The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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24 THE WOLVERINE MAY 2019 BY JOHN BORTON C arlo Kemp's most frequently viewed scenes of carnage have nothing to do with "Game Of Thrones" or the latest Quentin Tarantino flick. No, the senior defensive tackle settles in to witness, over and over, a presentation that hits him more per- sonally, more viscerally. He dims the lights, cuts on the video and sees him- self taking the field last November in Columbus, Ohio. "All the time," he mused, quietly. "I watch it all the time." Witnessing again Michigan's 62-39 humbling in Ohio Stadium isn't self- punishment for Kemp, a Coloradan who found his ideal college home in Ann Arbor. It is a reminder, and a mo- tivator, cactus needles in his legs as he runs toward his final season. Kemp shakes his head. Personal? Oh yeah … it's personal. "For me, it's disgusting," he offered. "For me, personally. I'll always be a part of that. I had a big part of why the score was the way it was. So I feel that game a lot. "It's watching that and knowing I let my whole team down. When I say it's disgusting and nasty, that's me. That's how I feel about my performance in that game, not anybody else. That's how I feel about myself." Kemp, a team leader and mentor to Michigan's younger linemen, stresses that point over and over: Make sure everyone knows I'm talking about me. He surely has company among his teammates, in feeling grave misery about an afternoon in which OSU's quarterback went untouched and the Wolverines were touched to their core. But he'd never toss them under the team bus for a feeling he's internalized and directed toward himself. They'll all look back and see the numbers in the books someday. In fact, they had numbers from their 2018 losses on T-shirts this past winter. One set of digits will forever make Kemp cringe. "That's history," he said. "The score doesn't get erased. That game doesn't get erased. That game will always be remembered. That game will always be talked about. It's Michigan versus Ohio State. This game dates back all the way to the 1800s. "The score is there. They're going to remember the players. They're go- ing to remember the first downs, the score. That's a big part of my identity. I was part of that defense. I was a big part in why the score was the way it was. I watch that game all the time to remind myself that I can't ever be like that again for my teammates." Kemp's former position coach found himself on the losing end of that game as well. Three months later, he switched sides and will don Ohio State gear for Kemp's final season in maize and blue. The senior isn't about to send any straight fire Greg Mattison's way. Kemp noted the veteran defensive line coach is a big reason he came to Michi- gan, and added he's thankful for his three years with Mattison. Others aren't as diplomatic. Head coach Jim Harbaugh acknowledged this spring he won't be sending Mat- tison a Christmas card any time soon. Safeties and special teams coach Chris Partridge got more pointed. "I've got blood in my mouth," Par- tridge assured. "There's no qualms about it. So yeah — for me, the moti- vation is how it ended last year. I don't wake up a day and not think about it, that's for sure. I know [defensive coor- dinator] Don [Brown] feels the same way. "I want to be candid: those guys left, and it was another shot. It wasn't okay! That's how I feel. I'm not speaking for anyone else. I'm ultra-motivated. I make sure my guys that I get in front of, they hear it, and they know that every single day when I wake up, I'm motivated. I want to take this thing. I want to hit it in the mouth. I want to go get it." Kemp can relate, especially to the part about getting after it in his final season at Michigan. He's come to re- alize the brevity of opportunity in a winged helmet. His chance involves a dozen games, more if earned. "I want everybody focused on what we want to accomplish," Kemp said. "It's getting to the point now, after four years here, that you realize how valu- able every single game is. As a fresh- man, you don't see the bigger picture. You're like, 'I'll get it next year. I'll get it the year after that.' "You keep doing that, you've run out of years to go get. I've really been trying to hone in on guys, to stress that every game is building for something. You've got to bring what was success- ful to the next game, and what wasn't, get rid of it." Kemp has gotten rid of plenty along the way to becoming a starting tackle for the Wolverines. He jettisoned ef- forts to play linebacker early in his ca- reer, moving in his freshman season to defensive end. He played both defensive end po- sitions moving on through his soph- omore year, but still hadn't seen the field extensively. Heading into last year, he felt like he needed to speak up and find a way to the field. Kemp recalled: "I went up to Coach [Mattison] and said, 'Coach, can I play inside? Can I play tackle? Can I play nose?' I just wanted to play. I couldn't do another season of watching every game. It wasn't selfish. I just wanted to help." He moved inside on the defensive line in the spring and progressed slowly, not without some hard knocks along the way. "I got whupped, all spring ball," Kemp recalled. "That summer, I just knew the things I had to work on from spring ball. I built every single day in camp. "It's just a whole different animal MAN OF MOTIVATION Carlo Kemp Is Driven Toward A Strong Career Capper Kemp started his college career at linebacker and then moved to defensive end, but finally found his home after moving to defensive tackle prior to last season. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN