8 — Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Peppers, Lewis make All-Big Ten team

Other Wolverines 
also earned second- 

and third-team 

honors

By JAKE LOURIM

Managing Sports Editor

The Michigan football team’s 

defense succeeded for most of 
the year with strong play from 
all three units. But on Monday, 
when the Big Ten announced its 

all-conference defensive teams, 
the secondary led the way.

Junior cornerback Jourdan 

Lewis and redshirt freshman 
safety Jabrill Peppers were the 
Wolverines’ representatives on 
the All-Big Ten team. Peppers 
also earned the Thompson-
Randle El Freshman of the 
Year award. The Big Ten will 
announce 
its 
all-conference 

offensive teams Tuesday night.

Along with senior safety 

Jarrod Wilson, redshirt junior 
cornerback Jeremy Clark and 
the help of other players off 

the bench, Lewis and Peppers 
led one of the best defensive 
backfields in the country. The 
Wolverines ranked third in the 
nation with 158.8 passing yards 
allowed per game, trailing only 
Georgia and San Jose State. 
Four times, they gave up fewer 
than 100 in a game.

Lewis 
broke 
a 
Michigan 

single-season record with 19 
pass breakups. He added two 
interceptions, one of which 
he returned for a touchdown 
against 
Northwestern. 
The 

Detroit native also finished 

fourth on the team with 46 
tackles.

Peppers, meanwhile, made 

an impact all over the field. 
He spent most of his time on 
defense, where he broke up 10 
passes and added 45 tackles (5.5 
for loss). He also averaged 11.4 
yards on 17 punt returns and 
27.9 yards on eight kick returns, 
breaking several big plays and 
narrowly missing touchdowns 
several times.

Finally, on Oct. 17 against 

Michigan State, the Wolverines 
tried to mix Peppers in on 
offense, mostly with success. 
He finished with 18 carries for 
72 yards and two touchdowns, 
as well as eight receptions for 79 
yards. His presence in all three 
phases of the game allowed 
him to finish fifth on the team 
in all-purpose yardage, despite 
playing mostly defense.

Peppers is in good company 

among 
Michigan’s 
other 

Freshmen of the Year: Charles 
Woodson 
in 
1995, 
Anthony 

Thomas in 1997, Steve Breaston 
in 2003 and Mike Hart in 2004.

The Wolverines also placed 

members on the second and third 
teams. Redshirt junior defensive 
lineman Chris Wormley (third 
team, coaches), Peppers (second-
team return specialist, coaches) 
and senior kicker Kenny Allen 
(third team, media) were all 
recognized. 
Fifth-year 
senior 

quarterback Jake Rudock was 
Michigan’s 
sportsmanship 

honoree. All in all, the Wolverines 
had a much stronger presence on 
the end-of-season awards list 
than in recent years.

No other team had two 

players selected to both the 
media and the coaches’ first 
teams. Ohio State featured four 
players on at least one team: 
linebacker Raekwon McMillan 

(media), Joshua Perry (coaches), 
safety Vonn Bell (media) and 
defensive end Joey Bosa, a 
member of both.

Bosa was the conference’s 

Defensive 
Lineman 
of 
the 

Year, joining Michigan State’s 
Shilique 
Calhoun, 
Penn 

State’s Carl Nassib — the Big 
Ten’s Defensive Player of the 
Year, despite not winning the 
defensive lineman award — and 
Maryland’s Yannick Ngakoue on 
the first team.

The 
linebackers 
were 

Wisconsin’s 
Joe 
Schobert 

(the Linebacker of the Year), 
Northwestern’s 
Anthony 

Walker and a split between 
McMillan and Perry.

Iowa’s Desmond King won 

the Defensive Back of the Year 
award. Bell and Maryland’s Will 
Likely, the coaches’ selection, 
shared the last spot on the first 
team.

ALLISON FARRAND/Daily

Junior cornerback Jourdan Lewis had 19 pass breakups this season on his way to being named to the All-Big Ten team.