In all likelihood, history will be made at Wrigley Field this weekend when Michigan takes on Northwestern.
Redshirt senior and special teams ace Joe Taylor is two snaps away from tying — and three snaps away from breaking
— Jordan Glasgow’s school record of 886 special teams snaps.
“Around fall camp, they mentioned it to me,” Taylor said on Monday night’s “Inside Michigan Football” radio show. “After the game two weeks ago, I was like, ‘Oh, I wonder how many snaps I played?’ And then I was just like, ‘Oh, I get to do it every week, that’s pretty cool.’”
Taylor has been a stalwart for the Wolverines over the years, primarily as a gunner, where he is constantly in on the action. It is not always sexy, and he will likely never receive the recognition he deserves, but he is an integral piece to the program.
Brown, who shares a love for baseball with Taylor, had nothing but praise: “He’s like family to me. I’ve been with him since the start of it, since he’s been here, but he’s also been that consistent player that you’ve always wanted. He’s a coach’s dream.
“…He knows exactly what to do, what’s happening in front of him. He’s a coach on the field. He’s just an extension of all of us on the field.”
Taylor, an alternate captain who came to Ann Arbor as a dual-sport athlete (baseball being the other), relishes the opportunity to play at Wrigley Field this weekend. Its dimensions will make life a tad more difficult for the special teams, but Brown, Taylor and the rest of the unit are preparing for the challenge.
Brown gave some insight into that preparation: “We’d like to take our specialists there the day before, so they could get a feel for that and then they could take photos and be able to say, ‘Oh, this is where on this hash, I want to look here.’”
It should be a fascinating affair for all involved, particularly the two baseball lovers. However, Taylor is not quite going full Jim Harbaugh mode, who he believes “might have” brought his glove to the ballpark.
Safe to say that would be a definite yes.
Quick Hitters
- Positive injury updates
- Jaishawn Barham, Jimmy Rolder and Cole Sullivan have dealt with injuries recently, but head coach Sherrone Moore provided an encouraging note on their health: “All three of those guys did stuff (Sunday) in practice, so that was a good sign.” There is still no official word on their statuses for the weekend, but any contributions will be greatly appreciated against Northwestern.
- No Moore accents
- Sherrone’s father, Master Sergeant Michael Moore of the United States Air Force, was a talking point with Veterans Day being Tuesday. Moore talked about all the different places he lived growing up, such as Kansas, New Jersey, California, Texas and England, the latter of which is where he developed a slight accent. Aside from Michael’s military duties, there was another incentive behind the move: “My dad said, ‘There’s no way you’re going to have an English accent the rest of your life.’”
