Michigan Wolverines Football: Top Five Players Of The Game
Counting down the top five players from Michigan's nail-biting win over Army:
1. Sophomore defensive end Aidan Hutchinson — The second-year Wolverine stood at the heart of the celebration at the end. His 10th tackle of the day, forcing Army quarterback Kelvin Hopkins Jr. to fumble in the second overtime, secured a full-scare victory for the Wolverines. Hutchinson recorded 1.5 of U-M's two tackles for loss, on an afternoon when the defense saved the day.
2. Junior defensive end Kwity Paye — Paye joined Hutchinson in the Hopkins hunt on the final play, getting the other half of the sack. Paye also scrambled to help cover up the football, in a moment in which an Army touchdown would have ended it — the other way. Paye secured seven tackles, including 0.5 for loss, on a solid afternoon.
3. Freshman running back Zach Charbonnet — Charbonnet worked overtime in a double-overtime game, carrying 33 times against Army. He recorded the first 100-yard outing of his two-game Michigan career, hitting the number on the nose and rushing for three touchdowns. Had some holes been available on fourth-down, fourth-quarter carries, he’d have racked up more.
4. Sophomore wide receiver Ronnie Bell — Bell rang up seven catches for 81 yards — nobody else had more than three catches or 35 receiving yards — including some crucial ones on Michigan scoring drives, including in overtime. He was looking for a big-play game, and he made some when the Wolverines needed them most.
5. Senior cornerback Lavert Hill — Hill endured some struggles in Michigan’s second game of the season, including an inopportune defensive holding penalty to extend an Army drive. He also registered just two tackles on a day when the Black Knights ran it all afternoon long. But if Hill hadn’t been at the right place at the right time in picking off an Army pass near Michigan’s end zone, the Wolverines would have faced a 21-7 deficit and been a long shot to win.
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