Kornacki: What Will Devin Gardner's Legacy Be?
11/30/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Steve Kornacki
COLUMBUS, Ohio --- The book closed on Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner's college football career on Saturday afternoon, and it included some memorable chapters.
There was success and failure in games, and position versatility to be admired.
There was compassion on and off the field, and academic success that few realize.
And there were the no pain-no gain examples of true grit.
But there wasn't a chapter about a Rose Bowl appearance, and it's difficult to be considered a Wolverine great without that.
Gardner, while seated behind a table in an interview room at Ohio Stadium after a 42-28 loss to Ohio State, was asked to reflect on it all.
"Everybody faces this point in their lives," said Gardner. "You do everything you're supposed to do, you work hard, and what do you do once it doesn't work out the way you thought it would?
"The answer to that is you continue to do the things you do: work hard and be a good guy. And these guys, I'm pretty sure they share the same sentiment. They're going to continue to work hard and do the things they need to do (along) with the rest of the team."
Gardner was referring to the teammates who flanked him at the table: Butkus Award finalist and fellow fifth-year senior Jake Ryan and junior center Jack Miller.
This team has lived with its collective noses on the grind stone, and coach Brady Hoke has commended them for tireless dedication. But it wasn't enough to reach a bowl game with the required six wins.
Gardner recovered from an interception on the second play of the game to throw for 233 yards and two touchdowns. He also nearly caught a touchdown on an 18-yard halfback pass from Drake Johnson.
"I think he recovered from that aspect of it," Hoke said of the pickoff that led to a Buckeye touchdown. "But overall he hung in there. He was a warrior, and he ran the ball well. He made some nice throws. I'm real proud of how he represented himself."
Gardner, who also played wide receiver when Denard Robinson was the quarterback, made 32 starts at quarterback, and four of them this season came on a bad ankle. Still, he leaves Michigan with only three quarterbacks ahead of him in most career statistical categories: Chad Henne, John Navarre and Elvis Grbac.
-- Devin Gardner on his time at Michigan
Gardner on Saturday moved ahead of Robinson into fourth place with 6,336 passing yards. He also passed Todd Collins to place fourth with 475 completions, and broke a sixth-place tie in touchdown passes with Steve Smith with 44. And Gardner finished fourth with 7,252 yards in total offense.
He came to Michigan as a highly-recruited Parade All-American out of Inkster (Mich.) High and appeared in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" feature. And while he didn't end up moving mountains, he moved those around him.
"I don't think you can put it into words -- especially not a few words," Gardner said of his time as a Wolverine. "It's been a long ride, and I'm just thankful. I thank God for the opportunity that I've had here. And I thank my family, and my brothers -- my brothers on this team. I'm around them more than I am my real brothers and sisters. And the trainers and the managers -- I've been in so many relationships here. That's probably the worst part about it -- seeing some of those relationships not being able to continue."
He played with a broken left foot in last year's 42-41 loss to Ohio State, and his 32 completions for 451 yards and four touchdowns in that one all rank as the highest quarterbacking outputs by a Wolverine in "The Game." He was asked to compare his two starts against the Buckeyes.
"It's the end right now," said Gardner. "So, we lost the game just like last year -- a loss is a loss. It's a loss whether by one point or how many we lost by today."
And if winning big was all that mattered, it could've been a sad ending. But there is so much more to Gardner's overall college experience than that.
He's a finalist for the NCAA's Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes character, competition and community and classroom work.
Gardner earned his degree in Afro-American and African studies, and is close to a Master of Social Work degree. He's involved in several community activities and Mott Children's Hospital. He even finds time to baby-sit the infant nephew he adores.
And when Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett was knocked out of Saturday's game with a broken right ankle, Gardner rushed to him at mid-field while trainers tended to the injury. He gave Barrett a loving pat and encouraged him, saying he was in his prayers and that everything would be all right.
Did Gardner play like a Heisman Trophy candidate?
No.
But he was pretty good on the field, and everything you could ever want off it. Put any title you want on his book. However, there's no denying it was worth reading.
