Michigan Football: 3 Wolverines who stepped up against Illinois

A lot of Michigan football players had to step up in ways they haven’t been asked to do in order to keep the season going. These three guys did just that.

It was a wild day for college football, and Michigan football couldn’t escape that. The Wolverines19-17 win over Illinois was certainly a win, but it was awfully close.

If not for a last-second field goal by Michigan football legend Jake Moody, the Wolverines go tumbling down the rankings.

While part of this is because Michigan didn’t play great, another part is because they were missing a host of key players. Both Donovan Edwards and Blake Corum were out for the majority of the game. Eric All has been hurt, and Luke Schoonmaker was out as well.

Mike Morris, who’s held down the defensive line, didn’t play. Trevor Keegan, who’s done the same with the OL, was also out. The list goes on. With this, a lot of guys had to step up in ways they haven’t been asked to do in order to keep the season going. These three guys did just that.

1. Colston Loveland

This time last year, Colston Loveland was still in high school. And with Erick All and Luke Schoonmaker ahead of him on the depth chart coming into the year, meaningful playing time opportunities seemed slim. Yet here we are.

With a shaky receiver room and a passing offense that’s relied on tight ends all year, Loveland needed to step up. He did just that. He only had three receptions, but made the most of them, gathering a team-leading 50 yards, including a massive 27-yard reception to ignite Michigan’s second-to-last drive.

Without that play, Michigan might lose that game. Without Loveland, I don’t think Michigan had a chance. The true freshman seriously stepped up in ways nobody knew he would have to do, and showed that Michigan might have their tight end of the future.