You probably recall that Michigan uniform aficionado Dr. Steve Sapardanis covered the wonderful Dr. Sap’s Decals in 2011. Prior to the Bama game we agreed to a modified, more focused version of the Decals for 2012 – something more along the lines of Bo’s ‘Victors Club’:
Sap also reserved the right to take a pass on awarding this honor based on the performance. His rationale? Sap told me Bo himself would take a pass on occasion, if he didn’t feel it was appropriate based on the team’s performance. So on the heels of Hoke saying, “we didn’t play Michigan football”, we’ll hopefully see Sap next week.
That said, I’ll take a shot. Haven’t seen any film beyond the painful SportsCenter reel but here’s my best shot:
* Offense: Jeremy Gallon. My break out player for 2012 as suggested in HTTV did not disappoint and seemed to be one of the guys in maize and blue that could hang with Alabama. The guy is a reliable receiver & pretty much brings in the pigskin it is near him. He made everyone forget about the horrific punt handling we saw a couple years back.
* Defense: Jordan Kovacs. On defense, he was far from perfect but he made some nice solo tackles. Played like a captain.
* Special Teams: Will Hagerup. Easy one. He blasted the ball like we all know he can. It’s freakish what he can do to the ball when he’s on. (Update: Through Saturday’s games he’s #2 nationally).
* Young Standout: Dennis Norfleet. I was surprised to see him out there but he did a nice job on kickoff returns.
* Editor’s Choice: Big Will Campbell. I’ve been warned (by Steve Clarke of WTKA) to reserve judgment on this one until I watch the film..but…from my vantage point he did a pretty nice job. I was very skeptical of BWC’s ability to complete and contribute, but I saw a lot of effort (yes, you are supposed to give a lot of effort), some motor, and was still making the occasional play late in the game. No honeybuns. #BWC was trending on Twitter.
* Ufer Maize & Blue Fedora Fan Award. The Banana Hammocks:
* Uniform Highlight: Helmet Numbers. As I understand it the helmet numbers are gone, but as I mentioned already they adjusted (2011 style below right) the font and matched the maize color tone (left, below) to the wings. Bravo and sayonara.
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One Comment
Jeff Cummins
I’d pretty much have to agree with all of those helmet sticker selections. Gallon proved that there is some merit to Rich Rod’s theories on offense; he was able to be effective agains the Bama secondary in spite of, or maybe due to, his diminutive size and tremendous stop-and-start quickness. Hagerup had the performance we all dreamed of when he first signed on. Stay focused, lad, and keep it up. Will Campbell, despite being double-teamed on several occasions, still held his own and was remarkably effective. His determination on that 16-yard sack shows just how far that guy has come. He truly WANTS to succeed. I’m aware of his transgressions, but he really seems like a genuinely good guy. Norfleet is clearly a star in the making. Made some big plays vs. Bama, and was not intimidated in the least. Frankly, I think Norfleet could have started on Bama’s specials, and no, I’m not kidding at all, he was that good. Kovacs? He was Kovacs. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t have an impressive career in the NFL.
Let’s keep our heads up, guys. There’s plenty of football left to play.