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Michigan football's Zak Zinter 'would give anything' to play in Rose Bowl
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- Michigan football's Zak Zinter 'would give anything' to play in Rose Bowl
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — On Thursday morning, Michigan football players and coaches spoke about how the program has added beef to its roster in recent years and said it will help this time against Alabama .
On Thursday evening, the No. 1 ranked Wolverines added some more beef, when they participated in one of the Rose Bowl's oldest traditions, the Beef Bowl at Lawry's Prime Rib in Beverly Hills, which has been held for the bowl game every season except 1957.
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"The tradition of Lawry's The Beef Bowl, been here twice as a player when I came here to enjoy this excellence," said coach Jim Harbaugh. "We respect tradition, we admire excellence and that's what Lawry's is.
"Playing in the Rose Bowl is second to none, just like Lawry's is second to none."
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Senior captain and defensive tackle Kris Jenkins was named the honorary salad spinner even though he said he's "absolutely not" a salad guy; senior captain and left guard Trevor Keegan served as the honorary carver, a job he said was easier than he expected; and senior captain right guard Zak Zinter , who was injured in the regular-season finale against Ohio State, was presented with the Rose Bowl Scholar Athlete Award.
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"My parents instilled that in me as a young kid, working hard in the classroom and on the field," Zinter said of his work ethic. "You know I wanted to get a good degree, and football's got to end sometime."
The unanimous All-American and three-time academic All-Big Ten honoree was reminded off that sobering fact when he suffered a broken tibia and fibula in the third quarter during Michigan's 30-24 victory on Nov. 25.
(From left) Michigan defensive back Mike Sainristil, offensive lineman Zak Zinter and defensive end Josaiah Stewart raise the trophy after U-M's 26-0 win over Iowa in the Big Ten championship game on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, in Indianapolis.
Zinter, who was projected as a first-round NFL draft pick at the time, was carted off the field to chants of his name. On the next play, senior running back Blake Corum scored a 22-yard touchdown to regain the lead; Corum paid tribute to Zinter by holding up his hands for the camera and flashing a six and a five, for Zinter's No. 65 jersey.
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"I didn't see it until the morning after, but yeah it was special, a lot of emotions going on," Zinter explained. "Me and Blake have talked a lot since it happened, he kind of went through the same thing last year. So it's been good to bounce ideas, thoughts, you know, everything back and forth with each other."
Zinter had surgery to repair both broken bones at U-M's hospital that evening and has since been back with the team. Keegan, one of Zinter's best friends on the team, said the award not only showed the hard work he's doing is paying off, but pointed out how he's "practically walking" one month after surgery.
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"It was a tough couple weeks when it happened, doing much better now," Zinter said. "But yeah, it's bittersweet, I'd do anything to go out there and play with the boys on Monday, but you know I'm here to support them anyway I can."
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"I've been joking around, they never really chanted my name, and that wouldn't have happened if I didn't break my leg. So there's ways you could look at it."
Colson's idea for broken hand
Linebacker Junior Colson has had one or both of his hands in casts since early November and now it's finally clear why.
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Late in the second quarter against Purdue on Nov. 4, Colson went to make a tackle and felt his hand snap. On Thursday, he specified it was the fourth metacarpal in his left hand, and that he also had "some problems" in his right hand.
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"I told (Michael Barrett), 'I think my hand is broke,' " Colson told reporters Thursday. "He said, 'What do you mean?' 'I feel my hand's broken, bro.' 'You sure? You want to go out?' 'No, let's finish this drive.' We finished the drive."
After the defense got off the field, Colson ran over to the trainer who felt around and quickly confirmed the team's leading tackler (79 tackles) would need an X-ray. The only problem: The defense was just about to go back on the field
"We had about 4 minutes left in the quarter, in the half, (our trainer) was like, 'What do you want to do, want to go up there right now,'" Colson said. "Said, 'Can we just wrap it?' He wrapped it in a certain way. Finished our drive. Came back out. We had another drive. Finished that drive. And we ran straight to the tunnel."
Michigan linebacker Junior Colson speaks to reporters during a news conference on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023, in Los Angeles.
U-M's medical staff immediately determined it was a clean break and opted to cast it for protection so he could return to the game. He recorded four tackles against the Boilermakers and had eight or more tackles in the past three games.
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The injury has made it a bit more difficult, he noted — it's obviously not easy to tackle with clubs on your hands — but he has also tried to take a glass-half-full approach.
"The more you focus on your hand, the more it affects your play," he said. "I just had to go out there and, especially during practice, just change the way I tackle and change the way I hit people in certain ways, which has been good for me."
Homecoming for Graham
Mason Graham hasn't served as tour guide on this Rose Bowl trip, but there's still time to do so.
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Graham went to Servite High School in Anaheim, just 25 miles away from the team hotel in downtown Los Angeles and the trip has served as a homecoming of sorts. The 6-foot-3, 318-pound sophomore defensive tackle said he has heard from high school friends and former coaches since he arrived back on the West Coast, but was only able to land six tickets for the bowl.
Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham celebrates a tackle against Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023.
"Just my immediate family," he said with a smile.
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Graham, a coaches first-team All-Big Ten selection by coaches, enters the Rose Bowl with 29 tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble. He said he grew up watching the Rose Bowl, since it was in his "backyard," but he doesn't have any memory that stands out.
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In fact, he never actually attended the game — he said he would usually be too busy with another sport. Still, he's excited for the big game.
"I mean, they call this 'The Granddaddy of Them All,' " he said with a smile. "So it's an honor to play in this game, a lot of history behind it."
Contact Tony Garcia: apgarcia@freepress.com . Follow him at @realtonygarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football's Junior Colson idea for broken hand: 'Let's wrap it'
