. On offense, he carried the ball 18 times for 72 yards (4.0 yards per carry) and scored two touchdowns. He also had eight catches for 79 yards (9.9 yards per catch) and even threw a pass but it fell incomplete. On special teams, he led the team in punt-return yards with 194 and added 223 kick-return yards. All of his usage led him to being named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He also earned first-team All-Big Ten defensive honors, second-team All- America honors from Sports Illustrated, Sporting News and CBS Sports, and was a Freshman All-American according to the FWAA. 4. JAKE BUTT — Butt showed he was ready for the NFL in 2015 by earning first-team All-Big Ten honors and being named the Kwalick-Clark Big Ten Tight End of The Year. He was also named first-team All-America by Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports, and second-team All-America by the AP and Sporting News. However, like Lewis, he decided another year of college was in the cards after finishing second on the team with 51 catches, which produced 654 yards (12.8 yards per reception) and three touchdowns. 5. JAKE RUDOCK — Rudock was only at Michigan for one year, but it was one to re - member while starting all 13 games. He started out rocky against Utah on the road with three interceptions, but only threw six over the next 11 games. He completed 249 of 389 passes (64.0 percent) for 3,017 yards with 20 touchdowns. He also added 166 yards and four scores on the ground. In week 11, he became just the second Big Ten player in the last 20 years to throw for more than 400 yards and six touchdowns in a game. His fifth-year senior campaign earned him All- Big Ten honorable mention laurels. THE WOLVERINE 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 145 TOP FIVE PLAYERS Redshirt junior wideout Jehu Chesson was named Michigan's MVP and first-team All-Big Ten by the league coaches after a breakout 2015 campaign. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN TOP FIVE INDIVIDUAL GAME PERFORMANCES