Big Ten Football Morning Coffee: Brady Hoke Is a Turtle

Rise and shine, friends. Here's what's going down in the Big Ten today.

Michigan head coach Brady Hoke did a video spot with MGoBlue.com, and when asked about his Coach of the Year honors, he immediately deflected all praise to the rest of the team, comparing himself to a turtle on a fence post. You'll see.

Speaking of Michigan, offensive lineman Elliott Mealer is running with the first team at left guard, three years after a horrible car crash claimed the life of his father and girlfriend. You may also remember Elliott's brother Brock, who suffered a damaged spinal cord in that wreck, leading the Wolverines out for the 2010 season opener and touching the M Club banner, two years after doctors told him he would never walk again.

Wonderfully inspiring stuff.

Over at HuskerExtra.com, Steven Sipple doesn't see any harm in giving Nebraska one game with alternate uniforms. Sipple's stance is reasonable, and it mirrors my take and Felder's take from yesterday pretty well.

In fact, I'm really only linking it for this quote, which is currently giving every Nebraska fan over 40 a seizure: "We're going show that we're not the same old Nebraska," said junior cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste.

StateCollege.com has a great profile on Penn State running back (and former walk-on) Derek Day, as he fought his way from the scout team to dressing for road games and more. Day's father also plays prominently into his story, so go read.

And finally, here's Northwestern QB/RB/WR Kain Colter wearing a microphone during a recent practice session. "Little do they know," Colter says early on, "I'm the quietest dude on the team."

And yes, I would totally go over to Colter and talk really loudly right into his microphone too. How could you not?