4B - December 1, 2014

The Michigan Daily - michigandaiy.com

48 - December 1, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom

FOOTBALL
Gardner's touching gesture

THE.MICHIGAN DAILY
TOP-10 POLL
Each week, Daily sports staffers fill out ballots, with first place votes
receiving 10 points, second-place votes receiving nine, and so on.

By ALEXADET
Daily Sports
COLUMBUS -
time, Devin Gardn
the field with his
helmet in hand.'
more time for he
plays. Even more
more chances at O
For the second
though not quitel
Gardner and th
offense put up a fie
against the
rival Buckeyes.
But for the
second year in
a row, it wasn't
enough.
"Overall,
I thought
(Gardner)
hung in there,
and he was
a warrior,"
said Michigan
coach Brady Hoke
ball well, he mad
throws. I'm real l
he represented hit
This time, thou
contributions exte

CTELBACH the game of football.
Editor When Ohio State quarterback
J.T. Barrett went down with
For the last a fractured ankle early in the
aer walked off fourth quarter, Gardner went
wing-tipped to midfield as the redshirt
There was no sophomore was being carted off
roics or trick to say a few words in private.
painfully, no "You hate to see any player
hio State. get hurt, but especially a guy
year in a row, like him - he's a great guy,
like last year, a high-character guy, a hard
he Michigan worker," Gardner said. "It's like
rce challenge having a little brother out there
getting hurt,
and I didn't
like to see
"I'm real proud that. So I
of howhe "just let him
of hw he know I was.
represented praymgnfo
him and to
himself." keep praying
and that
everything
will be all
right."
. "He ran the It was sportsmanship fans
de some nice should be used to seeing from
proud of how Gardner, a finalist for the
mself." CLASS award, and it was a
gh, Gardner's touching moment in a bitter
ended beyond rivalry. And it was far from

the quarterback's only positive
contribution.
Michigan's quarterback
orchestrated back-to-back
touchdown drives that included
a season-long 95-yard drive,
a season-long 45-yard pass to
junior receiver Devin Funchess
and the team's first road passing
touchdown of the season. Best
of all, it put Michigan up, 14-7.
But the Buckeyes tied it
before halftime and then scored
on their first possession after
the break.
So once again, Gardner
answered back with a
touchdown drive . of his
own. This time, it included a
throwback pass from redshirt
sophomore running back Drake
Johnson to Gardner for a gain
of 18. The Wolverines found
the end zone a play later on
Johnson's four-yard run.
For all the qualms people
had when Gardner was behind
center, one thing is for certain
- he twice put Michigan in a
position to win against highly
ranked Ohio State teams.
And that's something he can
always hang his hat on.

1. ALABAMA: The
winner of tle Iron Bowl
has played in the last five
National Championship
games. But you'll spend
money watching the
College Football Playoff
anyway.

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2. FLORIDA STATE:
Despite plenty of
mistakes, Florida State
still escaped unscathed,
We're talking strictly
football here, people.
4. TCU: "HORNED
Frogs Forever!" - Tim
Riggins
6. OHIO STATE: Bruh.

3.OREGON: The Ducks
beat the Beavers in the
Civil War. Abraham
Lincoln would be hype.
5. BAYLOR: There's a
really scary cult in Waco
that brainwashes people.
We're not saying ... We're
just saying.

-

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