Ben(ch) Mason Appreciation w/ Quotes from Players/Coaches
Ben ‘Bench’ Mason is a remarkable human being. And I use the term ‘human being’ liberally, as he is seemingly more machine than human. We have all seen the footage of him obliterating linebackers with little regard for human life. We have also seen him demonstrate that stopping him short of the line scrimmage has been proven scientifically to be physically impossible. He has 12 career carries at Michigan, and 6 of them are touchdowns. Yet his on the field exploits are only part of what make him so fascinating.
Checkout the following quotes from other players and teammates:
“He wants to bludgeon people and do it really fast and he’s relentless. Just smash everything.” -Jay Harbaugh
“He puts everything he has into every single play.” - Ben Bredeson
“He’s a big boy. He’s just a bull.” -Chase Winovich
“He’s an interesting guy. He is a meatball, meathead type guy. He likes benching and eating raw meat. He’s a physical guy. He goes 100% every play. He’s just looking to take off heads.” -Patrick Kugler
“He’s a wrecking ball. He is a complete animal, the complete package. A lot of times, you’ve got to tell Ben to calm down. He’s one of those guys where it’s like, ‘holy cow!’ Every play? Are you kidding me? Every play?” -Karan Higdon
“He’s either destroying them or he is going to whip on them.” -Jon Runyan
“Obviously, I’m into the hair scene. He disagrees on what his hairstyle actually is because a true mohawk goes all the way to the back, but his stops in the middle. Is it a faux hawk? Is it a mohawk? Is it half of a mohawk?. Is it a fade? There’s a lot of options on the table for him.” -Chase Winovich
“Definitely a guy I’m very happy he is on my team and I don’t have to line up across the ball and go head-to-head against him.” -Shea Patterson
“I think this guy was just made to be a fullback.”-Coach Jim Harbaugh
And then some quotes from Bench himself:
“I always try to play with a controlled rage.”
On Bench press: “The most I ever did for max was 440 pounds in high school.”
How many times can he lifts 225 pounds in a row? “30 reps”
“The weight room is just a supplement to all other things.”
On Dylan McCaffrey lowering his shoulder against the defender at the end of his run, “When you just said that, I literally got chills all the way down my body. You want to have someone who’s physical and ready to put their shoulder down for the team and do anything that it takes to win.”
On discovering that his nickname Bench Mason was used on the broadcast, “Awesome, thank you.”
Ben Mason is an incredible football player, and one that is an absolute pleasure to watch. He is also one of the most focused individuals you will ever observe. We are very lucky to have him on this team. And we get to watch him for another 2-1/2 full seasons. This is going to be fun.
September 24th, 2018 at 2:54 PM ^
It's a bit tough to pull off the "I'm too cool for all this" act when you've got over 70,000 MGoPoints...
September 24th, 2018 at 3:29 PM ^
Tell us, Don, what train should we all be on? Would it be the Old-ass curmudgeon, always complaining, always stamping out any enthusiasm and excitement Express? Is that the train we should ride?
Why shouldn’t we be hyped about Ben Mason? How is this embarrassing?
September 24th, 2018 at 5:55 PM ^
Mason's a fine player and an asset to the team. There's a difference between recognizing that and the hyperbole in this thread. He's not Larry Csonka or Mike Alstott or John Riggins.
September 24th, 2018 at 7:41 PM ^
What’s wrong with hyperbole (not that I see much genuine over-hype ... mostly the tongue-in-cheek variety) in this case? Of course he’s not those guys, he’s Ben Mason. What’s your point? We can’t be excited about a player until ... when? Do we have to wait until a player is a hall-of-famer before we express our joy for his game? What’s really embarrassing is the fervor with which so many Michigan fans stamp out their own fanbase’s enthusiasm!
Do you rain on all parades with equal voraciousness, or do you single Michigan football out?
September 24th, 2018 at 2:46 PM ^
I just love this guy. Absolute monster on the field but seems so nice and genuine the way he speaks. Future captain.
September 24th, 2018 at 2:51 PM ^
Can’t believe he wasn’t one of our Known Friends and Trusted Agents of the Week.
Very disappointed. :(
September 24th, 2018 at 3:07 PM ^
Can we use him on D at LB on 4 and1 and/or goal line situations? Would love to see him just go up the middle like a wrecking ball and create havoc on that side of the ball too!
September 24th, 2018 at 3:11 PM ^
Anybody else surprised that his max bench came when he was in high school? Most guys see huge strength gains during their first couple years of college (and maybe he has) but clearly he is not most guys.
September 24th, 2018 at 3:44 PM ^
My guess is that they do not max out at Michigan. Maxing your bench (or any free weight exercise) can be dangerous and is not very helpful in building strength.
September 24th, 2018 at 5:23 PM ^
When I was in high school, being able to bench 225 was a pretty big deal. I can't even process 440.
September 24th, 2018 at 3:45 PM ^
He is going to be fun to watch
September 24th, 2018 at 4:49 PM ^
I’d love the idea of starting every game with a FB trap using Ben. Give those opposing LBs something to think about. If it gains the 4-6yds I expect. Run it again. When your holding a hammer you owe it to yourself to designate some nails and commence.
September 24th, 2018 at 4:51 PM ^
Why did Kugler call him Meathead? I'm not seeing it.
September 24th, 2018 at 6:14 PM ^
Reminds me of Pete Johnson who played at OSU in the 70’s. 2,300 career yards and 58 touchdowns. Positively a wrecking machine. Described as a Panzer division without the air support.
September 24th, 2018 at 6:43 PM ^
A bit of a Death in Venice vibe in that OP but yeah, fun post, fun player. Hope we get to see those trap plays, as Brian mentioned.
September 24th, 2018 at 8:39 PM ^
"He likes benching and eating raw meat."
September 24th, 2018 at 8:43 PM ^
The Mooseback formation will be great to play action off of in short yardage. He runs so hard, you have to respect his brute force, yet he can also pass protect or go for short passes: Double or Triple TE - Mason Dive Right - Play Action, with both TEs running seem routes or posts. Love the potential possibilities.
September 24th, 2018 at 9:37 PM ^
This man has quickly become my favorite player. He is a walking, talking testosterone cluster designed for optimal football destruction.
September 25th, 2018 at 3:56 AM ^
Not much more to be said about his footballing, but doesn’t he also have a really high GPA? Seems dichotomous, if you consider the old stereotype, but I believe it to be true.