Thursday Morning Brews: Come on pilgrim

Happy Thursday, folks. Welcome to Morning Brews. I’m writing this edition of the Brews more quickly than I usually do as a result of some other demands on my time this week. There’s also still a box car’s worth of takes from my colleagues here at MnB, so I think the football situation is pretty well covered right now. To that end, we’ll be doing a grab bag of news again this morning.

If you’re a fan of how I had been writing the Brews prior to last Thursday, don’t fear. I anticipate everything being back to normal for next Tuesday’s edition. This morning is Michigan football centric, and we have some interviews with players as well as a revealing comment from Tim Drevno, a blast from the past, and a little bit of draft analysis.

As is custom on Thursdays there is a song referenced in this morning’s Brews. There are at least three clues today. Clues may be words, phrases, or photos and may reference lyrics, the song title, the album, or the artist. If you think you can guess this morning’s song, fire away down in the comments section.

Let’s get to it:

“I think that everybody outside this building is way more worried and way more everything than the people that are in it,” says 5th year RB Ty Isaac. Some fans might be concerned by the seeming nonchalance with which players are addressing concerns in media availabilities, but I suspect that it is representative of the attitude inside Schembechler Hall - word hard to get better. “This is a group of fighters,” says Grant Perry. “I think we’re going to respond really well. You know, It’s a lot like a boxing match. You know, you get punched, you get knocked down. You got to get up.” The next step in the season is Rutgers on Saturday. We’ll see how the team responds.

Juwann Bushell-Beatty was a member of the 2014 recruiting class, the same class that brought fellow New Jerseyan Jabrill Peppers to campus. JBB has more than just this tie to Michigan lore, though. His first name is a nod to Michigan basketball great Juwan Howard. Michigan fans are becoming more acquainted with JBB because of his recently acquired status as the starting right tackle, but many may not know his background or what makes Michigan such a good fit for him. For more on the young man, check out the story above.

Tim Drevno was on 97.1 yesterday morning, and for those of you hoping to hear him say “fans of Brandon Peters, here comes your man,” you’ll need to keep waiting. It doesn’t look like Peters is in line for extended playing time on Saturday against Rutgers. Drevno said that O’Korn was going to be the starter, and he also repeated Harbaugh’s line that Peters is only ‘a snap away.’ Perhaps Peters will see the field if the game is a blowout in the second half, but it appears that O’Korn is firmly entrenched in the starting spot in the eyes of the coaches.

Twenty years ago yesterday, Charles Woodson made the catch. Perhaps the only catch of a ball thrown out of bounds in college football history, or at least the only one that I have ever seen. Woodson’s sideline spectacle was one of two interceptions he had on that day as a key part of a stifling defense that held Michigan State to just seven points. The Wolverines prevailed, undefeated season intact, National Championship on the horizon, and hardware with names like Nagurski, Camp, Bednarik, Thorpe, and Heisman in Woodson’s future. Check out the clip above to relive the moment.

Maurice Hurst is something special. That’s no secret to Michigan fans, but it’s nice to see him getting some love from analysts who don’t solely cover Michigan football - especially now that the season is more than half over. Through the first eight games, Hurst has amassed 32 tackles, eight TFLs, and one and a half sacks. He also grades out as the top interior defender using PFF’s metrics. Of Hurst they say, “Either on top or in the top 10 of virtually every major statistical category, Hurst is playing at a class of his own right now, especially in term of his run defense.” Expect Hurst to go high in the NFL Draft next April.