Michigan fumbled away its best chance to become bowl eligible over the weekend with a 23-16 loss to Maryland. A pair of special teams penalties -- one that negated a punt return touchdown and another that gave Maryland a first down inside the 10-yard line -- doomed the Wolverines to a disappointing final home game that seemed fitting for the 2014 season.
Nonetheless, there were a few individuals who stood out about the rest and are receiving awards in our penultimate round of helmet stickers.
Senior LB Jake Ryan: Ryan topped 100 tackles on the season during his final game at the Big House. He finished with a game-high 13 stops, which led the Big Ten on Saturday. On Monday, he was named one of the five finalists for this year's Butkus Award, given to the nation's top linebacker.
Junior C Jack Miller: Miller is the cog in the middle of a much-maligned offensive line that has steadily improved this season. Michigan's running attack in November has been as good as we've seen from the Wolverines in the past two years. It gained 292 yards on the ground against Maryland. If nothing else, Miller deserves some recognition for representing his team well while answering questions about their shortcomings throughout the season.
Junior DE Mario Ojemudia: Ojemudia and fellow lineman Taco Charlton played well while replacing dismissed senior Frank Clark. Ojemudia made five tackles, one behind the line of scrimmage and batted down a screen pass that he nearly turned into an interception. He stepped into a bigger role on Saturday and did so without stumbling.
