Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

Michigan

Michigan is the One

by

INDIANAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Michigan is a national champion for the first time since 1989, standing as the best in the land even if the Wolverines weren’t at their peak on Monday.

Embed from Getty Images

Michigan defeated UConn 69-63 to turn back the Huskies’ bid for a third national championship in four seasons. Led by Most Outstanding Player Elliot Cadeau’s 19 points and endless energy, the Wolverines had to go off-script to end their title drought.

“We have a lot of banners at (Crisler Center), but we had just one lonely center banner, and we wanted to change that,” said Michigan coach Dusty May, who took over a program that went 8-24 in 2023-24.

All-American Yaxel Lendeborg had a quiet 30 minutes after a self-described “awful” and “soft” first half, but Michigan, the first title-winner in college basketball to start five transfers, came well-armed to the fight.

Cadeau and Morez Johnson Jr., who scored 10 of his 12 points in the first half, made shots and impactful effort plays on both ends.

“It means the world to me,” Cadeau said. “I was down on myself last year. It means the world to me to be Most Outstanding Player and win a national championship.”

Michigan’s perimeter shooting was virtually non-existent in the first half — the Wolverines were 0-for-8 from 3-point range — but yielded nothing close to a clean look to UConn freshman Braylon Mullins and Alex Karaban.

The Wolverines were held to 33 points in the first half, which put them 61 points behind their scoring pace from five prior NCAA Tournament wins.

Without their usual outside-inside balance to stir the offense, Michigan finished with 36 points in the paint and knocked down 25 free throws.

“All year we’ve just been finding ways to win,” Cadeau said. “We constantly just find ways to win all season.”

Lendeborg returned to the court in the semifinals after sustaining left knee and ankle injuries earlier in the contest, and he decided then that he wouldn’t miss the title game.“It took a lot to get on the court. I was having a lot of mental issues. These guys stuck with me. They believed in me, really helped me out,” said Lendeborg, who put up 13 points against UConn. “I just tried to find a way to do something to help the team out. I did the best I could regardless of the outcome, but it feels really, really good to be a national champion.”

The Huskies reached Indianapolis on the back of Mullins’ buzzer-beater against Duke in the East regional final, and he kept the hot hand with four 3-pointers against Illinois. However, he shot 4 of 17 from the field on Monday. Karaban made 5 of 14, and they were both 3 of 10 from 3-point range.

UConn shot 30.9% from the field, and when the teams switched baskets at halftime, the Huskies came up empty on their first 11 3-point tries.

“They just made it so tough on us around the rim,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said after he instructed the Huskies to wait courtside for a handshake line while the Wolverines celebrated for several minutes. “Just an incredibly talented, incredibly imposing team physically. They’re legit.

“They definitely deserved to win the national championship. They’re clearly the best team in the country this year. They’re just so hard to score against at the rim. I could talk about the threes that we missed, and I thought we had a lot of good threes that we missed. But they just made it so tough on us around the rim.”

The Huskies scrapped to the bitter end. Down nine with less than two minutes remaining after Michigan’s Trey McKenney splashed a stepback 3-pointer, UConn went 4-for-4 on foul shots before Solo Ball banked in a trey, trimming the deficit to 67-63 with 37 seconds left.

McKenney hit two free throws with 13.4 seconds left to set off the Michigan celebration.

Tarris Reed Jr., a transfer from Michigan, had 14 rebounds and 13 points, though he shot 4-for-12. Karaban had 11 rebounds and led UConn with 17 points.

“This guy changed my life,” Hurley said of Karaban. “The joy he’s brought to the university, the fan base. His decision to come to UConn has made us — Florida won the national championship last year. I’ll probably get in trouble for this. Michigan won the national championship this year. But he’s helped to make UConn, I think, right now — we’re probably the premier program in college basketball right now, having been to three out of four national championship games, having won two of them. He’s put UConn in that rarefied place in college basketball.”

Hurley, bidding to become the seventh college coach with at least three national title wins, lost a game in the Final Four for the first time (5-1).

–Field Level Media

Michigan Mauls Arizona; Next is UConn

by

INDIANAPOLIS — Michigan’s wait for a competitive NCAA Tournament game extends to the national championship game Monday after the Wolverines mauled Arizona, 90-73 on Saturday night.

Michigan was all gas, no brake in improving to 36-3 and earning a spot in the title game with a fifth consecutive blowout in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

Embed from Getty Images

Aday Mara scored 26 points, Trey McKenney had 16 and generations of Wolverines celebrated with Chris Webber, Jalen Rose and the Fab Five courtisde at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Michigan had 26 points off turnovers and made 12 of 27 3-pointers.

The barrage had Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd shaking his head long before Elliot Cadeau splashed his second 3 and gave the Wolverines a 27-point lead with 12:20 left in the game.

There was little life remaining in the Wildcats, who were atypically frustrated for most of their third loss of the season (36-3).

With Michigan All-American Yaxel Lendeborg in and out of the game — first due to foul trouble, later to have his rolled ankle checked and taped to return — the Wolverines flexed their title-worthy depth. Cadeau missed 12 of his 14 shot attempts in the first half, but McKenney could scarcely miss and Arizona had no way to slow down 7-foot-3 center Mara.

McKenney made three 3s in less then five minutes during a second-half sprint that helped Michigan kick its way to a 77-47 lead with 10:31 on the clock.

Mara was more of a constant.

He made 11 of 16 field goals, three of them emphatic and emotional dunks. On defense he slapped away shots, changed countless more and harassed Arizona freshman Koa Peat into a night to erase from his memory.

Peat took a team-high 18 shots (made six) and had only 11 points with 10 minutes left in the game. He eventually led Arizona with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Arizona had a couple of roundhouse punches left as the deficit hovered around 30 points, but a true game never materialized.

Peat and Burries cashed 3s and Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley, limited to 25 minutes due to foul trouble, outsprinted the Wolverines for a layup that narrowed the gap to 81-60. The Wildcats forced a stop and then Cadeu’s fourth foul sent Bradley to the line for one-and-one. He came away with two and whittled the margin to 19.

Embed from Getty Images

Burries was 2 of 10 from 3-point range. He finished with 13 points, as did Bradley.

It was still a 19-point game when Mara lowered his right shoulder and tugged Tobe Awaka with him for a five-footer on the baseline that gave him a career-high 25 points and added the free throw to balloon Michigan’s lead to 86-64 with 5:19 left.

Michigan improved to 8-1 in the Final Four and meets UConn (34-5) on Monday. The Huskies held off a late Illinois rally to improve to 13-1 all-time in the Final Four. Michigan is 1-6 and UConn is 6-0 all-time in the national title game.

–By Field Level Media

NCAA Final Four: Michigan vs. Arizona

by

INDIANAPOLIS — On the weekend the Fab Five is reunited and Michigan celebrates the anniversary of its only men’s basketball national title in 1989, Dusty May can’t help but feel momentum moving the Wolverines closer to tipoff in the Final Four.

The former Indiana University manager for Bob Knight has Michigan (35-3) hitting a peak at the right time with only Arizona (36-2) between the Wolverines and their eighth national championship game appearance.

Embed from Getty Images

“It’s really cool just to be back here in a full-circle moment,” May said Friday, roughly 36 hours before Michigan takes the court at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Wolverines waltzed through the NCAA Tournament Midwest Region in Chicago, taking the regional final from Tennessee in a landslide, 95-62. Michigan’s trail of victims all allowed 90-plus points, 25-plus field goals, 19-plus assists and 10-plus 3-pointers with Big Ten Player of the Year Yaxel Lendeborg (21.0 points per game) leading six Wolverines averaging double figures during the NCAA Tournament.

“He’s obviously an elite talent,” Lloyd said of Lendeborg. “You put the skill with those physical tools, and looks like to me he’s got that alpha dog in him. Dusty has done an incredible job just putting him in positions to utilize all his skills. There’s probably not one way to guard him. … I’m sure that guy, that’s going to be a household name in basketball for a long time.”

Lloyd said Friday he plans to be a household name in Tucson for a long time. He signed a contract extension through 2031 in the wake of interest from another college basketball powerhouse — this time North Carolina, last year Villanova — with a coaching vacancy.

Arizona set a single-season program record with 36 wins. The Wildcats won the Big 12 and, like Big Ten regular-season champ Michigan, haven’t had to sweat much in the NCAA Tournament with an average margin of victory of 20.5. This is the first matchup since the NCAA Tournament became a 64-team field in 1985 in which Final Four opponents won four prior games by at least 10 points.

“I feel like we’ve been tested,” Arizona senior point guard Jaden Bradley said. “Big 12 play, Big 12 tournament. I think it’s going to go down to the wire. It’s definitely going to be a full 40 (minutes).”

Illinois, Arizona and Michigan have been in the top six in offensive efficiency rating all season.

The Wildcats are making their fifth Final Four appearance — their first since 2001 — and are back near the site of their 1997 national title celebration at the RCA Dome.

Freshman forward Koa Peat was named West Region Most Outstanding Player, averaging 20.5 points, 5.0 rebounds 2.5 assists in wins over Arkansas and Purdue last week. In a Final Four dominated by transfers and international talent searches, Peat is an anomaly Lloyd applauds.

“Koa is special,” Lloyd said. “And I know you guys hear it, but you got to hear it again. Four state championships at the same high school. Didn’t go to a prep school. Four gold medals with USA Basketball. No one in FIBA history has ever done that. And helped lead Arizona to a Final Four.”

Classmate Brayden Burries scored 23 points against Arkansas in the Sweet 16, the second-most points scored by an Arizona freshman in an NCAA Tournament game. The pair combined for 1,105 points this season.

Embed from Getty Images

The player most responsible for carrying the Arizona flag on the roster is Bradley, who was named Big 12 Player of the Year. He was a third-team All-American and a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award.

Bradley’s matchup with Michigan’s backcourt brings intrigue in a game where most of the Xs and Os are fixed on big men. He’ll likely get plenty of time against Michigan point guard Elliot Cadeau, who has three consecutive games with seven-plus assists and overcame an allergic reaction and late departure from Ann Arbor to practice Friday.

But Arizona takes pride in its team defense.

“I think their physicality stands out and the way that they play and they sustain physicality for 40 minutes,” Michigan freshman guard Trey McKenney said of Arizona.

The Wildcats are not the typical college offense, a point made by Michigan’s 7-foot-4 center Aday Mara this week.

They typically are aiming to shoot a higher volume of free throws, not 3-pointers. The Wildcats have attempted only 53 total 3-pointers in four NCAA Tournament games and shot 43.4%; Arizona made an average of 19.7 free throws per game this season. Michigan made 27 free throws in the Midwest Region final win.

Arizona’s defense gave Big 12 foes fits all season with 7-foot-2 Motiejus Krivas roaming between the blocks. But Lloyd views Lendeborg as a unicorn. Not because of just his scoring, but because of his unselfish play.

“It took him a while,” May said of Lendeborg reaching his current comfort zone. “And I think our guys have constantly reminded him. He’s so unselfish. He’s so — I don’t know how to say it. He wants to be one of the guys. They’ve encouraged him to be more aggressive, to shoot more, to hunt some more individual accolades all year, and he simply refused because he didn’t care about any of those things.

“It’s allowed us to have a real selfless group, and it’s improved our environment because he’s been so unselfish but he still has no idea how good he is.”

A grad student who had 150 career games under his belt before joining the Wolverines, Lendeborg spent two seasons at Arizona Western College and two at UAB. He’s also a unique talent because of range — 10 3-pointers in the past three games — and length (7-foot-4 wingspan).

If the Wildcats control the lane and force Michigan to launch from deep, they expect positive results. Opponents are shooting 27.9% from 3-point range against Arizona in the NCAA Tournament.

-Field Level Media

Michigan Runs All Over Washington

by

HOUSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Michigan’s Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards each rushed for two touchdowns and No. 1 Michigan completed an undefeated season with a punishing 34-13 victory over No. 2 Washington in the College Football Playoff national championship game on Monday night in Texas.

Embed from Getty Images

Corum had 134 yards on 21 rushes and Edwards added 104 on just six carries as Michigan (15-0) won its first national title since winning in split fashion in 1997. The Wolverines racked up 303 yards on the ground while limiting Washington to 46.

Mike Sainristil returned a key interception 81 yards to set up Michigan’s final touchdown and Will Johnson also had a pick.

Michael Penix Jr. completed 27 of 51 passes for 255 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for Washington (14-1). Jalen McMillan had a touchdown catch and Rome Odunze had five receptions for 87 yards for the Huskies.

Embed from Getty Images

Washington’s Dillon Johnson played despite injuries to his left knee and right foot. He had 33 yards on 11 carries and caught two passes for 24 yards.

J.J. McCarthy completed 10 of 18 passes for 140 yards for the Wolverines, who outgained the Huskies 443-301.

Michigan led by seven when it took over with 9:44 left in the game.

On the first play of the drive, McCarthy connected with Colston Loveland for a gain of 41 to the Huskies 30-yard line. Four plays later, Corum scored on a 12-yard run to give Michigan a 27-13 lead with 7:09 remaining.

Penix lofted a 44-yard pass to Odunze with 6:18 left to get Washington in scoring range. But the Huskies soon faced fourth-and-13 from the Wolverines 30, and Sainristil picked off the ball and raced the other way, setting up Corum’s 1-yard TD run with 3:37 remaining.

 

No. 3 Michigan Beats No. 2 Ohio St

by

ANN ARBOR – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Blake Corum rushed for two touchdowns and J.J. McCarthy threw for another to lift No. 3 Michigan to a 30-24 win over second-ranked Ohio State on Saturday in Michigan.

Embed from Getty Images

Corum finished with 88 rushing yards for Michigan (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten), which plays Iowa in the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis next Saturday.

Corum broke a 17-17 tie late in the third quarter with a 22-yard run for a touchdown, one play after center Zak Zinter was carted off with a leg injury.

James Turner padded the lead to 27-17 on a 38-yard field goal with 11:57 left in the fourth quarter. Marvin Harrison Jr.’s 14-yard TD at the 8:05 mark of the fourth pulled the Buckeyes (11-1, 8-1) to within 27-24.

Top 25 Reviews:

No. 1 Georgia 31, Georgia Tech 23

Kendall Milton rushed for a career-high 156 yards and scored two touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs over the Yellow Jackets in nonconference play in Atlanta.

Carson Beck was 13-of-20 passing for 175 yards, one touchdown and one interception for Georgia (12-0), which extended its nation-best winning streak to 29 games. The victory established a Southeastern Conference record that Georgia previously shared with Alabama, which twice won 28 games in a row (1978-80, 1991-93).

Haynes King rushed for 24 yards and two touchdowns and went 11-of-20 passing for 158 yards for Georgia Tech (6-6). Jamal Haynes had 81 yards on 15 carries, and Eric Singleton Jr. had four catches for 96 yards.

No. 4 Washington 24, Washington State 21

Rome Odunze caught seven passes for 120 yards with two touchdowns, and his 23-yard run on fourth down helped set up Grady Gross’ game-winning field goal as the Huskies edged the rival Cougars in Seattle.

The Huskies (12-0, 9-0 Pac-12) came into the 115th edition of the Apple Cup having already clinched a berth in Friday’s Pac-12 championship game, but they sought to maintain their inside track on reaching the College Football Playoff.

Facing fourth-and-1 at its own 29-yard line with 1:14 left, Washington went for it and appeared to be stuffed when running back Dillon Johnson ran into the line. But Johnson sold a fake as the wide receiver Odunze went end-around for the long gain. Gross later hit from 42 yards out, nearly the same distance as the 43-yarder he missed earlier in the game.

No. 5 Florida State 24, Florida 15

Trey Benson tied a career high with three rushing touchdowns to lead the Seminoles over the Gators in Gainesville, Fla.

Benson went for 95 yards on 19 carries as Florida State (12-0) leaned on its running game and defense after losing starting quarterback Jordan Travis to a season-ending leg injury last week.

Florida (5-7), which also lost its starting quarterback last week when Graham Mertz suffered a collarbone fracture, came up short of clinching bowl eligibility for the first time since going 4-7 in 2017.

No. 8 Alabama 27, Auburn 24

Jalen Milroe hit Isaiah Bond for a 31-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal with 32 seconds remaining to give the Crimson Tide a 27-24 win against the host Tigers.

Alabama (11-1, 8-0 SEC) converted a fourth-and-1 from the Auburn 10-yard line on a 3-yard run by Roydell Williams, but then on second down, a snap went past Milroe, who recovered it at the Auburn 26-yard line.

Facing a fourth-and-goal from the Auburn 31 after a penalty, Milroe threw a pass into the back left corner of the end zone to Bond, who snatched it out of the air for an improbable touchdown. Milroe completed 16 of 24 passes for 259 yards with two TDs and no interceptions. Payton Thorne threw for 91 yards, a touchdown and two picks on 5-of-16 passing for the Tigers (6-6, 3-5).

Kentucky 38, No. 10 Louisville 31

Ray Davis raced 37 yards for the winning touchdown with 1:02 remaining to lift the visiting Wildcats over the Cardinals.

Davis also caught two touchdown passes and Barion Brown returned a kickoff for a score as Kentucky (7-5) won the Governor’s Cup for the fifth straight time. Devin Leary threw three touchdown passes and J.J. Weaver recovered two fumbles, forced one and also recorded a sack as Kentucky won for just the second time in its past seven games.

Jack Plummer completed 24 of 33 passes for 242 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for Louisville (10-2), which had a four-game winning streak halted. Jahwar Jordan rushed for 67 yards and two scores and Joey Gatewood and Ahmari Huggins-Bruce had touchdown catches.

No. 14 LSU 42, Texas A&M 30

Jayden Daniels threw three of his four touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and the Tigers beat the Aggies in Baton Rouge, La.

Daniels recorded his fourth 100-yard rushing game, finishing with a game-high 120 yards on 11 carries. However, he was held to 72 passing yards through three quarters before passing for 163 in the fourth quarter for the Tigers (9-3, 6-2 SEC). He finished with 235 yards, his second-lowest total of the season.

Jaylen Henderson passed for 294 yards and two touchdowns for Texas A&M (7-5, 4-4).

No. 15 Arizona 59, Arizona State 23

Noah Fifita passed for a school-record 527 yards and five touchdowns, and Tetairoa McMillan had 266 yards receiving, as the Wildcats unloaded on the rival Sun Devils to retain the Territorial Cup trophy in Tempe, Ariz.

The visiting Wildcats (9-3, 7-2 Pac-12) won their sixth consecutive game as Fifita completed 30 of 41 passes with one interception, also setting a record for most passing yards in the history of the 97-game series. McMillan caught 11 passes, including a 50-yard touchdown, and set a Territorial Cup record for receiving yards.

Arizona State (3-9, 2-7) ended its first season under coach Kenny Dillingham by giving most of the quarterback snaps to true freshman Jaden Rashada, who had been out since the second game of the season due to injury. He was 10 of 22 for 82 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

No. 18 Notre Dame 56, Stanford 23

Audric Estime rushed for 238 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Fighting Irish to a win against the host Cardinal in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Estime has 18 rushing touchdowns on the season, breaking the single-season school record. Sam Hartman passed for 140 yards and two touchdowns for Notre Dame (9-3), which has won four of its past five games.

Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels completed 15 of 25 passes for 152 yards and an interception. Justin Lamson rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown for the Cardinal (3-9). The second half belonged to the Fighting Irish, who scored touchdowns on their first three drives.

Iowa State 42, No. 19 Kansas State 35

Abu Sama III rushed for 276 yards and three long touchdowns as the Cyclones defeated the Wildcats, with the points coming despite a heavy snowstorm in Manhattan, Kan.

The Cyclones had five scoring plays of at least 60 yards, including four of at least 70. Three of those long plays were runs of 71, 77 and 60 yards by Sama. Rocco Becht threw for 230 yards and three touchdowns despite throwing just 12 passes for Iowa State (7-5, 6-3 Big 12).

Will Howard was 24-of-48 passing for 288 yards with a touchdown and an interception for Kansas State (8-4, 6-3).

No. 20 Oklahoma State 40, BYU 34 (2OT)

The Cowboys rallied from an 18-point deficit to clinch a spot in the Big 12 championship game with a win over the Cougars in rainy Stillwater, Okla.

Ollie Gordon II rushed for 166 yards and five touchdowns, including scores in the final minute of regulation and in each OT session, to help secure Oklahoma State (9-3, 7-2 Big 12) a championship showdown with No. 7 Texas next Saturday in Arlington, Texas.

BYU (5-7, 2-7) led much of the way — including a 24-6 halftime lead — and then forced overtime with a gritty, last-minute drive for a game-tying field goal as time expired. The Cougars’ first season in the Big 12 ended on a turnover and with five consecutive losses in conference action.

No. 21 Tennessee 48, Vanderbilt 24

Joe Milton III threw for 383 yards and accounted for six touchdowns as the Volunteers blasted the Commodores in their annual rivalry game in Knoxville, Tenn.

The Volunteers (8-4, 4-4 SEC) never trailed and held a 617-306 edge in total offense. Vanderbilt (2-10, 0-8) ended the season on a 10-game losing streak.

Tennessee took a 31-10 halftime lead and held a 347-189 edge in total yards, with Milton accounting for 252 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and a rushing score. On the Volunteers’ first possession of the second half, Milton hit Ramel Keyton for a 46-yard touchdown, Keyton’s second score of the day.

No. 22 North Carolina State 39, North Carolina 20

Brennan Armstrong threw for three touchdowns and the Wolfpack used a dominant first half to go on to defeat the Tar Heels in Raleigh, N.C.

Drake Maye threw for two touchdowns and two interceptions as North Carolina (8-4, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) lost for the fourth time in six weeks. Maye rushed for a career-high 106 yards, but the conference’s leading rusher, Omarion Hampton, was limited to 28 yards on nine carries.

NC State (9-3, 6-2), which won its fifth straight game, scored on its first eight possessions — four field goals, four touchdowns — to build a 39-14 lead.

No. 24 Clemson 16, South Carolina 7

Jonathan Weitz kicked three field goals, and the Tigers relied on their defense to stymie the Gamecocks in the 120th version of the Palmetto Bowl in Columbia, S.C.

Weitz made kicks from 50, 49 and 42 yards, while safety Khalil Barnes returned a fumble for a touchdown as Clemson (8-4) won its fourth straight game and its eighth in the past nine meetings with South Carolina (5-7).

Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler completed 16 of 32 passes for 112 yards with an interception. Xavier Legette had six catches for 68 yards.

No. 25 Liberty 42, UTEP 28

Quinton Cooley ran for three touchdowns as the Flames completed an undefeated regular season by defeating the Miners in El Paso, Texas.

Liberty (12-0, 8-0 Conference USA) will try to stay in line for the Group of Five spot in the CFP’s upper tier when it hosts New Mexico State in Friday night’s conference championship game.

UTEP (3-9, 2-6) lost its third game in a row, managing just 50 yards on the ground.

–Field Level Media

Joe Moore Offensive Line Award Winners Rewarded with NIL Deal

by

ANN ARBOR – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Foundation for Teamwork, owners and creators of the Joe Moore Award which honors the most Outstanding Offensive Line Unit in College Football, today announced that it is believed to be the first post season college award program to launch a Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) program for its recipients. Timing is everything and the Joe Moore Award is excited to create a partnership with nine members of the 2021 award winners, the offensive line at the University of Michigan. Michigan was awarded the trophy in a ceremony last week in Ann Arbor and will play the University of Georgia in the College Football Playoffs semifinal at the Orange Bowl on Dec 31.

“We have seen the great amount of exposure that both winners and finalists of all the major college football awards receive throughout the years, but the actual and immediate benefit from winning the award typically goes to the presenter, not the presentee,” said Aaron Taylor, CBS college football analyst and co-founder of the Joe Moore Award. Taylor, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, played guard and tackle at the University of Notre Dame for the Award’s namesake, the legendary offensive line coach Joe Moore.

“We want to begin to change that dynamic with the growth of NIL for these athletes, and the Joe Moore Award is proud to be what we believe to be the first of the major awards to begin a program which will have long-lasting benefits and a financial upside for our winners, and in many cases for the causes which will be tied to the program. On the field, we’ve always known that when the o-line wins, we all win, and we’re excited to help Michigan’s O-line extend that same principle in our communities.”

The members of the Michigan offensive line will receive 100% of net t-shirt sales, with a portion going to a philanthropic beneficiary. Additionally, the Joe Moore Award will match the players’ charitable gift, up to $10,000, to help further the reach of the winning unit’s impact on their communities. The t-shirts and limited edition merchandise are designed by Make Your Move, an automated digital on-demand order processing and fulfillment partner and are available starting at $20.00 at gomym.com/collections/joe-moore-award.

The charity beneficiaries for the 2021 season are: The Seal Legacy Foundation which is dedicated to providing support to families of wounded and fallen United States Navy SEALs, educational assistance for SEALs and their families, and other charitable causes benefiting the SEAL community; and The AthLife Foundation, a national platform works to ensure that deserving kids from our nation’s most challenged, yet promising communities, can achieve in their future careers beyond sport.

Under offensive line coach Sherrone Moore, Michigan’s starting O-line has featured guard/tackle Karsen Barnhart (2 starts), guard Chuck Filiaga (4 starts), left tackle Ryan Hayes (13 starts), tackle Trente Jones (1 start), left guard Trevor Keegan (10 starts), right tackle Andrew Stueber (13 starts), center Andrew Vastardis (13 starts), and right guard Zak Zinter (11 starts). In addition, tight end Joel Honigford, a converted O-lineman, warrants mention as a key contributor to Michigan’s success.

Michigan led the Big Ten and lists 10th nationally in rushing (223.8 yards per game). The unit has conceded the fewest tackles for loss (27) and third-fewest sacks (10) in the nation this season. Only Army and Air Force, with a combined 204 pass attempts, have allowed fewer sacks. Michigan’s line has paved the way for a 1,000-yard back in Hassan Haskins (1,288 yards) and have another back in range in Blake Corum (939 yards). All five positions earned all-conference honors, with four of the five starters earning first or second-team accolades: Stueber (1st team), Hayes, Vastardis and Zinter (2nd) and Keegan (honorable mention).