Observations on the win over Northwestern, 33-7
Michigan converted 7 red zone trips into 30 points; Northwestern couldn't score in their only red zone of the day. Both teams had two turnovers each, and the Wolverines converted the Wildcat miscues into 7 points.
Offense gained 28 first downs, 294 yards on the ground and 457 total yards while dominating time of possession by 19 minutes which gave them 31 more offensive plays. Cade McNamara hit 20 of 27 for 129 yards, and was sacked once; the Wolverines converted 13 of 21 3rd and 4th down conversions. Hassan Haskins carried 23 times for 110 yards and 2 TDs; Blake Corum ran 19 times for 119 yards and 2 TDs plus had 4 receptions for 23 yards.. Erick All caught 5 passes for 34 yards. Cornelius Johnson caught 3 passes for 30 yards. Mike Sainristil caught 4 passes for 33 yards, but was guilty of a red zone fumble turnover. J.J. McCarthy came in and was 3 of 5 in the air for 34 yards, and added 36 yards on the ground in 2 carries. Donovan Edwards gained 18 yards in 5 carries, and caught a pass for 11 yards; however, he turned to ball over on a fumble. Andrel Anthony finally got a "touch" with a 6 yard reverse. The Wildcats were led by Chris Bergin with 16 tackles; Bryce Gallagher had 14 stops, and Coco Azema had 13 tackles each on their "bend, but don't break" defense. Azema also forced both Wolverine turnovers.
Defense forced Northwestern into five "3 and outs," and shut down a poor Wildcat offense with 10 first downs, 233 total yards in 55 plays; we forced them into 7 punts with 2 turnovers, and they were 5 of 16 in 3rd and 4th down conversion. Ryan Hilinski was 14 of 29 for 114 yards. Evan Hull carried 6 times for 81 yards including a 75 yard TD; he also caught 2 passes for 27 yards. Malik Washington had 6 receptions for 63 yards. Brad Hawkins and Daxton Hill led the defense with 6 tackles each; D.J. Turner got an interception, and ran it back 23 yards in the Wildcat red zone, and David Ojabo had 3 pass break ups and combo sack with Aidan Hutchinson.
Special Teams was again led by a Jake Moody; he hit 2 of 3 field goals, and landed 7 kickoffs with 4 touchbacks or fair catches. The Wildcats only averaged 15 yards on their 3 returns; Michigan didn't do much better, and almost lost the second half kickoff to the Wildcats. One of the highlights of the second half was the blocked punt by Cornelius Johnson that gave us a red zone opportunity, and we converted for a 24-7 lead. A.J. Henning had a 19 yard punt return. Brad Robbins punted 3 times for a 47.7 yard average. The Wildcats missed their only field goal attempt.
As a native Ann Arborite, the George Jewett story is both inspiring and sad. The son of a blacksmith who came to Ann Arbor was a child prodigy; from his birth in 1870, he learned to speak five languages fluently, and became Class Valedictorian at Ann Arbor High School in 1889 while competing in football, baseball and debate teams where he was voted Captain of all three squads. He enrolled at the University of Michigan, and competed in football and baseball playing running back and second base, and had plans to attend medical school; however, his plans met a roadblock of prejudice and discrimination by the University of Michigan Medical School Director, Victor Vaughn, a well-known eugenist who told Jewett that he couldn't complete medical school and compete in athletics. After Jewett transferred to Northwestern, and graduated from medical school while continuing to play football for the Wildcats, he began a medical practice in the Chicago area in 1895, but was unable to make a living because few white people wanted the services of a negro physician, and most negroes had few funds to pay for medical treatment. As a result, he returned to Ann Arbor in 1899 to work as a janitor, and married Lillian Zebbs in 1901; he started a laundry business, The Valet, near the corner of State & William Street next to the First Congregational Church, and had two sons, George and Richard. Jewett passed away unexpectedly in 1908 at the age of 38. It is certainly fitting that the first football rivalry trophy honoring an outstanding African-American who competed at both universities in athletics while exceling in academics; the trophy was dedicated to his legacy and serves as a reminder to both schools of academic and athletic excellence.
It doesn't look like the team improved much on the Bye Week, and they better improve quickly as the Spartans have had two weeks to prepare for us. Bring on the Spartans! Go Blue!