Michigan Wolverines Football: Top Five Players Of The Game
In the wake of a crushing road loss, the five best players of the game can’t, and don’t, feature a blue tinge.
1. Wisconsin tailback Jonathan Taylor — Taylor misses the second quarter with cramps, and still racks up 203 yards rushing with a pair of touchdowns on 23 carries. Had he played the entire game, he might have gone for 300. He’s a Heisman candidate and didn’t hurt himself a bit in the Big Ten opener.
2. Wisconsin safety Eric Burrell — Burrell epitomized the opportunism of the Badgers’ defense. He pounced on the Michigan fumble inside the Wisconsin 10, when the Wolverines could have tied the game at 7-7. He later picked off a pass, accounting for half of the U-M turnovers. He got tossed later for targeting, but by then, the damage was done.
3. Wisconsin linebacker Jack Sanborn — Sanborn racked up a pair of tackles for loss among his seven stops, recorded an eight-yard sack and forced a fumble. He kept the heat on for harried Michigan quarterbacks.
4. Wisconsin linebacker Zack Baun — Baun also recorded a sack and two TFLs among seven stops, and he forced the other Michigan fumble. He added a pair of quarterback hurries, doing it all in only 18:53 of Michigan possession time.
5. Wisconsin quarterback Jack Coan — Coan did what he was asked to do, over and over and over again. He handed off the football smoothly and efficiently to Taylor and several other Wisconsin backs, who combined for 359 yards rushing. He sprinted out on a 25-yard TD run of his own, while going 13-for-16 passing for 128 yards.
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